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52 Games. 1 Year. 2023

Wozzer

Member
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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!

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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 2023 @ 11.59pm!

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Archive: 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 (shout out to jshackles 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 (additional context @ backlogbeat.com)…


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: ???Jul: ???
Feb: ???Aug: ???
Mar: ???Sep: ???
Apr: ???Oct: ???
May: ???Nov: ???
Jun: ???Dec: ???


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: ???Jul: ???
Feb: ???Aug: ???
Mar: ???Sep: ???
Apr: ???Oct: ???
May: ???Nov: ???
Jun: ???Dec: ???


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 :)

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The brave individuals that overcome the challenge this year;

<no-one just yet…>

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;

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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!
 
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jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
Game 1 - Hero of the Kingdom The Lost Tales 1 - PC / Steam - Completed Jan 1st, 2023
I liked the first few Hero of the Kingdom games, but the third game really soured me on the overall experience. I picked up an indie bundle that had these two "The Lost Tales" games in them, and decided to give this one a try. I'm glad I did, because this game harkens back to the original game(s), and it's quite good. While the mechanics are somewhat simplistic, it's a fun little adventure that involves finding objects and trading them for others (or money) until you finally advance the story to the end. A short adventure that only took about 3 hours to complete, so a good way to start this year's challenge!

Game 2 - Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion - PC / Steam - Completed Jan 2nd, 2023
My second time through Crisis Core, and I can say that this version is now the definitive way to play the game. Although the cutscenes are a bit rough around the edges, the updated graphics and voice acting throughout is a wonderful makeover for this game that was previously stuck on the PSP. The menu was much easier to navigate, and the summon and in-battle cutscenes could be skipped which reduces the repetitiveness of the original by a lot. The areas are still really small though, and the endless missions are easily the worst part of the game and really jack with the leveling curve. The PC version was great at 120fps, and with mods I got ultrawide resolution to mostly work. A wonderful experience that shouldn't be missed by any Final Fantasy fan.

Game 3 - Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising - PC - Completed Jan 7th, 2023
I wanted to finish this game up before the real Eiyuden Chronicle releases later this year. This game had great music, amazing environments, and awesome pixel art. If you love fetch quests, you're going to love this game. The story is pretty generic, but it was sweet, and the game had good characters. However, this could have benefitted greatly from voice acting to really give it the punches it needed. Considering this is a $15 kickstarter stretch goal game for the other, I'm really impressed. It's on Game Pass and worth playing!

Game 4 - I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES 1N IT!!!1 - PC / Steam - Completed Jan 8th, 2023
I remember picking this up on the Xbox Live Arcade during the 360 days, when it was only $1. While a pretty short game, it's a fun twin stick shooter with interesting power ups. While nothing mind-blowing, it's got a great soundtrack (hilarious at times!) that guides you through the game itself. What started as a meme, and a cheap 360 game, turned out to be pretty awesome. The fact that this "remastered" version was free on Steam was a nice bonus!

Game 5 - Hexcells - PC / Steam - Completed Jan 13th, 2023
Another short game (only took about 4 hours to complete 100%) but an amazing cross between picross and minesweeper. It took me a couple of levels to get the swing of the game's rules, but once I caught on I was pretty hooked. Although I play picross every day, not everything carries over as this game has the twist of every "cell" being hexagonal in shape. I know there are a few more of these games, so I might pick them up eventually (after I give my brain a bit of a rest).

Game 6 - Pokemon Scarlet - Nintendo Switch - Completed Jan 20th, 2023
I was gonna skip this game originally, considering I saw it had a ton of bugs and the last few Pokemon games (Diamond / Pearl remakes, Arceus) didn't grab me much. My wife asked if I'd get the double pack so we could do raid things together, so I said "sure". I started playing this game and... damn, it's really good. I had a really good time in the open world collecting pokemons and battling gyms. My biggest complaint would be the lack of voice acting, which was very glaring. Otherwise though, this may be my favorite Pokemon game ever. I hope the next Switch hardware can let this type of game live up to it's full potential.

Game 7 - Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order - Nintendo Switch - Completed Jan 20th, 2023
My son and I played through the campaign in couch co-op mode, it was a lot of fun. The game is really weird in the way that it handles leveling up characters and giving you things you can use to level up abilities. The game was obviously designed from the outset for multiple playthroughs. I also didn't have the expansion packs, so an entire row of characters was inaccessible to us which was a bit of a letdown. Overall though, the game was a good beat um up and I especially thought the voice acting was top notch.

Game 8 - Hero of the Kingdom The Lost Tales 2 - PC / Steam - Completed Jan 28th, 2023
This was another really good Hero of the Kingdom game, although this one seemed far more tedious than the last entry. While the same basic narrative was set up as the last game, this one had merchants that were underground / inside dungeons - meaning you couldn't fast travel to them. This created a lot of needless backtracking. However, still a really solid, though basic, adventure game. I hope more of these get made in the future.

Game 9 - Pictlogica Final Fantasy - Nintendo 3DS - Completed Feb 3rd, 2023
I started playing this last summer - the fact that you get to each section and have to wait a progressively long amount of time really pads this game out. However, this is still my favorite Picross game of all time, thanks in part to the battle system it has. You have to unlock new characters (by solving their picross puzzles) then leveling them up with stars (which you get for completing bonus challenges) to increase their stats and get better equipment. The gameplay loop is pretty cheesy, but it's actually really effective. Unlocked 100% of everything, did all the puzzles, got all the stars.

Game 10 - The Legend of Zelda - Game & Watch - Completed Feb 5th, 2023
I've got the Zelda Game & Watch sitting on my desk as a clock, but decided to use the "Game" part to play The Legend of Zelda in Japanese since that's something I've not done before. While I found it to be mostly the same, there are definitely a few differences - the most major is not being able to kill the rabbit things with arrows in this version. Beat Gannon and saved the hime!

Game 11 - 12 Labours of Hercules XI: Painted Adventure - PC - Completed Feb 13th, 2023
I really do love these games (obviously, this is the 11th I've played), but this one is probably one of the worst. Maybe not as bad as the one where thieves steal your resources, but close. The first half of the game was fine and actually pretty good, but worlds 4 and 5 really tanked this one. The difficulty level on these was cranked up so high (even to me, playing on "casual") that about half the levels in these worlds I couldn't finish before the timer ran out. Some levels I replayed a dozen times then gave up and went to the next one, which sucked a LOT of the fun out of it. I'll probably wait a while before trying to take on XII.

