Games Beaten 2023

[marurun]

According to reviews the performance stinks on the Switch, too. It’s a nice theory, but I’m not sure how much credence to lend it.

[prfsnl_gmr]

This discussion convinced me to buy a copy of an Balan Wonderworld this morning… Physical copies for the Switch are a whopping $15.99 on Amazon right now.

[marurun]

Pidge's fantastic Balan Wonderworld review has sent me down a rabbit hole. The Wikipedia entry on this game alone has a great deal of information about the development environment and background as well as the politics of the production of the game. I think reading ABOUT the game might be more fun that playing some games.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Pidge's fantastic Balan Wonderworld review has sent me down a rabbit hole. The Wikipedia entry on this game alone has a great deal of information about the development environment and background as well as the politics of the production of the game. I think reading ABOUT the game might be more fun that playing some games.

This is true about a lot of games, actually.

[elricorico]

1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles(Arcade)(XBONE)
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:Turtles in Time(Arcade) (XBONE)
3. Kirby Super Star Ultra (NDS)
4. Metal Slug II (PC)
5. Odin Sphere Leifthrasir (PS4)
6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (Android)

7. Horizon Chase Turbo (PC)

I rolled the credits after placing in all of the races of the World Tour on Horizon Chase Turbo today. Have a 78% completion rating in the tour.

This game was a freebie on Epic Games leading up to Christmas. It is a retro styled racing game; you drive into the horizon with a view from behind reminiscent of games going back to Outrun and Rad Racer. However the art is beautiful, the pace is blazing fast and the variety of places, weather and cars available is much more modern.

This was another in my current list of games I really like sitting down for about 20 minutes with at a time. Load up, beat 3 to 5 of the races and walk away. All told since the new year I added up about 8 hours of play time in those short bursts. There's still plenty of content; cars to unlock, "adventures" designed around those cars, endurance mode, and different tours that I haven't even touched yet.

I found the first third of the world tour very easy, then it starts to gradually get tougher from there. You only need to place 5th or better to keep progressing, but getting first place is part of the process of unlocking new(and often better) cars. by the last third there are some tough courses and the opponents become much more aggressive. Getting 5th was never a problem, but getting first is tough by the end.

I've had a blast so far with this game and expect it to keep getting more of my time in short bursts for months to come.

[REPO Man]

If you have Google Play Pass, it's on Android. It runs like a dream on my phone and my Retroid Pocket 3+.

[PartridgeSenpai]

This discussion convinced me to buy a copy of an Balan Wonderworld this morning… Physical copies for the Switch are a whopping $15.99 on Amazon right now.

I hope you end up digging it! I'll be very eager to hear what you think about it ^w^
(and I hope it doesn't run *too* badly ^^;)

[Ack]

1. Northern Journey (PC)(FPS)
2. Hatchpunk (PC)(FPS)
3. Might and Magic IX (PC)(RPG)
4. Star Wars: Empire at War (PC)(RTS)
5. Chasm: The Rift (PC)(FPS)
6. Real Heroes: Firefighter HD (PC)(FPS)
7. CULTIC (PC)(FPS)
8. Consortium (PC)(FPS)
9. Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 (PC)(FPS)
10. Forgive Me, Father (PC)(FPS)
11. Teomim Island (PC)(FPS)
12. Regions of Ruin (PC)(Action RPG)
13. Void Bastards (PC)(FPS)
14. Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad - Single Player (PC)(FPS)
15. Quake: Scourge of Armagon (PC)(FPS)
16. Quake: Dissolution of Eternity (PC)(FPS)
17. Bioshock Infinite (PC)(FPS)
18. Chop Goblins (PC)(FPS)
19. Ravenloft: Stone Prophet (PC)(RPG)
20. Halfway (PC)(Tactical Strategy)
21. Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood (PC)(FPS)
22. Might and Magic X - Legacy (PC)(RPG)
23. Civilization IV (PC)(4X Strategy)
24. Operation Body Count (PC)(FPS)
25. WW2 Rebuilder (PC)(Simulation)

A lot of video games focus on the shooting or strategy aspects of World War 2. It makes sense, considering it was a massive military confrontation playing out globally over a period of years, as new strategies, tactics, and tools were unveiled in a mobile confrontation very much unlike the static meatgrinder of World War 1. That said, the conflict has been so heavily mined that little feels new or original.

