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[LavitzSlambert]

I’m at 22 and realistically, even with short games and the incoming holiday time off, there’s no way I’ll be over 26 this year. Admittedly I did play a lot of longer games this year, but I don’t think I’d be close even if I didn’t. You guys are impressive! Here’s what amounts to my year in review:


1. Dark Souls 2
2. Dark Souls Remastered
3. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
4. Hyper Light Drifter
5. Elden Ring
6. Super Mario 3D World & Bowsers Fury
7. It Takes Two
8. Bayonetta
9. Bayonetta 2
10. Me & My Katamari
11. Touch My Katamari
12. Spiderman
13. Little Nightmares
14. Resident Evil 2 Remake
15. Until Dawn: Rush of Blood
16. Astro Bot Rescue Mission
17. Panel de Pon
18. Picross S5
19. Pokémon Puzzle League
20. Stray
21. Spiderman: Miles Morales
22. Returnal

 

[BusierDonkey]

Game 49 - Xenoblade Chronicles 3 - Nintendo Switch - Completed Dec 11th, 2022
Wow - what an amazing game. Seriously, the best game I've played all year and possibly in my top 10 games of all time. I put in around 120 hours before I had finished all the available quests and decided to head to the end of the game. Several moments here where I was genuinely brought to tears, and lots of laughs throughout. An incredible adventure that I'm unlikely to forget any time soon. The game had a few small issues, but overall it was damn near perfect. The music, especially, was phenomenal. I'm now eagerly awaiting the next story.

Spoiler

At the end where the worlds diverge and they start running towards each other...

 

[stn]

#16 - GOW: Ragnarok (PS4) - that was amazing. My Game of the Year (I may change my mind once I beat Elden Ring). [9.5/10]

Next up is Callisto Protocol (XSX).

 

[BusierDonkey]

131-140

Game 131 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge - Switch - Completed single co-op playthrough, will play more - 90/100
This game was awesome. The people that worked on this clearly knew what made the originals so beloved. This game references a ton of things from not only past Turtles games, but also many series in the Turtles universe. The game looks great with lively pixel art animations, a ton of nicely done backdrops and a ton of different enemies from throughout the series history. Music was pretty damned good though I'd argue TMNT IV still has the best soundtrack overall in the series. Gameplay is a lot more complex than past entries, but at no time is is overly complicated and the additions add to the game. The new playable characters, April , Splinter and Casey all have their own feel as do the individual Turtles so multiple playthroughs will feel pretty fresh. Like the old games I could see myself playing this multiple times over the coming years.

Game 132 - Double Dragon Neon - Switch - Completed single co-op playthrough - 85/100
This game came as a massive surprise to me. I've played all the Double Dragon games, even the best ones are just okay. The series suffers from slow, stale gameplay, a fairly boring adventure and literally no character. This game is a straight-up acid trip. Right away it's the same old story but within seconds you're treated to some of the best music in the series history and an art style that seems completely different from any Double Dragon before it. The game plays pretty fast, you have a great move set and the buddy up high-five abilities are a fun addition to the franchise. Throw in Skullmageddon (literally using Skeletor's voice) as a main villain and you've got yourself a winner. This game was fun all the way through.

Game 133 - Double Dragon IV - Switch - Completed the co-op story as far as we could - 60/100
Ah yes, there's the Double Dragon I know. Exactly what it always was, a slow-moving game with mediocre controls, terrible platforming sections that devour lives and overall a pretty rough experience. Play Neon, or River City Ransom again. This is a relic in a lot of ways. That includes the difficulty which is pretty rough. The worst offender was the games tendency to reset characters in dangerous situations causing multiple lives to be lost from a single death. We gave it our best but couldn't finish the game in the end.

Game 134 - The Takeover - Switch - Completed single co-op playthrough - 80/100
I'd never even heard of this game before my brother popped it in the Switch and fired it up. It's a beat 'em up like Streets of Rage and borrows heavily from it. The game is actually pretty good. Gameplay is fast and things like collision are pretty tight. It's not an overly complicated game but feature enough moves and abilities to keep the game engaging. Music was on-point, I was enjoying every new track from stage to stage. The visuals in this game are interesting. Gameplay art is polygonal with an attempt to look pre-rendered like old Mortal Kombat, the characters actually have a style to them including the latex catsuit-adorned tits-out, hooker shoes, step on my balls please chick I was playing as, but cutscenes are all the most blatantly western trash art I've witnessed in a while. The difference between in-game and cutscenes is drastic and kind of hilarious. It's like comparing Japanese to Western release box art but it's happening in the game.

Game 135 - Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game - Switch - Completed single co-op playthrough - 70/100
I played this game way back when it first released on the Xbox 360. I remember really enjoying it then, being very similar to River City Ransom but following the Scott Pilgrim story. The music is just fantastic, the pixel art is really well done and the gameplay is pretty satisfying outside the last boss who features some of the sloppiest hit boxes in a game. It's been years since I played this so I'd forgotten how many attacks are required to kill even basic enemies. I'd also forgotten the game requires a lot of grinding to overcome that annoyance. If this game had a bit more polish to the gameplay and a tweak to the damage it could be an 80/100 but at times the game can get annoying.

Game 136 - Fight'N Rage - Switch - Completed single co-op playthrough - 85/100
This is another game I knew nothing about that took me by surprise. My brother warned me before playing that the game is pretty tough and that we'd probably not be able to finish it. Lucky for us, the game is balanced better for co-op and we actually finished the game. The game played really well, gameplay is really fast and pulling off combo attacks is super satisfying. The art style is unique with over the top animations including some pretty ridiculous (in a good way) bouncing boobs. Music is also good, though not exactly memorable like the classics. You'll enjoy it but you won't be humming it 20 years from now. Great game though, just play it co-op if you want to enjoy your time.

Game 137 - Virtua Cop - Saturn - Completed each area multiple times co-op - 70/100 (using controllers)
This is the first co-op game my brother and I played since he modified my old Saturn with HDMI and a MODE. This game is a lot of fun even today. I will say, we didn't play with light guns since they don't work on modern TVs so the game wasn't at it's full potential using controllers to aim. Despite that the game is exactly what you'd think, a Sega arcade game. It's really short, it's pretty hard, and it's infinitely replayable. Visually the game holds up pretty well considering the time it comes from and it keeps the feel of the arcade game. We never finished all three stages in one run so we didn't actually beat the game (I definitely held him back) but it was a lot of fun trying.

Game 138 - Virtua Cop 2 - Saturn - Completed each area multiple times co-op - 75/100 (using controllers)
This game starts off super slow, at first I thought I was witnessing the limitations of the console but it's actually just to make the next section seem even crazier than it is as you jump into a car and chase some criminals through the city taking out other cars, people jumping off overpasses and helicopters. This game has much more interactivity with the backgrounds, branching paths and other additions over the first game. Just like the first it's a short game made to be played multiple times. Unlike the first game tough we actually beat this one properly, beating all the stages and unlocking the final boss. Lots of fun and again that was despite being held back using a controller and not the gun.

Game 139 - The House of the Dead - Saturn - Multiple co-op playthrough attempts - 70/100 (using controllers)
This is a game I remember from the arcades. Shooting your way through a mansion full of undead trying to uncover just what the hell happened. The game features a ton of branching paths activated in a variety of ways, saving scientists, shooting locks, activating buttons, letting people die, etc. The game is very replayable and each time you'll get a bit further. The Saturn version includes multiple new playable characters along with individual stats and weapons. Choose from a guy with a revolver that one-shots even the toughest enemies but only fires twice per reload, choose a guy with several shots but a long reload time. Each character adds something to the playthrough but also comes with a weakness. It was pretty fun trying to get as far as we could despite the high difficulty and again, the game should be played with a gun, not a controller.

Game 140 - Purikura Daisakusen - Saturn - Completed single co-op playthrough - 75/100
This is a Japanese-only isometric action game that was really short but fun. I don't speak or read Japanese but from what I gathered you're two Sailor Moon-meets-Megaman looking chicks and their giant cat running around trying to save some grey haired chick using magic wands to shoot projectiles or use a giant hammer or mace to turn enemy mechs and robots into animals. You have walking eggs following you which, assuming you collect enough animals and jewels, tun into angels that can summon meteor showers. Also if you eat a cake you turn into an adult. Pretty straightforward if you think about it. Honestly I'm not sure what kind of mucshrooms the writer was on but the game was still pretty fun.

