Completed Games 2024

[Psycho666Soldier 287]

You know the drill

 

1. Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons

 

 

Holy shit, is this a good Zelda game. It's short, but when you consider it's supposed to be paired with Ages(which I'm playing next), that's not really true.  Even on its own, it's a content-packed adventure, with some inventive items and solid boss battles. Some of the puzzles had me stumped(some for stupid reasons like forgetting I can push a trampoline -_-). I used a guide for that damn trampoline mishap and to figure out where to go(another dumb oversight) after Tarm Ruins, and I wasn't gonna try and find the random spots the golden beasts popped up. 

 

While not all the bosses were super hard, I thought they all had unique mechanics that took advantage of all the items you get. I really liked that the final proper dungeon tests all your skill with them and is designed in a way where you can get past some of the basic hazards in multiple ways depending on how you're using everything.

 

Oh, and of course, the music was incredible.  The dungeon themes would be stuck in my head all day after playing. GBC OSTs are underrated.

 

Sick game. Unique setting and identity and the best that top-down Zelda has to offer. You can't ask for more. 9/10

[dr. b 492]

Seasons is definitely my favorite of the two

 

edit: I’m glad somebody finally started the 2024 thread! I honestly have nothing to contribute because all I play (still, 2+ years going strong!) is Diablo 2: Resurrected. Not I like reading everybody else’s write-ups. 

[MT 918]

1.  Metroid: Zero Mission

  1a. Metroid Fusion

  1b. (SNES) Super Metroid

2. Metroid Dread

 

A couple weeks back I did a week of streaming, doing a Metroid "retrospective" going through the 2D games. Started on Monday showing off the first game and it's GBA remake. Tuesday was Metroid 2 on the Game Boy, and the fan remake AM2R. Wednesday was Super Metroid, along with a remixed version of that game that made the physics feel more like the later 2D games (less floaty jumps, mostly). Thursday was Metroid Fusion. Friday was finishing both Metroid Fusion and Super Metroid. My original plan for Friday was to play Metroid Dread, but I don't know where my capture card is, and in order to emulate it I would've needed a hacked Switch to get the BIOS off of, so I figured it wasn't worth the effort.

[Mera'din 308]

1.)  Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Fuck that was fantastic. I had pretty high expectations going into that and was still impressed. Strong pacing and balance despite the open world sandbox aspect, side-quests and collectibles that didn't feel oppressive or chore-like to find (mostly because there wasn't too many and they generally felt like there was a purpose to them). Fun combat that felt like it had been improved upon nicely. Then there was the story. They packed SO much into that that I was not expecting it to get into, but it didn't feel rushed or awkward generally. A few things here and there that managed to catch me by surprise as well, with enough story threads left hanging that I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with the next one since there are like half a dozen possible plots they could lean into or mix and match with how they left things. XD

 

They outdid themselves with the outfits again too. Probably the ONLY thing that felt awkward for me was the number of resources they had you juggle to unlock stuff. Tech parts, RARE Tech Parts, City tokens, Hero tokens, etc. Felt a bit overwhelming and annoying at first, though things flowed and unlocked steadily enough just playing things as you came to them that it was only a minor gripe. I like that they kept the score/time/combat challenge type stuff to a minimum compared to the first game too, and what they did have didn't require you to get the highest score on all of them to unlock everything which was a relief.

[MT 918]

1.  Metroid: Zero Mission

  1a.  Metroid Fusion

  1b. (SNES) Super Metroid

2.   Metroid Dread

3.  Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

 

Man, what a disappointment. The story was the only thing that kept me going. The puzzles suck, and it's real easy to get lost, while the holomap doesn't really make it any better. The first game had a similar map situation. Wasn't really a fan of having a sort of open hub world thing. Wasn't bad, just wasn't what I wanted. I called part of the twist before it happened, but they added one thing I didn't see coming.

[Mera'din 308]

2.)  God of War: Ragnarok - Valhalla

Counting it as a separate thing because it certainly felt like it was. XD

Anyway, for being free, this DLC was really fucking good. Not super long, but even after the credits roll, there's more story stuff to get if you want it. It's basically God of War turned into a mini-roguelite game that reminds me of Hades at times with how they handled story progress. The story built into it serves as a vehicle for Kratos to be forced to face and come to terms with his past and is handled really well, and in the process you're able to learn more about some of the side characters from the main game, such as some of the Valkyries. There's a bit of a surprise guest appearance too that was pretty fun and tied into Kratos facing his past. The whole thing was set up well enough I actually did a number of runs past the core story finishing to finish up some of the side stories and wrap up the trophies. Getting Kratos' classic look as an unlock was really cool too.

[Vic Boss 612]

1) Mario vs Donkey Kong (100%ed collectibles, did not do time attacks)

 

Mostly chill and fun. I think I liked the second set of levels the most, everything compacted onto one screen or area made it all flow better.