Game 12 - Fire Emblem: Engage - Nintendo Switch - Completed Feb 17th, 2023
This game was pretty good, but it slogged on towards the end. There were also FAR too many characters, and FAR too many cut scenes (especially at the end of the game). The strategy gameplay was really good, although dampened somewhat by the time rewind mechanic and how plentiful it was to use. The game also has a huge amount of side quests and things to do to strengthen the bonds between the characters and give them more flavor. Took around 40 hours to complete.

Game 13 - Slay the Spire - PC / Steam - Completed Mar 3rd, 2023
There aren't that many rogue-likes that I get into, but Slay the Spire is one of the few. This game definitely captures the "one more run" aspect that draws you in, and with earning points and unlocking new things for the next run pretty much constantly, it keeps you hooked. There is definitely more to do here, maybe for another day. The daily challenges are also pretty fun, where it's basically just a random set of rules which, thankfully, carry progress over into the other aspects of the game.

Game 14 - Theatrhythm Final Bar Line - Nintendo Switch - Completed Mar 6th, 2023
This game is pretty dog gone fun. I was a huge fan of both the original game and it's follow up, Curtain Call, on the 3DS. I also really enjoyed the Theatrhythm Dragon Quest game (which never got released in the West), so I knew what I was in for when this was announced. And although it shares a lot of songs with Curtain Call, there is enough here to make this a great package - and the fact that it's on modern hardware is nice too! I was a stylus guy on the 3DS, so it took some time to get used to the controls on this one. But that didn't take long, and it was smooth sailing after that. I cleared all titles in the story mode, and played every track (over 400 of them so far!) at least once.

Past challenges:
 
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jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.

marcincz

Member
I am in.
Reserved 2 posts, because from 2020 I have 3000 characters trouble.
Beside, decided to change my score, from 5 stars to 10. 5 is not enough for me.

Beat first game in 2023.
Gran Turismo 7, which I started in the middle of December.
 
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marcincz

Member
Game 1 - Gran Turismo 7 (PS5) - 26h 28m
Beat 01/01/2023 - my score: 9/10
Game 2 - Old Man's Journey (PS4) - 01h 58m
Beat 02/01/2023 - my score: 6/10
Game 3 - Moon Patrol (EC) - 02h 05m
Beat 08/01/2023 - my score: 7/10
Game 4 - R-Type (EC) - 01h 40m
Beat 12/01/2023 - my score: 8/10
Game 5 - Lightning Swords (EC) - 01h 05m
Beat 14/01/2023 - my score: 6/10
Game 6 - Root Letter Last Answer (PS4) - 14h 35m
Beat 27/01/2023 - my score: 7/10
Game 7 - Battle Chopper (EC) - 04h 51m
Beat 09/02/2023 - my score: 4/10
Game 8 - In the Hunt (EC) - 01h 09m
Beat 11/02/2023 - my score: 8/10
Game 9 - Beyond a Steel Sky (PS5) - 13h 37m
Beat 14/02/2023 - my score: 8/10
Game 10 - Beyond a Steel Sky (PS5) - 04h 32m
Beat 15/02/2023 - my score: 8/10
 
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I'm in but I don't think I'll be doing the numbers I did last year... maybe.

27 Games Total
23 Games Complete/Open Ended, 4 Games WIP
161 hours so far


1. Forza Horizon 5 (PC) | 31st Dec - __hrs | 95/100
2. Deathloop (PC) | 22nd Jan - 13hrs | 80/100
3. Final Fantasy VIII (Switch) | ____ ___ - __hrs | 65/100
4, Rock n' Roll Racing: Definitive Edition (Switch) | 2nd Jan - 5hrs | 80/100
5. Metal Slug X (Switch) | 3rd Jan - 2hrs | 80/100
6. Fighting Force (Playstation) | 4th Jan - 1hr | 55/100
7. Clock Work Aquario (Switch) | 6th Jan - 3hrs | 75/100
8. Super Punch Patrol (Switch) | 6th Jan - 1hr | 60/100
9. King of the Monsters (Switch) | 6th Jan - 3hrs | 60/100
10. Metal Slug (PC) | 7th Jan - 3hrs | 80/100
11. Metal Slug 2 (PC) | 8th Jan - 2hrs | 80/100
12. Metal Slug 3 (PC) | 9th Jan - 2hrs | 80/100
13. Black Mesa (PC) | 13th Jan - 22hrs | 70/100
14. Hi-Fi Rush (PC) | 31st Jan - 14hrs | 85/100
15. Downwell (PC) | ____ ___ - __hrs | 70/100
16. Broforce (PC) | 2nd Feb - 11hrs | 80/100
17. Far: Lone Sails (PC) | 3rd Feb - 4hrs | 70/100
18. Ikaruga (PC) | 3rd Feb - 2hrs | 70/100
19. Hotline Miami (PC) | 7th Feb - 6hrs | 55/100
20. Hotlline Miami 2: Wrong Number (PC) | 11th Feb - 13hrs | 60/100
21. Pentiment (PC) | 23rd Feb - 37hrs | 80/100
22. WarioWare: Get it Together! (Switch) | ____ ___ - __hrs | 80/100
23. Huntdown (PC) | 14th Feb - 7hrs | 80/100
24. River City Girls Zero (Switch) | 19th Feb - 4hrs | 45/100
25. Avenging Spirit (Game Boy) | 22nd Feb - 3hrs | 60/100
26. Atomic Heart (PC) | ____ ___ - __hrs | __/100
27. World Reborn (Gameboy Advance) | 25th Feb - 3hrs | 60/100

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bender

What time is it?
1. Returnal (PS5) - 30 Hours - 1/1/23 - 3/5

My buddy picked this up over the holidays and we've been going over it co-op. You can definitely tell that the co-op mode was shoehorned in given some of the quirks (particularly around tethering loads). I got disconnected before the last boss last night and he beat the game. He wanted to go for the true ending so I helped him collect all the Sunface Fragments. We collected all of those and beat the game today but for some reason he couldn't enter the car.

