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#	Title	Platform	Rating	Date	Playtime	What kind of completion	First time playing?
39.	Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth	PS5	10	31. March	235 hours	Platinum trophy	Yes

Words can't describe how amazed I am by this title. This game has turned out to be one of my favorite games of all time, slightly below the original FF7. The strong attention to detail is remarkable, every single place, no matter where you go feels unique and not copy pasted from another area. The amazing story telling, jaw-dropping scenery no matter where you go and fantastic way of highlighting characters and their personal stories make up for a repetitive open world formula and technical issues such as slowly loading textures and a poor performance mode with washed out graphics. I dunno if this is caused because the PS5 is not as capable for what they want to create or squares lack of optimizing skills. Nevertheless, these flaws drop the overall rating for me only slightly.

This game is one of those exceptions that make me a believer. A believer that not all upcoming titles are created with one thought and one thought only, that is milking every penny of their customers. I gotta be honest man, I think that the golden era of gaming is long gone. And I am writing this after having such an incredible year with 2023, with masterpieces like Baldur's Gate 3. We are nowhere close to the level of quality of games released in the 90s and 00s. Games released in that time period were profit driven as well. But back then they were at least trying to deliver fully functioning products on day 1 and not releasing the bare minimum with the thought that they can patch the rest later on and sell it as DLC. Gaming companies were at least trying to create great experiences, experiences which players would enjoy so much that they would spread the word to get others to purchase it.

Games like FF7 Rebirth give me hope for the future; games like Elden Ring, Zelda Botw/Totk, Bloodborne, Super Mario Odyssey, Hades, these are exceptions. These games show me that there are still companies and developers out there who care about their products and how these products affect their customers, aka us gamers. Companies who are not solely after profit no matter the outcome, implementing microtransactions in full-price titles and testing their boundaries with how far they can go, shoving grindy and expensive battle passes with unintuitive rewards up our throats just to keep player retention and revenue as high as possible.

It is kinda sad that remakes are upholding the flag of being a great and enjoyable games nowadays. I enjoy my remakes, remakes such as Resident Evil 2 & 4, remakes such as FF7 Remake & Rebirth. And I am begging Square to release a FFX remake right after FF7 Part 3 and FFIX which is currently in development according to rumors.

But at the end of the day, let's face it, these videogames are unfortunately just remakes. Stories which have been told, characters which were already known. Worlds and areas already traversed. We are re-living what we've experienced just with better graphics, new gameplay mechanics and slightly altered stories. These games can never have the same impact as the original titles. Like FF7 coming out of nowhere in 1997 and conquering our little hearts, not relying on a story previously told, everything being created then and there by very talented people with incredible development abilities and unrivaled levels of imagination.

Yet here I am, talking about giving a 10/10 for a remake, viewing it as a masterpiece. Because it is nothing but a masterpiece. From my point of view, it has to hit an even higher ceiling than a new IP if it wants to be a 10/10, it has to be way better to deserve such a rating. And Rebirth has absolutely managed to do that for me. It is, by no stretch of the imagination, a perfect game. It has multiple flaws, some more severe than others, but it delivers so freaking many home runs in so many departments that the only rating it deserves is a 10/10.

 

[Dacvak]

Alien vs Predator (Arcade via FPGA) - 3/31

What can I say? I generally dislike beat ‘em up games, but this one was extremely solid. I reckon a skilled player could beat this game with only a few credits. It took me 8 or 9 quarters, but out of the seven levels, the first five were extremely fair and genuinely fun to play. The gameplay is quite good and polished, with satisfying hitstun and plenty of weapon pickups to keep you interested. At least until the last few levels.

Like many arcade beat ‘em ups, the game becomes absolute bullshit in the final two stages, being designed to siphon as many quarters from your pocket as possible. Up until those last two stages, though, I was genuinely impressed with how versatile and competent the gameplay was. You have your choice of four different characters, which each have varying gameplay strategies. I imagine this game would be a lot more fun with two players, but it was still pretty great by myself.

Still, I’m not at all a fan of the beat ‘em up genre, so the fact that I even quarter-fed my way through this game is a testament to how fun it is. I definitely recommend this game to basically anyone who finds it in the wild, or can boot it up on their emulator of choice. I’m going to be generous and give this game a 7, despite the droning last two levels. Absolutely worth your time, and if you’re a fan of the brawler genre, you’ll definitely get your money’s worth.

Fun game, and only a little bullshit.

 

[Dazraell]

Completed games:

Id​	Title​	Platform​	Month​	Notes​
1​	Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance​	Steam Deck​	January​	Played as Kromlech the Dwarven Fighter​
2​	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare [2019]​	PS5​	January​	Campaign only, played PS4 version on PS5​
3​	God of War: Ragnarok - Valhalla​	PS5​	January​
4​	The Order: 1886​	PS5​	January​	Played PS4 version on PS5​
5​	Quake II Remastered: Ground Zero​	Switch​	January​
6​	Quake II Remastered: Call of the Machine​	Switch​	January​
7​	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire​	PS2​	January​	​
8​	Knight's Path: The Tournament​	Steam Deck​	February​	​
9​	The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion​	Steam Deck​	February​	Played as a Khajiit male and picked Scout as a class​
10​	The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Knights of the Nine​	Steam Deck​	February​	Completed expansion and each of the smaller DLCs​
11​	The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Shivering Isles​	Steam Deck​	February​	Playthrough with choices leaning to Dementia side​
12​	Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time​	Steam Deck​	February​
13​	Deadfall Adventures​	Steam Deck​	March​
14​	Prince of Persia: Warrior Within​	Steam Deck​	March​
15​	Silent Hill: The Short Message​	PS5​	March​
16​	Valiant Hearts: Coming Home​	Switch​	March​
17​	Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II​	Steam Deck​	March​	Played as Vhaidra the Drow Monk​
18​	Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones​	Steam Deck​	March​
19​	Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love​	Steam Deck​	March​
20​	Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands​	Steam Deck​	April​	HD Version​

Twenty games completed so far. Considering it's been only 3 months since the beginning of this year and my completion rate at a similar time last year was much smaller I feel it's a good score

Currently bouncing between GTA: Liberty City Stories and FF VII: Rebirth

 

[Jooxed]

Game 16 - 3/29 - Pocket Card Jockey - Nintendo Switch - Fun Solitaire like game. Really enjoyed this more than i thought I would

Game 17 - 4/2 - Trails to Azure - Great game, probably my favorite trails game so far. Chapter 4 still has me messed up. Looking forward to the 3D era of Trails!

