What games did you complete? 2022 Edition

[Popo]

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle: Donkey Kong Adventure (2018)

Another nice slice of the surprisingly good Ubisoft/Nintendo crossover no one wanted until they did. The DLC brings in Donkey Kong to swing, smash and generally ape out over a handful of hours’ worth of new missions and puzzles. Happy to play through this in advance of trying out the sequel - the weird humour really speaks to me, it’s a great way to spend some time. 

 

Spoiler

06/01/2022 - Halo Infinite

09/01/2022 - Hyper Light Drifter

05/02/2022 - Ori and the Will of the Wisps

13/02/2022 - Guardians of the Galaxy

20/02/2022 - It Takes Two

20/03/2022 - Super Mario 3D Land

20/03/2022 - Panzer Dragoon: Remake

21/03/2022 - Psychonauts 2

18/04/2022 - The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

08/05/2022 - New Super Mario Bros 2

19/05/2022 - Resident Evil 4 HD

25/05/2022 - Tunic

16/06/2022 - Kirby and the Forgotten Land

16:06/2022 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

09/07/2022 - Luigi’s Mansion 2

16/07/2022 - Journey

19/07/2022 - Tomb Raider

03/08/2022 - The Last of Us Part 2

05/08/2022 - Metroid: Samus Returns

08/08/2022 - The Gunk

12/08/2022 - Tomb Raider Underworld

15/08/2022 - Super Metroid

04/09/2022 - Final fantasy VII Remake: INTERmission

13/09/2022 - Sable

11/10/2022 - Far: Lone Sails

16/10/2022 - Immortality

21/10/2022 - A Plague Tale: Innocence

28/10/2022 - Far: Changing Tides

29/10/2022 - The Mummy Demastered

01/11/2022 - Hardspace Shipbreaker

02/11/2022 - Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle: Donkey Kong Adventure

 

[strawdonkey]

On 01/11/2022 at 20:18, strawdonkey said:

2021/65a. Star Hunter DX (Space Cadet, 1CC, 19.3mil)

01. The Artful Escape

02. Rhythm Doctor

03. Monolith

04. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch.2 Watanagashi

05. Outer Wilds

06. OMORI

02a. Rhythm Doctor (all the bonus stuff and B+'d every stage)

07. Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel (all solo content clear)

08. Windjammers 2 (1CC)

09. Vampire Survivors

10. Ghost Blade HD (1CC Easy)

10a. Ghost Blade HD

07a. Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel

11. Exceed 2nd - Vampire Rex (uh, 3CC I guess)

12. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 3 Tatarigoroshi

13. Magic The Gathering: Arena (Mythic Rank, constructed)

14. Solitarica

15. Schildmaid MX (Jaeger Mode 1CC, 12.9mil)

16. ZeroRanger - White Vanilla Mode (719k, Type-C, C++)

17. Zenohell (Honestly it took like 20 credits)

18. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 4 Himatsubushi

16a. ZeroRanger - Green Orange Mode 1-ALL (354k, Type-C)

19. Backspace Bouken (and the Numb Lock DLC)

20. Exceed 3rd: Jade Penetrate Black Package (1CC, Easy, 5,388,190)

20a. Exceed 3rd: Jade Penetrate Black Package (1CC, Normal, 3mil and some change)

21. Rez Infinite (Area X)

22. Point Blank (1CC, Expert Mode)
23. Touhou 8 - Imperishable Night (1CC, New Moon, Reimu/Yukari)

23a. Touhou 8 - Imperishable Night (1CC, Waxing Crescent, Reimu/Yukari)

24. Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion

25. Graze Counter (many 1CCs)

26. Touhou 7 - Perfect Cherry Blossom (1CC, Easy, Reimu)

27. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 5 Meakashi

X1. Carrion

28. Deathsmiles (1CC, Normal, Rosa, 57mil)

29. One Step From Eden (Reva clear, all bosses spared)

30. Panzer Dragoon Remake

31. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 6 Tsumihoroboshi

32. Jamestown+ (Story completion and finished Gauntlet Mode)

X2. Death's Door

33. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 7 Minagoroshi

25a. Graze Counter - Expert mode (Type-7, 474mil)
34. Splatoon

35. Drainus (Normal 2-all 1CC)

36. Neko Navy ("Easy" 1CC, 918mil, Mugi)

37. Mario Golf: Super Rush

38. Wario Ware Gold

39. Milk Outside a Bag of Milk Outside a Bag of Milk ...

22a. Point Blank (1CC, Very Hard Mode)

40. Kirby's Adventure

41. Frog Fractions: Game of the Decade Edition

22b. Point Blank (no-miss, Beginner mode)
42. Bloons TD6
43. FTL (Easy Kestrel clear)

44. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 8 Matsuribayashi

45. Dicey Dungeons

46. Hexcells (100%)

47. Hexcells Plus

X3. Crosscells

28a. Deathsmiles Mega Black Label (1CC, Follett, 309mil)

48. Hexcells Infinite

49. SquareCells

 

And that's all of them. SquareCells is a mixture of Picross, Mega Picross, and some of the later puzzles in Hexcells; you get traditional Picross-style stuff where the objective is to determine how many blocks are filled in along a line, and then the Mega/Hexcells stuff comes in where line-based clues are omitted, and you instead have numbered blocks which inform you how many blocks are clumped together.

 

 

As with all the other -Cells games from this year, if you enjoy Picross and similar games then these are great fun and well worth a look.

[Jamie John]

37. FAR: Changing Tides (2022) - Xbox Series X via Game Pass

 

 

 

This was lovely. It's essentially the first game again, but done a bit better.

 

You play a little mute man in a flooded post-apocalyptic world and your goal is to traverse it alone in a strange boat-cum-steam train-cum-submarine referred to only as 'The Vessel'. Along the way, like in the first game, you have to solve simple puzzles, find fuel to power your engine, and bypass the obstacles preventing you from continuing your journey from left to right. There's no dialogue and no combat, no tutorials or tool tips - just you, the vessel and what lies before you. It's a pensive, moody and pleasingly tactile game with some great sound design and ambient music. Barring the odd bit of fiddliness with the controls, it's entirely friction-free, too. 

 

Well worth three and a half hours of anyone's time. A real gem.

 

8/10

[Gabe]

31. 30/10/2022 - Trek to Yomi (PC)

 

A very artistic 2D slash-em-up with some, at times, lovely visuals, marred by some stuttering performance, fairly dull combat and a story I managed to somewhat lose track of between when I started this months ago and now.

 

There's not much to say about it really, it was perfunctory and were it not for the mood-setting graphics I'm not sure anybody would've paid it any attention.

 

32. 04/11/2022 - Train Valley 2 (PC)

I'm not big on puzzle games, but this came as part of a bundle I got and I figured I'd give it a try.

 

The premise is simple enough - deliver item x to station y - but the game ramps up quite quickly the stuff you are expected to manage, with the need to ferry resources around to get things built and then take the final product to the station. Along the way you will get various gimmicks thrown at you, from trains you have no control over joining your network or environmental issues, such as a volcano that erupts across the map. It can get pretty fraught when you have multiple trains, goods and hazards to deal with across the 50 stages.

 

There are time limits, but I never had any intention of playing against them; I intended for it to be a relaxing game to dip in and out of, and for a while it was. Then, as more and more annoying gimmicks got added, I started to lose interest. There's a particular stage where a Tesla coil will randomly destroy parts of your track, and that was the final straw for me (I think that was around the 25th stage or something.) The devs had a workaround to let you basically skip levels, so I took advantage of that on any level that just wasn't fun or relaxing - and that accounted for quite a lot in the second half of the game. I think from level 30 onwards I probably only played 5 or 6, because the stupid gimmicks were stupid.

 

I mean, obviously they can be completed - and in some very short timescales, too - but it's not for me and with about 10 hours played, I got my worth out of it - but this counts as being completed by my own definition only then, and I'm fine with that.

 

I do not choo-choo-choose you, Train Valley 2/10

 

Previously completed:

Spoiler

1. 01/01/2022 - Final Fight: Streetwise (PS2)

2. 02/01/2022 - The Forgotten City (PC)

3. 05/01/2022 - Football, Tactics & Glory (PC)

4. 08/01/2022 - Alt Frequencies (PC)

5. 31/01/2022 - Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (Gamecube)

6. 05/03/2022 - Gogoroa (PC)

7. 21/03/2022 - Guardians of the Galaxy (PC)

8. 10/04/2022 - Assassin's Creed: Origins (PC)

9. 24/04/2022 - Mass Effect Andromeda (PC)

10. 25/04/2022 - Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel (X360)

11. 03/05/2022 - The Division (PC)

12. 11/05/2022 - World War Z: Aftermath (PC)

13. 18/05/2022 - Young Souls (PC)

14. 22/05/2022 - Bright Memory Infinite (PC)

15. 25/05/2022 - Vampire Saviours (PC)

16. 03/02/2022 - Watchdogs (PC)

17. 11/06/2022 - Ninja Gaiden 3 (PC)

18. 25/06/2022 - Tomb Raider (PC)

19. 27/07/2022 - Diablo 3 (XSS)

20. 07/09/2022 - As Dusk Falls (XSS)

21. 15/09/2022 - Far Cry 5 (PC)

22. 16/09/2022 - Shadow Warriors (Amiga)

23. 19/09/2022 - Millennium 2.2 (Amiga)

24. 28/09/2022 - Rings of Medusa (Amiga)

25. 04/10/2022 - My Life as an Archaeologist (PC)

26. 08/10/2022 - Urban Reign (PS2)

27. 08/10/2022 - Crossfire X: Operation Catalyst (XSS)

28. 17/10/2022 - Rune II: Decapitation Edition (PC)

29. 23/10/2022 - Rygar: The Legendary Adventure (PC)

30. 30/10/2022 - Despot's Game (PC)

 

[Gambit]

06/11 - Bayonetta 3

 

I have more thoughts in the dedicated thread, but in short. One of the most disappointing games in recent years. Maybe since the Halo 2 campaign? It's certainly a massive step down from Bayo 1 and 2. Awful plot, the new mechanics are bad, and it just felt messy. When you're left to just play as Bayonetta and do cool stuff it's okay, but those moments are few and far between.