 

[BusierDonkey]

141-150

141 - Saturn Bomberman - Saturn - Completed single co-op playthrough - 85/100
This is THE Bomberman. Multiplayer has tons of options, tons of stages, a bunch of different characters with their own perks. All this with ten people at once of some people and some mean AI. On top of the multiplayer you get an awesome SP campaign which has a great animation style tied to it. Bomberman isn't for everyone, for everyone else there is go fuck yourself you joyless husk.

142 - Guardian Heroes - Saturn - Completed single co-op playthrough - 80/100
This was a Treasure game so obviously you know it's going to be good. It's an old-school hack and slash beat 'em up filled to the brim with cool characters and interesting locales. As far as this genre is concerned the story is about as complex as they come with branching paths, alternate endings and different outcomes based on what you do in the game. Gameplay is pretty quick and each character is unique. I played as Nicole, a healing character who is for the most part useless and has a random trip mechanic where she just falls down like an idiot. Good fun! I will likely play through this again.

143 - Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom - Saturn - Completed single co-op playthrough - 70/100
I wasn't really aware of these Dungeons & Dragons games before. The franchise is older than I am of course and a beat 'em up based on it makes sense so it's odd I never took notice. This is about as straight and narrow as these games get. Nothing fancy, just beat the shit out of a bunch of oafs on your way to the baddie, kick his ass, then watch the credits. Though simple the game is a lot of fun.

144 - Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara - Saturn - Completed single co-op playthrough - 75/100
This is much like Tower of Doom, but dialed up. The game uses a lot of assets from the previous game but everything from the gameplay to the locations are more varied and amped up. The game ends up being more fun than Tower of Doom without becoming overly complicated. It's easy to view these as a Golden Axe knockoff but I honestly liked these games more. Better art, better music and better gameplay.

145 - Elevator Action Returns - Saturn - Completed single co-op playthrough - 70/100
This is a pretty cool way to do a sequel to an ancient arcade game. Elevator Action Returns features a whole bunch of cool locales and a true adventure featuring a crew of cops disarming explosives around the city. It's pretty intense with tons of enemies popping out of doors constantly, wall mounted guns, bombs, electric fields, etc all trying to slow you down. The levels are set up to feel like realistic places such as an airport, office building and other run of the mill places. Elevators are a staple, but you can also use scissor lifts to move from level to level. It's actually decently long for what it is. We're talking sub-2hours here, but most arcade games are an hour tops. In the end it was a pretty fun experience.

146 - Galactic Attack - Saturn - Completed single co-op playthrough - 70/100
This sia top-down shooter that has gone by a few other names, Layer Section, Gunlock and RayForce. The game has you focusing no only on what is coming ahead of you but also the terrain below you. While not uncommon in shooters since it was a neat feature in place of a super bomb that wiped the entire screen. Like most top-down shooters it's a tough game made to be played multiple times and the gameplay never really becomes dated. The pixel art in the game also holds up really well. My main gripes with this game were that the enemy bullets were too large as was the player ship making some bullet-hell sections seem impossible (meanwhile some Japanese guy probably just destroyed the game with his eyes shut)

147 - Radiant Silvergun - Saturn - Completed single co-op playthrough - 80/100
This is a fantastic top-down shooter made by Treasure. It's has the typical Treasure character to it and an actual story involving the unearthing of ancient technology which leads to a crazy adventure through time to a point in Earth's past where a cataclysmic event happened and you're treated to a conclusion you knew was coming but it was great all the same. The gameplay is top-down but being fully polygonal the game tries a lot of new things and pulls them all off well. Huge bosses, flipping and rotating backgrounds, and some pretty decent music all add up to a shooter that is much of an adventure as it is a crazy action-packed shooter. This was a really good game.

148 - Astal - Saturn - Completed single co-op playthrough - 50/100
I remember seeing this game in Gamefan back when it released and thinking it looked astounding. Having finally played through it I can honestly say it's a pile of shit. Astal is too big, movement is sluggish and the level design is something I would expect a toddler farting around with Mario Maker to make by accident. I played this co-op game as a bird who is almost entirely useless in the game with just a handful of useful moments. The game has you mostly walk/fly straight ahead with little to no obstacles, occasionally making a jump. When the game finally does throw any real platforming at you it's a trash ice stage with slippery controls which still isn't what I'd call hard, more annoying. The story in this game is just as shit as the gameplay with the big twist ending being exactly what you predicted from the game's first cutscene. The music isn't even very good. Overall it's pretty bad.

149 - Gokujo Parodius - Saturn - Completed single co-op playthrough - 70/100
Parodius is a series made to Parody Gradius. Not sure how they came up with the name though. Fun game though. It uses a weapon upgrade system like Gradius allowing you to choose what you upgrade and when which can lead to some actual co-op teamwork where one player works on clearing ground targets and the other takes out air targets. Bosses are all amusing takes on typical shooter bosses, For example the crab boss from Gradius is replaced with a dancing girl.

150 - Jakkyou Oshaberi Parodius - Saturn - Completed single co-op playthrough - 70/100
This is also a Parodius game. As before it parodies Gradius. Wait a sec... Parody... Gradius. Parod Radius. Parodradius? Padius? Yeah I don't get the name of this game at all.

 

[jshackles]

Game 51 - Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance 2 - PC / GOG - Completed Dec 24th, 2022
The second Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance game is... not as good as the first. I haven't played through this game in over a decade, and I remembered it being a lot better than it was this time around. The story was pretty much nonsensical, which made it hard to actually care what you are doing at any given point in time. The characters and their classes were better this time around though, with much better skill variety. Overall, a decent enough sequel (and fun in couch co-op), but not really worth the price tag for such an old game without too many modern QoL upgrades.

 

[The_Mike]

I mean, I played alot this year, but it's simply not possible to get to 52 games unless you play 24 7 or play small indie games.

My list this year:

1. Crackdown 3 7/10
2. Outriders 7/10
3. Serious Sam 4 8/10
4. Back 4 blood 7/10
5. Zombie army trilogy (*) 9/10
6. Rage 2 8/10
7. Zombie army 4 dead war 8/10
8. Nier automata 6/10
9. Doom (x360) 8/10
10. Doom 2(x360) 6/10
11. Greedfall 7/10
12. Battlefield bad company 8/10
13. Battlefield bad company 2 8/10
14. Doom 64 6/10
15. Man eater 8/10
16. Minecraft dungeons 5/10
17. Scarlet nexus 7/10
18. Aliens: fireteam elite 7/10
19. Dantes inferno 8/10
20. Sniper elite 5 8/10
21. Crysis 7/10
22. Crysis 2 6/10
23. Crysis 3 6/10
24. Donut County 6/10
25. Raji 7/10
26. Hades 10/10
27. Into the pit 8/10
28. Titanfall 2 (*) 9/10
29. Watch dogs (*) 9/10
30. Max Payne 3 (*) 7/10
31. Sleeping dogs (*) 9/10
32. Dead Island (*) 7/10
33. Dying Light (*) 6/10
34. AC Odyssey 9/10
35. Prodeus 10/10
36. Gears of War Ultimate (*) 8/10
37. Gears of War 3 8/10
38. Gears of War: Judgment 5/10
39. Gears of War 4 7/10
40. Oblivion 5/10
41. Nfs payback 5/10
42. Red Faction Armageddon 6/10


Games i gave up on
1.Pillars of eternity
2.Outcast second contact
3. Phoenix point
4.Technomancer
5.Shadowrun
6.The Ascent
7.Immortal fenyx
8.Batman arkham Knight
9.Gungrave gore
10.Watch Dogs 2
11.NFS Heat

 

[marcincz]

Game 55 - A Plague Tale: Requiem (XBO) - 17h 58m
Beat 09/12/2022 - my score: ★★★★☆
Game 56 - Return to Monkey Island (XBO) - 08h 23m Beat 15/12/2022 - my score: ★★★★☆

Probably 2 last games in 2022.
Times and dates are approximate. When I finished RtMI my Xbox has died. Currently I can't check stats. Fix it next year.

 

[BusierDonkey]

Whole lot of Beat 'em ups and shooters...

151 - 160

151 - Sexy Parodius - Saturn - Completed single co-op playthrough - 70/100
Yeah this is Parodius, but it's a bit more "sexy" than regular Parodius. Not exactly sure what makes it sexier, there are a couple more scantily clad depictions of cartoon women but nothing crazy. It's still good old Parodius in every way though. Fun game!

