The 2023 Backlog Challenge

[Reed Rothchild | 9,550]

34 minutes ago, Gloves said:

Instead of stuff on my backlog, this has been my week:

Still counts

[Reed Rothchild | 9,550]

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Spoiler

Well that was dark!  Probably one of the best looking and most atmospheric games I've ever played.  The gameplay is pretty limited, but that's not the emphasis here.  And even so, I did enjoy both the combat and the puzzles.

Overall I'd call it a better Gris.

[Floating Platforms | 721]

13 hours ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Going through 4 straight Ace Attorney cases like usual can be a little taxing for me.  But when the investigations/cross examinations are split up around puzzles?  A perfect pace for me.

I agree. The pacing was great and neither side felt like it was overbearing or overstaying its welcome. It was a nice surprise that they could meld the two but still keep their identities intact.

[Sumez | 2,968]

Geeze Reed, you're just knocking them out of the park. Think you have enough games on your list?

[Reed Rothchild | 9,550]

3 minutes ago, Sumez said:

Geeze Reed, you're just knocking them out of the park. Think you have enough games on your list?

We'll see what the pace looks like once I get to Xenoblade or Trails in the Sky

[fox | 1,668]

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

Beat Jedi Fallen Order.  Slow to start but once I got a couple moves and force powers it started to click and became pretty enjoyable.  Excited for the sequel in March.

Beat Moonrider.  Graphics and presentation were top notch.  Gameplay is a bit shinobi, bit strider, with a couple hidden powers a la Mega Man X.  Overall it was fine but didn't love it the same way I did Blazing Chrome.

I'm also likely to retire Young Souls.  Way way too talky, not kidding there was about 30 mins of cutscenes and 5 mins of gameplay at the start of the game.  If it is an rpg, I'd expect that but not from a beat em up.  What little of combat I did way seemed kinda off.  This one just really rubbed me the wrong way, and when I have 10 other games I'm waiting to crack into, don't know if it is once putting more into.

That's 4 games cleared before the end of Jan, not a bad start to the year.

[Foochie776 | 1,056]

On 1/24/2023 at 12:22 AM, Sumez said:

KH2 is great! Now do yourself a favor and quit while you are still on a high note

I’ve got a good friend who’s a big KH fan and he’s told me more or less the same. He’s said the others have charm but they get bizarre and quick

[spacepup | 2,405]

Still playing Super Mario Picross.

So....many....levels....omg! hah

Don't get me wrong, I love Picross, so it's plenty of them to play, but it also feels like I'll never "beat" this game hah!

[RH | 4,924]

My Back Log 2023

Inspired by my own comments on @Reed Rothchild's rating post for Final Fantasy III.

• Stop being a lazy joker and play and beat Final Fantasy III (US).  (I will allot myself any cheats I want to use.)

[Reed Rothchild | 9,550]

7 hours ago, spacepup said:

Still playing Super Mario Picross.

So....many....levels....omg! hah

Don't get me wrong, I love Picross, so it's plenty of them to play, but it also feels like I'll never "beat" this game hah!

Is that the SNES one?  I believe NSO said it took me like 60 hours to beat

[Renmauzo | 1,202]

I'm not sure if anyone else here is familiar with Resonant Arc and the 'State of the Arc' podcast, but they cover games by way of deep dive narrative and thematic analysis in a book club format (play up to a certain point each week and the viewer does the same, then discuss that section the following week).

The latest title - in which they're up to episode 3 for - is BioShock. I'm not one for 1st person shooters, but the story, theme and setting really hooked me to where I didn't mind that it is an FPS. I started on Sunday and just finished the game today, saved all the Little Sisters for the heartwarming ending, but the scene was so quick and there were no credits, so I didn't get a photo (I was kind of surprised that there weren't credits.).

The story and setting made it worth the play (the gameplay itself was pretty forgettable for me): I love that art deco style, the voice acting and writing was absolutely fantastic, and I love the messaging, bringing together themes I remember reading from Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,550]

On 12/29/2022 at 4:12 AM, greenthunder said:

Fragrant Story - not started - 1hr? (I recall the dev saying he was gonna release an update with 8 hours or so of content, not sure if that's happened yet and may continue holding off if it hasn't)

I just looked it up, and evidently it can be beat in 15 minutes.