 

A generous 5/10.

 

Spoiler

January

05/01 - Starfox 64

14/01 - Resident Evil 3

15/01 - Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

30/01 - Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

 

February

06/02 - Hades

 

April

03/04 - Lost Judgment: The Kaito Files

10/04 - Knights of the Old Republic

25/04 - Horizon: Forbidden West

 

May

15/05 - The Nonary Games

26/05 - Star Wars Squadrons

 

June

05/06 - Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

15/06 - Kirby 64

17/06 - The Quarry

 

July

17/07 - Zero Time Dilemma

23/07 - Hotel Dusk: Room 215

30/07 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge

 

August

10/08 - The Legend of Zelda

 

September

11/09 - Turtles Cowabunga Collection

16/09 - Stranglehold

18/09 - 007: Blood Stone

23/09 - Spec Ops: The Line

 

October

01/10 - Mortal Kombat 11 (Story Modes)

08/10 - Zelda: Link Between Worlds

 

[RubberJohnny]

Genshin Impact: Sumeru - There may be more coming to the region, but the expansion story is complete, so it's review time. Genshin is, like it or not, proving that GAAS can be superior to non-service games, even singleplayer ones.

 

 

 

This is 70 hours of free singleplayer content, with the best exploration in any open-world game out there. If we imagine a counterfactual world where this was launched as a box product, some impossibly massive billion-dollar-decade-in-the-making singleplayer RPG with all the kingdoms on Day 1, it still would only be as good as that 2020 base game in quality. Whereas what they've delivered now is just beyond that - the most varied kingdom they've done, new gameplay mechanics, more cutscenes and production value, you can feel the money they've been given feeding back into the product and making it better.

 

It's kind of absurd, it almost seems an unassailable position, how can any competitor compete when they don't start with this income, and don't have the years of experience of shipping patches every six weeks and refining future content based on feedback from them? They can maybe compete with 2020 base game Genshin, but not 2022 Genshin, let alone 202X Genshin, which is what they'd be competing with when they launch.

 

Spoiler

There are a few nitpicks: the verbosity is getting worse, I didn't mind that the game took it's time with dialogue, especially when it was rich with foreshadowing and second meanings, but several years in, it is dragging a bit. An example, at the start of the Sumeru quest the game indicates "you should talk to that NPC over there", how many lines of dialogue do you think this takes? Because 11 is too many.

 

Also, yeah, they really need a map for the underground/interiors, when underground spaces were single-level it was fine not having one, but those desert ruins with multiple stacked floors are a bit of a mare.

 

Anyway, if you haven't played since release, it's worth giving it a go on your PS5, they even added the support for the taptic feedback recently.

[Gabe]

33. 06/11/2022 - The Bouncer (PS2)

 

The Bouncer has been much-derided over the years, with criticisms of the short length, the lack of depth and how everybody got sucked-in by the hype at the time. It was all style-over-substance, but I think that's unfair - because it sure as hell doesn't have either.

 

It's more anime crap interspersed with some interactive fighting crap and is truly awful in every way. It's laughably short, but I don't actually view that as a negative, because the idea is to replay it with each character to unlock all 6 endings - so getting through it in about an hour and a half per run isn't a problem. Plus, there are some other modes, including some multiplayer, to extend that longevity.

 

No, the problem are that every single aspect of it is trash. The pacing is horrible, with you watching stilted, badly-voiced and acted cutscenes that sometimes are much longer than the short battle scene you 'play'. One the highlights of the script was the line "I'm a Bouncer^tm and I'm used to putting my life on the line!" 

 

The fighting system is incredibly basic, controls horribly and marred by awkward camera angles, cheating AI (they can hit you whilst you are on the ground, but you do not get this ability) and the fact the game has a sort of auto-targeting, so you will be stuck punching or kicking thin air because it hasn't faced you the right way. There's padding even within the short runtime too, with a few scenes where you just run through an empty room that has no interactivity associated with it. There's no real skill involved, in part because of the clunky controls, but also because whilst you notionally have low, body and high attacks, it doesn't really make much difference and you'll just button mash you way through it.

 

The only thing I can't really comment on, which it got a lot of attention for I think at the time, was the graphics. Apparently they were really good for the time, and I don't really know if that is the case or not. Not that it matters, because the game is pure crap. But, y'know, any little positive should be taken.

 

Crap, crap, crap.

 

Previously completed:

Spoiler

1. 01/01/2022 - Final Fight: Streetwise (PS2)

2. 02/01/2022 - The Forgotten City (PC)

3. 05/01/2022 - Football, Tactics & Glory (PC)

4. 08/01/2022 - Alt Frequencies (PC)

5. 31/01/2022 - Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (Gamecube)

6. 05/03/2022 - Gogoroa (PC)

7. 21/03/2022 - Guardians of the Galaxy (PC)

8. 10/04/2022 - Assassin's Creed: Origins (PC)

9. 24/04/2022 - Mass Effect Andromeda (PC)

10. 25/04/2022 - Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel (X360)

11. 03/05/2022 - The Division (PC)

12. 11/05/2022 - World War Z: Aftermath (PC)

13. 18/05/2022 - Young Souls (PC)

14. 22/05/2022 - Bright Memory Infinite (PC)

15. 25/05/2022 - Vampire Saviours (PC)

16. 03/02/2022 - Watchdogs (PC)

17. 11/06/2022 - Ninja Gaiden 3 (PC)

18. 25/06/2022 - Tomb Raider (PC)

19. 27/07/2022 - Diablo 3 (XSS)

20. 07/09/2022 - As Dusk Falls (XSS)

21. 15/09/2022 - Far Cry 5 (PC)

22. 16/09/2022 - Shadow Warriors (Amiga)

23. 19/09/2022 - Millennium 2.2 (Amiga)

24. 28/09/2022 - Rings of Medusa (Amiga)

25. 04/10/2022 - My Life as an Archaeologist (PC)

26. 08/10/2022 - Urban Reign (PS2)

27. 08/10/2022 - Crossfire X: Operation Catalyst (XSS)

28. 17/10/2022 - Rune II: Decapitation Edition (PC)

29. 23/10/2022 - Rygar: The Legendary Adventure (PC)

30. 30/10/2022 - Despot's Game (PC)

31. 30/10/2022 - Trek to Yomi (PC)

32. 04/11/2022 - Train Valley 2 (PC)

 

[Unofficial Who]

Nov

 

21/11 Stray (PS5) This really hits above it's weight as a small game visually. Set in a closed off city populated by cleaning robots that have developed intelligence you are press ganged into service to help re-open the city. Also you are a cat. You move like a cat and can do cat things like scratch things, jump around and get under foot. It has some light arcade adventure elements, some stealth segments and rather surprisingly some chase segments where the cat can get harmed. This latter part surprised me, especially as there is no way to turn these sections off or down and they proved to be a blocker for my partner and I suspect would for many others. I think a Soma style "remove the baddies" patch would open the game to more players. It looks amazing, they've really got the look, movement and sound of the cat down. The locked down post human city is also very well realised.

 

It doesn't overstay it's welcome either, you can reach the end point in about six hours. Worth playing if you're a cat lover although at the same time you might have some issues with potential cat death if you play poorly.

 

 

20/11 Miss Fisher and the Deathly Maze (PC) I played through episode 1 back in 2018 of this visual novel / hidden object game when I was a tad sick with the flu and finding myself in a similar situation today felt like it was the perfect time to run through episode 2. It's very niche, a light visual novel based on the Kerry Greenwood books and TV series with static backdrops and paperdoll representations of the actors from the show and the use of the jazz age soundtrack. Not many computer games are set in 1920's Melbourne (ep1) and Broome in Western Australia around the same time period. Episode 2 is the really interesting one covering aspects of Australian history that aren't often covered such as exploitation of indigenous and pacific islanders in the pearling industry and segregation in rural townships.

 

It's a shame that this didn't garner enough interest to fund episode 3 so I won't be able to see the end of the overarching story arc but the two episodes are self contained enough to be satisfying.

 

 

 

14/11 The Train:Escape to Normandy (C64) Now this was a real surprise. A game set in WW2 where you and another French resistance fighter hijack a train full of stolen art from under the noses of the Nazi's this plays a bit like Ace of Aces, a little like Beach Head and a bit like FAR:Lone Sails in that the central part of the game involves starting a train and then keeping it going (and stopping at various stations.) Despite the age of this game it feels ahead of it's time in how the controls work and how it never takes you out of the game (apart from loading screens.) Well worth a look in despite the age of it, I completed it after several attempts on Easy and can see myself going back again soon to attempt harder runs.

 

 

10/11 Guardians of the Galaxy (2021) (PS5) After a rather average Telltale game (so average you can't buy it anymore) and a below average Avengers game from Square Enix this was a pleasant surprise. It feels like the movies. It has a script that's better than Guardians of the Galaxy 2. The fighting system takes a bit to get used to, on the surface it looks like a brawler shooter but mechanically it's a light team based RPG with action elements. I really enjoyed my time with this. So why did it take me almost a year of playing on and off to get through it?

 

The main reason was that the game is too good at capturing the dynamic of GOTG.