[MT 918]

1.  Metroid: Zero Mission

  1a.  Metroid Fusion

  1b. (SNES) Super Metroid

2.   Metroid Dread

3.  Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

4. (NES) Mega Man 2

 

Partner and I upgraded our CRT to a 24 inch one, so we've been playing a bunch of older systems on it lately. Yesterday I randomly decided to boot up Mega Man 2 and play for a while. I'd never beaten the game in one sitting, without cheats before.

[Vic Boss 612]

1) Mario vs Donkey Kong (100%ed collectibles, did not do time attacks)

 

2) :switch: Princess Peach: Showtime (100%)

 

Nice like game, similar to a Kirby game. Most of the play styles are simple but there's only a few levels of each so none wear out their welcome. I'd be cool with hard-mode DLC or more levels if it came out.

[Vic Boss 612]

1) Mario vs Donkey Kong (100%ed collectibles, did not do time attacks)

2) Princess Peach: Showtime (100%)

 

3) :gameboy: Super Mario Land

 

For its time and what it was, not bad. As a Mario game, not great. Jumping and momentum feels wooden and poor, falling speed is horrendous. The submarine and flying levels are cool. I remember there being complaints that the initial Switch Game Boy offerings didn't include this game, but I think they made the right choice putting 6 Golden Coins first.

[Revolver 27]

I took it for a quick spin the other night too. Loved that game on my GB when I was a kid but yeah it has not aged the best.

[dr. b 492]

I love Super Mario Land, warts and all. So many fond memories of playing that on my Game Boy. I guess most recently, I played it on the 3DS Virtual Console... so, I guess within about the last 10-ish years? I don't recall feeling like it hadn't aged well at that time. I don't have a Switch Online membership right now to give it another go on the Switch otherwise I'd be playing it right now!

[Mera'din 308]

3.)  Still Wakes the Deep

 

Have been waiting for this one since I've always liked the games that The Chinese Room has done. Was particularly interested in seeing how this one played though since it's a mostly new staff at the company now and wanted some frame of reference for how their other game, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, might turn out. Overall I was pretty impressed with the game. It was more "game" than their previous titles had been, with some simple stealth bits and such, but still very much felt like one of their games. Great atmosphere, solid story, well written dialogue and just all around enjoyable. They handled the horror genre pretty well. Playing it gave me some major The Thing vibes. Not a lot of surprises to the story, so it was pretty straight forward ultimately, but I enjoyed myself. The visuals were solid all around with some truly well done body horror bits. Sound design was where the game really stood out though. Even when there was no real danger in a given area, the sound design managed to keep the tension strong. 

[Mera'din 308]

4.)  Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

 

Kind of mixed feelings on this. I absolutely loved 90% of the game. The attention to detail and the way they adapted the original story were mostly fantastic and there was a lot of great content throughout. Having said that, similar to the first game, I'm really not a fan of how they did the ending. The took a concise and impactful moment from the original game and made it confusing and obtuse for the sake of spectacle and as much as it still had a decent emotional impact, it really felt like they missed the mark overall for no particular reason, and excised one of the most iconic scenes from the original version in the process. I assume we'll see the "real" scene play out in the final game as part of Cloud coming out of his fractured mental state, but it made everything feel off. This isn't fucking Kingdom Hearts, god damnit, stop trying to act like it is.  

 

This is also one of the few times I have no interest in trying to 100% the game or complete all the achievements. They went way too far overboard with the minigames. I enjoyed them all, but when it forces you to revisit them, often twice, it gets really tiring really fast. Plus the combat system is not so fun that I want to be forced to play through this shit on Hard Mode or fight some ultra difficult boss that's more frustrating than interesting. I'm too old for that shit at this point in my life.

[MT 918]

1.  Metroid: Zero Mission

  1a.  Metroid Fusion

  1b. (SNES) Super Metroid

2.   Metroid Dread

3.  Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

4. (NES) Mega Man 2

5. Super Mario World (96 Exits)

6. Super Metroid (100%)

7. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (100%)

8. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

 

Been on a bit of a retro kick after getting that CRT upgrade. I don't think i've gotten 96 exits on SMW since 1992. I'd never 100% completed Super Metroid before, so I figured i'd give that one a shot. It's been a long time since i've 100%'d LttP, but it was time for another go round. We also recently re-hooked up my Wii U, so I figured i'd play through Twilight Princess again. Still not a huge fan of that game, but I like it better now than I did the last two times I played it, however long ago that was.

[Psycho666Soldier 287]

1.  Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons

2.  Disco Elysium

3. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

 

Ok, I've been pushing this off too long to the point where I'm forgetting my ridiculously detailed mental notes, so it's time I finally get this over with.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

I beat Rebirth months ago back when it first came out. Ultimately, I loved it.  I think from a gameplay perspective, it's the best Final Fantasy has felt in years. I know this is kind of a divisive topic online, but I think FF7R's battle system is the foundation to build the future on. Action RPG with strategical pausing allowed and the ability to switch to/control other party members. FF has always been about the party, and while I respect what FF16 had to offer, the combat falls flat for me when I have an artificial party that I have no control over and has no health management. Here, it feels freeing, and with most characters having usefulness, the switching on the fly just feels like such a playground that you can really manipulate with the materia. And the handling of open world and optional content is for the most part very engaging and an addicting structure, even if it's Ubisoft-isms take away some of the oomph.  