2. Returnal (PS5) - 30 Hours - 1/1/23 - 3/5

Since I haven't seen the true ending, I went ahead and beat the game again today and will collect all the Sunface Fragments and try for myself.

3. No More Heroes (Switch) - 15 Hours - 1/1/23 - 3/5

I've picked this up several times over the years and quickly fallen off of it. I decided to plow through it and get the true ending. The beam katana feels great to use but there is little challenge to the mechanics save for some of the bosses and side jobs that don't allow you to take a hit. The open world is a waste and the side activities are mostly disappointing.

4. High On Life (XSX) - 15 Hours - 1/2/23 - 2/5

Your enjoyment of the game will hinge on if you appreciate the humor and I can't say it is my cup of tea save for a handful of moments. The moment to moment action is dull and it lacks enemy variety. Boss encounters are fun and a few of the later weapons are really good, it's just too ad the game is mostly over by the time you get them.

5. Returnal (PS5) - 3 Hours - 1/3/23 - 3/5

True ending reached.

6. Mom Hid My Game (Switch) - 1 Hour - 1/3/23 - 2/5

Cute, clever and sometimes annoying.

7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan - 1 Hour - 1/16/23 -2/5

8. Silent Hill: Homecoming - 7 Hours - 1/18/23 - 1/5

Ugly, boring, no challenge, dull story

9. Omno - PS5 - 4 Hours - 1/21/23 - 2/5

The visuals are nice and the platforming foundation is solid. It dolls out new abilities to keep each biome fresh and the game ends before it can wear our its' welcome. The problem is that it is devoid of challenge and follows some really come tropes to try to pull at your heartstrings.

10. Minit - PS5 - 1 Hours - 1/22/23 - 2/5

11. Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara - XSX - 2 Hours - 1/23/23 - 4/5

12. Hi-Fi Rush - XSX - 8 Hours - 2/13/23 - 5/5

13. Monster Hunter: Rise - PS5 - 100 Hours - 2/15/23 - 5/5
 
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tav7623

Member
Woo Hoo! managed to meet the challenge 2 years in a row, let's see if I can do it for a third year ;P.

1. Resident Evil 4 HD (w/RE 4 HD Project mod 1.1) - Steam, playtime: 14hrs 33 mins, beat the game (for the first time) on Normal difficulty in 1/1/23
One of the (imo) black marks on my gaming history is being a big RE fan, but never having beaten RE 4 despite having played through a significant chunk of the game (for the longest time I thought I'd gotten as far as the mines, but this new playthrough made me realize I'd actually gotten to the first part of the island) back when it first came out on the GameCube. Over the years I've tried getting back into the game but only managing to get a hour or 2 into the game before stopping. In the case of the PC version of RE 4 HD, which I bought (on sale) last June, I got a half hour in before getting pissed with the state of the game ( I tried playing it with a controller) and stopping, upon learning about the RE 4 HD Project mod I decided to download it and give it a go. I gotta say I was really impressed with the mod as it really improved the experience for me, especially the controls and the added ability to change the FOV (the camera) so that I could move the camera back a little but further than usual. Overall, I enjoyed my time with the game and by the time I got to the Castle memories of my first playthrough started coming back to me, so I was able to make sections in the Castle up to the Island that I remember gave me trouble go a lot smoother this time around. I'm also thrilled to have finally beaten this game and plan on trying to make it something of a theme for this year.

2. Cyber Shadow - Switch, Playtime: 14hrs 28 mins, beat the game on Normal difficulty with 67% completion & 970 combined deaths (yes, the game keeps track of your deaths) on 1/1/23
I first started playing this game in late 2021/early 2022 and what drew me to it was that it was a 2D/retro Ninja Gaiden inspired Action Platformer infused with a CyberPunk aesthetic and light Metroidvania gameplay mechanics. Unlike the other 2D/retro Ninja Gaiden inspired game that had come out a few years earlier (The Messenger) this game felt like it took itself a bit more seriously and imo felt a lot more challenging (gameplay wise) than The Messenger, which I really enjoyed about the game. One thing I didn't like about the game was the controls which I felt were unresponsive at times which led to me taking hits/mistakes that I would have dodged/avoided were it not for them. Still, I enjoyed my time with this game overall even though I died a lot of times (about 40-50 of which were me purposely committing suicide in the final boss area because I needed to maintain full health for as long as during the 3 phases of the fight, but due to my own stupidity and/or the unresponsive controls I got hit right at the beginning a bunch of times. On the run that I beat the boss on I managed to get through the first part without getting hit once and took me first hit about halfway through the second phase) and there were a handful of sections where I got stuck due to the difficulty & skill needed to clear it. If you like a CyberPunk aesthetic & story fused with a modified version of the classic 2D Ninja Gaiden games or challenging 2D Action Platformers in general and haven't played this game, then I think you should definitely check this game out.

3. NBA 2k23 - PS5, est. Playtime (so far): 16 + hrs, played multiple modes (online & offline) hitting the 10 hr mark on 1/6/23
When it comes to sports games Hockey & Basketball games are usually the ones that I tend to skip for years at a time instead of skipping just about every other year (or in the case of sports like Soccer & less popular sports just skipping/passing on them out right), in fact the last time I bought & played a basketball game prior to getting this game was NBA 2k19. So I was pretty much due to pick up a basketball game and what got me to buy this one in particular was that it was on sale (I got the Michael Jordan edition which was priced at $49 instead of it's usual $99), had a mode dedicated to the career of Michael Jordan (who I grew up a fan of along with Larry Legend aka Larry Bird), and I got a $25 PSN gift card which would knock it down to about $25 which was enough to get me to say "fuck it". So far I've really enjoyed playing the Jordan career/challenge mode especially how it recreates the visual TV look from the era as well as the big change in the myPlayer mode where you have a big open city to explore/complete character challenges while progressing through your player's NBA career. Now one thing that I didn't really care for is how while playing the single player myTeam challenges/sub modes (such as Domination & Triple Threat) on Pro difficulty or higher it feels like there extreme rubber-banding/cheating AI (I'll go on a run, get up by 9-10 pts and be holding my own defensively against the computer when all of a sudden my players can't hit or block a shot to save their lives even if they are standing right next to the bucket without a single defender on them while the AI/CPU's players are suddenly hitting shots they were missing earlier or appearing out of nowhere to block wide open shots) to the point that it's utterly infuriating since it ends up ruining the challenge I'm attempting to beat and forces me to replay/retry the challenge multiple times. Despite the cheap & sudden difficulty spikes due to cheating (G******F*******M*****F******C********) AI there's a imo decent variety of challenges/sub modes that kept me coming back to myTeam.