 

You know what's fun? Seeing a dysfunctional team shouting at each other and being imperfect unlike a lot of super heros. It doesn't get old having Rocket Racoon shouting at Chris Pratt. What does get old really quickly though is having an imperfect team including (and especially) a passive aggressive racoon shouting at you. It's incredibly exhausting and made the game a bit of a slog.

 

When it works though it shines. The wise cracks are well timed, the art design is fantastic and it's a lot of fun.

 

In small doses.

 

 

10/11 868-HACK (PC) Well I'm counting it as completed now that I've done enough successful runs to have unlocked all the tools. A simple but devious puzzle game. You are a hacker. Your hack takes place on a 6x6 grid. All you need do is make for the exit on all eight floors to make a complete run. Programs will block you and try to remove you. You can scan move or shoot in one of four directions. Downloaded programs can help. It's a simple setup with complicated outcomes. And many runs will end because of greed. This game is very big about letting you dig your own hole. One of the best puzzle games ever.

 

 

10/11 Football Game (PC) Not a football game but a weird short adventure game by the people who made The Terrible Old Man. It has the same hallmarks, somewhat purposely ugly pixel graphics and a sense of unease. You play as Tommy, all American sweetheart and football star in your 80's high school team. Your goal? Get to the game and find your girl. But something is wrong. Everything seems wrong. Moody with a couple of stumpers puzzle wise (and I managed to sequence break part of it cutting out one of the scenes in my first playthrough.) Fair price too at less than the price of a cup of coffee.

 

 

07/11 Mafia:Definitive Edition (PS4) 20 years ago some of my friends told me how good Mafia was on the PC but I didn't have a PC up to the task. I did try the PS2 version and...the less said about that the better. I tried years later to run Mafia on modern PCs but it's not really a game that plays nice with modern PCs. So I gave up on it while enjoying Mafia 2 and loving Mafia 3. (I feel like I'm in the minority there.) Then a remake was announced for the PS4, a complete remake and by Hanger 13 and I was interested. But then the pandemic happened and I forgot all about it. Still it was recently available for a short time on the new PS sub so I thought I should give it a shot. And it's great. It doesn't feel that open for an open world game (although there is a free ride mode that let's you explore the entire map.) It feels very much like a Sunday afternoon game in much the same way as Cinemaware games or some Ocean games would pass a Sunday afternoon or two with a little bit of plot and then a little bit of action. And it looks stunning. Apart from the occasional glitch it's one of the best looking games on the PS4. While the plot is trope heavy the acting is great and the facial animation sells some of the scenes with facial ticks or expressions communicating pretty effectively what would usually take a lot of exposition. I wouldn't call it short compared to many of the games I've played this year but if you start now you might get the campaign finished before it leaves the sub.

 

 

07/11 The Darkside Detective:A Fumble in the Dark (PC) But hang on...didn't I complete this back in April? I did apart from the last case which hadn't been released. But last month the last case dropped and it's actually three mini cases where you play side characters as part of a horror anthology. It's very silly even if it's pretty easy. Does this count as another completion? Nah. But it might be worth noting just to promote this very silly game more.

 

 

Earlier this year

 

Spoiler

86. 29/10 Astro's Playroom (PS5)

85. 29/10 Frog Detective 3: Corruption at Cowboy County (PC)

84. 29/10 Frog Detective 2: The Case of the Invisible Wizard (PC)

83. 28/10 Frog Detective 1:the Haunted Island (PC) 

82. 27/10 Toem (and Basto DLC) (PS5)

81. 25/10 Universal Paperclips (PC)
-- 23/10 Vampire Survivors (PC) (Again. Sort of.)
80. 16/10 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:Turtles in Time (PC/Arcade)

79. 16/10 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (PC/Arcade)

78. 16/10 The Terrible Old Man (PC)

77. 16/10 Submerged:Hidden Depths (PC)

76. 08/10 Franken (PC)

75. 07/10 Echo Generation (PC)

74. 02/10 Ghosts'n'Goblins (Arcade/PC)

73. 02/10 Life is Strange:True Colours (PC)

72. 28/09 Return to Monkey Island (PC) 

71. 18/09 Tinykin (PC)

70. 13/09 Flynn:Son of Crimson (PC)

69. 11/09 Winter Olympiad 88 (C64)

68. 08/09 Arcade Paradise (PC)

67. 21/08 I Am Dead (PS5) 

66. 20/08 Skate or Die! (C64)

65. 16/08 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)

64. 14/08 Eco Fighters (Arcade/PC)

63. 14/08 Grindstone (PC) 

62. 14/08 Borderlands 3 (and DLC) (PC)

61. 10/08 Knights of the Round (Arcade/PC)

60. 10/08 Block Block (Arcade/PC)

59. 06/08 Monument Valley 2 : Panoramic Edition (PC)

58. 06/08 Monument Valley: Panoramic Edition (PC)

57. 31/07 The King of Dragons (Arcade/PC)

56. 30/07 Son Son (Arcade/PS5)

55. 30/07 Don't Pull (Arcade/PC)

54. 30/07 Chariot: Adventure Through The Sky (Arcade/PC)

53. 30/07 Midnight Wanderers: Quest for the Chariot (Arcade/PC)

52. 29/07 Magic Sword (Arcade/PC) 

51. 29/07 LED Storm (Arcade/PC)

50. 29/07 Last Duel (Arcade/PC) 

49. 26/07 Raji:An Ancient Epic (PC)

48. 24/07 Tiger Road (PC/Arcade)

47. 24/07 Side Arms Hyper Dyne (PC/Arcade) 

46. 23/07 Gun.Smoke (PC/Arcade)

45. 23/07 Exed Exes (PC/Arcade) 

44. 10/07 Bangkok Knights (C64)

43. 02/07 Zero Wing (Megadrive/Switch)

42. 26/06 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (PC) 

41. 17/06 Psycho Soldier (Arcade/PC)

40. 16/06 Prehistoric Isle in 1930 (Arcade/PC)

39. 16/06 Street Smart (Arcade/PC)

38. 12/06 Midnight Scenes:The Nanny (PC)

37. 28/05 SUPERHOT (PC) 

36. 28/05 Tetris Effect:Connected (PC)

35. 22/05 Sea of Solitude (PC) 

34. 21/05 Scott Morrison Simulator (Browser) 

33. 16/05 Full Throttle:Remastered (PC)

32. 15/05 Unbeatable [White Label] (PC)

31. 14/05 Trek To Yomi (PC) 

30. 13/05 Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (PC)

29. 09/05 California Games (C64)

28.01/05 The Stanley Parable:Ultra Deluxe (PC)

27. 27/04 The Darkside Detective:A Fumble in the Dark (PC)

26. 23/04 Streets of Rage 4 (PC)

25. 17/04 Exo One (PC)

24. 16/04 A Memoir Blue (PC)

23. 08/04 Slay the Spire (PC)

22. 03/04 Tunic (PC) 

21. 02/04 Kingdom:Two Crowns (PC)

20. 26/03 Say No! More (PC)

19. 21/03 Wizball (C64)

18. 17/03 Battle Circuit (PC/Arcade)

17. 17/03 We Happy Few (PC)

16. 07/03 Powered Gear (PC/Arcade) 

15. 06/03 FAR:Changing Tides (PC)

14. 05/03 In Other Waters (PC)

13. 02/03 Aperture Desk Job (Steam Deck/PC) 

12. 27/02 Final Fantasy 14:A Realm Reborn:Seventh Astral Era (PC) 

11. 25/02 Vampire Survivors (PC) 

10. 18/02 Hypnospace Outlaw

9. 05/02 Final Fight (PC/Arcade)

8. 31/01 Dynasty Wars (Arcade/PC)

7. 31/01 Mega Twins (Arcade/PC) 

6, 29/01 Superhot:Mind Control Delete (PC) 

5. 16/01 The Forgotten City (PC)

4. 09/01 Mr Driller Drill Land (PC)

3. 07/01 Olija (PC)

2. 07/01 It's a Knockout! (C64) 

1. 02/01 Katamari Damacy REROLL (PC)

 

Abandoned games

15/10 Scorn (PC)

03/10 Sable (PC)

06/09 I Am Fish (PC)

28/08 Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4)

28/08 Spiritfarer (PC)

28/08 Signs of the Sojourner (PC)

03/07 Cris Tales (PC)

03/07 Atomicrops (PC)

13/05 The Wild at Heart (PC)

19/03 Narita Boy (PC)

04/01 YIIK: A Postmodern RPG (PC)

 

[CurryKitten]

9/11/2022 - Ori and the Will of the Wisps (XSX GP)

I played the first Ori not long ago, as I thought I'd check it out after Hollow Knight.  I enjoyed it enough to try this sequel (and had a little bit of time to kill before Plague Tale arrived on GP)

 

Initially I didn't like it too much, I felt they'd messed with the combat a bit too much, and I didn't like the idea of selecting particular shards and allocating them to buttons after I thought the original game did a great job of matching up buttons with abilities.  Once I got into it, there was lots of fun to be had.  As per usual there were the hard as nails "escape" sections which had me swearing at the TV and getting annoyed, and OMG the final battle really turned the room blue - I didn't think I would get through it, and to be honest it felt like I just got lucky.

 

Although once again a stunningly beautiful adventure, I still felt at the end of the day that the controls had been a bit fumbled.  Sometimes I have to grapple off a projectile and these just couldn't be relied on appearing at the right time, they also had the grapple and and almost identical option you could only do on certain things on LB/RB and I got those mixed up a lot.  It seemed unnecessary to separate them into different buttons IMO

[Gabe]

34. 09/11/2022 - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)

 

There are very few games that I replay, mainly because I prefer a new story, world, characters, skills etc. But there are a small handful - Shining Force 1 & 2, Mass Effect 1, 2 & 3 and now this. Although, technically, I shared playing this with my brother, so this is actually the first time I've played it all.