 

Having played Remake a second/third time so close to Rebirth, I can see how other than the battle system and presentation, the strength of Remake is it's novelty: being in the old locales with new paint. And I gobbled that shit up. But Rebirth feels the closest to a return to form since the PS2 era in how it truly gives you a guided open world that has a myriad of content that is mostly worth it, whether it's a bit of enjoyable character development or worthwhile equipment.

I think where it's weakest on a gameplay perspective is that a good chunk of the discovery experience isn't well integrated with the world. The summons are the most prime example, being only attainable through the battle simulator and the shrines being blips from a tower that you do a simple mini game to power up your summon. Even with the blips, this game could have benefited strongly from allowing you to be rewarded with a summon/summon fight that you found by exploring the map. 

 

Some people will argue that the game had too much to do or that the optional content wasn't always worth it. As far as the amount of content, the optional stuff is just that: optional. You don't have to do it and I don't think the game should be penalized for having too much unless you want to criticize the content itself. Not all mini-games are made the same, and in that sense, I don't think it's perfect. But generally, I found most of them to be enjoyable enough to at least slog through once for its rewards. That said, the cactuar mini game(particularly with Aerith) and the Gears and Gambits mini-games can fuck right off.  As far as the side quests, I found them all worth it for the character development and world building that is found in most of them. And as a huge FF5 and Gilgamesh fan, the Protorelic stuff was worth any of the tedium it involved. And compared to 16, I actually found the rewards mostly useful to where grinding through the less enjoyable parts didn't feel like completing purely for the sake of completion.

 

The music, as usual, is absolutely incredible. I love what they did with MOST of the remixes, and I love that they leaned hard into creating so many original tracks that stand out. Sure, there's some silly techno tracks that feel a bit out of place, and the mixing with dialogue at times was obnoxious, but those are pretty small in comparison to what they did pull off.

 

And, of course, we have the story and presentation, and that's where things get a bit more mixed for me. I think where this game absolutely shines in this respect is the character portrayals and the interpersonal relationships. Cid was maybe sanitized a bit too much(for the better but maybe at the expense of taking away his original aura?), but everyone else feels so much more realized and compelling. Aerith is maybe more flat in this game compared to Remake, but Tifa's characterization is so fucking engaging. A much needed upgrade from the original and Remake. And of course, the exploration of Cloud, his identity, and his fragile mentality is such a justice to the original. Seeing Yuffie properly integrated with the party and story, as the resident Yuffie fanboy, was so fulfilling, and I can't wait to see how that develops when we go to Wutai in the next game.

 

I think anyone who cares to read this has probably already played, but if you care about SPOILERS, this is where I start getting into more specifics.

 

 

I do think one of the things the Remake trilogy is missing the mark on is some of the more dark and unsettling elements of the original. In the first game, the moment when you wake up with your cell doors open and a mysterious trail of blood with a direct horror atmosphere is minimized. When you're on the Shinra Cruise Ship, you're unwelcome there and the music and plot tone keep you on edge, unaware of what to expect next. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE Queen's Blood and I was happy to do a tournament, but maybe you could have done it at Costa Del Sol or the Gold Saucer where it fits more with the original atmosphere and tone. And while I'm not too upset about them sanitizing Dyne's death, having that moment immediately followed up with a goofy ass boss battle with Palmer was the one spot where the tonal whiplash of the game felt like it was working against the final product. Dyne's death and Barrett's processing deserved a moment to breathe, or in the least to not be counteracted by a goofy villain. At least go straight into the car chase moment. It just felt disrespectful and spitefully unaware of the gravity of the moment.

 

Everything is covered in this veneer of "fun." And while I think this isn't bad for the totality of the game(this section of the story is basically the ROAD TRIP moment with a lot of goofy distractions before shit gets heavy), I think choosing to use that tone to gloss over the grittier parts of the original is not doing a service to anyone. I had the same issue with the treatment of Wall Market, and that's still a stain on the original for me.

 

And then we have the ending stretch. For starters, I feel they butchered the Temple of the Ancients. Paradoxical to my previous complaint, the original Temple had an unsettling, yet kooky air to it that is completely erased for this drab, overly serious tone. I could forgive this if that section at least carried some of the puzzle elements of the original. But between slaughtering the music tone, having an unappealing color palette, and just overall having a flat atmosphere that drags until the end, it felt like they got the Temple completely wrong and was the first moment where I was legitimately frustrated with their choice. I loved the climactic section where they all had to face their personal demons/hangups and what that meant for the party's development, but everything before that just felt kind of like a slap in the face.