152 - Die Hard Arcade - Saturn - Completed multiple co-op playthroughs - 65/100
I actually enjoyed this game way more than I should have. It's a dumb brawler with fairly sluggish movement but you get guns, rocket launchers and the game has about the only instance of QTEs I've ever not hated. The game has a ridiculous story about the president's daughter being kidnapped, then lost (she's hiding in the very desk the villain is sitting at) then you fight a dude who exits a chair behind a desk in the most badass way ever imagined. This game has perhaps the worst character models ever put in a game, we're talking laughably awful. Obviously there are worse, but these guys advertised the game putting emphasis on the character models. I played as a character I assumed was John McClane's derpy son. It wasn't until several stages in that I was treated to him having polygon tits, a tied t-shirt and daisy dukes. Turns out I was playing as Kris Thompsen who is not his son. Also in the game you are treated to this hightmare:

Spoiler

Not pictured is the head-to-torso ratio or her hands which are twice the size of her head

153 - Bubble Symphony - Saturn - Completed multiple co-op playthroughs - 80/100
This is a wonderful game. I've always loved the Bubble Bobble games from the original to Bust-a-Move. This is Bubble Bobble II (the second arcade Bubble Bobble release, not to be confused with the NES Bubble Bobble Part 2 or another arcade game called Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2) Now that that's all sorted, this game is great. It plays like standard Bubble Bobble but there are branching paths, secret doors to save friends who then help you out, multiple boss fights and multiple endings based on whether you got all the music notes, or all the music notes and jewels. I could play this game any time, it will never age.

154 - Final Fight - Switch - Completed single co-op playthrough - 70/100
Final Fight, or Street Fighter One Final Fight as a kid I knew in elementary school would refer to it, is the story of a city overrun with crime that for sure isn't based on Detroit. Here some thugs show Mayor McMuscles, who apparently trained Zangief, his daughter in her bra and offer to not only release her but also pay him a lot of money to not do anything and he instead gets her "childhood sweetheart" and a random Japanese guy named... Guy... to go with him to beat the shit out of a bunch of lowlifes and hookers, then assault a man in a wheelchair. A politician that doesn't take bribes is pretty hard to swallow and a caveman like Haggar being elected into office would have been a hard sell before the last US mid-terms. I'm going on a rant here, but basically the game is pretty great. It's got everything you need. Elevators, angled scrolling sections, punching pink haired hookers in the dick so women's groups don't get upset, etc.

155 - Warriors of Fate - Switch - Completed single co-op playthrough - 70/100
This was a pretty fun playing but ultimately forgettable game. You're the good guys, you're fighting bad man and his horde of baddies trying to save the kingdom of not China (in Japan, the game uses the Three Kingdoms and everything is a bit more complicated story-wise) Gameplay is fast, you get to ride horses for a couple seconds before immediately getting knocked off causing your horse to run to it's death. The characters have basically no character in the English release as they are simply generic good guys. Not a complete waste of time.

156 - High on Life - PC - Completed playthrough - 80/100
This was a huge surprise that came out of nowhere. I remembered seeing the trailer and thinking it looked neat. What it is is a really good playing FPS adventure that made me laugh a lot. I enjoyed looking for secrets, I enjoyed all the boss fights and despite cramming the entire game into a few pretty long sessions I never got bored of the game. It looks pretty decent and runs flawlessly on PC. Id read the game is full of bugs but all I encountered was a boss that got below the floor, solved by resetting the checkpoint. I typically despise constant talking in games but in this case it was welcome. No preachy shit, no telling me how to do things, just stupid comedy all the time. The humor in this game is made specifically for me, meaning it's retarded. I thought I heard Joel Haver several times during the game and sure enough he was in the credits. Fun game, play it.

157 - Armored Warriors - Switch - Completed single co-op playthrough - 85/100
My biggest hobby is building stupid plastic robots. I love robots. This game is a side-scrolling brawler starring giant robots. The robots have awesome designs and you get to upgrade them by picking up the parts from defeated mechs. tank treads that grow spikes when you roll into enemies, spider legs that work like helicopter blades when you jump, giant claws you can use to grab enemies and slam them about, it's endless and they can all be combined in different ways. I have to touch on the pixel art here too. It's really good. I mentioned the laser sword before, using it to finish off enemies leaves them bisected, every enemy in the game has an animation for it being cut in half and you can see everything including the pilot inside cut in half. It's so awesome I creamed my pants every time. The game plays super fast and despite the insane number of characters on screen, the massive size of the characters and the sheer amount of pants-creaming happening everything was easy to follow. The music was even awesome. I wish modern Mecha games were this awesome and not mostly cash-grabby trash.

158 - Battle Circuit - Switch - Completed single co-op playthrough - 75/100
This game was super weird. You're this group of bounty hunters that are trying to hunt down a disc with a system that can control all computers. Through the game you fight all sorts of freak shows and oddball characters through equally strange settings culminating in a showdown with the program you're trying to obtain. I'll be honest I've played so many fucking beat 'em ups over the last couple weeks they're all starting to flow into one massive pool in my fried brain but I do remember I played as a cat girl who did flamenco dances that made enemies stop and dance for a second. That was pretty neat.

159 - Three Dirty Dwarves - Saturn - Played it way more than it deserved. I wouldn't even have listed it but I feel my pain warrants it being on my list this year - 15/100
I read favorable reviews for this game. I'm just going to be honest here, anyone that even remotely likes this game is a moron and should consider removing their ability to procreate. The controls are shit, the visuals are not great to the point I forgot this was a Saturn game, the music is garbage and the gameplay is among the shittiest I've ever played in memory. You play as some of the most poorly drawn Canadian film board quality weekday morning cartoon characters that are supposed to be dwarves or some shit. Hit detection is not great for you or enemy characters, touching anything on the screen makes you dizzy and requires the other players to smack you before you can move again. If all three characters are dizzy you're dead so you spend more time fucking around trying to save save other players than hitting enemies. The last boss is both simple as a stump but at the same time impossibly hard as his attack hitboxes appear random, he spams unblockable attacks from across the screen and he takes up most of the screen. I hated this pile of shit. I would rather punch myself in the dick for an hour than play this for another minute. If you liked it, you should consider doing the same.

160 - Dodonpachi - Saturn - Completed single co-op playthrough - 60/100
This is a top down shooter. I can't read Japanese but I'm assuming aliens are invading and I have to fight back. This is really short and being a faithful arcade port the vertical screen is so narrow about half the screen is black bars. It makes the game worse off than it would have been if they'd opened up the view a little. The screen will pan left and right at any time so there was no reason not to. This game is a reverse bullet hell where your plane's weapon filled the entirety of the screen and the enemies typically die before they even get on-screen. It's still a shooter so it's still a tough game. I would actually have rated the game a bit higher but the last boss is an absolute sponge and took forever to kill which was an annoying end to a rather uneventful game.

 

[Jack Videogames]

55. A Plague Tale: Requiem

20:59h. Hard difficulty.

I seem to recall that when I finished the first A Plague Tale, I expressed a desire that "it never received a sequel, because the story was perfectly contained as is". Now it has, and most of my fears have been confirmed.

APT Requiem is a real good game. Really, really good. Visually stunning (would be one of my favorites for "looker of the year" if it had some more bells and whistles, like raytracing) with an elaborate, intriguing plot, memorable characters, and appropriate controls that, while not perfect, seem to be less finicky than its predecessor's. It suffers a bit of the "Uncharted syndrome" where the order of the set pieces becomes quickly evident and it's easy to predict what's going to happen (Usually, Walking sequence ➜ Stealth sequence ➜ Rat avoiding sequence/Puzzle ➜ Rat avalanche escape/Boss, but there are variations) but this is pretty unavoidable in most Sony-style cinematic games.

My main gripe with APTR is the bleakness of it all. The first APT was a dark game, but there was a veneer of "light" on it, the main characters never lost sight of their personalities, and it ended on a high, hopeful note. APTR, however, sees the allegorical death (and in two cases, literal death) of the main characters we knew and loved. Amicia becomes a raspy-voiced wishy-washy psychopath in the style of Lara Croft in Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Hugo loses most of its childish innocence and becomes angry, nihilistic and sullen. Little by little, you stop cheering for the main characters and start wondering if it wouldn't be better to simply put Amicia's little walking apocalypse of a brother out of his misery, instead of destroying Europe city by city. This (mostly) never happened in A Plague Tale: Innocence because you wanted the main characters to be happy. Here you mostly want it to end. And when it ends, it does so in a majorly depressing note, with Amicia having indirectly killed thousands of people for nothing.