4. Dead Space Remake - PC/Steam, Playtime: 18 hrs, beat the game on normal/medium difficulty and earning 39 of 47 Achievements on 2/3/23
I originally wasn't planning on picking this game up, let alone playing it cause I was waist deep into Final Fantasy X HD but all the positive word of mouth plus all the suffering I was enduring in FFX (prior to starting up the Dead Space Remake I was busy banging my head against a wall in the last hallway of the Via Purifico) got me to say fuck it. Overall I'm really glad I did take a break from FFX HD to play this game cause I really enjoyed my time with it and I enjoyed all the little changes they made to the game. I liked it so much that I ended up taking my sweet time playing it and exploring every inch of the game, hell this time I actually found Peng :p.

5. Final Fantasy X HD — PS4, est Playtime: 46 hrs, beat the game on 2/23/23

Nearly 22 years ago I bought & played this game, my very first Final Fantasy game and managed to get 29 hrs into it before stopping, having gotten burned out on the game’s turn based “combat” system as well as hitting the brick wall known as Mt. Gagazhet. I returned to the game few months later only to find out that my sister had deleted all but 1 of my save files (@ the 22 hr mark) for the game. Since then the furthest I’d gotten was Luca….until now that is. While I still don’t like the game’s turn based “combat”, blitzball, and some of the cringe dialogue I really enjoyed the rest of the game. All in all I’m really happy to not only have finally beaten this game (even though it took me nearly 22 years) as well as finally beaten my first traditional Turn Based JRPG.
 
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1. CRISIS CORE –FINAL FANTASY VII– REUNION (Steam) | 8th Jan - 30hrs | 4/5
2. Muv-Luv (Steam) | 9th Jan - 64hrs | 5/5
3. Bayonetta 3 (Switch) | 17th Jan - 19hrs | 5/5
4. Live a Live (Switch) | 30th Jan - 26hrs | 4/5
5. Dragon Quest Treasures (Switch) | 13th Feb - 17hrs | 3/5
6. Metroid Prime Remastered (Switch) | 28th Feb - 13hrs | 5/5
7. Hi-Fi RUSH (Game Pass) | 7th Mar - 9hrs | 5/5

COMPLETED GAMES

CRISIS CORE –FINAL FANTASY VII– REUNIONMuv-LuvBayonetta 3Live a LiveDragon Quest TreasuresMetroid Prime RemasteredHi-Fi RUSH
 
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sedg87

Member
Claiming my post! :)

1. The Witcher 3 - January 6th - 10/10
2. The Quarry - January 8th - 9/20
3. Resident Evil 0 - January 21st - 8.5/10
4. The Callisto Protocol - January 22nd - 7/10
5. Final Fantasy IX - January 30th - 10/10
6. Shiver - February 12th - 8/10
 
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GametimeUK

Member
Reserved... incase I get through 52 this year. This year is gonna be heavy I hope I have the time. I just barely made it last year.
 

ranmafan

Member
I feel like this will be the perfect challenge for me this year to join.

1. Road 96 - XBOX - Jan 1st, 2023 - 8 hours - This was a nice surprise story based game. I liked the randomness of it. At times it could get a little pretentious but still a nice surprise all together.

2. The Quarry - XBOX - Jan 14th, 2023, 12 hours- Loved it like I did with Until Dawn. Just wish the technical issues would’ve been ironed out.

3. Vampire Survivors - XBOX - Jan 15th 2023, too much to count - been knocking out each achievement and boss for the last few weeks. Simply a fantastic game. A great and unique take on the bullet hell genre.

4. Forspoken - PS5 - Jan 31st, 2023 - a much much better game than the reviews made it out to be. A fun open world game with great combat and an interesting story. Not perfect but a fun ride for sure.

5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles The Arcade Game - PS5 - Feb 19, 2023 - Always wanted to do a complete play through of this and finally pulled it off. Still as fun as it was in the arcades in my youth.

6. Hogwarts Legacy - PS5 - Feb 23, 2023 - A fantastic game, so worth exploring. Avalanche nailed the world of Harry Potter in this game. Will certainly be one of my favorites of the year by the end of the year.

7. Babylon’s Fall - PS5 - Feb 26, 2023 - I decided to use a lot of my Saturday to play and finish this game before it shuts down in a few days. Overall not great but I enjoyed some of it. Glad I finished it.
 
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#1 Spongebob Squarepants Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated | PS4 | 15h | January 1st | Platinum trophy earned | 3/5

#2 Call of Duty Modern Warfare (2019) | PS4 | 18h | January 4th | Platinum Trophy earned | 0/5

It‘s Call of Duty. Turn your brain off, shopt some guys, get some trophies and enjoy the easy ride. But the ride is so easy, even 10 year olds will find this game to be extremely bland and stupid. I figured, since the last CoD I played was the original modern warfare, that the campign may be enjoyable, but in the end it was just tedious. Captain Price ain‘t the Captain Price I remember, it‘s rather a bearded, onedimensional Chad. I‘m glad I just spent 10€ for it used.

And it‘s an activision game through and through. I couldn‘t figure out why I couldn‘t access the online store, which is mandatory to download the campaign packs. Even if you stay offline, delete the files, reinstall the game (from a disc!) there was just no way to access the campaign, which is supposed to be on the disc, due to day 1 patches. I even reached out to the support, they told me that it’s a known issue, the devs are working on it but there’s nothing they can do for me atm. So i waited until the warzone maintenance was over, around three weeks, to try it again to download it but that disn’t work either. I read through the first 3 pages on google to see that no one could help me. Then one day a friend of mine told me that I had to create a german account (I’m living in austria) to access the german activision store to download it on my PS5 to then be able to play it with my original account. How fucked up is that in 2023? Even the activisin support couldn’t tell me that solution.

I just hope that was the last activision encounter for me in a very long time, good thing they are as creqtively bancrupt as any other major AAA publisher, so I think I won’t have to deal with any of their big corporate bullshit any time soon.