 

[Midn1ght]

15. Trek To Yomi
- Platform: PC / Steam - Score: 6.5/10

Let's get this straight, the visuals in this game are gorgeous, I'm usually not a fan of black & white but this one is a beauty. The combat is where the game felt apart for me. The game does not always register your parry and attack commands which is inexcusable for a Samurai game and will also kick your ass in the hardest difficulty with unavoidable attacks from enemies and really hard bosses. Unfortunately the story was also a let down.

16. God Of War III
- Platform: PS3 - Score: 8.5/10

I only played God of War 2018 before this one so I'm glad I finally got to play this. I understand now why some fans didn't like the direction of the newer games. God of War III is darker, faster and unapologetically violent to the core. It's a 10 hrs bloodbath filled with anger, epic boss fights and beautiful graphics. It's fucking great.

 

[Psychotic_Mantis]

March Update:
Main Post

23. Tiny Lands (Steam Deck) - 8/10
Spot the difference game that is pretty relaxing. It does get very challenging to find every single difference, as some are very small. This was overall a pretty great game to play on the steam deck. Graphics are simple but effective.

24. Vessel (PS3) - 7/10
Have had this on my list to finish for a few years and happy to finally cross it off. Most of the game is about mixing and using different fluid types to get past each puzzle. Going by the trophy stats, not many people played this, let alone finished it. It's a pretty neat puzzle game that does get a tad frustrating late in the game. I did have to look up one solution that confirmed what I was attempting to do but it just wasn't working.

25. Steredenn (PS3) - 8/10
Randomly installed this and randomly played it. It's a shoot-em-up flyer game and it does a pretty good job of keeping things fast paced and bringing you back for another round. After finally getting to the end of the game, I was done with it though. Not my usual type of game but I enjoyed it while I was in it.

26. Silent Hill: The Short Message (PS5) - 6/10
Went in with low expectations but figuring it couldn't be that bad. Overall, just meh. If they are going to include chase scenes like the ones in this game, they need reworked. They were rarely fun and not scary, since you restart every time you lose. I found the game overall frustrating but appreciated them trying some new things.

27. Princess Remedy: In a World of Hurt (Steam Deck) - 8/10
Fun, quick, free, little action RPG where you shoot medicine at a sickness. Storyline is basic but it was an enjoyable time and would love to see a larger game made out of the idea.

28. Lucky's Tale (Meta Quest 3) - 6/10
Figured I would give this a go, even though I wasn't super impressed with the normal version on Xbox a few years ago. It's a pretty basic platform game in VR. Having played Astro Bot a few years ago...this just doesn't cut it. Meta should've added some new levels or boss fights to this game when they remastered it. Overall, it's just very basic.

29. Princess Remedy: In a Heap of Trouble (Steam Deck) - 7/10
Didn't enjoy this one as much as the first, but it was still a fun little adventure that you can knock out in an hour.

30. Cats Hidden in Paris (Steam Deck) - 7/10
Another cat finding game. It does the job as a time waster, with some cute music. It's cheap and it is what it is.

 

[Jooxed]

Game 18 - 4/7 - Balatro - Nintendo Switch - Had a little fun with this but definitely don't like it as many people seem to. Maybe I need to give it some more time but backlog is too big to keep going

Game 19 - 4/9 - Kirby and the Forgotten Land - Nintendo Switch - Never plated a kirby game but I had a blast with this, genuinely made me crack up at certain mouthful abilities and was a lot of fun to play!

 

[Dontkidyourselfjimmy]

1)GTA V PS5 06/01 (7/10)
2)The Calisto protocol 15/01 (6.5/10)
3)Sea of stars series X 21/02 (8/10)
4)2112td android 17/03 (7/10)
5)Kingdom rush origins 23/03 (7/10)

Mrs

1)Witcher 3 Hearts of stone 07/01 (9/10)
2)Dave the diver switch 14/01 (10/10)
3)Sakuna of rice and Ruin PS5 05/04 (9/10)
4)Botany Manor series X 12/04 (8/10)

She loved Sakuna but found the last boss too easy and apparently Botany Manor was decent but short and samey but she would have enjoyed more.

Think even combining our games we've got no hope of hitting the 52. I'm currently playing FF7 remake finally (had it since launch) and it's so nostalgic shaping up well.

 

[marcincz]

Game 7 - The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero (PS4) - 146h 49m
Beat 10/04/2024 - my score: 9/10

Took me a while to beat next title.
Absolutely brilliant game and one of the best jrpg I've ever played. Wall of text, but worth.

 

[Jooxed]

Game 20 - 4/14 - Wonderful 101 - Nintendo Switch - What a WONDERFUL game , hated it at first and then it really really grew on me, turned into one of my favorites and a Platinum game I think is really under rated. I think its a shame we will probably never see Wonder 102, but really enjoyed this one. Reminded me of Team America World Police aesthetic and it was funny. Controls were a little difficult at times, definitely was meant to be a Wii u game.

Game 21 - Ongoing 100 hours in - Rust - Xbox Series X - This is a game I will never recommend to anyone but a game I cant stop playing with my friends. I thought I would include it because its taking up a massive amount of my time in the new year because we have put in about 100 hours together building a community server. I will include a couple extra games because this is an ongoing title. Toxic Game, toxic people, cant stop playing.