Yet WW2 Rebuilder found a way to bring something new, not by focusing on the war but on its aftermath. Instead of shooting guns and dropping bombs, WW2 Rebuilder instead makes you survey the aftermath and try to restore what was destroyed. You now have to dismantle to tools of war, then use the raw components to repair damaged roads, construct buildings, and beautify what was devastated. Your tools of the trade include sledgehammers, shovels, welding torches, paint rollers, and brushes. Clean the soot from propaganda posters, rebuild twisted railroads, and remove machinery once dedicated to destruction.

This falls into a small but growing camp of games I think of as "cleaning FPS". These kinds of games started more as a joke with Viscera Cleanup Detail, where you go into levels based on movies and games and scrub the walls in the wake of massacres. Powerwash Simulator is another, which does exactly what it purports to be. WW2 Rebuilder adds its own take with a four-part resource system and the ability to place objects to build a homely world after years of devastation. I really like this genre; as a fan of FPS, rarely do players have to be confronted with the aftermath, yet its a key piece of any massacre or war that human beings take part in. Plus, there is something soothing about seeing the world restored in the wake of wanton destruction.

It's not a perfect game. There are glitches and awkward moments, ranging from spelling typos to awkward placements of items and occasional clipping problems. The physics of large construction equipment can get full on bizarre. The devs understand this though and have thankfully provided a quick Unstuck option as well as the ability to reset vehicles if they end up jammed. They're paying attention, and they're also working on new content, with a new village in Normandy level already added since launch.

That said, the game so far has been almost entirely focused on Western Europe. Levels take place in England, North Ireland, West Germany, and France, and of these, England has the vast bulk. The developers are Polish, so I understand the Euro-centric view, though I do hope that as things expand, we'll eventually see a global take. Helping to reconstruct the railway at El Alamein and Mersa Matruh would be a nice change of pace, for instance.

I have hope for the future with WW2 Rebuilder. I also have hope for this unique genre, because I find it so rewarding to revitalize after all the FPS I play. Hopefully others will too.

[Markies]

Markies' Games Beat List Of 2023!
***Denotes Replay For Completion***

***1. Dragon Valor (PS1)***
2. Breath Of Fire (GBA)
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (NS)
4. World Of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse And Donald Duck (GEN)
5. XIII (GCN)
6. NES Remix Pack (WiiU)
7. Dr. Mario (GBC)
***8. Bully (PS2)***
9. Dragon's Crown (PS3)
10. Bangai-O (SDC)
11. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)
12. Destruction Derby (PS1)
13. X-Men Legends II: Rise Of Apocalypse (XBOX)
14. Vice: Project Doom (NES)
***15. Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm (PS2)***
16. Terranigma (SNES)
***17. Super Street Fighter II (GEN)***
18. Guitar Hero II (PS2)
19. Kirby's Dream Land (GBC)



I completed Kirby's Dream Land on the Nintendo GameBoy this evening!

The first Kirby game that I really played was Kirby's Adventure on the NES. I fully played it in 2012 and it was the Game of the Year for me. Since then, I had been debating what step I wanted to take next in the series. I tried Kirby's Avalanche, but that was just a Puyo-Puyo game and I didn't much care for it. Thankfully, after beating my Backlog, I set up a GameBoy player so that I can start playing GameBoy games and that made my decision a whole lot easier. While doing some last moment shopping to increase my Backlog, I found a beautiful copy of the first game. So, I decided to take one momentarily step back in time to play the first Kirby game so that I can continue with the series moving forward.

Despite the first game in the series and it being such a small game, the adorable Kirby is very much here from the beginning. It is amazing how much character and personality they were able to pack into such a small cartridge. From Kirby's dance at the beginning to his facial expressions and him getting stuck and then shot out, the humor and cuteness is found everywhere. It was a little strange to play through the game without Kirby's patent copy ability, but after a moments, I quickly got used to the step backwards in time. The levels have the same feel of the NES game with it being broken up by different sections and none of them being too difficult. It also balances the perfect blend of familiarity and adding something new on top of everything. The game also balances a great line between being annoying and a joy to play through. There are two bosses and especially the end boss, where they can be very annoying, but once you understand the pattern, they can be overcame. Besides those two bosses and a relatively short game that can be beaten in about 30 minutes, it is hard to find faults in the game. It's like an adorable piece of candy, short and sweet.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Kirby's Dream Land. Besides the super short length and the two annoying bosses, there really is not much to complain about with the game. It has a perfect balance and a nice easy playthrough. With games being so long or so difficult, it was nice to play a simple and breezy game that didn't cause too much frustrating or length. If you can find the game for a cheap price, then I would say anybody could have fun with Kirby's Dream Land!

[BoneSnapDeez]

Back when Kirby was white...............