The game was 2/5, but due to Activision being such dishonored bastards it’s a 0/5, because originally I couldn’t even play it (rather I wasn’t allowed to b/c no campaign packs or activision store for austria) if it were up to activision.

#3 The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe | PS5 | 26 hrs | January 9th | Platinum Trophy earned | 4/5

One of if not the best and funniest walking simulators I ever played and I played a few of them. It‘s great how they thought of ao much possible ways to play the game, there are literally dozens of different paths you can go in this game and it‘s great to see that the developers thought of every way imaginable to trick the game while the game tricks you. I can‘t really say more than just play it, currently it‘s on sale and it was totally worth the 12€. It‘s a fresh breeze in the tornado of creatively bancrupt triple AAA games.

#4 Stray | PS5 | 9 hrs | January 18th | Platinum Trophy earned | 4/5

#5 Sackboy A Big Adventure | PS5 | 45 hrs | January 19th | Platinum Trophy earned | 4/5

#6 Metroid Prime | Wii | 10 hrs | January 31st | Beat it without 100% | 5/5
The game is great, it's been in my backlog since 2002 and due to a very nice 4k Upgrade via Dolphin I thought I'd give this a try. I liked the backtracking, although near the end it got a little bit laborious. There was just not enough enemy variety, it's always been the same, going from room to room and sometimes everything turned dark just to make beating the enemies a little bit more annoying. I've tried to beat the game at least 5 times, I've bought it 3 times, once for the OG GCN, and twice as the trilogy version for Wii. But I've played too many next-gen/new age games in the past couple of months, so I really enjoyed going back to a GCN game.

#6 Spiderman | PS5 | 36 hrs | February 9th | Platinum Trophy earned | 5/5

Finally beat spiderman on PS5, I didn‘t expect much, after all it was „just“ a ps plus game, but boy was i positively surprised. I‘m not the kind of guy who‘s into superhero stuff, but insomniac delivered, big time. For an open world game it had great pacing too. I didn‘t feel exhausted as I am usually with ubisoft games, the story was great, the fighting system was spectacular, felt like i was always in control of the entire moveset and it just worked and felt awesome, music/soundtrack was excellent and I‘m really looking forward to playing miles morales. Oh and the graphics were top, I didn‘t play the remastered version, just the normal PS4 version and the visuals, especially in the cutscenes (faces etc.) gave me PS5 vibes. Looking forward to spiderman 2 as well.
 
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yamaci17

Member
Let's go! this year I plan to play more indies. last year I went full ham on AAA!

NameDateDurationStar Rating
1The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Hearts of Stone9-Jan-202315 hrs4.5
2The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt16-Jan-202335 hrs5
3Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Wrath of Druids23-Jan-20238 hrs3.5
4Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Forgotten Saga25-Jan-20237 hrs3.5
5Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Siege of Paris1-Feb-20238 hrs3.5
6Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Dawn of Ragnarök5-Feb-202325 hrs4
7Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Last Chapter5-Feb-20231 hrs3.5
8Hogwarts Legacy16-Feb-202365 hrs5
9Atomic Heart26-Feb-202336 hrs4.5
10Half Life (Path Tracing)2-Mar-202310 hrs5
11Wo Long Fallen Dynasty8-Mar-202338 hrs4



Game reviews

Poppy and Sebastian side quests are of similar vain to Triss/Yen/Panam/Judy type of CDPR side quests. They're so greatly designed they might as well overshadow the main game's story. I really enjoyed the subplots going on with these two characters more than the main story.

The game is magical. It promised magic and it delivers magic. Everything about HP universe except Quidditch has been integrated into the story and quests in a meaningful way. I really did not expect such a scale of events / things that we come across in our journey in Hogwarts Legacy. And then there is the meticulously crafted Hogwarts castle filled with details, lore and ambiance... Not to mention "cozy" Hogsmeade and its lively streets, shops and bars. And then there are other small towns and vistas they've crafted across the highlands. The world they crafted is a joy to explore. Especially with the added freedom and fun the broom or mounts give you.

There are caveats to the game however, it lacks substantial amount of interactivity within Hogwarts and other students. Mini games and side activities are kept to a minimum. Lore and accurate representation of locations are plentiful but they're mostly hollow.

Main story is not that interesting, and I could see why they kept it short. Its really a game where you just casually visit Hogwarts, instead of actually being a student in it. Story mostly revolves around outside locations or outside dungeons that has nothing to do with Hogwarts. Being an open world RPG, I can see why they went that route but this ended up making Hogwarts a touristic place instead of actual gameplay place.

However, a HP fan couldn've exact for a better replica of Hogwarts. They nailed lighting, textures, ambiance quite extraordinarly and that alone deserves appreciation. I'd say similar amounts of effort went into Hogsmeade and surroundings of Hogwarts as well.

Wo Long Fallen Dynasty - 8 March 2023

+ Stamina mechanic is masterfully done and makes the combat very dynamic and fun.
+ Art style is peculiar, making up for the lack of graphical quality
+ Animations and flow of parry/counter/dodge are perfect
+ RPG aspects of the game is actually cool, the game does not make you commit to a certain build, you can respec as much as you want, you can also invest in Wizardry spells without sacrificing on other things
+ Weapon/armor upgrade system is well done, you can salvage looted armors and weapons to get upgrade materials as well
+ Embedding is pretty cheap, being able to get supplies from battle flags is also helpful
+ Wizardry spells are meaningful but not super OP. You still need stamina to cast them, which means you have to actively attack the enemy at the same time. It encourages a mixed combat where you parry, use martial arts, attack and use your spells at the same time.

- Enemy variety is shallow
- Morale system is masterfully done, encourages you to explore the map, however caveat here is the lack of enemy variety which makes the morale grinding a bore, which ends up making the morale system also a bore
- Most bosses are not memorable and unique and a certain pattern of "oh, your friend is now your enemy because of this evil demonic arrow" is used TOO much
- Story is too convoluted/uninteresting. Also, a certain pattern of "oh, you were looking for the Elixir but someone stole it and run away" is used TOO much

Overall a fun but forgettable game. 82/100

This game caught me by surprise. I had no expectations yet this game delivered.

Goods
Combat/gameplay is top notch. Guns are fun to use, and game ends before things start to feel repetetive. You get different guns that calls for different play styles, and on top of that, each gun has dedicated upgrades that changes or adds functionality which makes it even more fun. Enemy interactions are fun, they usually take damage/get damaged realistically..