 

[Andyliini]

Game 10 - Princess Peach: Showtime - Nintendo Switch
Interesting take on Peach from Good-Feel, although there are many different gameplay styles, the gameplay itself doesn't really chabge that much. All of the stages sre side scrollers, just with a different twist. Most pf the game is super easy (as the game is meant for young children), but then some chsllenges are difficult to to, especially when you have to redo a whole stage if you fail.

Game 11 - Hebereke: Enjoy Edition - Nintendo Switch
I had completely missed City Connection released the original on eShop as well as part 2. Strangely, this is only the Japanese ROM, with english top menu. The game features screenshots from English version, just not the ROM itself. It's weird, but that doesn't take away from the game, which is still one of the best Metroidvanias on NES. Loved it then, loved it again here.

Game 12 - Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade - PlayStation 5
The arrival of Rebirth woke me up, and I realized I still had this game unplayed on my shelf. Better late than never, I guess. There is much to like here, but also so much to dislike. It extremely polarizing, especially for some who's first foray into RPG's was the original Final Fantasy VII. I enjoyed the story for what it was, but felt like the game was super linear, and padded with a lot of unnecessary content. It also took me a long time to understand the battle system. I don't think I'll ever be able to beat hard mode, it seems like a chore to play. This one run was good enough for me.

 

[Jooxed]

Game 22 - Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising - Steam Deck - Meh, didnt really care for this just blasted through the story in case there was anything I needed to know for hundred heroes.. Hoping the main game is better

 

[Glass Prison]

April 2024 Roundup
Total: 18/52

Original Post

15. Super Mario Bros. 3 - 5 Hours - Nintendo Switch - April 1st
This is the second side-scroller Mario game that I’ve played, and it made me realize how early they got the Mario formula figured out.
I always had the impression that the earlier games were a lot different and “crude”, but after playing Mario Wonder in March, I’ve noticed Super Mario Bros. 3 is basically the same game as Mario Wonder, only slightly simpler . They are also thematically different, but the fundamentals and core design are really similar.
The levels are short in this game but I’ve noticed some secrets throughout most of them.
I enjoyed this game a lot, but I didn’t have enough patience to complete it the “right” way, i.g., I've rewinded the emulation on my Switch every time I died so I didn’t have to do the levels all over again lol.


16. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - 10 Hours - Nintendo Switch - April 7th
The quintessential Zelda adventure, it’s an amazing game through and through. I really liked the art design and animations - they aged superbly well for a 1991 game - the dungeons are really well designed and varied, alternating between worlds to find new paths and ways to progress is really clever.
I had a great time with it and the game was constantly on the back of my mind while I was not playing it, as I kept thinking how I was supposed to progress.

17. Goldeneye 64 - 10 hours - Nintendo Switch - April 20th
I think I would have been obsessed with this game had I played it when I was a kid. It has everything I loved back then: Espionage, infiltration gadgets, shooting a ton of enemies.
I was really surprised by the amount of enemies you fight at the same time in this game, I don’t remember playing anything like this at the time. I was a big fan of Medal of Honor for PS1, and I remember fighting 3 or 4 in the same area… but this game has like 10 or 15 all cramped in the same hallway.
The controls definitely aged, but after a slight tweak I got the hang of it and was able to really enjoy it.

18. Luigi’s Mansion 3 - 13 Hours - Nintendo Switch - April 21st
I had an amazing time with this game. There’s so much creativity in each of the levels and every single one of them is unique in their own way.
I thought the addition of Gooigi as a second controllable single-player character was a very good way of keeping things fresh and providing new puzzle opportunities. It’s such a charming and well designed video game, really really good.
I only played the first game before this one, but after 3 I’m considering getting the second game as well, and I’m really looking forward to a possible sequel.

May Preview - I bought Metal Gear Master Collection Vol. 1 this month, so I want to play Metal Gear 1 and 2 for the first time, and replay MGS1, 2 and 3 for the 100th time lol. This month will probably be it unless I manage to finish Stellar Blade as well when I get it.

 

[Don Carlo]

Damn. Looks like I'm going to have a hard time playing 5 games with the way things are going, let alone 52.

 

[Dacvak]

Balatro has seriously halted my progress in this challenge. I’m hell-bent on beating every deck in order to count it as “beaten”, but unlocking some of the final decks is so freaking hard.

But I have this Sunday all to myself for the first time in about two months, so I’m gonna play some Turbografx games to see if I can get an easy complete or two today.

 

[Blindy]

5) Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown(Switch) 1/18, 1/20-1/22, 1/26-1/29
Easily the best game that Ubisoft has put out in ages, at least for me. I knew this would be a banger given it's the people who made both Rayman Origins & Legends who were behind this game. It starts off okay but in typical Metroidvania fashion, as soon as you get more & more abilities, it just feels super smooth. The air dash acquisition really changes this game. The boss fights are pretty good too and there's surprisingly a good amount of enemy variation which is usually never the case with games from this genre. How fast pace this game is has to be the best selling point in favor of playing Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and the puzzle rooms they put are challenging but very fun, quick reflexes very much necessary!

The lone blemishes come in the form of that there just isn't enough fast travel spots and that you're forced to use the same hub for most upgrades which can be a bit of a killjoy needing to go back to the same place each time to upgrade. Given there are portions of the game that you go a few hours without the ability to access quick travel, it becomes very cruel when you lose your acquired currency(crystals) upon death where your holding a heavy amount without the ability to cash in. There are also quite a few notable game bug glitches, nothing that destroy the game but certain side quests aren't clicked off or camera is zoomed in during one side quest where I thought my game crashed. I assume these have been patched now so maybe these are outdated concerns which is good news for those who haven't played this yet? The biggest pet peeve is how poor this game runs on the Switch. I knew buying this on the Nintendo Switch meant I was sacrificing the opportunity to play 60 FPS which is a godsend for such a game but even at 30 FPS, I felt good enough to buy this on the system. Nintendo had the marketing rights, ya know? Nope, this game dips so bad at certain points, especially when multiple enemies are on the screen, it also felt like slow motion at given points. The beginning portion was pretty rough with this IIRC, like I know the Switch is easily the most inferior system today but this is still really unacceptable. Probably would have to shave 1/2 a point from the final score for the performance of this game alone.