What the fuck? 

I'm glad I passed on it back when it was making some waves.  I don't even understand how a strategy RPG could be that short.

[DoctorEncore | 3,691]

After many, many months, my son and I finally conquered Super Mario 3D World on the Switch.

I'd probably rate the game 7/10. The game is really tough to play with an inexperienced gamer since the camera is not helpful when you get far apart and the little bubble mechanic often blocks your view. Additionally, similar to other 3D Mario games, I just don't enjoy the way the characters move. I love the simultaneously tight, yet floaty feel of the original NES games, but I don't think the momentum-based movement feels particularly responsive in an added dimension. I will say that I did enjoy the cat suit and boomerang suit though.

My next completion is probably a ways off. Progress will be slow this year, but my current focus is on Witcher 3 and FFX. Also, there are a bunch of games releasing this year that I want to play (Starfield, BotW2, Redfall, Dead Space, etc), so that complicates things as well.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,550]

My kids and I are playing that too.  Beat world 3 tonight.  But that took us a year since they only get like 30 minutes a week.

[greenthunder | 115]

6 hours ago, Reed Rothchild said:

I just looked it up, and evidently it can be beat in 15 minutes.

What the fuck? 

I'm glad I passed on it back when it was making some waves.  I don't even understand how a strategy RPG could be that short.

If I recall correctly, it was originally a mini/side game in another one of the dev's games that he decided to turn into a full game. The dev wanted to make all his games 3DS physicals, but for reasons those plans fells through and only the strategy RPG one got printed. He talked about it in his Patreon free posts. If you really wanted to play it, it's a much more reasonable $4 on the eShop.

In other news, I manage to get myself mentally stuck because I still haven't been in a mood to grind for Strange Journey Redux, but I don't want to start a new game till I beat it. I'll probably just pick a game to play to break the deadlock and hope it gets me back in the mood to grind for SJR and maybe the 4 Etrian Odyssey games I also left off at the stratum 5 boss lol. My original plans for after SJR was either Tokyo Mirage Sessions (though I don't think i'm in the mood for more a t l u s d u n g e o n s), The Legend of Legacy (though I hear this is another harder JRPG), Etrian Mystery Dungeon or maybe even Ryza 2.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,550]

Ace Attorney: Justice for All

This is another one I started back in August.  Just needed to finish the last case.

[Gloves | 11,800]

Just now, Reed Rothchild said:

Ace Attorney: Justice for All

This is another one I started back in August.  Just needed to finish the last case.

She's givin' him the ol' manoob squeeze.

[Brickman | 3,995]

Finished Hudson selections vol 3 PC Genjin for the GC.

I’ve always wanted to get around to playing one of these games. It was ok.

Looks like the graphics got a big boost, the soundtrack was pretty catchy and there were a good variety of levels.

But for some reason it just felt average. PC Genjin is weird to handle at times and that gives a feeling that it isn’t always smooth with the platforming.

In terms of this GC release. Feels pretty lacklustre. They should have added all original 3 games.

[Lago | 221]

Started Halo Infinite.  I added this to my backlog as it was a Christmas present from my wife.  I'm absolutely atrocious at FPS games so we'll see how this goes.  I made it through the intro and was enjoying myself.  I tend to lean towards the Mangler as I am trying to get better at running and shooting instead of standing like a statue and shooting.

I also beat Coffee Talk.  I don't think you can lose at it.  

8 hours ago, Gloves said:

She's givin' him the ol' manoob squeeze.

I'm playing through Ace Attorney myself.  I'm on the bonus case.  I've been going to beat this game since it was released.  lol.

[DoctorEncore | 3,691]

10 hours ago, Reed Rothchild said:

My kids and I are playing that too.  Beat world 3 tonight.  But that took us a year since they only get like 30 minutes a week.