 

My overriding memory that has lived with me for more than 25 years was of a certain bit to do the flute, and in my head I had remembered it as being quite a poignant scene - certainly impactful enough to be the thing I always thought of. The only other thing I properly remembered was having to keep torches lit in the final battle. Anyway, I digress - when I got to the bit I remembered and it was over within seconds I was left with a real 'Huh?' It's sad that my main memory was barely a blip of the game and had no emotional impact at all. How sad.

 

'How sad' sums up my experience playing this now, in 2022, because I disliked my playthrough quite a bit, and I rather wish I'd left it to my memories. I've posted elsewhere about it, but my main issue was the utterly horrible controls. Collision detection is awful, general movement feels a bit floaty, having to aim with spells and arrows is a pain. Traversal in general is not aided by the 'map', which is more like an abstract concept than anything functional. The dungeons themselves offer a variety of ways of cheaply kill you but they are at least quite snappy - and that's probably the main bit in its favour, that none of the dungeons are too long, meaning it is easy to do a dungeon a day (as I had been doing the past few nights).

 

It is ultimately a big disappointment though. Whilst my replays of Shining Force I & II last year brought me a lot of joy, this has left me feeling rather deflated. It's the only Zelda game I've ever played (and only one of a handful of real SNES games I ever played when my brother owned the console), so it's a shame that playing it brought very little of that happy nostalgia back and instead just annoyed me with how it handled. Oh well, can't win them all.

 

Next time a princess needs rescuing, I'm going back to sleep/10

 

Previously completed:

Spoiler

1. 01/01/2022 - Final Fight: Streetwise (PS2)

2. 02/01/2022 - The Forgotten City (PC)

3. 05/01/2022 - Football, Tactics & Glory (PC)

4. 08/01/2022 - Alt Frequencies (PC)

5. 31/01/2022 - Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (Gamecube)

6. 05/03/2022 - Gogoroa (PC)

7. 21/03/2022 - Guardians of the Galaxy (PC)

8. 10/04/2022 - Assassin's Creed: Origins (PC)

9. 24/04/2022 - Mass Effect Andromeda (PC)

10. 25/04/2022 - Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel (X360)

11. 03/05/2022 - The Division (PC)

12. 11/05/2022 - World War Z: Aftermath (PC)

13. 18/05/2022 - Young Souls (PC)

14. 22/05/2022 - Bright Memory Infinite (PC)

15. 25/05/2022 - Vampire Saviours (PC)

16. 03/06/2022 - Watchdogs (PC)

17. 11/06/2022 - Ninja Gaiden 3 (PC)

18. 25/06/2022 - Tomb Raider (PC)

19. 27/07/2022 - Diablo 3 (XSS)

20. 07/09/2022 - As Dusk Falls (XSS)

21. 15/09/2022 - Far Cry 5 (PC)

22. 16/09/2022 - Shadow Warriors (Amiga)

23. 19/09/2022 - Millennium 2.2 (Amiga)

24. 28/09/2022 - Rings of Medusa (Amiga)

25. 04/10/2022 - My Life as an Archaeologist (PC)

26. 08/10/2022 - Urban Reign (PS2)

27. 08/10/2022 - Crossfire X: Operation Catalyst (XSS)

28. 17/10/2022 - Rune II: Decapitation Edition (PC)

29. 23/10/2022 - Rygar: The Legendary Adventure (PC)

30. 30/10/2022 - Despot's Game (PC)

31. 30/10/2022 - Trek to Yomi (PC)

32. 04/11/2022 - Train Valley 2 (PC)

33. 06/11/2022 - The Bouncer (PS2)

 

[strawdonkey]

On 03/11/2022 at 07:40, strawdonkey said:

2021/65a. Star Hunter DX (Space Cadet, 1CC, 19.3mil)

01. The Artful Escape

02. Rhythm Doctor

03. Monolith

04. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch.2 Watanagashi

05. Outer Wilds

06. OMORI

02a. Rhythm Doctor (all the bonus stuff and B+'d every stage)

07. Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel (all solo content clear)

08. Windjammers 2 (1CC)

09. Vampire Survivors

10. Ghost Blade HD (1CC Easy)

10a. Ghost Blade HD

07a. Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel

11. Exceed 2nd - Vampire Rex (uh, 3CC I guess)

12. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 3 Tatarigoroshi

13. Magic The Gathering: Arena (Mythic Rank, constructed)

14. Solitarica

15. Schildmaid MX (Jaeger Mode 1CC, 12.9mil)

16. ZeroRanger - White Vanilla Mode (719k, Type-C, C++)

17. Zenohell (Honestly it took like 20 credits)

18. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 4 Himatsubushi

16a. ZeroRanger - Green Orange Mode 1-ALL (354k, Type-C)

19. Backspace Bouken (and the Numb Lock DLC)

20. Exceed 3rd: Jade Penetrate Black Package (1CC, Easy, 5,388,190)

20a. Exceed 3rd: Jade Penetrate Black Package (1CC, Normal, 3mil and some change)

21. Rez Infinite (Area X)

22. Point Blank (1CC, Expert Mode)
23. Touhou 8 - Imperishable Night (1CC, New Moon, Reimu/Yukari)

23a. Touhou 8 - Imperishable Night (1CC, Waxing Crescent, Reimu/Yukari)

24. Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion

25. Graze Counter (many 1CCs)

26. Touhou 7 - Perfect Cherry Blossom (1CC, Easy, Reimu)

27. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 5 Meakashi

X1. Carrion

28. Deathsmiles (1CC, Normal, Rosa, 57mil)

29. One Step From Eden (Reva clear, all bosses spared)

30. Panzer Dragoon Remake

31. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 6 Tsumihoroboshi

32. Jamestown+ (Story completion and finished Gauntlet Mode)

X2. Death's Door

33. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 7 Minagoroshi

25a. Graze Counter - Expert mode (Type-7, 474mil)
34. Splatoon

35. Drainus (Normal 2-all 1CC)

36. Neko Navy ("Easy" 1CC, 918mil, Mugi)

37. Mario Golf: Super Rush

38. Wario Ware Gold

39. Milk Outside a Bag of Milk Outside a Bag of Milk ...

22a. Point Blank (1CC, Very Hard Mode)

40. Kirby's Adventure

41. Frog Fractions: Game of the Decade Edition

22b. Point Blank (no-miss, Beginner mode)
42. Bloons TD6
43. FTL (Easy Kestrel clear)

44. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 8 Matsuribayashi

45. Dicey Dungeons

46. Hexcells (100%)

47. Hexcells Plus

X3. Crosscells

28a. Deathsmiles Mega Black Label (1CC, Follett, 309mil)

48. Hexcells Infinite

49. SquareCells

50. Long Live The Queen

 

I've had this kicking around in Steam for years - up until recently I last played it in 2015 apparently, and it recently celebrated its tenth anniversary of launch and released on consoles too. It's a stat-building visual novel where you play as Elodie, the future queen of Nova who is waiting the 40-ish weeks until her coronation. Your input comes in two forms - deciding what Elodie is going to spend her time learning about, and making bigger decisions about what's going on in the country. And also, try to avoid the numerous attempts at assassination that head your way throughout the countdown to coronation.

 

There's multiple routes through the story depending on your choices, but also the most innocuous things can change the route you take drastically - learning about music allows you to see that the court musician who auditions for you is actually not amazing, and instead enlist her as a spy; but similarly there are some sections which are almost gated and require a slightly balanced education, such as the suspicious box of chocolates that arrives for you one day, which will be eaten unless you pass a skill check in one of about six categories. I definitely kept a lot of saves for this and would sometimes have to go back a couple of weeks and grind a particular stat to just be able to Not Die, but other than that it's fun to own the playthrough and all the terrible decisions you made.

 

Spoiler

At her coronation, Elodie was almost maxed out on handheld weaponry, arts and was skilled in espionage and athleticism. She was happily married after a couple of years to a neighbouring duke (after initially unknowingly accepting their proposal gift), reigned for many years to come and invited weapons specialists from around the world to exhibit and demonstrate as a result of her being a badass herself with hand-to-hand weapons.

 

During the playthrough she lost a war; suffered a prison break; didn't have enough food at the coronation so people literally got trampled to death; accepted and won a duel, killing a guy in cold blood... 

 

There's plenty of intrigue remaining - early on you're approached by someone who's invented movable type and without a very specific set of skills you tell them you're not interested; there's a treasury to sneak into, a war to win (or not lose) and a whole subplot about magic use which I'm really interested to see more of. Definitely embrace the save system - it gives you a load of pages of save files for a reason - becuase without it this can be a bit frustrating, even if it feels a little like cheating to see the future.

 

[edit] 50 games fucking hell

[Boothjan]

Spoiler

1. The Gunk - XSX Game Pass - 01/01/22 - 7.5/10

2. Gears 5 - XSX - 04/01/22 - 8/10

3. It Takes Two - XSX - 08/01/22 - 9/10

4. Forza Horizon 5 - XSX - 16/01/22 - 9/10

5. Halo Infinite - XSX Game Pass - 19/01/22 - 9/10

6. Doom Eternal - XSX Game Pass - 21/01/22 - 9/10

7. Ori and the Blind Forest - XSX Game Pass - 08/02/22 - 8.5/10

8. Assassins Creed Odyssey: The Fate of Atlantis - XSX - 15/02/22 - 9/10

9. Immortals: Fenyx Rising - XSX Game Pass - 07/10/22 - 8.5/10

10. Inside - XSX Game Pass - 16/10/22 - 8/10

 

11. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga - XSX - 08/11/22

 

This has taken me aaaaaaaages to get through, and I've not completed every system yet, it's an absolutely vast game.