Final Grade: 8.5/10. if I played this on another system, easily a 9/10 though. Avoid the Switch version if you can! Great Metroidvania, wish this game sold more and got more eyeballs on it but the sales say otherwise. These guys at Ubisoft Montpellier are the best studio of the entire company IMO and deserve so much better. Barring something crazy, should be there on my top 10 GOTY list.

6) Silent Hill: The Short Message(PS5) 2/3
The good news: The game was free and there seemed to be a good intention with the message about trying to prevent suicide via cyberbullying etc. I respect it, that's cool.

The bad news: The game just isn't that good and really shoves that theme down your throat. The Suicide Hotline message popped up about as many times as there was actual action(chase sequences) in this game, that's not even hyperbole either. There was so many lulls throughout my couple of hours that I played of The Short Message that it feels almost like it was a detriment to the game to have the "Silent Hill" name attached to it because outside of 1 major enemy, there's just nothing here. The story, characters here just come and well...go. The chase scenes, particularly the final one, almost became more of a frustration than an actual scary enjoyment, to the point that I was willing to just look up the ending to see the finale of the game over enduring what is essentially a messy escape room puzzle full of similar looking halls, all to check on different photographs that are meant to show the true meaning of the story.

Overall Grade: 4/10. Game runs about 2-3 hours but yeah this was a pretty crummy game altogether. Not very scary, the chase scenes were more trial & error more than anything else, it is extremely slow paced and the overall theme is completely on the nose and in your face about it. This wasn't very good but if there's anything it has going for it, Silent Hill: The Short Message is indeed short and free.

7) Foamstars(PS5) 2/6-2/7

I tried Foamstars for a day and it's solid, probably that typical 6.5/10 game if the single player was at all good. Nowhere near as strategic as Splatoon which is the game/series it tries to aspire to be. I wish there were more characters in Foamstars really and feel more than anything, each character plays the same. The single player story is bare bones, it is basically target practice with obnoxious dialogue talking over it, almost having a tug of war match with the music volume on who can be louder. They did absolutely nothing with the single player, I completed 1 character and said that was it as it was the same shit for another character. The presentation is hokey but I like the hub that Foamstars has where you can build your own backyard basically. The microtransactions in this game are ludicrous, like $35 dollars for a costume set. Get real!

The gameplay is fun but it sort of gets tiring. Foamstars has a couple of different modes. Free for all which is basically you and 3 others going against 3 others in a match where you need to eliminate your opponents __ times to get their "star" player out where if you kill him/her, you win the game. There's a Rubber Duck navigating one that I did once to get the trophy where it feels like Splatoon where you have to take control of a giant duck float and move it around a set path in order to win. There's a mode where you do a tag team where 2 people are in trying to eliminate the other 2 opponents while 2 teammates hang upstairs and try and foam the floor up(This game's take on inking the floor for movement/limiting opponents movement) to help control the movement of the match. I think you can also hurt enemies in this mode, only tried it twice but it was fun.

Final Grade: 4.5/10. Foamstars is a fun game but I don't think has the detail or in depthness that Splatoon 3 had for me. The single player isn't even comparable and I think the different guns gives the latter the clear edge. Still a fun evening to be had with Foamstars and it's free for PS Plus users(for 1 month which the game is going to take a nosedive) so worth a shot. If the single player had any meat on the bone, score goes up 2 points alone. It's a game you try out for 1-2 days and that's about it, no real longevity.


(Like 2 months behind with the writeups but might hit the 52 game mark if things fall right, this could teether either way)

 

[Jooxed]

Game 23 - 4/24 - Beacon Pines - Steam Deck - Not really my usual cup of tea, it was recommended on reddit and resetera as a fun horror VN with branching story telling and I thought the art was done really awesome. I dont know. It captivated my attention all the way through but when someone said horror I was anticipating more. Creepy little story, Definitely not horror. Good enough to keep me entertained.

 

[Dacvak]

PaRappa the Rapper - PS1 via software emulation - 4/23

The other night I decided to test the input latency of my Anbernic RG35XX handheld, since it had been a while since I updated it. One of my go-tos for latency testing is PaRappa (even though the original PS1 game has its own issues with timing, but that’s besides the point).

To my absolute shock and delight, the input latency sort of balanced out the odd system-level timing that game has, making my input button presses almost perfectly synced with the actual music. (Mind you, PaRappa’s vocal track still had significant audio latency, but that’s unavoidable with any software emulation.) But this meant that I could be absolutely precise with my input timing, so long as I didn’t try to subconsciously adjust the inputs so the vocal track would better line up.

In any case, one thing led to another, and I ended up beating the whole game. Then I went through it a second time to beat it while getting Cool on every stage. The whole thing only took me like an hour and a half or so.

This game is an absolute classic. It’s forgivable to overlook some of the technical and timing issues, just because the game itself is so charming and fun. My preferred way to play is still on original hardware on a CRT, but there’s also a great remaster on PS4 (playable on PS5) that fixes some of the input timing issues of the original, and it’s only $15. It makes me wish there was a remastered version of Um Jammer Lammy. (Most people don’t know that you can unlock and play as PaRappa in that game once you beat it, though his vocal quality is absolute ass due to CD storage limitations.)

Fantastic game overall -

 

[Jack Videogames]

And here I thought being newly unemployed would leave me more time for gaming... (well maybe it has, I have to stop playing JRPGs)

10. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

104h-ish. Normal difficulty. All side stories and minigames fully completed (Sujimon, Dondoko, Miss Match, etc.) and completed three bonus dungeons (including DLC)

Hm. I loved this game, but I believe it is a bit too big for its own good. At the end I was basically wishing for it to end. The newly introduced characters are aces (Yamai, Tomizawa, Chitose, I love them all) and the sidequests are some of the best in Yakuza story, but the main plot is somewhat weak and it ends going nowhere. But I love Ichiban, so more, please.

