Completed Games 2024

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

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 917]

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 307]

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 917]

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 307]

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 917]

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 307]

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 307]

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 917]

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 283]

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.

 

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 283]

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 283]

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 917]

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 283]

20 minutes ago, 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]

33 minutes ago, 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 917]

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 283]

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 12:23 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 917]

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 307]

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 307]

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 307]

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.