 

 

And while I don't mind that the end of the game was a bit of a mess story-wise, I think they handled the Aerith scene all wrong. Like I'm good with what the actual plot seems to be developing, but the execution robbed that moment of all of its gravity. It's less of a tonal thing as much as they tried too hard to confuse the player about what was happening. It's not made clear to the player whether Aerith died or Cloud actually saved her until after the final boss battle, and all of the emotion is completely sucked out because at best you're trying to understand what's happening with the converging timelines, and at worst you're angry that none of it gets a chance to hang and breathe and actually settle in that, yes, despite Cloud defying fate, he could not save Aerith in this timeline. Between this moment and the treatment of the Temple, a game that I was otherwise willing to overlook the flaws leaves a bad taste in your mouth that makes you question the time you spent with it.

 

Yet, despite that...I still love the game. If nothing else purely from a gameplay perspective and getting to spend so much more time with these characters that I've grown to love more than probably any other piece of fiction. And while the execution for the ending was garbage, I do believe that what I think is the plot and what will be explored going forward will be compelling. I also will give grace that the lack of emotional weight of Aerith's death will be rectified in the final chapter until proven otherwise. And I also have a feeling that they chose to make this entry so fun because the last entry will be way more depressing and downtrodden with the theme of both Meteor looming and whatever the Tear in the Sky means for the converging timelines. And I'll admit, the amount of discomfort I got from Cloud acting like everything's fine while the rest of the party is clearly mourning Aerith's death in the ending cutscene has me so hooked to see how that's explored in the next one.

 

So yeah, as a complete package I think it missed the mark some when it comes to story and presentation.  But as far as structure, gameplay, the way the story is generally presented, and basically everything else, I think this is the foundation the rest of the FF mainline series should be built on. Because were it not for the ending stretch and comparison to the original, this damn near would have been a perfect game for me. Also an almost complete improvement on the first installment.

 

8.5/10

 

 

I've beaten some other games since then, but in the case anyone actually cares to read all that, I'm gonna add them over the next couple days to give some room to breathe.

[Psycho666Soldier 287]

1. Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons

2. Disco Elysium

3. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

4. :ps1: Final Fantasy VIII

 

 

FF8 is, like many from my childhood, a game that I've restarted countless times but never finished. Sadly enough, when it was next up for my "I'm finally playing all mainline FF's in order to completion" run that still isn't finished after 10+ years, it still didn't get finished despite getting farther than before. So I finally buckled down after Rebirth and made sure that it would happen, and I'm glad I did.

 

FF8 gets a bad rap and is considered the worst by many alongside FF2 and FF13. But being it was my second Final Fantasy, I still have fond memories of it. While I think there's a lot to critique, I do think this game is far better than most give it credit for. And this completion run has only confirmed that for me.

 

The presentation of this game is outstanding. The things they do with some of the models is jaw-dropping. The music is excellent, the cinematics are great. The thing that's mostly lacking is story and a bit more focus on the cast. It's very comparable to XVI for me where presentation wise, they nailed it, but they missed elsewhere. For XVI, it's a great story with mediocre gameplay. For FF8, it's amazing gameplay with an ok but sloppily executed story.

 

The amount of background plot, lore, and extra cutscenes is nothing short of impressive, and gives a lot of purpose to backtracking and exploring more than most entries in the series. Also just the amount of side content in general gives me all the right tickles.

 

I think one of the biggest public critiques of the game is the battle system, particularly the junction system. But honestly, I find the progression system to be inspired and mostly lacking some more clear intention being told to the players. If you're the kind of person that enjoys breaking games, this system is perfectly suited to it.

 

I do wish weapons mattered more and it wasn't so easy to make it the Squall show. Despite putting the best magic on them, my secondary attacker could never do even half as much damage as Squall.

 

FF8 is a scenario tour de force. I think something missing from modern FF is the way parts of the game would involve almost mini-game-like gameplay to fit certain events. Having to manipulate the trains and avoid guards, needing to play missions a certain way to get better SeeD scores, trying to get the right band setup for the festival performance or even the big battle of the Gardens. There are so many moments like this that keep the gameplay fresh, exciting, and memorable. I think this is probably FF8's greatest strength, and I'd argue it's handled better than at least FF7, but probably on par with 9.

 

The story is...definitely mixed. I think Squall's journey from edgy, standoffish teenager to passionate, empathic leader is great. And surprisingly, I actually like the romance between him and Rinoa. The moment when coming back from space and you find out Rinoa is going to be imprisoned due to becoming the sorceress is so fucking powerful, with Eyes on Me swelling in the background and nearly bringing me to tears. And while this game doesn't have my favorite character designs, I do find myself really enjoying the party.

 

That said, the overall plot is a mess that I think is probably what drives many hardcore fans away. The orphanage reveal is handled so sloppily. No build, no plausible explanation for how Irvine was the only one to remember other than the GF making people lose memories which like...ok, it's a decent explanation, but feels so improperly set up. And the Ultimecia reveal dump from Edea feels very forced in and the scene doesn't have a lot of weight. It eventually becomes a thing where you're just along the ride and trying to power through it rather than actually being drawn into the plot. The action set pieces are great, and the interpersonal interactions are pretty top notch, but the why for it all is just lacking. The final boss battle feels fairly un-epic as a result, and while FF is no stranger to last second asspull demigod final bosses, it's particularly disappointing here when it felt like there could have been so much more.