Also, please let Kiryu go already. This is like his third or fourth "swan song" game. I don't want him to go either, but you're making it more painful.

SteamDeck: One of the biggest surprises I've had. Using FSR3 it looks absolutely stunning on the Deck.

My Score: ★★★★★

------

11. Persona 3 Reload

70h-ish. Did all Elizabeth sidequests except for beating Elizabeth herself because I didn't want to grind anymore.

A fantastic remake of an already fantastic game. An unbeatable OST, a more somber, serene story than the more crowd-pleasing Persona 5, and in general, some top JRPG-ing. If anything, the game feels somewhat easier than P3P when I played it? Maybe I'm getting old.

My Score: ★★★★★

------

12. Mass Effect 3: LE

31:48h. Normal difficulty. Full Paragon run, Perfect Destroy Ending.

I don't know if it's because of the Extended ending or because years of shitting on ME3 have tinted my judgement, but I believe Mass Effect 3 is the one that gets the most unfair flak of the franchise. It's my personal favorite of the trilogy: the way progress is tracked via War Assets and how they affect the development of the war is great and very reminiscent of The Last Sovereign (Yes, I know, a porn game, still) which is IMO the best in this sub-subgenre of "gathering allies for war" RPG. The DLC is mostly fantastic; I found Leviathan to be very good story-wise but a bit boring, but both Omega and ESPECIALLY Citadel were a riot (I've never laughed so much with a non-comedic game. The level of tongue-in-cheek self-referential humor Citadel has is astounding).

The ending felt like a part of my soul left my body, again. Having to say goodbye to such stellar characters two times is such a sweet sorrow.

My Score: ★★★★★

Original post

 

[marcincz]

Jack Videogames
Amazing set of games.
Funny thing I am currently playing (10th chapter) Infinite Wealth and going to start P3 after that.

 

[Skeptical]

Another month down, and now ahead of schedule thanks to lots of small games. Unfortunately, only one new game stood out, but that's ok. They can't all be the best game ever.

14. Death's Door (8 h, ★★). It's not a bad game by any means. But combat was only ok and there honestly wasn't much incentive to go exploring despite the game clearly intending you to. I think part of the problem is the lack of a map combined with a large confusing area that all looks the same and is therefore easy to get turned around in. Nothing really stood out too much other than the artstyle.

15. Haiku the Robot (6 h, ★★★). This is a "wander around until you find something" Metroidvania, which may not be everyone's cup of tea. But I thought it was refreshing. I only got stumped once when I missed the obvious, but I thought it was cool that you could seemingly get several items in any order and fight many bosses in any order. It is a very nonlinear game even by Metroidvania standards, which is great. Also, one of the powerups is so useful for getting around that I almost think it should be standard issue for any game.

16. Star Fox 64 (2 h, ★★). I think it's safe to say that rail shooters are not my genre. OK, so it's cool that there are multiple routes to encourage multiple playthroughs, but I just did the easy route and was done with it. I was struggling with aiming and more importantly being able to visualize how far away attacks were and when to dodge. Is it just that the game is old? I don't know; I was darn good at Rogue Squadron back in the day. I think it's just the rail shooter bit. Oh well, I gave it a fair shake.

17. Eastern Exorcist (10 h, ★★). This is a weird one. It's a side-scrolling action RPG that looks nice and plays very fluidly. But it's also two small campaigns in one that are completely independent. That's not a huge problem, but it does mean that the game has some ideas that are underbaked. Each campaign has six different magic systems, each with a skill tree. But with the campaign being so short, you really only have time to level up and get used to one of them. There is also a sidequest system, but with only one sidequest for the entire campaign! It's not bad. It's just weird.

18. A Short Hike (1 h, ★★). Well, at least the title is honest. It's decent, there's a lot of freedom and a surprising amount to do and ability to get lost. It just didn't particularly grab me to want to fish or run races or whatever; not my thing. The one problem I did have is that the last act was so short and pointless. You reach an area that is supposedly more challenging to traverse, making you think this will be an involved process, but the new challenge disappears immediately and you are done a minute later. Makes it kinda pointless and the ending a bit of a letdown.

19. Beyond Oasis (6 h, ★). Well, if this was a Zelda killer, it's no surprise to see which franchise is still alive. It decides to focus almost exclusively on combat, but it's not much fun. And then there's the platforming that is not precise. Really, the too-large sprites and stiff controls fail to make the moment to moment experience any fun at all. Last time I trust Sega fans to know what they're talking about...

20. Super Metroid (3h, ★★★★★). Do I really need to justify why this game gets 5 stars? Didn't think so. Ridley was easier than I remembered him to be. Maridia wasn't as annoying as I remembered it to be. And the game is still awesome.

 

[Jack Videogames]

Jack Videogames
Amazing set of games.
Funny thing I am currently playing (10th chapter) Infinite Wealth and going to start P3 after that.

It's a great time to play JRPGs. Right now I've started Octopath Traveler 2. And Mass Effect 3 LE is a fucking great game, haters gonna hate

 

[Psychotic_Mantis]

April Update:
Main Post

31. Sketch, Share, Solve (Playdate) - 8/10
Picross type game for the Playdate. Tons of levels are included with the game and you can download others if you choose. With the limitations of the device, I was constantly surprised by the challenge and pictures that they were able to create. Easy recommend if you like Picross and have the Playdate.

32. Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth (PS5) - 10/10

Instant classic. I didn't know if I wanted to jump into a long game at this time but saw the reviews and wondered if I would enjoy this as much as Remake. Turns out, I loved it even more. Not much to add that everyone else hasn't said about it. I put in roughly 75-80 hours and did the majority of quests that I wanted to. Some of the mini-games do start to feel like too much, but you don't have to play through most of them. I can't wait for part 3 and I really hope more people give this one a go.

