The 2024 Backlog Challenge

[Lago | 221]

Knocked out an easy game with my daughter this afternoon.  Mario Party Superstars.  This is my daughter’s favorite game by a mile.  If you let her pick a game she’s picking Mario Party 9/10 times.  Favorite stage Peach’s birthday cake.  I think the game is alright, but it’s great watching my kids enjoy playing as much as I do.

[the_wizard_666 | 1,325]

3 hours ago, Gloves said:

As an Oblivion fan I'm sure this goes without saying, but really go and explore, talk to NPCs etc.. There's so much goodness out there. 

Oh absolutely! I've logged hundreds of hours in the past already, but I've never finished the main quest, and being an achievement whore I want to truly finish it off.  But honestly, I'm just using it as a warmup for when I do Morrowind.  Now THAT'S a game!

[the_wizard_666 | 1,325]

Oops...double post

Edited January 13 by the_wizard_666

[Lago | 221]

Played through Dragon Spirit: The New Legend on NES.  If you like transforming dragons and shmups this game is for you.

I got this game for Christmas so it didn’t stay on the backlog for long. I really enjoyed this.  Also like how it tests your skills in the epilogue. If you don’t make it through it puts you on easy mode.  It’s still hard.  This is the NES we’re talking about here, but not as hard.  The dragon cutscene at the beginning is pretty epic.  I’m going to play through this again!

Side note: If you’ve ever played Brigandine: Legend of Forsena doesn’t that look like an 8 bit Cador? (2nd pic)

Side side note:  really productive day for me on the backlog.

[Tantalus | 459]

Another one for Game Gear - Desert Speedtrap. Between play control, screen crunch, and level design, I didn't care for this one too much. The best approach seems to be taking things slow and cautious, which is an odd choice for a game in which you play as Road Runner. The graphics were okay, and there were a few nicely drawn pictures - considering the system and age of the game - throughout (the ending screen below, as well as pictures of Wile E Coyote between the levels). The sound effects were annoying and the music wasn't anything special. At least the game was short.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,572]

Status update:

The Walking Dead - I'm splitting this up into 5 different play sessions throughout the year - one per each season.  I actually already completed season 1 back in the day when it came out, but I'm replaying it and really enjoying it.  Arguably better than the show.  The good seasons even.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag - First one of these I've played in over a decade (I did the first 5 all near their release dates), and it's definitely more of the same.  Except with an open world ocean area and pirating.  Sameness and circa-2007 design problems aside, I'm still enjoying it.  I find these games fun, even to this day it seems.  But you can definitely tell why they rebooted the series with Origins.  And I doubt I bother with Rogue or Syndicate, or any of the other "older" ones that follow this.

Bravely Default - Not sure what I expected, but this basically a classic Final Fantasy game in all but name.  That's a good thing.  But it certainly ain't revolutionary.  Unsure if I will follow up with Bravely Second one of these years, or skip straight to Bravely Default II.

[Sumez | 2,988]

Tunic - Beaten 1/1

Tunic was repeatedly advertised to me as a game that would fit my tastes in video games incredibly well, and to an extent I'd say it definitely does.
It's a game that does a lot of things, and all those things it does really well, and they are all approaches that appeal to me.

It's a semi-open ended action game by the way of a top-down zelda'ish adventure, with some elements of Dark Souls and Metroid, but most of all this game is basically the next Fez! If you loved the gradually increasingly complex nature of the puzzles in Fez, this game is what you have been waiting for! Are there details hidden in a spectrogram analysis of the music? Of course there is!

Not that that matters to the core game. The gameplay is solid, and exploration is very satisfying. Immediately after the "intended" first area I just happened upon an area that it felt like I wasn't supposed to explore yet, made it through, and came out with an item that immediately drastically increased the number of places I could go. I ended up in another location where the enemies were extremely strong, and exploration was filled with dangers - this time it took me a ton of deaths to get through only to find nothing of actual use yet...

Funny enough that adventure might actually have been the highlight of the game for me - because after that, once I found the places I was supposed to go, everything was suddenly much easier and less engaging.

It doesn't end there, though. What really drives Tunic is the way it drips information to the player by gradually revealing pages of an instruction booklet - this booklet also comes with the physical release, and I highly recommend not looking in it until you have found all of it in-game. It is absolutely packed to the brim with interesting information that will teach you hints and even secret abilities that you weren't aware that you had all along (think Super Metroid's walljump) which are essentially necessary to do all the things that the game ultimately asks of you to get the true ending.