Story and setting were more than good enough to captivate me through the end. Setting is actually rather spectacular, and story has multiple plot twists that hit you back to back. I was interested all the time. World is crafted with a lot of detail and lore and you can read all about it in in-game terminals.

Open world is there, but it is not tedious as most open world games are. It is a condensed world that just acts as a tool to progress the story. You enter "hubs" called training grounds for weapon upgrades and additional loot, and these locations boast different challenges, platforming puzzles and so on. You do not need to do all of them; game specifically tells you what upgrades you will find in specific training grounds, which is a welcome feature. This way you can focus on the upgrades for the weapons you desire and ignore others. However game was so captivating that I ended up completing most of the training grounds, it simply was fun.

Bads
Well story is a bit cliche, and dialogue can get cringey at times (not all times! sometimes it gets very philosophical and makes you stop and think about stuff).
Sometimes there are too much dialogue to a point it overlaps with stuff.
Quest design is a bit archaic, mostly they're fetch/go grab type of quests. However overall gameplay loop and story makes it bareable.
 
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I've been waiting for this thread! I have so many PS4 games I want to play through this year and I'll be adding even more tomorrow. Got my eye on some 4 for 20 games at a local GameStop.

My first game of the year will be New Super Lucky's Tale!

*edit* Decided to start with Crash N. Sane Trilogy. 25% through Crash 1 so far over a few days. Still playing lots of Ms Pac Man Lynx and Tokyo 2020 is slowing me down but whatever.

I'll cheese a short Lynx game soon to get me on the board. I've always wanted to beat Zarlor Mercenary for Lynx. I see a long play on YouTube of it is 30 minutes. Its a hard game though. May take some doin'
 
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Drizzlehell

Member
darth-vader-vader.gif


I'm in. Last year I must have beaten like a 100 games so unless I'm suddenly gonna become a dad or something, this should be a cakewalk.
 
2023 - 22/52

1. Metroid: Zero Mission (Wii U) - 9/10
2. Injustice 2 (PS4) - 8/10
3. The Shoot (PS3) - 7/10
4. Eversion (Steam Deck) - 7/10
5. Remember Me (PS3) - 7/10
6. Picross DS (DS) - 9/10
7. Cotton Reboot (Switch) - 6/10
8. Virginia (Steam Deck) - 6/10
9. Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures (Steam Deck) - 7/10
10. The Last of Us: Part 1 (PS5) - 9/10
11. The Last of Us: Left Behind (PS5) - 8/10
12. Quell (Switch) - 7/10
13. Super Mario 3D World (Switch) - 9/10
14. Yoshi's New Island (3DS) - 7/10
15. Evoland (Steam Deck) - 7/10
16. A Short Hike (Steam Deck) - 8/10
17. Dead Space (PS5) - 9/10
18. Digger T. Rock - Rare Replay (Xbox Series X) - 4/10
19. Battletoads Arcade - Rare Replay (Xbox Series X) - 6/10
20. Bowser's Fury (Switch) - 9/10
21. Sonic Mania (Switch) - 8/10
22. Gris (Switch) - 8/10

Currently Playing:
Rare Replay (Xbox Series X)


2018 List - 68 Games
2019 List - 69 Games
2020 List - 95 Games
2021 List - 68 Games
2022 List - 80 Games
 
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I would do this if I played less RPGs and MMOs. I've already signed up for Wayfinder and I know that game will take out a few months of time in itself.
 

Bragr

Member
CLAIMED.

Why ain't I on the list of previous people who completed it though? I did it last year.
 

GymWolf

Member
I never understood this topic or how is it different from the "what are you playing now" topic...

Is there a reason for the 52 magic number or why anyone should force himself to play as many games as possible?

Maybe i'm just old.
 

KungFucius

Member
Grabbing a slot. I will not hit 52 but I like documenting things. I did hit 25 last year and that was pretty good. My loose goal is 26 as that is typically within reach but it is hard with work and kids and all that. I tend to play games that are longer than or about 10 hours.

  1. Pentiment (PC) - I enjoyed my time with this simple choose your own adventure type game.
  2. Plague Tale: Requiem (PC) - Meh. The game has it's good parts but also has some really sucky shit in it. Biggest offender is the excessive use of slow walking. The stealth sucks and a lot of the gameplay just ends up being frustrating or immersion breakingly stupid. I will probably play the 3rd one on GP in the future.
  3. Fallout 76 (PC) - Main Quest: This game is so frustrating. It takes good elements of Fallout and shits all over it with online bullshit. The leveling system is trash. You level up, everything levels up and your weapons stay at the level you acquired them. So basically your weapons get weaker and you need new ones plus they also break. This system is infinitely worse than Zelda's. Additionally some enemies in the main quest are extreme bullet sponges. You have to hit them 500 times so if you aren't stacked with ammo you are fucked. The worst thing by far is that the game doesn't respect your life or time. You can't pause really, shit keeps killing you and if you leave some quests midstream you will have to redo all steps in them. This makes it stressful and shitty when you are trying to squeeze in a session before work or something. Seriously Bethesda, Fuck you for thinking any of this is what gamers want.
  4. Fallout 76 Steel Dawn / Steel Reign Expansions - Why the fuck do I keep at this. Fucking went to one small building and used well over 1000 fucking bullets to wipe out the Super Mutants. It took a long time to farm the ammo and resources to make it then shoot it all into fucking sponges. I assume you can farm legendary crap and use that to get an effective weapon and buy shit to make it all work out, but after doing all that you will level up another 10 levels and the enemies will be even spongier. Bullet Sponges are not fun. Please give me the strength to not play the rest of the Pitt expansion.
  5. Hi Fi Rush (PC GP) - This was a great game. If GP can get more games like this it will be the best thing to happen in gaming. I would not have decided to buy this game and play it otherwise. My only gripe is that some of the timing on puzzles was a bit over the top due to the need for perfection and length and that switching to easy mode didn't change that difficulty, just the battle difficulty which wasn't very difficult to begin with. I also got stuck doing some of those puzzles over and over and over again because I didn't let go of the button on the last ()---Hold---() thing because my brain kept telling me I nailed it.
  6. As Dusk Falls (pC GP) - Another game I wouldn't have tried if not for game pass. It is more of an interactive choose your adventure book but the story is interesting and worth the time.
  7. Olija - Gamepass
  8. Hogwarts Legacy (PC) - Played as a trans character named Hairy NotHer. At first I felt bad, but they grew on me. The game was good, but dragged on the way open world games do. To much content.
  9. Atomic Heart (PC/GP) - Overall a good game with fun battles that gets better once you get into it. Many nits and areas for future improvement. I got past the weird movement and lack of sprint after upgrading the speed. The platforming/parkour was very, very rough. Lack of fast travel to previous areas meant no way in fuck I would go exploring for stuff I missed like upgrades. I do want to highlight the extremely poor delivery of the game. Preloaded 50GB, auto update enabled but never worked, then needed to download 70GB on day 1, didn't get to play when I could, then 2 days later another mandatory update of 17GB. Mandatory update for a fucking game I already downloaded 120GB of and just wanted to play. BS.
  10. Chained Echoes (PC/GP) - Good old school JRPG. Had some rough edges particularly with the pacing in some spots where there was a shit ton of text and no opportunity to save and stop playing, but a good game nonetheless.