33. Blocky Balloons (Playdate) - 8/10

Another fun little Playdate game. It's essentially a game like Sokoban but using ice blocks to overcome fire and pits to reach your balloon. There were a few levels in this that tested my brain, and I really appreciate the game for that. Hardest part is that there is nowhere to really look for a solution since many don't have a Playdate or know of this game. I highly recommend it if you are into puzzle games and own the Playdate!!

34. Pixel Ripped 1995 (Meta Quest 3) - 8/10

Had a blast playing through this one. It did give me some nostalgia to growing up with systems like the SNES and PS1 popping up. The graphics aren't great, but you do at times feel immersed in what they are trying to portray. A few times the mom would open the door and I would mentally think someone at my house had opened the door. Pretty wild. Definitely recommend, only around 2 hours but there is plenty of collectables to return to.

35. Mario Tennis Aces (Switch) - 7/10

Holy crap I found this to be incredibly tough. After FF7, I was looking for something shorter and a bit on the easy side. Didn't expect this to really push me. The Adventure mode is pretty bare bones storytelling, but I appreciated them trying something. It gets extremely hard by the end of the game, and I really questioned if I was going to be able to finish it. I am glad I did, but moving forward I will just stick with some friendly matches and avoid the CPU. Recommended but don't expect an easy time.

36. Quest for Camelot (Gameboy Color) - 5/10

Have had this game sitting around for probably over 20 years. I picked up an Analogue Pocket and decided to give it a go. Definitely not a great game by any means...but it felt good to clear this out of my mental backlog. I remember picking this up when I first got my GBC and wanted something only for that system. I know it is on Switch now, but without any sort of nostalgia for the time period or the device, I can't really recommend it. I never even watched the movie...

 

[SpiceRacz]

This is where I'm at as of today. I probably won't hit 52, but oh well.

Finished Shenmue II last night. I traded in a bunch of stuff to get my original Xbox for this game. The disc was fucked up though and would freeze at the Dou Niu fight right near the end. So, I was never able to actually finish it. It's a technical achievement for a Dreamcast game. I would guess it's probably 3x the size of Shenmue I. The camera work, music, and presentation is like a full on movie production. It's breathtaking for a 20+ year old game and I don't think aynthing else at the time even approaches it's quality. I found it to be a bit more tedious than the first game. Mainly because the locations weren't as interesting to me. It makes the backtracking feel like a chore. Shenmue II also starts a lot slower, especially compared to how intense the intro is in the first game. Things really pick up in the back half of the game though and make it worthwhile. One of my favorite gaming experiences and I'm glad to have properly finished it.

Also played through Super Mario Sunshine. I've never actually finished this one either. I have to say, it's not as great as I remember and some of the flaws are unforgivable. The camera takes you out of the experience too often. I really like some of the level design though, even if it all looks kind of same-y. It's a shame there's only like 8 proper levels in the game and some of the stars are just filler. It feels really short compared to the other Mario games too. Also felt the game controls considerably worse than I remember. There's moments of brilliance here behind the frustrating parts. I just don't think I'm willing to look past those parts and ever return to the game after this playthrough.

 

[March Climber]

4. Granblue Fantasy Relink(Campaign played solo/no party on PS5)

Amazing game, even better solo(I'd still argue to this day that solo/no party is the definitive experience when playing campaign mode). I mained Gran himself. This game brought back memories of playing the the most challenging combat moments in Kingdom Hearts 1, 2, and Birth By Sleep. Definite recommendation. The one knock against it is how the story mode(aside from maybe 3 really tough bosses) is more of a buildup to the real content of the game, which is the post-campaign mission board. Because of that, the story takes a bit of a backseat(for example, they could have fleshed out the prequel story from the anime into areas because that story is present in the game, but only as text on images). Many casual audiences will claim that it is too short due to this. In a world of 40+ hour games, I find that to be an understandable gripe, but I had a fun ride all the way through.

I've shared some tracks on this forum before, but I still want to point out that the music(with the help of Nobuo Uematsu) is great stuff:




My Rating: A-

5. Dragon's Dogma 1: Dark Arisen (Playthrough 2 on PS5)

I know that 2 was out, but I wanted to wait until Gold Edition of 2 comes out a year from now, so I had an itch to scratch and I did just that by booting this game up again. Just wanted to explore the world and look at the more advanced skills per vocation. It's still quite the game but definitely flawed, even with the separated Dark Arisen content.

My Rating: C (has not changed since I first played it years ago)

Next, I have decided to do something this year with Far Cry, that I did with Gears last year. Catch up on lost history. Plus, I was in the mood for a shooter after so many RPGs anyway.

6. Far Cry Classic(Xbox Series X Backwards Compatibility)

My Rating: C-

7. Far Cry Instincts(Xbox Series X Backwards Compatibility)

My Rating: C-

8. Far Cry Evolution(Xbox Series X Backwards Compatibility)

My Rating: C+

The above 3 have different problems but fall around the same rating for me. They are the Jack Carver "trilogy" in my eyes. I have no nostalgia for them so I hold no sense of 'awe' when it comes to what Far Cry 1 managed to achieve back when it first came out. Instead, I am rating them exactly how I've played them recently.

Far Cry Classic(Far Cry 1) has a great sense of an 'open world', but it's encounter design suffers due to this. The game becomes progressively worse with encounter design the more the areas become linear due to the story progressing. What happens in the latter half of the game is essentially a poor man's Half-Life 1 with much worse linear level design with enemies that want to be like they're from Doom or Quake, but are designed much worse.

Far Cry Instincts is essentially a retelling of 1, but in a more linear since(open biomes but with a clear path). The cool thing here is that we now have cutscenes, motivations, better character writing, and interesting twist(predator powers), and a better plot to follow. Also, dual guns(Akimbo!). They made some decent decisions here. They removed the terrible escort mission from FC Classic/1. They also removed some of the worse designed Doom-at-home enemies and replaced them with unique creatures that represent the predator powers that you also have(in progression), making it a situation where you're fighting your way upwards to be the Apex.