Yeah, it was a long slog for us to get through the whole game with our limited playing time. The levels also get significantly harder in the last couple worlds, so that also slowed us down. My son is getting old enough now that we average an hour or two per week, so our progress has sped up lately. Once he's out of school for the summer, I think we'll be able to knock out a couple more games. I told him he could choose the next game, so now we're playing The Last Kids on Earth (Xbox) which is kind of an isometric shooter/brawler with light RPG mechanics.

55 minutes ago, Lago said:

Started Halo Infinite.  I added this to my backlog as it was a Christmas present from my wife.  I'm absolutely atrocious at FPS games so we'll see how this goes.  I made it through the intro and was enjoying myself.  I tend to lean towards the Mangler as I am trying to get better at running and shooting instead of standing like a statue and shooting.

I also beat Coffee Talk.  I don't think you can lose at it.  

I'm playing through Ace Attorney myself.  I'm on the bonus case.  I've been going to beat this game since it was released.  lol.

The first couple areas in Infinite are nice classic Halo gameplay, but the game really soars once you hit the open world. Grapple shot is so fun. Even though the story is pretty middling, the character interactions are great and the gameplay is the best since Reach, in my opinion.

One piece of advice for adjusting to FPS is to slowly pan the camera with the right stick as you use the left stick to move between combat encounters. That will help build the muscle memory of moving both sticks at the same time without the pressure of combat. Have fun!

Edited January 28, 2023 by DoctorEncore

[twiztor | 851]

first clear of the year!

Mega Man: the Wily Wars

i had a more difficult time with Mega Man 1-3 this time versus beating them on the NES due to controller issues. the Genesis one is just so much more imprecise than the Nintendo controller. 

the Wily Tower mode was pretty average. i wouldn't consider it bad, but the levels were fairly short and not particularly challenging. there were a couple tough spots but overall pretty straightforward. the final Wily boss fight was a breeze.

had fun with this, but much prefer the NES entries.

[Lago | 221]

Finished TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge yesterday with the kids.  This game was just like playing a sequel to the original arcade game.  Mindless button mashing.  We played a stage every day or so.  Which gives you about 10 minutes of fun at a time.

 I have also got to applaud the lack of cheapness in the game.  There’s only one fight with the one hit one kill mechanic, and that’s really easy to avoid.

The most people I ever got to play at one time was 4.  I really want to get 6 people around the TV and remember how awesome it was to play with a bunch of friends.

The game was fun enough that my kids immediately said can we play it again?

 

Edited January 29, 2023 by Lago

[Nugfish | 652]

2 hours ago, Lago said:

Finished TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge yesterday with the kids.  This game was just like playing a sequel to the original arcade game.  Mindless button mashing.  We played a stage every day or so.  Which gives you about 10 minutes of fun at a time.

 I have also got to applaud the lack of cheapness in the game.  There’s only one fight with the one hit one kill mechanic, and that’s really easy to avoid.

The most people I ever got to play at one time was 4.  I really want to get 6 people around the TV and remember how awesome it was to play with a bunch of friends.

The game was fun enough that my kids immediately said can we play it again?

 

I played through it with my 7 year old and had those nostalgic feelings. Very good!

[twiztor | 851]

managed to squeak another game in before the end of January, so that makes a double game weekend!
i beat Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 tonight.
This is a pretty straightforward game that has just enough twist on the Mario formula to make it interesting. 
this was a good game, but early on i was a little disappointed because i thought it would be great. Once i embraced what this game IS instead of what it ISN'T, my fun factor went way up.
i managed to find all 15 bonus treasures along the way, and exploring for them was probably my favorite part. ended up with 94k gold, so not quite maxed out, but pretty damn close.

[Sumez | 2,968]

Kickle Cubicle - Beaten 20/1

Block pushing puzzle games probably isn't the first thing that would come to your mind when you think of Irem, yet Kickle Cubicle (aka Meikyu Jima) kind of does feel in line with games like R-Type and Metal Storm in how the challenge is split between figuring out the solution for every situation and then carrying it out without making mistakes.