A Plague Tale: Requiem is the The Last of Us 2 to A Plague Tale: Innocence's The Last of Us. This is not a compliment. This is not a compliment at all.

It's funny how I can give Pokémon Violet 4 stars and gush over it, and then give Plague Tale the same score while being visibly angry at the game. This is mostly because I can recognize APT2 is a great game and it's just dissapointed me personally, while I admit Pokémon Violet has major technical issues but I found it pleasant and fun. And really, I do not mind depressing games. But I do want to have someone to cheer for when I play a game.

My Score: ★★★★☆

Original post

 

[TuFaN]

7. The Last of Us Remastered (PS4) | 02. April - 18 hours | 5/5
Finished on Hard difficulty and also beat the DLC Left Behind. This was a title I was longing to play for years, my PS5 purchase made it finally possible. I've got no idea how to describe what I felt while playing the game, I am basically speechless. The gameplay is very polished and alot of fun, playing it on Hard Difficulty was the perfect sweet spot for me personally, the encounters I was facing were challenging but not overwhelmingly challenging.

8. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4) | 04. April - 14 hours | 5/5
Finished on Hard difficulty. I can't tell if Uncharted 2 or this one are my favorite Uncharted game. The story, platforming, puzzles, gunplay are excellent <3 naughty dog. This was also the first 120 fps game I played on PS5 yet, it was really smooth and fun.

9. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (PS4) | 06. April - 8 hours | 5/5
Finished on Hard difficulty. An Uncharted game without Nathan Drake and Viktor Sullivan can't be fun is actually the mindset that I had going into this game. I actually liked Chloe and Nadine as the main characters alot and I would like to play another game with them. Gameplay and graphics wise it felt like a Uncharted 4 clone but thats not bad, because we get to witness a whole new story with this game. I liked it alot and I would go as far as saying that this game is even better than Uncharted 3.

10. Ratchet & Clank (PS4) | 07. April - 20 hours | 5/5
Finished first on casual difficulty and afterwards on hard, in challenger mode (New Game Plus). Going for Platinum trophy, at 95% right now. I initially thought ''what a miserable game'' and that I was wrong trusting metacritics high score. I started this game multiple times in the past months. I finished the Uncharted series, The Last of Us and Bloodborne inbetween. Everytime I said ''ok I just finished a pretty long game, lets go for a snack and play Ratchet and Clank, I unfortunately ended up quitting after 5-10 minutes of gametime. I recently forced myself to finish the game, no matter how bad it is AND OH BOOOOOOOOOY was I wrong... I've never played a Ratchet and Clank game before, so I had absolutely no idea that you get new abilities, unlock tons of interesting weapons, can upgrade your weapons in a meaningful way, encounter interesting enemies and even bosses. Ok the story is kinda wack but the level of humor it brings on the table is very enjoyable.

Oh no I'm so sad that I didn't hit 52 games this year, but this has still been a semi successful year for me. In the two years prior to this one I might have played 10 different games combines, in 2020 and 2021. This year I managed to finish a total of 35 games, I hope I can hit the 52 in 2023. I really hope that I wont just be playing the major releases like Resident Evil 4 Remake, Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, Diablo 4, FF16 and FF7 Rebirth + the online games I usually play 24/7 and which prevent me from working on my pile of shame, Path of Exile, Apex Legends and FF14 Endwalker.

My last post was in april, and the last game I mentioned was Ratchet & Clank (PS4). Here are 25 more, 10. - 35. on my list (and I don't think that there will be a 36. before this year concludes in 3 days, working on FF7 Remake right now).