What is extra brilliant about this, is how much information is actually in this book that isn't readily apparent! And discovering new secrets will consistently entice you to return to previous pages, rummaging them for new details, ultimately making you feel incredibly smart every time you figure out something new.
At this point however, the game stops being an action game, and for probably the last 10+ hours that I played, I was exclusively solving puzzles, rarely discovering actual new locations, and enemies being more of a minor inconvenience than an obstacle.

 

I'd say Tunic overreaches by pulling in too many different directions, especially the action game and puzzle game feeling mostly like two different games mashed together. It's hard to truly fault it for it, because both aspects are executed so well - but I really wish the action game had more to offer during the late-game experience.

 

Addendum:

This is also one of those games where taking notes by hand is a big part of the experience. As some may have noticed, that's something I seem to really enjoy. And these are probably some of the coolest-looking notes I've ever taken for a video game  Don't look too close at them once you start playing.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,572]

@Sumez I saw you completed it awhile ago and was awaiting the writeup.  It's also on my list and you now have me intrigued enough to bump it up in priority.  Maybe as soon as I finish Black Flag (which, spoiler alert, feels like a game you're gonna hate).

[Sumez | 2,988]

I had Black Flag on my backlog list like 3 years ago. I doubt I'm ever gonna get around to it, same with Sleeping Dogs

[T-Pac | 7,581]

On 1/12/2024 at 8:32 PM, Lago said:

Played through Dragon Spirit: The New Legend on NES.  If you like transforming dragons and shmups this game is for you.

I got this game for Christmas so it didn’t stay on the backlog for long. I really enjoyed this.  Also like how it tests your skills in the epilogue. If you don’t make it through it puts you on easy mode.  It’s still hard.  This is the NES we’re talking about here, but not as hard.  The dragon cutscene at the beginning is pretty epic.  I’m going to play through this again!

Side note: If you’ve ever played Brigandine: Legend of Forsena doesn’t that look like an 8 bit Cador? (2nd pic)

Side side note:  really productive day for me on the backlog.

 

Such a great game - I finished it for the first time a few months ago. Had to cheat on the last level because it was a bit too tough for me, but that didn't detract much from how much fun it was otherwise.

"Transforming dragons and shmups" is what video games were meant for haha.

[T-Pac]

[T-Pac | 7,581]

Personal list update:

I briefly tried out Bionic Commando [NES] and realized that it's probably not the kind of game I want to devote my time to.

So I sold it to my local game store yesterday, and I'm going to replace it on my list with The Ninja [SMS]. I just got a handful of Master System games last week and I want to finish-off at least one of them this year.

[T-Pac]

[Brickman | 4,009]

37 minutes ago, T-Pac said:

Personal list update:

I briefly tried out Bionic Commando [NES] and realized that it's probably not the kind of game I want to devote my time to.

So I sold it to my local game store yesterday, and I'm going to replace it on my list with The Ninja [SMS]. I just got a handful of Master System games last week and I want to finish-off at least one of them this year.

[T-Pac]

I used to love the ninja as a kid but I could barely make my way through that game, it was insanely hard.

I haven’t played it as an adult but let me know how difficult it is.

[twiztor | 855]

cross Mighty No. 9 off my list.

i was not a KickStarter backer and bought this on the cheap knowing full well its reputation. and i can honestly say that most of it is earned.

the graphics are 2000s made-for-tv cgi ugly. the voice acting is pretty decent, but it's played over what amounts to static images in the cutscenes. just awful. the story is clunky and obvious.

it plays like the Mega Man knockoff that it is (yeah, yeah, i know it's the brainchild of Mega Man's creator. doesn't make it any less of a bad copy). most enemy weapons are 100% useless.

the level design is just all kinds of bland. they find a way to go from very sparse areas to overcrowded screens that cause slowdown in the same areas. certain stages are just LITTERED with one hit deathtraps. made for a playthrough that was frustrating and annoying, but never gives you that sense of accomplishment to balance the scales.

it did have a Mighty No. 9 themed rap song in the credits, so that was at least neat.

anyway, just play any of the actual MM games. this just doesn't measure up.

[greenthunder | 115]

18 hours ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Status update:

The Walking Dead - I'm splitting this up into 5 different play sessions throughout the year - one per each season.  I actually already completed season 1 back in the day when it came out, but I'm replaying it and really enjoying it.  Arguably better than the show.  The good seasons even.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag - First one of these I've played in over a decade (I did the first 5 all near their release dates), and it's definitely more of the same.  Except with an open world ocean area and pirating.  Sameness and circa-2007 design problems aside, I'm still enjoying it.  I find these games fun, even to this day it seems.  But you can definitely tell why they rebooted the series with Origins.  And I doubt I bother with Rogue or Syndicate, or any of the other "older" ones that follow this.