Currently Playing - ??

GOTY ranking so far (My top 3 of games released this year that I beat):
  1. Hogwarts
  2. Hi Fi Rush
  3. Atomic Heart

Anticipating:
  • Zelda
  • Horizon Expansion
  • Spiderman 2
  • Starfield
  • Stalker 2
  • FFXVI
  • Random Gamepass Gems
 
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Mattyp

Member
Never attempted this so I will this year that the gaming room is just about finished I'll still reserve photos for the 2024 show off but, being a father now I'm going to aim to try and find mostly kids titles I can enjoy with them as something different.

List to come.
 

Killer8

Member
I'm in this year. Hopefully won't fall off the rails like last year by starting too many long open world games.
 
Only managed a miserable 11 last year:

1)Last of Us 2 PS5 03/01 (7/10)
2)Doom the ancient gods part 1 Series X 03/02 (8/10)
3)Doom the ancient gods part 2 Series X 04/02 (9/10)
4)Elden Ring Series X 22/04 (9/10)
5)Doom TNT Evilution series X 06/06 (9/10)
6)Ghost of Tsushima Iki island PS5 04/07 (9/10)
7)Spiderman Miles Morales PS5 06/07 (6/10)
8)Halo Infinite Series X 15/08 (6/10)
9)Star Ocean First Departure R PS5 05/09 (6/10)
10)Stray PS5 06/09 (9.5/10)
11)Call of duty modern warfare 2 Series X 24/10 (7/10)

2023 list:

1)Doom Deathless Switch 05/01 (8/10)
2)Overcooked switch 08/01 (10/10)
3)The Walking Dead final season series X 18/01 (8.5/10)
4)Doom Arrival Switch 02/02 (8.5/10)
5)High on life series X 04/03 (6/10)
 
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TuFaN

Member
1/2 - Claimed - will update

1. Super Mario Land - Game Boy⠀|⠀04. Jan - 1 hour⠀|⠀95 - Masterpiece
2. Batman - The Video Game - Game Boy⠀|⠀06. Jan - 2 hours⠀|⠀68 - Good
3. Vampire Survivors - PC⠀|⠀14. Jan - 40 hours⠀|⠀85 - Amazing
4. Final Fantasy 7 Remake - PS5⠀|⠀19. Jan - 90 hours⠀|⠀88 - Amazing
5. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade: EPISODE INTERmission - PS5⠀|⠀21. Jan - 16 hours⠀|⠀83 - Great
6. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart - PS5⠀|⠀24. Jan - 18 hours⠀|⠀83 - Great
7. Ghost of Tsushima - PS5⠀|⠀30. Jan - 62 hours⠀|⠀85 - Amazing
8. Ghost of Tsushima: Iki Island Expansion - PS5⠀|⠀01. Feb - 10 hours⠀|⠀85 - Amazing
9. Sackboy: A Big Adventure - PS5⠀|⠀10. Feb - 15 hours⠀|⠀75 - Great
10. Astro's Playroom - PS5⠀|⠀13. Feb - 8 hours⠀|⠀85 - Amazing
⠀⠀⠀1-10 total hours: 262 hrs
11. Returnal - PS5⠀|⠀21. Feb - 48 hours⠀|⠀80 - Great
12. The Last Guardian - PS5⠀|⠀27. Feb - 13 hours⠀|⠀55 - Mediocre
 
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TuFaN

Member
2/2 - Claimed - will update

Currently playing:
  • Hot Wheels Unleashed

Anticipating to play during 2023:
  • Replay all Resident Evil games before Resident Evil 4 Remake releases
  • Resident Evil 4 Remake
  • Shadow of the Colossus
  • FF7 Remake Intermission - will play this DLC once I get 100% achievements on the main game
  • Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
  • Final Fantasy 16
  • Diablo IV - I hope I wont spent too much time playing this game, because I really want to successfully finish the 52 game challenge this year :) Being stuck playing one game (apex legends, path of exile, mmorgs) is the main reason why I never get to finish the 52 game challenge.
  • Persona 5 Royal - Started playing last year, I hope I can finish it this year.
 
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1-10

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1 - Forza Horizon 5 - PC - Still completing weekly content - 95/100
Game is over a year old now, but I still play it once a week. The map is great, the gameplay is great, the sound design is great, and the visuals are great. The characters and stories Playground funneled into this game out of someone's ass are terrible, but that's such a small piece of the whole thing I don't really care. This is probably my all-time favorite arcade racing game now.

2 - Deathloop - PC - Completed playthrough, still have plenty to do - 85/100
If you haven't played this yet and are thinking about it, don't activate the waypoints before each mission and play it without them. I read several reviews about the game, all complaining that you can simply follow the waypoints and finish the game effortlessly so I decided to shit-can them from the start. There is so much more to this game than the main missions, tons of side content, interesting side areas and honestly doing it all without outside help was pretty satisfying. The game plays awesome, movement and traversal are DOOM levels of fluid, gunplay is snappy and fun, weapons are a bit limited but all of them were fun to use, and the special abilities, especially with the buffs have all kinds of fun uses. I came into this game with very low expectations, but it ended up being my favorite game last year after Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Even the characters were great, Colt and Julianna were great fun in the dialogue that came before each mission. Outside that and a few short cutscenes, the game was just pure gameplay. Without the waypoints on, you're forced to read all the clues, listen in on conversations between NPCs and remember when and where people are going to be. It makes exploring the four areas of the island in each time of day feel much more important and makes the game's design feel right. I've read that the multiple hand-holding measures like the waypoints and "impossible to lose" modes were added in order to appease people that didn't want to figure anything out for themselves, and I'd say that sounds about right.