• 11. Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition (PS4) | 18. April - 56 hours | 8/10 Got the Platinum trophy for the main game and also 100% Achievements for The Frozen Wilds (DLC). Finished the main game and the DLC on Easy difficulty. It unfortunately doesn't reinvent the open world formula, it follows an already established path by giving us a world filled with bloated elements. There are a few things I disliked about the game, that is why it barely made it to a very weak 5/5 rating, a strong 4/5 would have been justified aswell. Metacritic gave it 89% and a user score of 8.4 for me personally it's just 80%. The things I disliked were major popin problems,even though it was the complete edition of a game released back in 2017 and also played on a PS5, we still had this problem. Another technical issue is that the lighting can be georgeous at times, blowing our minds away and leaving us speechless, BUT it also can produce unnecessarily dark scenery in a weird way which hurts your eyes, it made me question if my 4k Oled LG TV was broken. Sidequests and Errands were very boring, they were so boring that I had to skip the dialogue in almost all of them, felt very uninspired and generic. The implementation of the different diffuculty sliders feels bad aswell, I decided to gowith Easy, because raising the difficulty changed only how much damage you are able to output and how much health your enemies have, it doesn't change NPC prices, droprates, frequency of enemies, different enemy behaviour, it feels they've decided to have different difficulties just for the sake of being able to say that their game has different difficulties. I think the game could have been much smoother if it offered us a linear progression instead of the halfheartedly created open world. Tiny details can feel awkward and wrong aswell, riding a mount or swimming for example are so clunky... Knowing that I'm about to jump into water or that I have to travel a long distance always immediately killed the fun for me because I knew I had to swim or ride a mount. According to all this negativity one might wonder why I haven't given the game a 1/5, the answer is simple and straight forward the story is incredible, I enjoyed it alot, finding out what the title Horizon ''Zero Dawn'' stands for (which I'm not going to spoil here) was an amazing climax and it competes with the best climaxes in Hollywood movies. Yes, the story (of the main quest only) was superb but it isnot the only aspect which made me almost forget about all the flaws and give the game a 5/5 (80%). The variety, move sets, attacks of the enemies, especiallythe machines were very good. The weapons we had in our repertoire were fun to use, I changed my weapons fequently just to experience all of them to the fullest.The ambient sounds and music were good aswell, they made the traveling in the open world almost bareable. Concluding my thoughts I got to say, am I disappointed for picking the game? No absolutely not. Am I looking forward to play Forbidden West after this? Yes, at some point, but I wont go for achievements, or a plat trophy this time, I'll most likely only play the main story. The game is very far away from being a masterpiece as some put it to be, it is also not a must play PS4 title but a solid game which you can pick up if you are done playing more relevant games and got the time to play it. My Advise would beto only play the main story quest and skip side activities.
• 12. The Last of Us Part II (PS4) | 29. June - 27 hours | 9/10 Finished on Hard difficulty, wish I had selected a harder difficulty, because I never ran out of ammo and overall it felt too easy at times. Its a masterpiece without a doubt, not as good as the first one, but almost at the same level. I adored how they were playing with time while telling the story, I was not annoyed once and it made sense everytime we jumped a few years back in the story or even (little spoiler) jumped into other characters to see their point of view and what they were going through. I am glad to have played both games. I'm looking forward to play the upcoming two TloU games which Naughty Dog is already working on.
• 13. Music Racer (Steam/PC) | 02. July - 5 hours | 7/10 I've decided to purchase alot of indie games during this years steam summer sale, and Music Racer was one of the first that caught my eye. This is an arcade music game, it is very easy to get into, just pick a song and a car of your liking and you're good to go. I like the amount of replayability it offers, you've got to collect points in order to purchase new racecourses and vehicles. The only thing I didn't like was that YouTube isn't working at all, it gives you an infinite loading screen and thats it. People with epilepsy shouldn't touch the game, it has WAY too many flashy lights going on.
• 14. Oik 3 (Steam/PC) | 02. July - 3 hours | 7/10 Managed to get 100% Achievements. I love puzzle games but this one had something special to it, I couldn't let go of it as soon as I picked it up. Finished the game in one sitting, it is a very short game unfortunately but I purchased Oik 1/2/4/5 right after I finished this one. Won't mention the otheriterations of this game here since they are very similar and short aswell.
• 15. Art Of Gravity (Steam/PC) | 02. July - 3 hours | 7/10 This game was very relaxing on my eyes after the nonstop flashy effects of Music Racer. It has 75 wonderfully designed puzzles, none of them require you to go above and beyond aka you won't be stuck on any of them for any longer than 5 minutes. It is very short game and therefore a nice videogame-snack for inbetween.
• 16. ConflictCraft (Steam/PC) | 03. July - 3 hours | 5/10 Short strategy game. Price/performance is amazing. But I am most likely never going to touch it again, my rating would have been lower if the game was more expensive.
• 17. Tomb Raider II (Steam/PC) | 06. August - 32 hours | 8/10 First of all, I have to mention that getting the game to work on my PC was a pain in the ass, wish Steam could come up with a patch to smoothen the experience. It took me some time to get used to the game's archaic controls. I played through the story multiple times on my PS1 back in 1997/1998, 25 years ago butever since those times I haven't had the chance/patience to finish the Steam version. I love this game and I'm looking forward to finish TR 1, 3 and 4 this year. I also have to point out that it is refreshing to play a game without an experience/lvling system, without crafting, gathering and achivements.
• 18. Tomb Raider (Steam/PC) | 09. August - 14 hours | 8/10 I had Tomb Raider 2 & 4 on my PS1 but not 1 & 3. Tomb Raider 1 is definitely the best one I've played so far. I can't believe that this game wasn't rated M for mature aka an age restriction of +18. The last few areas have got some seriously creepy enemies with bizarre sounds and voices. I don't know if my youngerself would have been able to finish this back in 1996.
• 19. The Big Journey (Steam/PC) | 15. August - 4 hours | 6.5/10 The Big Journey is a short but fun game. The tilting mechanic to move around is refreshing and also implemented in a good way, you have to play the game for a while to get a feel for it. The color scheme of the entire game is full of vibrant, eye catching colors and it is really beautiful to look at, it amplifies the relaxing and cozy feeling you get while playing the game.
• 20. Blast-off (Steam/PC) | 15. August - 3 hours | 7/10 First of all you got to know, this game is definitely on the hardcore side of things and pretty difficult to play. I have not reached the max level yet and therefore have not had the chance to witness every single skill the game offers, but I don't have to do that in order to tell you that this is a pretty good runner/catapult/arcade game. You get your money's worth and it also respects your time, you can hop in and our whenever you want. It is also a great game to play while you're in queue for another game.
• 21. Brothers a tale of two sons (Steam/PC) | 15. August - 3.5 hours | 8.5/10 What a roller coaster of emotions it was. I actually cried towards the very end of the game. I want to keep this review short, so I won't accidentally spoil anything of the 3-4 hours of game-time we're getting.The gameplay has a unique co-op touch, but other than that, it is simple and straight forward. Different chapters introduce the player into beautifully designed and easily distinguishable locations from previous chapters. The story is on an astonishingly great level, this element single-handedly elevates the game from a tolerable adventure into a beast of a game.I'm glad to have finally found the time to play the game, 9 years after its release. What a banger! Thank you, Starbreeze Studios.
• 22. Inside (Steam/PC) | 16. August - 4 hours | 9/10 Inside is a masterpiece by all standards. This 2.5D puzzle platformer with a breathtaking atmosphere entertained me throughout the entirety of my 4 hour playthrough. The gameplay and controls were polished and felt very smooth. The numerous puzzles you're encountering are difficulty wise on a medium level, you don't need any guides as a beginner and you won't get bored as an expert. I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to play this masterpiece. It was an adventure which I won't forget easily.
• 23. klocki (Steam/PC) | 28. September - 2 hour |
• 24. Diamo XL (Steam/PC) | 29. September - 3 hours |
• 25. Ding Dong XL (Steam/PC) | 29. September - 2 hour |
• 26. orbtxl (Steam/PC) | 29. September - 2 hours |
• 27. Super Bit Blaster XL (Steam/PC) | 29. September - 2 hours |
• 28. Cuphead (Steam/PC) | 03. October - 15 hours |
• 29. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice | 04. October - 7 hours |
• 30. Distraint: Deluxe Edition (Steam/PC) | 05. October - 3 hours |
• 31. Kingdom Rush Frontiers (Steam/PC) | 09. October - 18 hours |
• 32. Kingdom Rush Origins (Steam/PC) | 12. October - 32 hours |
• 33. Suzy Cube (Steam/PC) | 13. October - 5 hours |
• 34. The Room (Steam/PC) | 09. November - 4 hours |
• 35. Bastion (Steam/PC) | 17. November - 32 hours | Started playing in 2016, played for few hours and quit just to pick it up again after 6.5 years and enjoy it to the fullest.

As I mentioned at the start, I hope I can hit 52 in 2023 ^^
I you all of you had fun during this years challenge, congrats to everybody who managed to hit 52 and good job for everyone else for trying. At the end of the day, 52 or no 52 the most important thing is that you had a great time and that you enjoyed yourself.
Wish you guys an amazing 2023, may you be healthy, happy and find the time to play some video games <3

 

[Wozzer]

Another handful of additions to the hall of fame for successfully beating the challenge this year;



Hopefully not the last update, as I myself have two games to fit in to qualify and I see jshackles is on the verge too

 

[BusierDonkey]

Hey Wozzer , do we do rollover points here? I should be good for the three years if so

 

[Bragr]

DONE. Jesus. I just made it, and frankly, it was sort of a pain in the ass. I had to rush through some small games to finish it. I went the purist route, meaning, all games had to be started and completed in 2022.

My top 10 games that I enjoyed the most:

1. Yakuza: Like a Dragon
The story really got me, I love Ichiban and the crew and I like the combat. It convinced me I got to play through the series. Like Mass Effect, the cast and the charm of it all made it something I will remember for a long time, even if I hate all the constant encounters when you walk around.

2. The Last Guardian
There is a somber nostalgic vibe that flows through this one, it is a mesmerizing game even with the clunky movement.

3. Banjo-Kazooie
I have so much nostalgia for this one that it never ages for me, even if I played through it 5-6 times over the years. It reminds me of my childhood.

4. Doom
It's the distilled essence of FPS games.

5. Elden Ring
Epic, engrossing and massive, the only reason why it's a little down the list is that I played through some other From Software games right before, and they play very similarly.

6. Call of Duty 2
The best level design I have ever seen in a shooter, it refines the original in great ways. I love the accurate and fast-paced nature of it. Just pure adrenalin.

7. God of War Ragnarok
I thought the story was all over the place, but it plays very well and it's so huge and well-produced that it's really something to take in.

8. Deathloop
I thought this was a masterclass in progression, it gives you the right tidbits to understand what to do and pushes you along without getting you bogged down in its time travel plot.

9. Neon White
So addictive, I love the small levels and how satisfying it is to perfect your times. Fantastic level and difficulty design.

10. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
Exceeded my expectations, and the voice work and setting are great, even if the combat has some issues.

Warning! Never play Lost The Video Game, fucking hell.

My full list of games:

 

[Wozzer]

Hey Wozzer , do we do rollover points here? I should be good for the three years if so

Absolutely not

Another two to the Hall of Fame for the final additions in 2022 (remember to DM me a link to your posts, any that come after this I'll update in the new year)!



Glad to have made the challenge just in time



I'll be posting the new thread for 2023 tomorrow, sometime in the morning PST timezone. I'll give a warning when the post is about to drop in the Discord, for those eager to get their main posts on the first page <3

 

[BusierDonkey]

Absolutely not

Shit.

Still not a bad year,

174 Games Played in total not counting a few dozen games I only played for a few minutes before dropping them. Mostly older games that I tried on a whim.
165 Games Completed all the way through and probably the most 100% completions in a year for me.
4 Games are still a WIP
Only 6 games were Incomplete or abandoned which is a small percentage of the games I played. I even stuck with some pretty trash games.
Just over 2,600 hours this year which is pretty high considering the sheer number of short games I played. My most-played game was Forza Horizon 5 at 375 hours. I still play it a couple times a week for a few hours each time and the Hot Wheels expansion ate up almost 40 hours when it launched. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was also pretty long, I'm not 100% done with it as the expansions will be out in time and I'll return to the game. I also tried to get all the Final Fantasy series up to FFX done this year. I finished all but VIII and IX and but got a fair chunk of VIII complete.

Next year will hopefully see Tears of the Kingdom, Starfield and Forza Motorsport. I have over 300 hours in Breath of the WIld, I can dump a thousand+ hours into a Bethesda RPG and the Motorsport games are all north of 500 hours into the multiple thousands of hours for me so next year's list might be a bit less populated.