So what's the problem? Well, just like FC1, the second half of this game also falls off a cliff. Enemy encounters get worse and some of the level design starts to become a bit nonsensical(multiple moments of climbing up a tower in order to get outside because your character can't open the door on the first floor, even though you can rip apart doors canonically). The boss encounters are the exact same each time: Don't use any powers the game gives you(because the enemy will kill you in two hits and tracks with long range projectiles) and circle strafe while firing.

Far Cry Evolution takes Instincts and makes an Uncharted game out of it's skeleton. This was really cool and it's essentially what gives it a slightly higher rating. Also, this time they built the game's level design around the player's predator powers instead of you awkwardly using them at times like the first game. I felt like I was playing a secret 3D Sonic game with how fun some of these running and platforming segments were. There were a few problems though.

Without spoiling, the game's lore suffers from very little explanation (this was before the time of findable logs that would explain more of a story). Also once again, the encounter design starts to suffer in the second half. It feels like all 3 games didn't know how to ramp things up properly without oddities or cheapness(enemies having 100% no-scope headshots like legendary snipers while I'm going down a hill like a bullet myself thanks to super speed). Lastly, the boss was just some guy who was barely in the game for 5 minutes early on in the story who simply didn't like you because your powers weren't natural. Alright, I guess. You settle things and move on

All in all I will say two things in regard to these three games:

1) Thank goodness for the existence of Call of Duty 4, because wow did developers not know how to program the controls for a shooter until that game came out. I honestly want to believe that Modern Warfare had a bigger impact than Halo on console shooters simply because of this: Even though Halo solved the twin stick/trigger issue, a boatload of developers back then still didn't understand how to make shooters feel good and also how to use the other buttons. Just randomly assigning the zoom/ADS feature to the button they chose shows this. Even after using Xbox to reprogram the buttons, it still felt extremely off to play all 3 games.

2) Thank goodness for the existence of Far Cry 2. I know that quite a few PC gamers might have loved Far Cry back then, but I feel like if the team who took over afterwards had made one more 'Instincts-like' game, this franchise would have been 6 ft under years ago. It's crazy to me that Far Cry 2 came out so close to Instincts/Evolution because starting the game it literally feels like I jumped forward in time almost a decade ahead.

 

[Dacvak]

Damn, lots of great games played here recently.

S Skeptical Surprised you didn’t like Star Fox more. That’s one of my go-tos for a nice 2 hour game. I guess I have some nostalgia glasses for it, but I’m still a big fan.

Psychotic_Mantis How are you liking the playdate overall? I borrowed my buddy’s for a couple weeks (this was early on when there were only like 10 games) and nothing really grabbed me. But I still want to get one.

SpiceRacz I’m probably the biggest Mario fan I know, and I just can’t overlook how bad some of Sunshine is. It’s such a shame too, because 80% of it is fantastic, but the shitty 20% drags the rest of the game down. The more I play that game, the more of a love/hate relationship I have with it.

I’m hoping to play through something short this weekend, since it’s the last free-ish weekend I’ll have for about a month. I’m looking for suggestions if anyone has any. Something under 5 hours, and preferably retro. (TG-16 or Saturn is my current jam.)

 

[SpiceRacz]

Damn, lots of great games played here recently.

S Skeptical Surprised you didn’t like Star Fox more. That’s one of my go-tos for a nice 2 hour game. I guess I have some nostalgia glasses for it, but I’m still a big fan.

Psychotic_Mantis How are you liking the playdate overall? I borrowed my buddy’s for a couple weeks (this was early on when there were only like 10 games) and nothing really grabbed me. But I still want to get one.

SpiceRacz I’m probably the biggest Mario fan I know, and I just can’t overlook how bad some of Sunshine is. It’s such a shame too, because 80% of it is fantastic, but the shitty 20% drags the rest of the game down. The more I play that game, the more of a love/hate relationship I have with it.

I’m hoping to play through something short this weekend, since it’s the last free-ish weekend I’ll have for about a month. I’m looking for suggestions if anyone has any. Something under 5 hours, and preferably retro. (TG-16 or Saturn is my current jam.)

It’s a bummer because the graphics/art style, level design, music, and almost everything else about the game is so fucking good. The fludd power ups are great on paper too. The camera and controls just drag it down so hard. I felt like I was constantly in these spots where I was fighting to get the camera in a comfortable spot and even then I was missing easy jumps. If they could have just figured that out, it would be a GOAT level platformer. I think as it is, it’s probably still better than most games from that gen. Just deeply flawed and feels uncharacteristic of a Mario game.

My recommendation if you’re looking for a Saturn game is Saturn Bomberman. The single player mode is fantastic. Great game to just kind of shut your brain off breeze through for 3 or 4 hours.

 

[Psychotic_Mantis]

Damn, lots of great games played here recently.

S Skeptical Surprised you didn’t like Star Fox more. That’s one of my go-tos for a nice 2 hour game. I guess I have some nostalgia glasses for it, but I’m still a big fan.

Psychotic_Mantis How are you liking the playdate overall? I borrowed my buddy’s for a couple weeks (this was early on when there were only like 10 games) and nothing really grabbed me. But I still want to get one.

SpiceRacz I’m probably the biggest Mario fan I know, and I just can’t overlook how bad some of Sunshine is. It’s such a shame too, because 80% of it is fantastic, but the shitty 20% drags the rest of the game down. The more I play that game, the more of a love/hate relationship I have with it.

I’m hoping to play through something short this weekend, since it’s the last free-ish weekend I’ll have for about a month. I’m looking for suggestions if anyone has any. Something under 5 hours, and preferably retro. (TG-16 or Saturn is my current jam.)