 

I will say the final dungeon is pretty awesome, and the care that went into giving the different bosses special death animations made the game feel very ahead of it's time.

 

 

Overall, FF8 is a mess. Plot-wise, I think it sits just above the NES games where there was virtually no plot. Mechanically, I think it could have used a bit more balance in making characters other than Squall feel useful. But the messiness kind of adds to its charm for me. When the presentation is still impressive today, with one of the best soundtracks in the series, and when the world on general is just so fun and rewarding to explore...I can't help but feel it's a great game that just got saddled with a weak plot. And when it comes to games, I think missing the story mark while being fun to play is a better mistake than having a great story with shit gameplay.

 

7.5/10 that would be an 8.5 with it's flaws ironed out.

 

 

Oh, and of course Triple Triad is awesome. Though I think Queen's Blood has officially surpassed it.

[dr. b 492]

I’ve got a soft spot for FFVIII. I have never gone back for a replay… but that’s mainly because I put so much time into in the first place at release. Memory is of course very fuzzy now, but IIRC I did everything I wanted to do and then some in that game, and I enjoyed all of it. Just not quite enough to do it all again. Too many hours. VIII is still lower on my power rankings, but it’s at least better than II and IX !

[Psycho666Soldier 287]

I do feel like VIII really is aesthetically just on another level than it's contemporaries. They managed to make things modern while feeling so fresh and inventive. Between the soundtrack, the visuals, the landscape design and the way it feels like all the locations are tied together geopolitically, it just pops so much.

[Revolver 27]

That was an amazing review of 8. Really couldn’t have said it better myself. I really hate how one note most reviews of 8 are and they never get into the nuance of the actually amazing elements the game has. I think a few tweaks with the story and gameplay and it would be a 9 or 10 game. My second FF game and will always have a soft spot in my heart.

[MT 918]

1. Metroid: Zero Mission

  1a. Metroid Fusion

  1b. (SNES) Super Metroid

2.   Metroid Dread

3.  Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

4. (NES) Mega Man 2

5. Super Mario World (96 Exits)

6. Super Metroid (100%)

7. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (100%)

8. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

9.  The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

 

A great game from beginning to end, if a bit easy. It's cool to see the creative freedom given in the last 3D games carry over into the 2D ones. Loved the art style, glad it got used in more than just the Link's Awakening remake. I may go through it again on the harder difficulty.

[Psycho666Soldier 287]

  On 9/29/2024 at 8:28 PM, MT said:

1. Metroid: Zero Mission

  1a. Metroid Fusion

  1b. (SNES) Super Metroid

2.   Metroid Dread

3.  Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

4. (NES) Mega Man 2

5. Super Mario World (96 Exits)

6. Super Metroid (100%)

7. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (100%)

8. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

9.  The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

 

A great game from beginning to end, if a bit easy. It's cool to see the creative freedom given in the last 3D games carry over into the 2D ones. Loved the art style, glad it got used in more than just the Link's Awakening remake. I may go through it again on the harder difficulty.

Super glad to hear this. I'll have to buy it soon

[dr. b 492]

  On 9/29/2024 at 8:28 PM, MT said:

1. Metroid: Zero Mission

  1a. Metroid Fusion

  1b. (SNES) Super Metroid

2.   Metroid Dread

3.  Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

4. (NES) Mega Man 2

5. Super Mario World (96 Exits)

6. Super Metroid (100%)

7. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (100%)

8. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

9.  The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

 

A great game from beginning to end, if a bit easy. It's cool to see the creative freedom given in the last 3D games carry over into the 2D ones. Loved the art style, glad it got used in more than just the Link's Awakening remake. I may go through it again on the harder difficulty.

Holy smokes, you work fast! Didn’t that just release on Friday? How many hours to beat it? 

[MT 918]

I got it on Wednesday, started playing late that night. I'd say 10-15 hours, just mainlining through the story. Don't know for sure since the Switch won't tell me yet.

[Psycho666Soldier 287]

1. :gba:Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons

2. :ps5:Disco Elysium

3. :ps5:Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

4. :ps1: Final Fantasy VIII

5. Tales of Kenzera: Zau

 

This game had a lot of controversy on Twitter because it was made primarily by black creators who used African mythology to inspire their lore and world-building while saying they wanted to make a story everyone could relate to regardless. So naturally, when it was getting great reviews, a lot of idiots complained about it being a DEI game and the only reason the game was getting strong reviews(it was getting some 9s and 10s). It got so bad that one of the head creators made a video online explaining the vision(black people have spent years finding theirselves in white fictional characters, why can't it be the other way around sometimes?), and asked all platforms to discount the game so people could give it a fair shake.

 

So I decided to give it a fair shake. And I thought it was really good. It's a classic Metroidvania in a mythical African fantasy world. Pretty compact game. Couldn't have taken me more than 15 hours to complete. It doesn't necessarily reinvent the wheel, but the setting had me in awe, and the characters and story were touching and told in an interesting way. The game shined in its boss sequences(which were pretty epic and intense) and its movement. It felt very satisfying to maneuver the map, and the ability upgrades you get are neat. There are these platforming challenges you can do for extra items that were really good tests of your reflexes.