Bravely Default - Not sure what I expected, but this basically a classic Final Fantasy game in all but name.  That's a good thing.  But it certainly ain't revolutionary.  Unsure if I will follow up with Bravely Second one of these years, or skip straight to Bravely Default II.

If you liked Bravely Default's battle system, then I'd go with Bravely Second before II eventually. II apparently changes up the battle system (speed based instead of round based), among other things. I've been procrastinating on buying II.

On my own status update, actually started playing something new. I'll save my ramble on it since I'm probably not too far off from the end.

[T-Pac | 7,581]

2 hours ago, Brickman said:

I used to love the ninja as a kid but I could barely make my way through that game, it was insanely hard.

I haven’t played it as an adult but let me know how difficult it is.

Oof I'm the wrong guy to ask. It's super fun and I played through most of it over the holidays, but I had to abuse save-states because it was waaay too tough for me. 

I turned the game off when it stopped me from going to the final level - since apparently you have to pick up a bunch of hidden green scrolls throughout the game or you can't finish it. I'm gonna look-up where to find the scrolls and try to save-scum my way through it again. No chance of a legit clear for me on this one haha.

[T-Pac]

[wongojack | 220]

I actually finished a game that I listed in this thread.  Spiderman for PS4.  Will probably add more in the "Games Beaten" thread, but it was great.  I can't imagine ever playing a better version of Spiderman and the story managed to elevate and have some gravity to it that I didn't expect.  Negatives would be that the game seems to copy almost everything from somewhere else.  It plays so similarly to the Arkham games that early-on, I got a little frustrated when I'd try some of Batman's moves and they'd fail.  The open world is also firmly in that Ubisoft format that many of us have played over and over again.  And of course, it's a Spiderman story, so you basically know what's coming the whole time.  Even so, the game did its own thing and was a lot of fun.  I'd give it an easy A - 5 out of 5.

In terms of the great PS4 exclusives that I've played, I think I'd put it behind Astrobot and HZD, but ahead of God of War and Uncharted 4.

 

 

[Gloves | 11,816]

Played through Alien Soldier today and holy shit it's easily the best game on the Genesis.

[Sumez | 2,988]

Been trying to start Alien Soldier like five times in the past, and I can't get anywhere in it. Good job

[Webhead123 | 687]

7 hours ago, Sumez said:

Been trying to start Alien Soldier like five times in the past, and I can't get anywhere in it. Good job

Yeah, I don't know what it is about the game but I have a difficult time adjusting to the controls and pacing of the action. A fantastic game but if I want to see anywhere beyond the first stage, I'm going to have to buckle down and get serious.

[wongojack | 220]

On 1/15/2024 at 11:22 AM, Reed Rothchild said:

@Sumez I saw you completed it awhile ago and was awaiting the writeup.  It's also on my list and you now have me intrigued enough to bump it up in priority.  Maybe as soon as I finish Black Flag (which, spoiler alert, feels like a game you're gonna hate).

 

On 1/15/2024 at 12:55 PM, Sumez said:

I had Black Flag on my backlog list like 3 years ago. I doubt I'm ever gonna get around to it, same with Sleeping Dogs

Black Flag is a game that I played pretty late in its life (2020).  I had been trying to keep up with Assassin's Creed, but I took a long break before coming back to it.  I REALLY like the old Sid Meier's Pirates, so the game felt a bit like coming home to a classic, and the story managed to stay out of its way just enough to not ruin things.

I was really impressed at how smoothly you could move from ship to ship or ship to shore.  I guess we take it for granted that there are limited load times these days, but it was pretty amazing how you could switch your game mode on a pirate-y whim.  Overall, I loved my time with Black Flag, but when I went back to play the "Freedom Cry" DLC in 2022, it wasn't that great and took a bit of a shine off my memory of the game.  Like @Reed Rothchild, I'm not really interested in playing Rogue, Liberation, Unity, but I might dip into those.  The setting of Unity in particular is interesting to me.

Still haven't played Origins, Odyssey, or Valhalla.  My wife plays those.  Maybe someday I'll get there.