161-170

161 - Batsugun - Saturn - Finished co-op playthrough - 65/100
Now you'll have to forgive me going forward. My brother and I played so many Saturn games in rapid succession the last month they're all blending together in my memory. This one was pretty standard fare and honestly pretty forgettable, pretty short and as all top-down shooters are, pretty hard. Lose a life and restart with a pea shooter kind of stuff. Weapons are pretty cool with a multitude of different weapon effects. Overall, it was just okay.

162 - Sengoku Blade - Saturn - Finished co-op playthrough - 70/100
This one had some pretty good character design, by that I mean you can play as a chick with massive boobs who always has most of them out. I can't speak or read Japanese, but it seems like I'm missing out by not being able to get the story in the cutscenes considering how often Tits McGee seems to be getting angry at the pervy looking character. This is a side-scrolling shooter where you are various magical characters just flying around shooting shit like kunai, cards and fans. It plays really well, and they really stuck hard to the style they were going for which made it a more memorable game than many shooters.

163 - Cotton 2 - Saturn - Finished multiple co-op playthrough - 75/100
This was a charming side scrolling shooter starring some cute little witches accompanied by their fairies, one of whom has legs that go all the way up. Unfortunately, this game kept freezing about 3/4 of the way through so we couldn't finish it but the upgrade system using crystals was a neat mechanic. The level and enemy design was very Japanese and interesting to play through. Once again, I missed something not being able to understand the story to the adventure. You think with almost everything I enjoy as a hobby being Japanese, I would have made an effort at this point to learn the language.

164 - Cotton Boomerang - Saturn - Finished co-op playthrough - 65/100
This isn't as good as Cotton 2. The visuals are a bit muddier, the music isn't as good, and the character swap mechanic makes the game a bit too overcomplicated for what it is. Lots of reused pixel art as well. It's not a bad game but I felt it a step down from Cotton 2.

165 - Battle Garegga - Saturn - Finished co-op playthrough - 65/100
"I want to pick the green plane! It looks cool!" I said, excited that it had two massive gatlings on the wings. It wasn't cool. While the plane my brother chose had angles shots, seeker missiles and all kinds of awesome options my plane shot stupid bullets. Speaking of stupid bullets, this game shows enemy shots as bullets, not glowing dots, so it's almost impossible to see them until your plane is a pile of scrap. There is apparently an option to change the enemy shots but since the menu is in Japanese and I don't read Japanese I didn't. Worst game ever (actually it was decent).

166 - Hyperduel - Saturn - Finished co-op playthrough - 75/100
This game is probably not as good as my monkey brain told me it was. See the thing is it's a pretty generic shooter, but the story is a direct rip-off of Mobile Suit Gundam which is my favorite thing. You start off in space in armored mobile suits, fight enemies in space and around a massive colony as enemies try to gas it, then you go into the colony and fight as entire cities can be seen lining the outer walls of the cylinder. Then you enter the Earth's atmosphere fighting other mobile suit using ballute systems for re-entry. as you clear the clouds you see the giant colony you just flew through enter the atmosphere and crash into a city resulting in a giant explosion which destroys the entire area. It was awesome.

167 - Soukyuu Gurentai - Saturn - Finished co-op playthrough - 65/100
Do you like lasers? Do you like hundreds of lazers at the same time? This game is just lasers everywhere, lazers for days. However, you choose to spell laser, this game has you covered.

168 - Kingdom-Grandprix - Saturn - Finished co-op playthrough - 65/100
Okay this game has a really cool concept. It's a top-down shooter but at the same time it's a racing game. You try to stay as high up on the screen to keep your speed up which makes things more dangerous. If you play it safe though you lose speed and the other racers in the game pass you. Truly fantastic concept. Unfortunately, the game seems to have issues with multiple players and the speed seems to drop randomly so we kept losing speed regardless of what we did. I'd love to see this idea revisited.

169 - Shienryu - Saturn - Finished co-op playthrough - 65/100
So this is another fairly forgettable top-down shooter that really doesn't try anything new, but it does play well, and it does feature some pretty nice art throughout. Again, it's not bad by any stretch, just a bit too familiar.

170 - Steam Heart's - Saturn - Finished co-op playthrough - 65/100
This is apparently a censored eroge shooter. It's a top-down shooter where you fight a female pilot in a mecha, then when you defeat her your hermaphrodite sister pins the pilot down while you jizz in her (which makes a vacuum sound) to "cure them of a deadly virus" that they didn't know they had. Once you pork all the mecha pilots in the area you basically leave them naked where they are with no food or water. One of them is just left on an island in the middle of the ocean. She's definitely going to die and probably has a real VD thanks to the player characters and his twisted sister. The dialogue in this game is easily ten times longer than the gameplay, it seems the women need a lot of convincing before your sister just grabs them and pins them down while you "save them from a deadly virus by ejaculating in them". Also, why the fuck is there an apostrophe in the title?

171-174

171 - Game Tengoku The Game Paradise - Saturn - Finished co-op playthrough - 65/100
This game was interesting, you're a bunch of employees and the owner of an arcade in Japan. The game is a top-down shooter that takes place entirely in the arcade. You fight various arcade machines and a pinball machine, the game takes on the form of various other games, and overall, it's pretty fun. It's really short though which was unfortunate as I was having a good time with it.

172 - Guardian Force - Saturn - Finished co-op playthrough - 70/100
This is a top-down shooter but instead of using jets or flying machines you use tanks. You can operate the turret independent of the main body and the stage changes direction fairly often. The visuals aren't anything special nor is the music but having to be careful of the terrain means you need to keep track of where you're heading since you can get stuck. Overall, it was pretty fun.

173 - Gunbird - Saturn - Finished multiple co-op playthroughs - 70/100
This one was pretty fun. You play as various characters out to save the world in another retelling of Journey to the West (Dragon Ball, Enslaved, etc.). You work your way through stages trying to collect the Dragon Balls pieces of a magic mirror to make a wish. You get different endings based on the characters you choose. In one particularly fun ending after choosing a pervert and the loli, the loli wishes she was a full-grown woman which comes true. Immediately the pervert that was hounding her through the entire game loses interest and takes a hike. The game is interesting as story elements are happning in the stage below you while the action is moving along which adds even more distraction to the game. It really is a lot of fun trying not to miss anything while at the same time dodging a thousand bullets.

174 - Herc's Adventures - Playstation (I just noticed the square has the Saturn block in it, crap) - Finished co-op playthrough - 15/100
This was the same developer that made Zombies Ate My Neighbors, so I had high hopes for it. After about 10 hours of some of the most frustrating gameplay I've ever experienced we finished the game. A couple times we were ready to call it and drop the game, but we prevailed. First off, the control in this game is sloppy as fuck, which was the case in their past games. The difference in this game is that a misstep can erase an hour of progress. It seems the devs thought putting mud that slows your movement down with no way to overcome the hinderance was a good idea, putting unlimited biting fish in the water that you can't permanently kill was a good idea, and making the entire world a maze with no actual map system in place to get your bearings was a good idea. None of these were good ideas, in fact they were bad ideas, and the game was a pain in the ass as a result. Most enemies are complete sponges, you need to constantly backtrack to areas to progress ahead, Atlanta's attack is almost useless, but Herc's stamina depletes so fast he can't use half his abilities most of the time. Frustrating is the best word I can come up with for this game. While experiencing the frustration of the sloppy and annoying gameplay, delight your ears with a slew of overly bombastic and loud tracks from a soundtrack that isn't terrible, but does not fit the game in any way and results in a headache after a couple hours of non-stop blaring. The sound effects are also an unwelcome mess, harsh, shrill, low quality voice lines litter the game. Often your character becomes unresponsive so that the game can deliver a "funny" line. What an absolute piece of shit. Perfect way to close out 2022!

 

[stonedwal]

In again.

I ended up playing two parts of stuff all as work turned into a dumpster fire. Didn't finish a single game after May, and except for a spike in July, I played virtually nothing until the holiday break.

Finished:
1. Golden Axe (Mega Drive)
2. Skitchin' (Mega Drive)
3. Alien Storm (Arcade)
4. Death Stranding Directors Cut (PS5)
5. Mortal Kombat (Mega Drive)
6. The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors (Switch)

Played a lot of:
7. Vampire Survivors (PC)

Will try and turn it around this year as work should calm down.