 

Its biggest flaw is its combat. They've crafted an interesting system with some cool abilities and a flow that forces you to think. But the issue lies in the game's structure, where most of the combat you do is repeatedly getting in a trapped zone that's about one screens worth, where you have to fight X amount of waves of enemies which all have very specific ways to beat them. The result is the combat ends up feeling more tedious than enjoyable, and it slows down what is otherwise a really enjoyable experience.

 

I don't think it's the 9-10 game that some were claiming. But the complaints were definitely coming from bad faith, because while mechanically it might not be changing the game, the game comes together in a fun and captivating package that is only marred by it's dodgy combat.

 

8/10 easily

[dr. b 492]

Never heard of that one. Maybe I’ll check it out. The last Metroidvania-style game I really enjoyed was Chasm. Might need to re-play that one sometime soon…

 

  On 10/1/2024 at 4:23 AM, MT said:

I got it on Wednesday, started playing late that night. I'd say 10-15 hours, just mainlining through the story. Don't know for sure since the Switch won't tell me yet.

That seems kinda short for such a high price tag game. I assume there’s more stuff to 100% complete it though. I’m still curious about it… but not at full price

[MT 918]

1. Metroid: Zero Mission

  1a. Metroid Fusion

  1b. (SNES) Super Metroid

2.   Metroid Dread

3.  Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

4. (NES) Mega Man 2

5. Super Mario World (96 Exits)

6. Super Metroid (100%)

7. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (100%)

8. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

9.  The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Normal Mode)

  9a.  The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Hero Mode)

[Mera'din 308]

5.)  Persona 3: Reload

I'd watched the anime for this one previously but never played the original. I really enjoyed 4 and 5 so figured I'd give it a go. I only know a little about the original version, but as far as I can tell, they did a lot of upgrading to it to make it feel more like Persona 5. Overall it was a solid story and interesting characters and I had fun with it for the most part though it did feel like it was dragging on by the end, at least in part because there's too much shit coming out that I want to play and don't have NEARLY enough time for most of it (as is apparent by my abysmally low finished game count this year).

 

Don't have a whole lot else to say about this one. I liked some of the character scenes, but I think I preferred the overall stories for 4 and 5 more.

[Mera'din 308]

6.)  Werewolf: The Apocalypse - The Book of Hungry Names

 

Bound and determined to at least hit 10 by the end of the year. >_o

This is one of the 'interactive novel' style titles that has been getting put out for the World of Darkness games. Despite the simplistic appearance though they're mostly really great. This one especially is hands down the best one I've seen. Probably had to sink a solid 40 hours into it to get through it once, though I'm not the fastest reader. There's so much to it I think I'd be hard pressed to see everything in it even with multiple play throughs and the story was a lot of fun. Vampire: The Masquerade has always been my go-to with WoD stuff, but this one really made me appreciate Werewolf a lot more.

[Mera'din 308]

7.)  Vampire: The Masquerade - Reckoning of New York

 

3rd in a series of visual novels that have been pretty good overall, if a bit light on choice. This particular entry exceeded the original, but doesn't quite compare to the 2nd one, I think. Really like the characters and the updated visuals in it but the story left a bit to be desired with the way it was set up. I still really enjoyed it, but was hoping for a bit more after the 2nd game.

[MT 918]

1. Metroid: Zero Mission

  1a. Metroid Fusion

  1b. (SNES) Super Metroid

2.   Metroid Dread

3.  Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

4. (NES) Mega Man 2

5. Super Mario World (96 Exits)

6. Super Metroid (100%)

7. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (100%)

8. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

9.  The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Normal Mode)

  9a.  The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Hero Mode)

10.  Dragon Age: The Veilguard

 

My first Dragon Age game, and I ended up liking it more than I expected I would. I was hankering for a Bioware style RPG to play (and was considering restarting Mass Effect) so this came along at the right time. People say the writing is bad, and I honestly didn't get that feeling. Maybe it wasn't as deep as it could've been considering some of the topics they bring up through the companion characters? I dunno. I think I ended the game with around 35 hours put into it. The main thing I didn't like was that the last 5 hours or so was me just doing side quests so that the various factions would be in good enough standing to not die during the final mission, which I wasn't a huge fan of. I do however, wish that I had realized sooner that selling your valuables to the various marketplaces would give you standing points as well. I was at the usual "point of no return" mission, so I went to sell all my valuable stuff to one vendor and it gave me something like 2000 points towards their standing, so I went back to an earlier save and spread it out a bit more evenly. I was able to get most up to level 2 (out of 3), and two of them up to level 3. There were still side quests I could've done, but at that point I was ready for the game to be over with. The only other thing that bothered me was (point of no return mission spoilers)

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that I spent the entire game getting my bond up with Harding to romance her, only to have her die because of one fucking choice I made in the "final" mission. I got absolutely zero pay-off to it because I picked the wrong person to lead the first team. I figured with her skills as a scout, she was the right choice to lead that team. It just sucked to have it boil down to that single mistake I made, and that be the only thing that stopped me. I guess it makes it more "realistic" that the person I romance dies before we have a chance to really show how we feel, but my god it made me so mad. I could've gone back and save scummed, but my position on Bioware RPGs is that I have my one "canon" run through, and I live with the consequences of my actions. I'm probably going to go back tomorrow and not pick her for that team and see what happens. Yeah, I could hop on Youtube and watch it, but it wouldn't be MY Rook, MY choices, etc. I just felt robbed of the agency.