On the surface however, Kickle Cubicle looks a bit similar to games like Lolo, though while those game do have enemies sitting around, they are much more straight up puzzles. Kickle Cubicle at first feels more like a top-down arcade style action game with light puzzle elements. The basics of that puzzle is that one specific type of enemy that appear on most stages can be turned into an ice block, which can then be pushed forward (think the classic puzzle where your block moves until something stops it along its path) - if the block drops into water it will form new land to stand on. As you move through the stages, the most common element to the puzzles is such water blocking your way where you want to go, and figuring out how to get an ice block there.

This can be harder than it sounds, because many obstacles used in the level design will be used to force you into sending your blocks on massive detours around the place. For example you have floors that blocks can be kicked across but no one can move over, or floors that you can walk on, but the enemies needed to produce ice blocks can't. Other more interactive objects are hammers that swing around to make your blocks change direction, or springs causing them to bounce back where they came from.
Every stage also has bonus point items, and kicking a block into them will double their value. But setting that up is usually a question of extra work moreso than clever challenges, often just repeating the same setup multiple times. And the game actually (fortunately, if you ask me) almost always rewards a bigger score bonus for completing a stage fast, than what you'd get for spending that time getting more points from the point items.

Starting out, it seems the puzzle elements are mostly in place to inconvenience you while you try to reach the three collectibles needed to clear a stage, while also trying not to die. But a ways into the game, you'll run into progressively more deviously designed stages, that can honestly feel extremely dumbfounding. It is fortunate that the NES version of the game has a pause button which allows you to safely analyse a stage and think out your solution, but even then it can be hard to wrap your head around some of them.

Getting through the NES game took me an incredible numbers of deaths, and I can't really imagine memorizing every stage to the point where I feel a 1CC is doable. The game runs quite a long while, and by the end I felt quite fatigued. In its defense though, it is really good at making up new twists on the puzzles, which means individual stages can feel very different from eachother, with some being entirely made up of block pushing sequences, while others take more of an action game form, where the entire setup exists mostly to put you through a gauntlet of obstacles.

However, I had the fortune of being able to try the original arcade game in my friend's arcade last weekend. Released just two years earlier, the arcade one looks a lot more colorful, but the two games play so similarly that I'd believe you if you told me that they were developed side by side, with similarities right down to tiny details in the player movement and enemy AI. The arcade game has only 36 stages (not including boss fights) against 67 on the NES, and I was pretty close to being able to get through them all on a single credit before the game was switched out for something else.

Most of the stages in the arcade version are the same or similar to the NES port, with just a handful of unique ones, and some that differ a bit but repeat the same basic puzzle. I wouldn't be surprised if most of the puzzles in the NES game were already designed when they made the arcade game, and then put back in for the port, because the arcade version pretty much jumps directly from a few of the basic introductory stages into the much harder late-game ones. It feels like it lacks a bit of introduction to some of the enemies and mechanics which only see very little use throughout the arcade game, but on the other hand when you are replaying the game going for a high score, that results in a much nicer flow, and a game that can be completed in well under an hour.
Curiously, the NES also adds a map screen between each boss fight, which allows you to fly around between individual islands to pick the order you will play the stages. This has little use though, as you still need to beat every one of them to proceed - and navigating the map screen is kind of bothersome, as you can't actually move around on the map, but have to select from a full view of each stage, while referring to the overall map on a subscreen. On the final map you also need to find a bunch of hidden islands. Again, though, all of them are required anyway, and to my knowledge the game has no extra secrets to find.

Finally, the boss fights are also completely different between the two versions of the game, and again I absolutely prefer the ones on the arcade. Each fight is very distinct, and creates a unique challenge within the framework of the game's mechanics. On NES, every boss is a variation of the same concept, and beating them without taking a death requires patience more than skill, and wrapping your head around some unpredictable patterns and dodgy collision detection.

It's hard to explain every unique thing Kickle Cubicle does, so if arcade'ish top-down puzzle games interests you my best recommendation would be to just try it out if you haven't. It takes a while to really get into the flow of things, and I think playing the arcade version made me appreciate the game a lot more. I guess it's a little unfair that my biggest criticism on the NES port is that it is too long, because I think if you're really a big fan of the game, having all that extra content should only be a nice bonus - I just prefer the snappier arcade pace. There are even 20 additional stages after you beat the game, I'm guessing extra challenges that they didn't feel fit well into the base game.