 

[ironmang]

1 Nier Replicant
2 Bully
3 Horizon Frozen Wilds
4 Batman Arkham City
5 Final Fantasy X
6 Super Mario Odyssey
7 Pokemon Legends Arceus
8 Zelda Link's Awakening
9 Until Dawn
10 Elden Ring
11 The King of Fighters XV
12 Zelda Skyward Sword
13 Kirby and the Forgotten Land
14 Injustice: Gods Among Us
15 Super Mario Land
16 Kirby's Dream Land
17 Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
18 Kirby's Dream Land 2
19 Astral Chain
20 Metroid Dread
21 Unpacking
22 Guacamelee 2
23 Sunset Overdrive
24 Tinykin
25 Ori 2
26 Forza Horizon 5

Most I've played in quite a while.

 

[Pantz]

I failed miserably.
Original Post

Here are the 20 games I completed, rearranged from favorite playthrough (top left) to least favorite (bottom right), not necessarily a measure of quality.

My attention started shifting to other things back in May. At the same time, I was feeling a gaming hiatus coming on. Too many woke games, broken games, lack of E3, and Keighley's boring shows. Same feelings I got before my last gaming hiatus around the time of the Kinect.
But, I'll be back at some point and it'll be great because everything I miss will be dirt cheap.

 

[Bastion]

Game 1-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2(2011)-PC via GPD Win Max-Beaten on January 1
-Starting out the year playing the sequel to the last game I beat in 2021. This game was quite a bit better than the first game but still very average. I am looking to play more older Potter games this year and hopefully will be playing the new Harry Potter game later this year as well. 6/10

Game 2-There Will Be No Turkey This Christmas(2021)-PC via GPD Win Max-Beaten on January 2
-This was a super cheap Christmas themed puzzle game where you have to find keys that will open doors and eventually escape. It is a stealth based game as you have to avoid being caught by people. It was a fun time. 7/10

Game 3-007 Legends(2012)-Xbox 360-Beaten on January 2
-I have been in the mood for games from the PS3/360/Wii generation lately and this one was a lot of fun. After bearing 007 Bloodstone a couple of days ago, I felt like more 007 action and this one fit the bill . A great time! 7/10

Game 4-The Juggler’s Tale(2021)-PC via GPad Win Max-Beaten on January 6
-I enjoyed my time with this charming and short side scrolling puzzle game. It‘s puzzles weee pretty simple to figure out and was a touching story. 7/10

Game 5-Goldeneye 007(2010)-Wii-Beaten on January 8
This is the third Bond game I have beaten I the last ten days or so(Bloodstone and Legends being the other two), and this was my favorite one. Such a good Bond experience. 9/10

Game 6-Higurashi When They Cry Hou Episode 8 Matsurbayashi(2020)-PC via GPD Win Max-Beaten on January 9
-What a finale this was! Great episode! It took me since last March to finish all eight episodes and what a ride this series was. Of course, I do think it could have been much shorter and better for it but I truly do feel like I know the characters very well after all this time. At some point I will read the console arcs but it’s time for something different. 10/10

Game 7-Infamous(2009)-PS3-Beaten on January 14
-Continuing my focus on PS/360 generations games and I continue to really enjoy them. This game p, while not nearly as polished as today’s game was just a fun game where I build up my posters throughout the game so that by the end, I am a badass. 7/10

Game 8-Ninja Gaiden 3 Razor’s Edge from Master Collection(2021)-PC via GPD Win Max-Beaten on January 15
-I really enjoyed my time with this game. This game actually came out during the PS3/360 generation so again, I am focusing on playing games from that time. Really good game! 8/10

Game 9-Infamous 2(2011)-PS3-Beaten on January 19
-This game was a vast improvement from the first game except for the change in Cole. Not a fan of the new voice. Not a big deal overall. Had a blast with this game and look forward to Festival of Blood. 9/10

Game 10-Infamous Festival of Blood(2012)-PS3-Beaten on January 21
-So I have now beaten the entire Infamous series and they are a lot of fun. ImcN say that the PS4 games take the series to another level and I really hope this series gets a new game in the future. I don’ t know if this game was needed but for what is basically DLC it was a lot of fun for three hours or so. 7/10

Game 11-Dying Light(2015)-PC via GPD Win Max-Beaten on January 24
Wow! I was so impressed by this game and can’t wait for the sequel in a couple of weeks. It’s hard to believe this game came out almost exactly seven years ago. It holds up so well and it‘s a ton of fun! 10/10

Game 12-Dying Light The Following(2016)-PC via GPD Win-Beaten on January 27
-I really liked this DLC at first, it was quite different for the main game. It was out inn he country instead of the city and i had a vehicle to drive around. It was a lot of fun for the first couple of hours but then the back and forth across the land got a bit boring. I hope the sequel has fast travel as an option. Still fun and still looking forward to the sequel next week! 7/10

Game 13-Cyberpunk 2077(2020)-PS4-Beaten on February 3
-I know this game get a lot of hate but I loved it. The atmosphere and story were great and having Keanu Reeves as my partner was just awesome. Loved it! I would love a sequel. 9/10

Game 14-Dying Light 2(2022)-PS5-Beaten on February 15
-I recently beat the first game and loved it and the sequel was also a ton of fun. There were some frustrating platforming parts but I pushed through them eventually, I think I like the first one more overall, even though this game had a lot more polish. 9/10

Game 15-Persona 5 Strikers(2021)-PC via GPD Win Max-Beaten on March 2
-What a great sequel! I liked the action combat better that the turn based of the Persona 5. Such a great move and it felt like Persona 5 in ever way outside of combat. 10/10

Game 16-Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster(2022)-PC via GPD Win Max-Beaten on March14
-Outside of FF1 and 2, I have now completed every major Final Fantasy game that isn’t online. I really liked this game and can see why it’s considered one of the greatest RPG’s of all time. 9/10

Game 17 Ghostwire Tokyo Prelude(2022)-PC via GPD Win Max-Beaten on March 18
-This was a visual novel to the upcoming main game. It was below average in my opinion and kind of boring. I still look forward to the main game. 4/10

Game 18-Aperture Desk Job(2022)-Steam Deck-Beaten on March 27
-This was my first game finished on the Steam Deck and it was a great little game that demoed all the controls for the Steam Deck. Great humor! Well done Valve! The only downside is that it was very short but it’s a free game that is a tutorial. 10/10

Game 19-Ghostwire Tokyo(2022)-Steam Deck-Beaten on April 9
-I have to say that I was disappointed by this game. While it was ok, it just wasn’t as good as I was expecting it to be. Maybe I should have played it on the PS5. 7/10

Game 20-Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin(2022)-Steam Deck—Beaten on April 14
-Really liked this game outside of it running pretty poorly on the Deck. The fighting in this game was a lot of fun even if the story was a bit nonsense. I will need to play FF 1 sometime In the near future. 8/10

Game 21-Enemy Front(2014)-Steam Deck-Beaten on April 16
I loved this game and it reminds me how much I miss games that have linear levels and are mostly focused on single player. The PS3/360 generation had a ton of these types of games but are dying out now. Any way a very solid WWII FPS. 8/10

Game 22-Red Faction Guerrilla Remarstered(2018)-Steam Deck-Beaten on May 10–This game was a lot of fun jsut destroying building and whatnot. A great time! My huge issue with the game is that I got to the second to last chapter and I can not get the new story mission to pop up for me to start. I spent several hours doing side quests think8 g that it would eventually pop up but it hasn’t. I have given up and consider the game beaten. 7/10

Game 23-Call of Duty Black Ops 2(2012)-Steam Deck-Beaten on May 25
-A lot of people complain about Call of Duty games but I love them, specifically the single player campaigns. I beat this when it came out ten years ago in 2012, and this game holds up very well, especially on the Deck. What a rollercoaster ride!! 10/10

Game 24-13 Sentinels Aegis Rim(2022)-Switch-Beaten on May 28
-Really enjoyed this visual novel/tactics game. Quite a story but one you have to focus on as it doesn’t go in order. Hope for a sequel someday. 9/10

Game 25-Mafia 3 Faster Baby DLC(2017)-PC via Steam Deck-Beaten on June 12
-I really liked this dlc as it was much different t for the main game. Taking down racists is always fun too. (9/10)