 

[Mera'din 308]

8.)  Dragon Age: The Veilguard

I honestly really enjoyed this game. I was skeptical early on because some of the dialogue is... questionable, but the overall story was really good and I loved the companions and their personal stories. There were some great story beats and they really went above and beyond answering most of the lingering questions from previous games while setting up for some interesting stuff that could still come if/when they do another. Getting filled in on a lot of the deep backstory type stuff was something I wasn't expecting too so that was a hell of a lore dump. The combat was a lot more fun that I thought it would be from what I had seen/read before the game came out, and though there is more I wish they would have done with it, this ended up being a LOT better than I was worried it would be after Bioware's last couple games. Basically, as a fan of the series since its inception, I have to say that some of the stuff they missed on stood out pretty starkly and where they had to cut corners stood out quite a bit and you could almost feel where they pivoted on design or story elements part way through development, but the stuff they did right made up for that pretty soundly. I was really happy with it overall. 

 

9.)  Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Purgatory

Visual novel w/ some RPG elements. It is a sequel to WtA: Heart of the Forest,  and though it felt shorter than its predecessor, it was still pretty enjoyable. Not the best of its kind I've played by any stretch, and the ending felt really rushed and abrupt but it seems like it has decent replay value which is always nice. I think I liked the first one more overall, but I still enjoyed this one as well.

[Psycho666Soldier 287]

1. Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons

2. Disco Elysium

3. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

4. :ps1: Final Fantasy VIII

5. Tales of Kenzera: Zau

6. Animal Well

7. Tunic

8. Dragon Ball Sparking Zero

 

Well I've got like 7 more games I beat through the year, so let's get them up, shall we?

 

Animal Well

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Animal Well was great. A game focused on avoidance, platforming, and obscure puzzle solving. There were some amazingly unique ability items in this game, and a lot of them made you think outside the box to solve some puzzles. The game doesn't hold your hand at all and pretty much all things you can do with the items you have to find out on your own by experimenting.

 

The first 20 minutes or so had me thinking, "Is this it? What's all the hubbub?" And then I started unlocking more abilities and getting sucked in. It definitely consumed my life for a few weeks.  I did have to look up a couple things because some of the hints are so cryptic, and you can technically go even deeper with the game by getting involved in the ARG solving and stuff like that, but I stuck to getting all but two trophies, getting the true ending, and finding all the eggs.

 

If you like puzzle platformers with captivating background lore and visuals, this is for you.
 

 

9/10

 

TUNIC

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The undies are out here killing it this year(or whatever previous year this game was made), because I absolutely loved this game. This has similar ARG elements to Animal Well but in a much more compelling way. The game comes off at first like an Isometric Zelda rip-off. But the core feature of the game is that you don't know how to play or what abilities you have, and you learn by trial and error OR understanding the game manual pages that you pick up throughout. So yes, you collect pieces of the game manual, which gives hints about how to play, where to go, and where to find the most secrets. What makes it even better? The manual is mostly in a fake language that you have to decode in order to get the most secret of secrets. The game is bearable without doing all that, though you have to still do some decent deciphering to get the true ending.

 

This is up there with Rebirth as the game I was most obsessed with. By the time I got to the end, I had a notepad I was carrying around with me to try and solve the manual puzzles/riddles and decipher the language. I feel like I had SOME complaints, but thinking back on it, the only thing is dealing with some of the combat can be a bit tedious.

 

This was an awesome game, and if you like adventure exploration games with some good puzzles, even if you don't go as hard as I did, you'll love this.

9/10

 

Dragon Ball Sparking Zero

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In some ways this game is everything I could ask for. In other ways it still leaves a lot to be desired.

 

 

The Budokai Tenkaichi series is hands down my favorite Dragon Ball game franchise, with what is in my opinion the most Dragon Ball-like combat while still being a blast. In that sense, this game fucking nails it. It's everything I loved about the original games, with sharp engaging combat, and particularly when you're up against a human player, there are some incredibly epic moments you can have. The battle system is just so deep and allows you to engage in most DB cliches. And they've done a lot in this one to fine-tune the weaker characters like Master Roshi and make them more useful against god-level opponents.