 

The main thing I've taken from this is that it's not the drastic change of direction for a Lego game that was maybe suggested.  It looks fantastic, every location has been absolutely nailed, and there are so many of them.  Similarly, the character models are great, recognisable and there's a decent amount of variety in different character styles to help with the many, many puzzles.

 

The main levels are a bit of a mixed bag.  Where the OT levels seem longer, funnier and more fun to play through, I felt that the sequel and prequel trilogy story levels seemed a bit rushed in comparison.  There's a definite difference in quality which is a shame.

 

The real meat here though is found in open play, travelling to every corner of the galaxy, talking to NPCs, finding hard to reach kyber bricks etc, and it will eat HOURS of your time trying to find all the bricks, secrets, character tokens etc etc.  With so much Star Wars content, it's pretty comprehensive and sessions can last for hours!

 

One thing that has improved is the combat which I found much smoother and more interesting than the overly simple button mashing from previous Lego games.

 

There's such a ridiculous amount of things to do and find in the Skywalker Saga - it's a beautiful, funny and entertaining game that can keep you playing for months on end should you want to find everything.  

 

My main gripe with it though is that it's not really a huge upgrade on previous Lego games.  It still retains the charm and humour of the series, but without really offering any significant improvement on the overall experience, combat aside.   

 

With the Star Wars license and wonderful realisation of the galaxy far, far away made up of plastic blocks, it's a must play for anyone who loves Star Wars or Lego.  I love both so I had a lot of fun playing this, despite the familiarity of the experience.

 

7.5/10

[Sprite Machine]

Previously...

Spoiler

1.) Lego City Undercover - PC - 2017 (2013)
2.) What Remains of Edith Finch - PS4 - 2017
3.) Superliminal - PS4 - 2020 (2019)
4.) Untitled Goose Game - Switch - 2019
5.) One Finger Death Punch 2 - PC - 2019
6.) Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - PC - 2011 (2010)
7.) Vanquish - PC - 2017 (2010)

8.) Mass Effect (Legendary Edition) - PS4 - 2021 (2007)
9.) Telling Lies - PC - 2019
10.) Halo 5: Guardians - Xbox One - 2015
11.) Halo Infinite - Xbox Series - 2021
12.) Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition - PC - 2016 (2015)
13.) Alice: Madness Returns - PC - 2011
14.) The Forgotten City - Xbox Series - 2021
15.) Titanfall 2 - PC - 2016

16.) Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age - Switch - 2019 (2006)

17.) Sonic Origins: Economical Edition - PC - 1991/2020
18.) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Switch - 2017 (2014)
19.) Valiant Hearts: The Great War - Switch - 2018 (2014)
20.) Terranigma - SNES - 1996

21.) Batman: Arkham Origins - PC - 2013

22.) Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate - Deluxe Edition - PC - 2014 (2013)
23.) The Talos Principle - Switch - 2019 (2014)
24.) Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - PS4 - 2019
25.) Rock Band 4 - PS4 - 2015
26.) Mass Effect 2 (Legendary Edition) - PS4 - 2021 (2010)
27.) Sonic The Hedgehog (8-bit) - SMS/GG - 1991
28.) Superhot - PS4 - 2017 (2016)
29.) Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (8-bit) - GG - 1992
30.) Superhot VR - PS4 - 2017 (2016)
31.) Sonic Chaos - SMS/GG - 1993
32.) Binary Domain - PC - 2012

33.) Lego Jurassic World - PC - 2015

 

34.) Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble - GG - 1994

Completed as both Sonic and Tails (all Chaos Emeralds)

 

The fourth (and what should have been final) game in the 8-bit Sonic saga was only released on the Game Gear, and was known as Sonic & Tails 2 in Japan. This one is an improvement over previous entries, boasting nicer graphics, less slow-down, more variety and cool little set pieces and gimmicks. But it feels more sluggish, acceleration is stunted and the physics have changed slightly. Rolling off a platform now unrolls you, leading to sometimes falling onto enemies. However, you can now roll into a ball from a drop or from a spring launch (the latter is required to beat the first boss). You also only lose 30 rings when hit rather than all of them.

Designed for the Game Gear specifically, the screen size problem is not usually an issue here. The level design is denser, more intricate and feels closer to the 16-bit games. Speaking of which...

 

35.) Sonic Triple Trouble 16-bit - PC - 2022 (1994)

Completed the story mode as Sonic/Tails and again as Knuckles.

 

This is a fan-made remake of Triple Trouble in the style of a Megadrive game, currently PC only but Android and Mac versions are in the works. Principally developed by Noah Copeland, this remake reimagines the game as a sequel to Sonic 3 & Knuckles, setting it after those events while altering the story to explain the presence of Knuckles as a villain.

 

It's extremely well made in every regard (music, graphics, level design, zone transitions) and is easily the best Sonic fan game I've played, almost up there with Sonic Mania in terms of quality. Grab it before Sega issues a takedown! 

 

EDIT:

36.) Sonic Blast - GG - 1996

Not to be confused with Sonic 3D Blast, although it uses similar prerendered graphics that were all the rage in 1996, albeit with 2D gameplay. Imagine Donkey Kong Country if it was a terrible Sonic game, and on the Game Gear, and you're nearly there.

 

Sonic Blast has all the problems associated with the 8-bit titles but also lots of new ones too! The graphics are ugly and messy, the screen crush is awful, character movement is slow and clunky, and the level designs are incredibly basic.

 

I only finished it once, as Knuckles, without getting all the Chaos Emeralds (so skipped the extra final boss), as I have no desire to ever play it again. Awful.

 

Edited November 10, 2022 by Sprite Machine
Sonic Blast

[Gambit]

12/11 - Megaman: Maverick Hunter X (PSP)

 

Mega Man X is one of those games I try to get a playthrough done once a year because I love it so. Decided to mix things up this time though by digging out my old PSP and grabbing a copy of the X remake. I've played it before many years ago and find it to be a worthy remake, with some nice new additions and some unfortunate technical limitations. Unfortunately by making it look so pretty and filling the screen with enemies, it means the framerate grinds to a halt during some hectic sections. 

 

I do however like the remixed level designs and additions to the story, including a short anime prequel movie that I believe is also included in the X Collection on consoles. Shame that this has been one of those games that has never been set free from the PSP/Vita.

 

8/10

 

Spoiler

January

05/01 - Starfox 64

14/01 - Resident Evil 3

15/01 - Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

30/01 - Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

 

February

06/02 - Hades

 

April

03/04 - Lost Judgment: The Kaito Files

10/04 - Knights of the Old Republic

25/04 - Horizon: Forbidden West

 

May

15/05 - The Nonary Games

26/05 - Star Wars Squadrons

 

June

05/06 - Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

15/06 - Kirby 64

17/06 - The Quarry

 

July

17/07 - Zero Time Dilemma

23/07 - Hotel Dusk: Room 215

30/07 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge

 

August

10/08 - The Legend of Zelda

 

September

11/09 - Turtles Cowabunga Collection

16/09 - Stranglehold

18/09 - 007: Blood Stone

23/09 - Spec Ops: The Line

 

October

01/10 - Mortal Kombat 11 (Story Modes)

08/10 - Zelda: Link Between Worlds

 

November

06/11 - Bayonetta 3

 

[ImmaculateClump]

Gunvein - Intense 1cc

 

Spoiler

Nekotosakana - 1cc

Moon Dancer - Normal 1cc (no miss), Hard 1cc (no miss), Expert 1cc

Grand Cross: Renovation - 1cc

Operation STEEL - Normal 1cc, Hard 1cc

Vampire Survivors - Inlaid Library hyper, Mad Forest hyper, Green Acres hyper

Sophstar - 1cc and TLB, Arcade, Intermediate, original scoring, Reyka

Sol Cresta - 2-all, Normal (3-5)

Stainless Night - 1cc

Andro Dunos II - 1cc

Z-Warp - Hardcore 1cc

Galacticon - 1cc, Level 36 (loop 4)
Drainus - Normal 2-all, Arcade 2-all
Red-Hawk - 1cc

Tukiyono - 1cc (ending 1), 1cc (ending 2)

Love - Arcade

Spacewing War - Story mode 1cc

AISZplus - 1cc

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Arcade, normal 1cc (April)

Deathsmiles IIX - 1cc TLB

Like Dreamer - [Trial, Maniac 1cc] [Trial+, Expert 1cc] [Trial, Nightmare 1cc] [Speedrun, Expert 1cc] [All Trial, Nightmare 1cc] etc. Lost track now

Shooting Game KARI - Normal 1cc

Tanitani Wizard - Normal 1cc

Mushihimesama Futari Black Label - Maniac 1cc

Valhellio - Normal 1cc

Bullet Hell Monday - Normal 1cc

NeverAwake - All worlds, route A and B

Hazelnut Hex - Normal 1cc, Moderate 1cc

雷鸟Thunderbird - Normal 1cc, Hard 1cc

Dead End City - Normal 1cc, Hard 1cc

 

[James Lyon]

Some other games finished this year:

 

I Am Fish - If you can get past the deliberately awkward controls, it's a rather nice game. I loved the presentation, set throughout a quaint seaside town and surrounding countryside. That, the different abilties of each fish you control, and the variety of encounters helped with the enjoyment. Got all the achievements for completing the game apart from the ones to finish the whole game without dying and to use a harder control method. Both possible, but the game's frustrating enough as it is despite the charming graphics.