3 - Final Fantasy VIII - Switch - WIP - 65/100
I'm almost done this, and I have to say I'm enjoying it more than I did back when I played it on the PS1. The Remaster fixes a lot of the issues with the visuals in the original which was horrid. Unfortunately, it didn't fix what made the game kind of suck in the first place like the dumbass cast, nonsense story or mostly empty world. I'll finish this one this time but it's pretty weak.

4 - Rock n' Roll Racing: Definitive Edition - Switch - Finished co-op playthrough - 80/100
I am terrible at this game. I don't remember struggling with the controls in this game as a kid but playing this again on the Switch I was losing my shit after constantly flying off the track, missing with my missiles and hitting every oil trap and mine on the track. The game is fantastic, the entire presentation of the game is just done perfectly. The Definitive Edition brings in widescreen and actual music tracks which add greatly to the game. One song is missing but overall, it's an improvement, not that the SNES version was bad by any metric (the Genesis version though, just gouge out my eardrums...). My biggest issue with this version was that the split screen was vertical and not horizontal like on the SNES version which meant you really can't see what's coming up until you're already there.

5 - Metal Slug X - Switch - Finished co-op playthrough - 80/100
The Metal Slug games are pixel art porn with a Contra game underneath. The animation and art design in these games are among the best I've ever seen and as such the game doesn't age at all. Gameplay is fast, explosions are massive, enemies and bosses are all incredibly well animated and are all fun to fight. If I had to put out a gripe about this game, it's that by Metal Slug 3 you've seen a lot of these assets in the previous games and things start looking and playing a bit too familiar. Despite that though it really is a lot of fun to play and viewed on its own is easily worth playing. If you can, play co-op. This game is a reworked version of Metal Slug 2 that fixed some of the game's issues.

6 - Fighting Force - Playstation - Finished co-op playthrough - 55/100
This game suffers from everything being too slow. Movement is slow, the camera moves slow, the attacks are slow, even the music feels slow. Pickups like guns are hard to see on the ground so they get missed. I did appreciate the destructible background elements and your character's moveset wasn't as limited as some games in this category but in the end the game was pretty forgettable.

7 - Clockwork Aquario - Switch - Multiple co-op playthroughs - 75/100
This was a fun little game I played with my older brother. It's one of the first games I've played with him in a long time. It's a very Japanese game where you knock enemies out and use them as weapons, or just punch everything you see. There are attempts at platforming and you can fire projectiles but overall there isn't really a set way to play the game, it's mostly a free-for-all. You can use the other player as a projectile though, which resulted in quite a few accidental flights off a cliff. The art is simply adorable and the whole game was nice to take in.

8 - Super Punch Patrol - Switch - Finished co-op playthrough - 60/100
I think my brother warned me about a dozen times the game was going to suck. I actually didn't mind it. The art is simple pencil sketches (the game looks exactly like the art I posted above) with player characters in blue and enemy characters in red. It's a beat 'em up like Final Fight or Double Dragon. This is where the game kind of falls short. The characters are not interesting at all, nor is the adventure showcased in the game. The mechanics are pretty standard-fare stuff as is the music and the art is just too simple. The most memorable thing in the game is when the dominatrix-type female enemy characters take you over their knee and spank you.

9 - King of the Monsters - Switch - Finished co-op playthrough - 60/100
I had high hopes for this game. It's a wrestling game but the wrestlers are giant monsters, and the arena is an assortment of locales around Japan. The entire arena is destructible as are the tanks, helicopters, building and cars that move around the area. The area is surrounded by electric fences used as the ring's ropes. Looking at everything you'd think you had the perfect game. Unfortunately, you don't have time to go smash buildings or wreak havoc because at all times the enemy monsters are straight up in murder mode and are perfectly willing to back pick you in a moment's notice. As you progress enemies become more and more powerful but that only means they require more hits to damage. As a result, later stages become tedious as you do ship damage to wear enemies down. It's just okay.

10 - Metal Slug - PC - Multiple playthroughs - 80/100
See the above review for Metal Slug X. Animation, art and sound are all top-notch. This game I played alone though which often leaves you in situations where you really wish you weren't. A good example is an area where you have to shoot a button to raise a door, then shoot an explosive barrel to move on. With two players this is a cakewalk. One guy hit the button, the other spams the barrel. Alone though you barely have time to hop down after raising the door and there's a dude shooting so you tend to spend a lot of time repeating the previous steps which gets annoying. In the end it's a minor thing but this kind of game is always better co-op.
 
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1. CRISIS CORE –FINAL FANTASY VII– REUNION

7hAuDsH.png


29:46h
, Normal difficulty. 100% side quests including Minerva.

Right after booting up the game, Crisis Core nostalgiabaits you by directly referencing the intro of the original FFVII. And that's fine, really - because no amount of technical polish (and there is a lot) can hide how fucking 2000s this game is. Hunks with singular angel wings (in plural), a character based on, and voiced by, fucking Gackt... . Even though the new graphics and improved BSO are nifty as hell, Crisis Core can't hide its humble PSP origins, what with its weird combat system that mixes random encounters ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE and real-time combat CONFLICT RESOLVED.

It's still a good game though, with an interesting focus on its characters and an addicting gameplay. Not a fan of some stuff how it retcon/clashes with the original FFVII lore but oh well, after Remake we've jumped that shark long ago haven't we...

SteamDeck: Works perfectly without tinkering. There are some dips at 60fps: I chose to play locked at 40fps and it was beautiful.

My Score: ★★★★☆

Original post
 
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stn

Member
Sure, I'll bite.

1. Halo Infinite (XSX) - great multiplayer, bland campaign and poor boss fights. [7]
2. NFS Unbound (XSX) - good core racing but repetitive and lacks evolution. [7]

Next: NFS Heat (XSX)
Then: Bayonetta 3 (Switch)
 
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