I am definitely a fan of my Playdate. I knew it was a bit risky because it's such a unique platform and the games may not end up striking my fancy. I've dabbled with some of the season games and was really using it as a puzzle machine in between meetings at work. They recently had a large sale where I picked up a ton of games and it has allowed me to poke around more and see what this little machine can do. I am pretty impressed and love seeing the creativity from some of these devs on the machine. I don't play it for long periods of time, but I pick it up most every day at this point.

If you end up getting it or are considering it I would be happy to send you a few recommendations that I have messed with.

 

[TuFaN]

#52 Super Mario Maker 2 | Switch | 8 hours | 8/10

What a beautiful game, I wish I had the first game as well. Now after finishing this one I'm thinking about purchasing my first ever WII U console and Super Mario Maker 1. Finished the Story mode once and I have to say, the amount of variety it offers is crazy. You've got to accomplish tasks such as

Spoiler

don't jump during the entire level, collect 50 coins, get all keys and carry a stone or my favorite collect all Touds before you finish,

just to name a few.

 

[Jooxed]

Game 24 - 5/5 - Earthbound - Steam Deck - How the hell have i never played this game before? Captivated my attention all the way through and one of the best RPG's I have ever played. Perfect Humor and fun. My only gripe were the menus and how long it took to do anything. 10/10 for me and really looking forward to Mother 3 on Steam Deck. I am hoping its just as good as Earthbound...

Game 26 - 5/6 - Blossom Tales - Nintendo Switch - (Not Pictured) - Delightful little take on the zelda genre. Loved played this. Steamed through it in an afternoon, wish it was a little longer. Also made me wish for a new 2d zelda game.


What do we think jshackles ? Am I going to like Mother 3 just as much as earthbound?

 

[jshackles]

What do we think jshackles ? Am I going to like Mother 3 just as much as earthbound?

I'm glad you enjoyed Earthbound, it's one of my top games of all time. For me, Mother 3 was a mixed bag - in some ways it was an overall improvement over Earthbound, but in other ways it felt like a massive step backwards. I still feel like removing the "American" atmosphere from the game was a big mistake, because that setting was a lot of fun in the first two games. It also removed ATMs and $ from the game which were replaced by DP later in like chapter 4 or 5. They also removed Earthbound's "instant win against enemies that are weaker than you" mechanic in favor of dashing, which I was (and still am) massively disappointed with.

The rhythm based combat was an overall improvement. The story and characters are an overall improvement I think, though not as quirky.

 

[Jooxed]

I'm glad you enjoyed Earthbound, it's one of my top games of all time. For me, Mother 3 was a mixed bag - in some ways it was an overall improvement over Earthbound, but in other ways it felt like a massive step backwards. I still feel like removing the "American" atmosphere from the game was a big mistake, because that setting was a lot of fun in the first two games. It also removed ATMs and $ from the game which were replaced by DP later in like chapter 4 or 5. They also removed Earthbound's "instant win against enemies that are weaker than you" mechanic in favor of dashing, which I was (and still am) massively disappointed with.

The rhythm based combat was an overall improvement. The story and characters are an overall improvement I think, though not as quirky.

Yeah i just started last night the fan translation of course and the narrative structure is a little odd so far. I expected to start as lucas and keep rolling much like the first one.

 

[March Climber]

9) Just Cause 1 (Xbox Series X backwards compatibility)

I was about to play Far Cry 2, then I accidentally scrolled to this. So I clicked play to give it a go. This is yet another game I missed in the past, and another game I'm kind of okay with previously missing . This game has aged like milk. Thankfully the campaign itself is only 9 hours long. It's GTA 3 in a jungle environment, with worse level/area design and mission design. Your handler is pretty much the voice of Sully from Uncharted giving you missions to shoot and blow stuff up to liberate your country. They'll normally put your missions halfway across the map so that you have to interact with the vehicles.

This game is yet another an unfortunate case of a game existing before games with better controls were releasing right around the corner. Thus, what you have is a game that wants to be more than what it is, yet plays like a forgettable PS2 title that would try to compete with the many other GTA clones out there, but play much worse. The grappling mechanic, that they promote you use, is also one of the jankiest aspects of the game. There's a 50% fail rate and you will be left hanging in the air to be shot by rockets, or free falling which can cause critical damage to your protagonist, making you spam the parachute button in hopes that it pops fast enough so that this doesn't happen.

The plot isn't even worth watching and to add onto that I heard it's not even that relevant to the games that came after, almost like they also knew this game aged like milk. You're better off reading a small summary or footnote on wikipedia and skipping directly to Just Cause 2, a much more legendary game, than playing Just Cause 1.

Final Rating: D+

Alternate Recommendation: If anyone wants a way more fun version of Just Cause 1, that was a blast to play with Max Payne-esque slowmo moves, good lock-on and aiming mechanics, fun mission design, and an overall fun time that doesn't take itself too seriously, play this game instead:

 

[Glass Prison]

#52 Super Mario Maker 2 | Switch | 8 hours | 8/10

What a beautiful game, I wish I had the first game as well. Now after finishing this one I'm thinking about purchasing my first ever WII U console and Super Mario Maker 1. Finished the Story mode once and I have to say, the amount of variety it offers is crazy. You've got to accomplish tasks such as

Spoiler

don't jump during the entire level, collect 50 coins, get all keys and carry a stone or my favorite collect all Touds before you finish,

just to name a few.

52 already, that's amazing. If you keep this pace you might blow past 100 games

 

[SpiceRacz]

Game #15:

First time playing. Picked it up on Steam for like $3. Took about 8 hours total. Terrific puzzle game. They did a good job expanding on the mechanics and story of the first Portal. I had my doubts this would live up to the hype since the first game is such a masterpiece. This one delivered though.

 

[SpiceRacz]

#16

Sonic Adventure 2 fucking sucks. There was some discussion on here about this game not too long ago. I can confirm that not only is it inferior to Sonic Adventure 1, it’s straight up bad. I bought it on Dreamcast on release and bounced off it hard. This was a good reminder why. I regret wasting my time replaying this. I haven’t said that about a game in a long time.