 

Myst - The old classic. Progenitor of the obtuse adventure game. This is the new updated version on the Unreal engine. Looks quite good if you've got some nostalgia for it, although being in 3D makes it a little worse as you spend time walking down long paths instead of quickly clicking through them. It's always been a bit poorly designed, overall, but it's nice to relive the wonder of playing it for the first time back in the days of Encarta and The 7th Guest. The random option in this doesn't do much apart from change the puzzle answers so you have to properly go through the game instead of finishing it in two minutes by knowing the fixed solution. Aside from that, an easy completion, even though I'd forgotten some of the nuances of the puzzles.

 

Signs of the Sojourner - A clever idea to have cards with different symbols represent your conversations as you travel through the country. You have to match symbols which change the further away from home you get, meaning you change as well as you come to learn new symbols and abandon old ones. At least until you loop around back home and have to adapt again to get back what you lost. In all, runs were relatively short, with various endings to find depending on routes taken or conversations succesfully had or not. Only trouble was that there was no new-game plus mode so new journeys had to be started right from the start, going through the slow tutorial and easy first loop which couldn't be skipped. It made getting the last few endings a bit of a slog, especially since there was a random element to it, but I got there eventually even if I resorted to a guide to optimise my run.

[Gabe]

35. 12/11/2022 - Golden Axed (PC)

 

I read a comment in the Steam discussion forum that Sega had apparently asked for a God of War clone, and this was what was turned in (I don't know whether the brief was to use Golden Axe as the template or not though). To the surprise of (almost) no-one, it was canned (I'm sure some/all of the dev team were a bit shocked) and left in the mists of time until it was polished up and released as part of Sega's 60th anniversary a couple of years ago.

 

It lasts for about 3 minutes (<Leslie Phillips.gif>) and...it's Golden Axe with a waxy sheen. I've already spent longer crafting this post than I did on the solitary slice of a level, so we'll leave it at. But I did complete it, so on the list it goes.

 

Previously completed:

Spoiler

1. 01/01/2022 - Final Fight: Streetwise (PS2)

2. 02/01/2022 - The Forgotten City (PC)

3. 05/01/2022 - Football, Tactics & Glory (PC)

4. 08/01/2022 - Alt Frequencies (PC)

5. 31/01/2022 - Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (Gamecube)

6. 05/03/2022 - Gogoroa (PC)

7. 21/03/2022 - Guardians of the Galaxy (PC)

8. 10/04/2022 - Assassin's Creed: Origins (PC)

9. 24/04/2022 - Mass Effect Andromeda (PC)

10. 25/04/2022 - Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel (X360)

11. 03/05/2022 - The Division (PC)

12. 11/05/2022 - World War Z: Aftermath (PC)

13. 18/05/2022 - Young Souls (PC)

14. 22/05/2022 - Bright Memory Infinite (PC)

15. 25/05/2022 - Vampire Saviours (PC)

16. 03/06/2022 - Watchdogs (PC)

17. 11/06/2022 - Ninja Gaiden 3 (PC)

18. 25/06/2022 - Tomb Raider (PC)

19. 27/07/2022 - Diablo 3 (XSS)

20. 07/09/2022 - As Dusk Falls (XSS)

21. 15/09/2022 - Far Cry 5 (PC)

22. 16/09/2022 - Shadow Warriors (Amiga)

23. 19/09/2022 - Millennium 2.2 (Amiga)

24. 28/09/2022 - Rings of Medusa (Amiga)

25. 04/10/2022 - My Life as an Archaeologist (PC)

26. 08/10/2022 - Urban Reign (PS2)

27. 08/10/2022 - Crossfire X: Operation Catalyst (XSS)

28. 17/10/2022 - Rune II: Decapitation Edition (PC)

29. 23/10/2022 - Rygar: The Legendary Adventure (PC)

30. 30/10/2022 - Despot's Game (PC)

31. 30/10/2022 - Trek to Yomi (PC)

32. 04/11/2022 - Train Valley 2 (PC)

33. 06/11/2022 - The Bouncer (PS2)

34. 09/11/2022 - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)

 

[Popo]

Attack of the Friday Monsters (2013)

I’m not a big visual novel guy, but this game had just enough interactive elements to make it enjoyable. Set in rural Setagaya of the 70s, the player takes the role of Sōta, a grade schooler who has recently moved with his family. Every Friday, giant monsters appear in the town and do battle - by walking through town Sōta and his friends try to unravel the mystery of the monsters and help out the locals along the way. The different stories and events intermingle in a non-linear way, which helps to break up what could otherwise be a predictably linear path through a simple story. 
 

There’s a card game that I muddled through without understanding, but what’s most enjoyable is the gentle tone and atmosphere of being 8 years old and on an adventure where reality mixes with imagination; where the hum of cicadas and the chirp of the railway crossing hang in the air; and where giant kaiju battle each other every week! It’s dripping with nostalgia in a way that has you pining for a childhood you never had. 

 

Spoiler

06/01/2022 - Halo Infinite

09/01/2022 - Hyper Light Drifter

05/02/2022 - Ori and the Will of the Wisps

13/02/2022 - Guardians of the Galaxy

20/02/2022 - It Takes Two

20/03/2022 - Super Mario 3D Land

20/03/2022 - Panzer Dragoon: Remake

21/03/2022 - Psychonauts 2

18/04/2022 - The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

08/05/2022 - New Super Mario Bros 2

19/05/2022 - Resident Evil 4 HD

25/05/2022 - Tunic

16/06/2022 - Kirby and the Forgotten Land

16:06/2022 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

09/07/2022 - Luigi’s Mansion 2

16/07/2022 - Journey

19/07/2022 - Tomb Raider

03/08/2022 - The Last of Us Part 2

05/08/2022 - Metroid: Samus Returns

08/08/2022 - The Gunk

12/08/2022 - Tomb Raider Underworld

15/08/2022 - Super Metroid

04/09/2022 - Final fantasy VII Remake: INTERmission

13/09/2022 - Sable

11/10/2022 - Far: Lone Sails

16/10/2022 - Immortality

21/10/2022 - A Plague Tale: Innocence

28/10/2022 - Far: Changing Tides

29/10/2022 - The Mummy Demastered

01/11/2022 - Hardspace Shipbreaker

02/11/2022 - Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle: Donkey Kong Adventure

15/11/2022 - Attack of the Friday Monsters

 

[Vorgot]

Been a shocking year for me finishing games, but boxed one off this morning.

 

Murder by Numbers (Switch)

 

Great combo of Picross and murder mystery from a small developer with a strong 80's setting. Had a lot of fun with this. One of the 4 cases has some missable puzzles which keep some bonus puzzles locked if you miss them. Fair play to the devs though, they held their hands up and said they made a mistake, they will learn from it in the future as it would have been a big change to fix it. Highly recommended for those who like Picross.

 

Earlier in the year....

 

The Turing Test (Switch)

 

Decent first person puzzle game with an interesting premise. Gave me some Portal vibes but is different enough to be good in its own right. Some tricky bits, but not impossible puzzles.

 

Now I need to crack on with some more.....

[joemul]

Guardians of the Galaxy (PS5) - the story is surprisingly brilliant and the acting/script is also superb. In fact, i'd prefer this as a CGI movie/series. This leads me to the gameplay, which is pretty bad. None of it is good - plodding through memories, walking through predetermined paths, and dull, repetitie combat. It also seemed that in some fights you just had to wait for something to happen (e.g. for a shield to come down) before you cold do any meaningful damage.

 

It's the only game where ive whacked difficulty down to the easiest setting and increased damage to full, just to get through the game.

 

Plot/presentation/script - 9.5/10

Gameplay - 2/10

[CurryKitten]

16/11/2022 - Return to Monkey Island (XSX GP)

I had high hopes for this and was initially a bit disappointed as I found the start very slow to connect with.  As we got going though I was having lots of fun - it struck me as a decent console interface for an slight-brought-up-to-date adventure game.  I felt it did give a few too many nods self-awaeness as game characters.  Once or twice is fun, but they laboured the point a little.

 

The ending was the downside to me, I won't spoil it here, but I thought it stank and was ver underwhelming.  I understand a little more reading the item you get added to your scrap book post credit, but it still sucked.  That aside, it's a nice little game and pretty short so well worth a playthrough for anyone on Gamepass

[strawdonkey]

On 10/11/2022 at 10:15, strawdonkey said:

2021/65a. Star Hunter DX (Space Cadet, 1CC, 19.3mil)

01. The Artful Escape

02. Rhythm Doctor

03. Monolith

04. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch.2 Watanagashi

05. Outer Wilds

06. OMORI

02a. Rhythm Doctor (all the bonus stuff and B+'d every stage)

07. Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel (all solo content clear)

08. Windjammers 2 (1CC)

09. Vampire Survivors

10. Ghost Blade HD (1CC Easy)

10a. Ghost Blade HD

07a. Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel

11. Exceed 2nd - Vampire Rex (uh, 3CC I guess)

12. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 3 Tatarigoroshi

13. Magic The Gathering: Arena (Mythic Rank, constructed)

14. Solitarica

15. Schildmaid MX (Jaeger Mode 1CC, 12.9mil)

16. ZeroRanger - White Vanilla Mode (719k, Type-C, C++)

17. Zenohell (Honestly it took like 20 credits)

18. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 4 Himatsubushi

16a. ZeroRanger - Green Orange Mode 1-ALL (354k, Type-C)

19. Backspace Bouken (and the Numb Lock DLC)

20. Exceed 3rd: Jade Penetrate Black Package (1CC, Easy, 5,388,190)

20a. Exceed 3rd: Jade Penetrate Black Package (1CC, Normal, 3mil and some change)

21. Rez Infinite (Area X)

22. Point Blank (1CC, Expert Mode)
23. Touhou 8 - Imperishable Night (1CC, New Moon, Reimu/Yukari)

23a. Touhou 8 - Imperishable Night (1CC, Waxing Crescent, Reimu/Yukari)

24. Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion

25. Graze Counter (many 1CCs)

26. Touhou 7 - Perfect Cherry Blossom (1CC, Easy, Reimu)

27. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 5 Meakashi

X1. Carrion

28. Deathsmiles (1CC, Normal, Rosa, 57mil)

29. One Step From Eden (Reva clear, all bosses spared)

30. Panzer Dragoon Remake

31. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 6 Tsumihoroboshi

32. Jamestown+ (Story completion and finished Gauntlet Mode)

X2. Death's Door

33. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 7 Minagoroshi

25a. Graze Counter - Expert mode (Type-7, 474mil)
34. Splatoon

35. Drainus (Normal 2-all 1CC)

36. Neko Navy ("Easy" 1CC, 918mil, Mugi)

37. Mario Golf: Super Rush

38. Wario Ware Gold

39. Milk Outside a Bag of Milk Outside a Bag of Milk ...

22a. Point Blank (1CC, Very Hard Mode)

40. Kirby's Adventure

41. Frog Fractions: Game of the Decade Edition

22b. Point Blank (no-miss, Beginner mode)
42. Bloons TD6
43. FTL (Easy Kestrel clear)

44. Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 8 Matsuribayashi

45. Dicey Dungeons

46. Hexcells (100%)

47. Hexcells Plus

X3. Crosscells

28a. Deathsmiles Mega Black Label (1CC, Follett, 309mil)

48. Hexcells Infinite

49. SquareCells

50. Long Live The Queen

I did another Long Live The Queen run. Gained magic powers early, maxed out on those and regular combat, and spent the rest of the game just trying to avoid death whilst turning dissenters into a smoking pair of shoes. Won the war by destroying much of the opposing fleet with magic only to awaken a kraken which would require magically sealing for the next twenty years or some shit. I don't think there is a truly happy ending, but there is some satisfaction in seeing how your bright ideas play out.

 

Will likely consume a bunch more of this via other people's YouTube playthroughs, but the journey to, and the completion of, those two successful runs has been glorious and stupid.

 

51. Neon White (bad end, all Ace times)

 

Neon White is an FPS/Visual Novel/Platformer hybrid that requires you to do a little bit of shooting and a lot of zipping around levels as fast as possible. There is some story stuff about killing demons in heaven which is kind of fine but really this is all about the mechanical side of things - an FPS where platforming and traversal is not only integral to your progression, but actually feels really good.

 

There's two main steps to Neon White - finishing the level without dying, and then finishing the level without dying under a set time so that you can progress - you need to finish about half the levels under the gold time to be able to progress to the next set of levels, and there is also the ace time above that (which grants you access to the online leaderboards, which are buggy as hell on Switch as they flat out don't work if you ever resume from sleep mode) if you are so inclined. And then there's staff times which are extremely fast. I have one, and whilst I have plenty of times that are way under the Ace threshold, having seen how tight those are I'm not inclined to get any others.

 

The mechanics work in an interesting way - you pick up guns throughout the level which appear as little playing cards. They're easy to identify - the yellow one is a handgun, the red one is a shotgun, etc. They have a limited supply of ammo and behave much as you'd expect, but also have an alternate use - you can discard the weapon to do some traversal-based ability which is generally essential to getting around the level. Discarding a handgun lets you do an extra jump, even in the air; discarding a shotgun fires you off in the direction you're currently looking; other highlights include the rocket launcher which not only lets you rocket jump wtih the regular shot but also has a grappling hook as its alternative use, and the purple machinegun, which fires a bomb which can be used for destruction, a rocket-jump style jump, or in the best cases, both at the same time.

 

And then to win a level? Kill all the demons (who are static and in the same place each time) and get to the end of the level ASAP. It's simple and brilliant and addictive and I've loved every minute of it thus far. The bad end is because there are hidden presents in most levels, which unlock more dialogue between the characters and also bonus levels, which are usually an exploration of a specific weapon type and are super satisfying. Once you've got most/all of those, then you can get the good end. The downside is, some of the presents are hidden in really annoying places and it is a bit souring having to spend ages hunting around and falling to your death a lot until you spot it. Figuring out how to get to them once you know where they are is usually a lot of fun though.

 

The Visual Novel stuff is not especially groundbreaking, though there isn't a lot of it. I've heard a few people bemoan the amount of text, but as someone who played eight Higurashi When They Cry games in the last 12 months, this is very lightweight by comparison - but you can skip it and won't be missing out on much. Absolute banger of a game in general.

[skondo]

Little Orpheus Series X.

 

What an irritating ‘push right to complete’ little game. I’ve really enjoyed some of the Chinese Room’s previous games with magnificent soundtracks by Jessica Curry, however I hated this.

 

A dull story driven platformer(sort of) with uninteresting gameplay. Lead character is crying out for a punch in the face.

 

One level has a poorly judged time mechanic and randomly, the last level changes to a different type of game entirely, but this is very poorly implemented.

 

1 out of 5. In the words of Paddy Considine, ‘It’s beyond words mate’.

[Sprite Machine]

 Previously...

Spoiler

1.) Lego City Undercover - PC - 2017 (2013)
2.) What Remains of Edith Finch - PS4 - 2017
3.) Superliminal - PS4 - 2020 (2019)
4.) Untitled Goose Game - Switch - 2019
5.) One Finger Death Punch 2 - PC - 2019
6.) Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - PC - 2011 (2010)
7.) Vanquish - PC - 2017 (2010)

8.) Mass Effect (Legendary Edition) - PS4 - 2021 (2007)
9.) Telling Lies - PC - 2019
10.) Halo 5: Guardians - Xbox One - 2015
11.) Halo Infinite - Xbox Series - 2021
12.) Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition - PC - 2016 (2015)
13.) Alice: Madness Returns - PC - 2011
14.) The Forgotten City - Xbox Series - 2021
15.) Titanfall 2 - PC - 2016

16.) Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age - Switch - 2019 (2006)

17.) Sonic Origins: Economical Edition - PC - 1991/2020
18.) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Switch - 2017 (2014)
19.) Valiant Hearts: The Great War - Switch - 2018 (2014)
20.) Terranigma - SNES - 1996

21.) Batman: Arkham Origins - PC - 2013

22.) Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate - Deluxe Edition - PC - 2014 (2013)
23.) The Talos Principle - Switch - 2019 (2014)
24.) Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - PS4 - 2019
25.) Rock Band 4 - PS4 - 2015
26.) Mass Effect 2 (Legendary Edition) - PS4 - 2021 (2010)
27.) Sonic The Hedgehog (8-bit) - SMS/GG - 1991
28.) Superhot - PS4 - 2017 (2016)
29.) Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (8-bit) - GG - 1992
30.) Superhot VR - PS4 - 2017 (2016)
31.) Sonic Chaos - SMS/GG - 1993
32.) Binary Domain - PC - 2012

33.) Lego Jurassic World - PC - 2015

34.) Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble - GG - 1994
35.) Sonic Triple Trouble 16-bit - PC - 2022 (1994)
36.) Sonic Blast - GG - 1996

37.) Mass Effect 3 (Legendary Edition) - PS4 - 2021 (2012)

That credits music, man.

Completed on normal difficulty (paragon female adept - 'destroy' ending). Approximately 40 hours playtime, according to the in-game clock. About the same length as Mass Effect 2, and nearly twice as long as Mass Effect 1.

 

Well over a hundred hours spent playing through the three games again, my third time to date... and I'm still left feeling sad that it's over. Whatever problems I may have with the ending (and there are many, even with the extended 'fixes'), I can't deny that I've enjoyed the hell out of this series once again, being part of this universe, with its big sci-fi ideas infused with smaller drama and touching character moments.

 

This was the first time I played the two final DLCs, 'Omega' and 'Citadel' (I never bothered to buy them originally; Bioware Points were a pain in the arse and I'd moved on). While the former was a bit boring, the latter was superb. A celebration of the characters at the heart of this game, some really funny moments and well-written scenes, with a ridiculously schlocky villain to match the lighter tone. A worthwhile diversion from the galaxy at war.

 

I'll probably come back to this series yet again, one final time maybe? I got the Legendary Edition again for free on Origin (after I'd already started on PS4) so maybe when I get a decent PC and another hundred hours of free time, I'll start another playthrough. Not for a while, though. For now, I need to let it all sink in.

[cassidy]

Previously

 

Spoiler

06/01/22

1. Yakuza 3 remastered

 

26/01/22

2. Yakuza 4 remastered 

 

27/01/22

3. Nobody saves the world 

 

16/02/22

4. Infernax 

 

17/02/22

5. Dreamscaper 

 

17/03/2022

6. Young Souls 

 

06/04/2022

7. A Memoir Blue 

 

22/04/2022

8. Elden Ring 

 

27/04/2022

9. Turnip Boy commits tax evasion. 

10. Gigawing - Capcom arcade stadium version

 

 

30/04/2022

11. Battle Circuit - Capcom arcade stadium version

 

01/05/2022

12. Life is Strange - True Colours

 

19/05/2022

13. Eiyuden Chronicles : Rising

 

20/06/2022

14.TMNT : Shredders revenge

 

23/06/2022

15.Disc room 

 

14/07/2022

16. House Flipper

 

29/07/2022

17. Powerwash Sim

 

05/08/2022

18. As dusk falls

 

11/09/2022

19. Tinykin

 

 21/09/2022

20. Food truck tycoon

21. Arcade paradise

 

29/09/2022

22. Beacon pines

 

01/10/2022

23.Cult of the lamb 

 

04/10/2022

24.Tales of Arise 

And no 25 of the year is. 