Edited January 16 by wongojack

[twiztor | 855]

Mario vs. Donkey Kong 4: Mini-Land Mayhem.

i felt like there wasn't much to this. i'd have to look back over what i wrote for the other entries in this series, but it felt like a game whose entire existence can be summed up by just saying "more of...". no new concepts, just new levels in the same vein as what came before.

that's not to say it's bad. i had a lot of fun and found it addictive. but stick with Donkey Kong '94, and then the first Mario vs Donkey Kong. #2 was pretty good as well. #3 and #4 were both decent if unspectacular, #5 was inconsistent. 

[Brickman | 4,009]

3 hours ago, twiztor said:

Mario vs. Donkey Kong 4: Mini-Land Mayhem.

i felt like there wasn't much to this. i'd have to look back over what i wrote for the other entries in this series, but it felt like a game whose entire existence can be summed up by just saying "more of...". no new concepts, just new levels in the same vein as what came before.

that's not to say it's bad. i had a lot of fun and found it addictive. but stick with Donkey Kong '94, and then the first Mario vs Donkey Kong. #2 was pretty good as well. #3 and #4 were both decent if unspectacular, #5 was inconsistent. 

Geez, spoiler alerts! just kidding.

I've only played the GBA one and loved it and I have DK '94 which I need to play. But I can see how this series would wear thin after 2 or 3. 

[the_wizard_666 | 1,325]

Updates:

Wizardry V: No change as of yet.

TES IV Oblivion: Lots more progress.  Haven't unlocked any new achievements yet, though that's more of a statement about how much I had previously unlocked than anything.  Of the four questlines I still need to finish off to get all the achievements, I've made progress in two: the Mage's Guild and the Dark Brotherhood.  In the former I am working on the final recommendation, which requires me to get the book from a cave near Chorral.  In the Dark Brotherhood, I've finished Ocheeva's quests and am moving on to meet Lucien Lachance.  So still a long way to go yet for any real progress in my goal, but a lot of necessary work done nonetheless.  I've also done a ton of miscellaneous quests, as well as progressing the Thieves' Guild to the first of the Grey Fox's quests, and some low level work on the Fighter's Guild line (I just handled the three drunks in Leyawin).  I have yet to start the Arena quests as I'm not sure it's even worth doing for my character, and I've not done either the expansion quests or the main quest.  I don't even know if I have the expansion installed or not to be honest, as although I own it, I have not got any notifications to begin along that path.  I'm playing on my Xbox One via Game Pass though, so I may just have to pop the disc in on my 360 later for that purpose.  As for the main quest, I just couldn't be arsed just yet.  By the time I get to it I'm hoping to be stupidly OP and breeze right through it.  In both cases, focusing on them should make them fall in short order. 

Miscellaneous: My NES new completion streak has been extended to 17 days, 18 games in total.  While only The Magic of Scheherazade was on my target list, as I mentioned before I consider all unfinished games as fair game, and as beating the NES library is a personal (if unrealistic) long term goal, I feel pretty good about knocking those 18 games off the queue.  I think I also mentioned knocking off a Game Boy game in the last update as well, so I'm at 19 total completions despite only knocking a single targeted title off.  So far I'd say that's a decent start to the year

[Jicsan | 591]

Thanks to some snow days and all of the roads being unpassable, I've not had to go to work for the last three days.  I was able to start and finish Luigi's Mansion 3.  I liked this one, the boss fights were the showcase here, my favorite being the pirate shark and my least favorite being the sewer guy you fight while riding in an pool floaty.   I put this on off for too long.

Spoiler

 

 

[Brickman | 4,009]

 

Beat a game on any system from any genre.

Another GBA game done (I feel like it's a GBA year for me this year). I beat Super Donkey Kong 3 (DKC 3) for the GBA.

I was never really into this game on the SNES, it definitely is the weaker of the three imo. However I think I have grown to appreciate it a bit more after playing it again on the GBA. Let me just say that the GBA doesn't really do this game justice. The colour palette is weird in some levels because it is an earlier GBA game and there is music missing in sections of levels for some reason. 

Despite that, I think it is a pretty solid game and I have grown to appreciate it. There are some challenging levels and bosses and I do like the ability to save anywhere any time with the GBA version. I didn't really put much time into the mini games but they looked ok and not tacked on.

I'm not a fan of the boat system but I get what they were trying to do, making it feel a bit more "open world" and give you the ability to move around a bit more freely than follow a set map. The order still goes 2, 1 , 3 for me, but I no longer loathe this game so that's a positive  

7.5/10