 

However, BT's biggest weakness was always its story mode, which had a decent structure but always had disappointing cutscenes(and a huge lack of them) to make it feel like a more tedious slog. But it WAS the main way to unlock characters. Sparking Zero arguably handles this worse. The game is now divided into choosing a character whose story you follow, which is a cool concept until you realize some characters get some vital and fun parts cut from their campaign. The cutscenes are even worse than before. It feels like there's less of them, and a lot of the "fancy" cutscenes are either less detailed or don't even cover the most iconic moments. There are actually a disappointing lack of iconic moments altogether. And what's worse is that there are only 2 characters you HAVE to play episode mode to unlock. The rest can be unlocked here, but are also purchasable on the store from the jump. And if you're like me who bought characters before realizing you could still unlock them in episode mode, you lose that thrill of getting a character for dealing with the tedium.

 

What the episode mode DID do pretty well is the What If chapters, or "Sparking Chapters" as they're called. This definitely has some of the most in-depth what if scenarios ever.  And this is where they clearly put most of their effort into the cutscenes. The Piccolo and Gohan ones were particularly enjoyable for me, but Goku's alternate paths almost completely make up for how lackluster the main story path is. Only issue is some of these still felt too short or limiting, and the time limit challenges to unlock some of them are downright bullshit (there's a Piccolo one I think I STILL haven't beaten because I've technically done it tens of times, but the game says "actually, the timer ran out first").

 

I think with a better structure, better cutscenes, and/or shifting way more focus onto the Sparking Chapters with more playable characters, the Episode Mode could have been awesome and made the game feel more worth it for the solo player. But as is, this still makes for a great game to play with your friends or challenge people online.

 

So one way or another, I don't regret the purchase.

 

7.5/10

 

Will probably add more tomorrow.

[Mera'din 308]

Animal Well and TUNIC both seemed interesting. Need to get them at some point when I knock down my backlog a bit. 

[Psycho666Soldier 287]

1. Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons

2. Disco Elysium

3. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

4. :ps1: Final Fantasy VIII

5. Tales of Kenzera: Zau

6. Animal Well

7. Tunic

8. Dragon Ball Sparking Zero

9. Dark Cloud
10. Pseudoregalia
11. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
12. Teslagrad 2

 

Just rounding out the rest of the list I finished. I did my usual write-ups for Dark Cloud and Pseudoregalia on a different forum a while ago and just forgot to catch it up here.

 

Dark Cloud

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I played this when I was a kid and I thought it was such a novel concept but felt sort of hollow and unfinished, and when Dark Cloud 2 came out, it seemed like such a strong improvement that I wrote off the original. But having gone back to this one, I got pretty hooked immediately. The dungeon grind starts feeling like a soothing ritual, and putting together the villages and rearranging to match everyone's needs and wishes ends up being so satisfying. The weapon system is definitely refined in the sequel, but I kind of like how this one forces you to be extra careful with your weapons and how you use them.

 

I'll say I think the bosses are either underwhelming or tedious, and the final boss was just as much a victim of this. Ended up sapping more joy from this. The final dungeon in general felt a bit like a slog. But the story ended up being pretty engaging and a satisfying conclusion.

 

Ya gotta be down for early PS2 jank and simpleness to really appreciate this, but the setting and gameplay loop does a lot to make this a really fun experience.

 

7.5/10

 

Pseudoregalia

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Goddamn, this game is awesome. For those that don't know, it started as a project made for a one month game jam(meaning people just get together and whip up a game in a month), and the concept and formula was so good on its own that it ended up becoming a full Steam release. It's basically a 3D Metroidvania that's focused on platforming and exploration, but the player character gets upgrades that let them do maneuvers like Mario 64 platforming. So the game is designed for you to find your own path based on what upgrades you get first and how you manipulate them to get to areas that you maybe shouldn't be able to get to technically.

 

I got really hooked on this right before the holiday. The exploration is infectious, and finding your own "shortcuts" or pulling off some ridiculous combo of maneuvers to reach a platform you thought impossible feels so rewarding. The game ultimately takes no more than 10 hours to explore and beat, but there are a lot of platforming challenges that give you unlockables that I have yet to beat. I did start a second playthrough just to see what weird path I could take instead, and I plan to use that as my 100% run.

 

Excellent game. Only reason it's ranked as low as it is only because it could have been a bit longer for my tastes, but it really was fantastic.

8.5/10

 

Last two from the year. Pushed this off too long, so I'm not gonna go full review mode.

 

TTYD is incredible and the remake does it wonderful justice. First time I beat it all the way through, absolutely love the story, the characters, the setting, the mechanics. This is peak Paper Mario. Peak Mario RPG tbh. Hoping it sold well and convinces Nintendo to make a proper faithful Paper Mario sequel with full RPG mechanics and FUCKING PARTNERS. 9/10

 

Teslagrad 2 felt like it maybe could have been a bit longer, and I wasn't as immersed in the setting the way I was with the first one. The main campaign is definitely way too short. But if you take the time to go through and do all the extra challenges and find the extra upgrades, there are some awesome uses of platforming in this game. Honestly, the platforming feels really smooth and clean and is just fun to move around once you get a few key upgrades. Hope the dev team keeps working on stuff and maybe makes something just a bit bigger next time. 8/10