Game 26-Mafia 3 Stones Unturned DLC(2017)-PC via Steam Deck-Beaten on June 13
-This was a pretty good dlc. I really liked Donovan as a character so it was fine to have more of him.
(7/10)

Game 27-Mafia 3 Sign of the Times DLC(2017)-PC via Steam Deck-Beaten on June 14
-This was my favorite of the three story dlc’s. It was horror based and it was just so much different that the main game. 10/10

Game 28-Mafia 3(2016)-PC via Steam Deck-Beaten on June 16
-I really thought this was a great game! I loved the time period! I do think the game should have been shorter S a lot of the missions you do pretty me in the same things every time.(8/10)

Game 29-The Quarry(2022)-PS5-Beaten on June 21
-I love these types of games and I wish there were more of them. Not many werewolf games so it was cool to see that, even thought I wish they looked more like werewolves. It was a good horror game and one I could play several times for all the different endings, 8/10

Game 30-Far Cry 5(2018)-PC via Steam Deck-Beaten on July 3
-This was a great game! I understand why some people don’t like Ubisoft games as they all have a very similar formula but I really enjoy them. Now for the add ons. 9/10

Game 31-Far Cry 5 DLC Hours of Darkness(2018)-PC via Steam Deck-Beaten on July 6
-I really liked this Vietnam War dlc! We just don’t see Vietnam war games very often so it was a lot of fun to play. 9/10

Game 32-Mothman 1966(2022)-PC via GPD Win Max-Beaten on July 21
-This was a brief, old school visual novel horror game that had a few puzzles within it as well, it was brief and ok over overall. 6/10

Game 33-As Dusk Fall(2022)-PC via GPD Win Max-Beaten on August 3
-I really liked this adventure games. It’s in the same vane as of the Telltale games and I really miss those types of games. 9/10

Game 34-South of the Circle(2022)-PC via GPD Win Max-Beaten on August 18
-I really liked this adventure game. It had great style and also an interesting story. It only lasted about four hours but it all good. 9/10

Game 35-Stray(2022)-PS5-Beaten on September 3
-I loved this game! Playing as a cat was just something you don’t do much in video games so it was quite novel. It really felt like a true cat. A great game! 9/10

Game 36-Simulacra(2017)-IOS-Beaten on September 11
-I play games very rarely on my phone but this tuoe of game is perfect for it. As September roles around, in-like playing scary games and this one was lent really scary but did have horror themes. I enjoyed it. 8/10

Game 37-Nex Machina(2017)-PC via Steam Deck-Beaten on September 17
-This was such an awesome game on the Deck. Just so much fun and gorgeous as well. I wish it did have a save option so I could stop but playing on easy gave me unlimited continues so I beat it in about an hour or so. Great game! 9/10

Game 38-We are OFK Episode 1Hooks(2022)-PC via GPD Win Max-Beaten on September 18
-First episodes of games like this are a bit slow as all the main characters have to be introduced. This one is no different. The music and graphics are gorgeous. Let’s see what episode 2 brings. 7/10

Game 39-We are OFK Episode 2 Loops(2022)-PC via GPD Win Max-Beaten on September 18
-The second episode was a bit better than the first. It really is a slice of life visual novel. It’s ok so far and I will continue it and see where it goes. 7/10

Game 40-We are OFK Episode 3 Smash(2022)-PC via GPD Win Max-Beaten on September 25
-The third episode in feel like I know the characters better now and it was an emotional episode. 8/10

Game 41-We are OFK Episode 4 Splits(2022)-PC via GPD Win Max,-Beaten on September 29
-This was a boring episode. I just didn’t care about the character. 5/10

Game 42-We are OFK Episode 5 Mix(2022)-Switch-Beaten on October 29
-The finale was ok and it wrapped things up pretty well. Was it good?? It really. The entire series is a bit dull. 5/10

Game 43-Resident Evil 8 DLC Shadows of Rose(2022)-PC via Steam Deck-Beaten on October 30
-Loved this four hour dlc!! It was perfect for Halloween. Watch out for the mannequins-some of the scariest gaming I’ve ever had. 10/10

Game 44-Frog Detective 2 The Case of the Invisible Wizard(2019)PC via Steam Deck-Beaten on November 1
-This was a very brief mystery game that was pretty basic and not very good overall. 6/10

Game 45-Frog Detective 3 Corruption at Cowboy County(2022)-Pc via Steam Deck-Beaten on November 2
-I enjoyed this game a lot more than the last one. It was better in every way. 7/10

Game 46-Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2(2022)-PS5-Beaten on November 5
-I enjoy every Call of Duty campaign just as I enjoy summer blockbuster movies. Just fun and entertaining. 9/10

Game 47-11-11 Memories Untold(2018)-PC via Steam Deck-Beaten on November 7
-With Veteran’s Day a couple of days away, I finally wanted to play and finish this game. The game is a powerful story if a Canadian and German soldier who’s lives eventually intermix. Good story and beautiful graphics as well. 10/10

Game 48-New Tales From the Borderlands Episode 1 Start Up(2022)-PC via Steam Deck-Beaten on November 15
-First episodes in games like this are all about getting to know the main characters which this one does pretty well. I look forward to episode two. 7/10

Game 49-New Tales From the Borderlands Episode 2 Disruptive Product(2022)-PC via Steam Deck-Beaten on Novemher 15
-This was a great episode with lots of action-well for an adventure game that is. Really looking forward to episode 3. 9/10

Game 50- New Tales From the Borderlands Episode 3 Capital Pains(2022)-PC via Steam Deck-Beaten on November 16
-This episode was not as good as last episode but still interesting and I look forward to the next one. 8/10

Game 51-New Tales from the Borderlands Episode 4. False Advertising (2022)-PC via Steam Deck-Beaten on November 16
-Best episode yet. Lots of action as we approach the end of the game: Can’t wait to see what happens in the finale. 9/10

Game 52-New Tales from the Borderlands Episode 5 Divestments(2022)-PC via Steam Deck-Beaten on November 17
-52 games!! This was a decent finale but I thought this episode dragged on a bit too long. 8/10

Game 53-Mirror’s Edge Catalyst(2016)-PC via Steam Deck-Beaten on November 20
-After beating the original Mirror’s Edge a couple of years ago, I finally got around to the sequel and I absolutely loved it! Such a fun game! 9/10

Game 54-Evil West(2022)-PC via Steam Deck-Beaten on December 5
-What a wonderful throwback to the PS360 era of games. A super fun single player game. Loves it!! 9/10

Game 55-The Dark Pictures Anthology The Devil in Me(PS5)-Beaten on December 30
-This was my favorite in the series. I liked the serial killer angle and there were sone good jump scares. A great addition to the series! 8/10

55 games completed this year.
Game of the year that I finished that came out in 2022: Evil West(So much fun!)

Best Overall Game I completed:
Persona 5 Strikers
-I loved Persona 5 and I loved this even more.

Steam Deck-25
PC via GPD Win Max-16
PS5-5
PS3-3
Switch-2
PS4-1
360-1
Wii-1
IOS-1

The Steam Deck took over my gaming life than year and I don’t see that changing next year. My Win Max continues to get a lot of love as well. I didn’t finish a single Xbox One, XBX, 3DS, Vita, or PSP game this year

 

[jshackles]

Finished this year's challenge, completed these games:

This was an amazing year for me - I got to play several really long JRPGs (Xenoblade 3 was my favorite by far!), several indie and smaller games, just a really good variety of really great games. A big shift to PC and retro gaming for me, thanks in no small part to the release of the Steam Deck earlier this year. This is also one of the first years I recall re-playing several games - Inscryption (both GOG and Steam), Monster Train (Xbox and Steam), Vampire Survivors (Steam and Xbox), and Katamari Damacy (Reroll and Retro Achievements).

I'm also really happy that I got to play through a lot of these games in couch co-op with my son. Great stuff like all the TMNT games, The Quarry, Wizard of Legend, Dark Alliance 1 & 2, The Devil in Me, and Mario Kart 8. These games were all great, and I'm lucky that my now-grown son still wants to hang out with ol' dad sometimes.

I'm incredibly happy with the games I played this year - and I'm looking forward to doing this again in 2023!

 

[Wozzer]

Happy new year all! New thread is live: https://www.neogaf.com/threads/52-games-1-year-2023.1649075/

Also updated the first posts of both threads to add a Hall of Famer;