 

Gotham Knights (Series X) 

 

Thoroughly enjoyed this. Great main story and loved playing the whole game as Nightwing. 

 

[womblingfree]

I finished Doom Eternal this year.

 

And that game you have to walk around a house opening up clues and stories about your family. Edith Finch I think? Loved that.

 

Got stuck on the last boss of Halo Infinite but will try and squeak that in before New Year.

[Gabe]

36. 19/11/2022 - Dungeons & Dragons Daggerdale (PS3)

 

I'm not really a fan of D&D in games because I don't think the ruleset makes for a good experience. Things like THACO, having very limited usage of spells between each rest, pretty boring archetypes etc. That's been especially true for the few ARPGs we've seen under the banner, but I am a sucker for the genre and this was a fairly short experience so I figured I'd give it a go.

 

It does keep most of the things I don't like, except skills/spells were on a cooldown rather than limited, so that was good. In terms of how it plays, well it's exactly as you would expect and, in truth, there's nothing remarkable or interesting about and so I don't have much to say, other than it's a weird game in a number of ways. The only one I'll mention is around difficulty - this game is really tough in the first few missions (to the point I nearly gave up after retrying to same mission about 4 times) because your damage output is poor and you have limited damage mitigation, meaning enemies hit pretty hard. Once you get beyond that initial spike though it becomes very, very easy unless you don't happen to notice your health and are a fraction late with chugging a potion. It's then a case of traversing the bland environments, killing the bland enemies until you get to the bland end.

 

I didn't hate it - like I say, I'm totally a sucker for the genre - but it was just so very beige (both literally and figuratively).

 

37. 19/11/2022 - Crackdown 3 (XSS)

 

This was a bit more fun, but not as good as the first game. This felt less a city, more some disparate areas thrown together and as such, was nowhere near as fun to traverse, with too many polluted lakes, poor use of the verticality and controls which were far too loose to deal with the precision-platforming the game often demanded of you.

 

The orb-hunting -> boss killing -> area liberating loop was fun enough, but everything felt lacking when measured against the class of the first game. And nothing came even remotely close to the thrill and rush of climbing - then jumping from - the Agency Tower. Indeed, in most respects this feels more like a DLC for the first game than a fully-fledged sequel, being so barren of new ideas as it is and, as such, it will quickly be forgotten.

 

Previously completed:

Spoiler

1. 01/01/2022 - Final Fight: Streetwise (PS2)

2. 02/01/2022 - The Forgotten City (PC)

3. 05/01/2022 - Football, Tactics & Glory (PC)

4. 08/01/2022 - Alt Frequencies (PC)

5. 31/01/2022 - Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (Gamecube)

6. 05/03/2022 - Gogoroa (PC)

7. 21/03/2022 - Guardians of the Galaxy (PC)

8. 10/04/2022 - Assassin's Creed: Origins (PC)

9. 24/04/2022 - Mass Effect Andromeda (PC)

10. 25/04/2022 - Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel (X360)

11. 03/05/2022 - The Division (PC)

12. 11/05/2022 - World War Z: Aftermath (PC)

13. 18/05/2022 - Young Souls (PC)

14. 22/05/2022 - Bright Memory Infinite (PC)

15. 25/05/2022 - Vampire Saviours (PC)

16. 03/06/2022 - Watchdogs (PC)

17. 11/06/2022 - Ninja Gaiden 3 (PC)

18. 25/06/2022 - Tomb Raider (PC)

19. 27/07/2022 - Diablo 3 (XSS)

20. 07/09/2022 - As Dusk Falls (XSS)

21. 15/09/2022 - Far Cry 5 (PC)

22. 16/09/2022 - Shadow Warriors (Amiga)

23. 19/09/2022 - Millennium 2.2 (Amiga)

24. 28/09/2022 - Rings of Medusa (Amiga)

25. 04/10/2022 - My Life as an Archaeologist (PC)

26. 08/10/2022 - Urban Reign (PS2)

27. 08/10/2022 - Crossfire X: Operation Catalyst (XSS)

28. 17/10/2022 - Rune II: Decapitation Edition (PC)

29. 23/10/2022 - Rygar: The Legendary Adventure (PC)

30. 30/10/2022 - Despot's Game (PC)

31. 30/10/2022 - Trek to Yomi (PC)

32. 04/11/2022 - Train Valley 2 (PC)

33. 06/11/2022 - The Bouncer (PS2)

34. 09/11/2022 - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)

35. 12/11/2022 - Golden Axed (PC)

 

[cassidy]

Previously 

 

Spoiler

1. Yakuza 3 remastered

2. Yakuza 4 remastered 

3. Nobody saves the world 

4. Infernax

5. Dreamscaper 

6. Young Souls 

7. A Memoir Blue 

8. Elden Ring 

9. Turnip Boy commits tax evasion. 

10. Gigawing - Capcom arcade stadium version

11. Battle Circuit - Capcom arcade stadium version

12. Life is Strange - True Colours

13. Eiyuden Chronicles : Rising

14.TMNT : Shredders revenge

15.Disc room 

16. House Flipper

17. Powerwash Sim

18. As dusk falls

19. Tinykin

20. Food truck tycoon

21. Arcade paradise

22. Beacon pines

23.Cult of the lamb 

24.Tales of Arise

25.Gotham Knights

And no 26 is 

 

Super Gem Fighter - Capcom arcade 2nd stadium.  What it counts. 

[Gabe]

38. The Gunk (XSS)

 

A think premise stretched over perhaps an hour or so too long (and it's only about 5 hours anyway). Essentially playing the part of a hoover, your task of cleaning up the planet is drawn-out by some platforming, puzzling and the occasional enemy encounter. There is some light crafting, but I'm not sure you needed anything outside of a couple of story-based upgrades (and they don't add much).

 

For the most part it's a pretty sedate affair, allowing you to transform the drab murkiness of the environment into something more colourful, and that isn't a criticism. There soundtrack at times is quite lovely, the sucking-up mechanic is quite satisfying and whilst the environments are pretty dull, that's okay too. The problem for me was that because nothing really changes from start to end - and the story isn't particularly enthralling, with a script that is a bit too twee - that short runtime can feel a bit of a drag.

 

It never really builds up to anything, either, with plot contrivances doing a lot of heavy lifting and the end falling into the trope of being a very different experience to anything you had before (and being all the poorer for it) before it just ending with a shrug of the shoulders more than a bang.

 

It's the definition of an average game really. It doesn't do anything great, nor bad. It just exists.

 

Previously completed:

Spoiler

1. 01/01/2022 - Final Fight: Streetwise (PS2)

2. 02/01/2022 - The Forgotten City (PC)

3. 05/01/2022 - Football, Tactics & Glory (PC)

4. 08/01/2022 - Alt Frequencies (PC)

5. 31/01/2022 - Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (Gamecube)

6. 05/03/2022 - Gogoroa (PC)

7. 21/03/2022 - Guardians of the Galaxy (PC)

8. 10/04/2022 - Assassin's Creed: Origins (PC)

9. 24/04/2022 - Mass Effect Andromeda (PC)

10. 25/04/2022 - Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel (X360)

11. 03/05/2022 - The Division (PC)

12. 11/05/2022 - World War Z: Aftermath (PC)

13. 18/05/2022 - Young Souls (PC)

14. 22/05/2022 - Bright Memory Infinite (PC)

15. 25/05/2022 - Vampire Saviours (PC)

6. 03/06/2022 - Watchdogs (PC)

17. 11/06/2022 - Ninja Gaiden 3 (PC)

18. 25/06/2022 - Tomb Raider (PC)

19. 27/07/2022 - Diablo 3 (XSS)

20. 07/09/2022 - As Dusk Falls (XSS)

21. 15/09/2022 - Far Cry 5 (PC)

22. 16/09/2022 - Shadow Warriors (Amiga)

23. 19/09/2022 - Millennium 2.2 (Amiga)

24. 28/09/2022 - Rings of Medusa (Amiga)

25. 04/10/2022 - My Life as an Archaeologist (PC)

26. 08/10/2022 - Urban Reign (PS2)

27. 08/10/2022 - Crossfire X: Operation Catalyst (XSS)

28. 17/10/2022 - Rune II: Decapitation Edition (PC)

29. 23/10/2022 - Rygar: The Legendary Adventure (PC)

30. 30/10/2022 - Despot's Game (PC)

31. 30/10/2022 - Trek to Yomi (PC)

32. 04/11/2022 - Train Valley 2 (PC)

33. 06/11/2022 - The Bouncer (PS2)

34. 09/11/2022 - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)

35. 12/11/2022 - Golden Axed (PC)

36. 19/11/2022 - Dungeons & Dragons Daggerdale (PS3)

37. 19/11/2022 - Crackdown 3 (XSS)

 

[cassidy]

Previously in 2022
 

Spoiler

1. Yakuza 3 remastered

2. Yakuza 4 remastered 

3. Nobody saves the world 

4. Infernax

5. Dreamscaper 

6. Young Souls 

7. A Memoir Blue 

8. Elden Ring 

9. Turnip Boy commits tax evasion. 

10. Gigawing - Capcom arcade stadium version

11. Battle Circuit - Capcom arcade stadium version

12. Life is Strange - True Colours

13. Eiyuden Chronicles : Rising

14.TMNT : Shredders revenge

15.Disc room 

16. House Flipper

17. Powerwash Sim

18. As dusk falls

19. Tinykin

20. Food truck tycoon

21. Arcade paradise

22. Beacon pines

23.Cult of the lamb 

24.Tales of Arise

25.Gotham Knights

26.Super Gem Fighters

Well I’m on a roll

 

All from Capcom Arcade stadium 1 and 2 on Series X  

27.Son-son

28.Captain commando 

29.Eco fighters