Completed: Penny's Big Breakaway

• What a game! Easily my favorite thing I've played since Mario Wonder (a whopping 3+ months but still). Had so much fun passing the controller back and forth with my wife. Beating it together always makes for a more special, memorable time
  
• Incredible sound track, can hang with any AAA title's OST
• Loved the level design and new gimmicks are introduced every few levels
• Great movement/combo system, loved the feeling of momentum of flying through a level
• Still a bit buggy, boss fights especially. Overall though nothing really game ruining

 

 

Completed: Klonoa: Door to Phantomile

The Klonoa collection was on sale last week so I took that as a chance to finally play a series I've always wanted to try. Onto Klonoa 1:

• Forgot about my idea to make all these posts into bullet points
  
• Really great game, the mechanics are still interesting even some 25+ years later
• Probably the most serious, sad story line I've ever seen in a platformer, especially one as "kiddie" as this
• Great boss fights - easily my favorite parts of the game
  
• Also, Klonoa is the cutest little guy isn't he?                  

                                        

Completed: Super Mario 64

Wow, finally beat one of the games that defined my childhood. Can't even count how many times I've played this at friends houses or started a save up myself but never seemed to push past the 40 star mark after the initial few levels. Still holds up as one of the best platformers ever and is made even better by the Render96 mod, which I played on my 3DS. 60FPS Mario 64 is truly stunning when you're used to the  standard 64 version chugging along at 20FPS. 

While I don't let this affect my judgement of the game, it's very hard for me to play this and not think about all the childhood memories I had of this game. Being so amazed and perplexed at the same time by the castle and how the level structure worked. Being confused as to why Mario had life points now and didn't just get bigger or smaller depending on power ups or being hit. Hell, just figuring out the weirdly 3-pronged N64 controller and learning how to use an analog stick was an adventure. All great memories to be sure and it was a blast to get to relive those while finally ticking this one off the list.

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Completed: Super Mario RPG

New bullet point style this year/until I get tired of doing it like this

• I really loved this and never really ran into any area that felt like a slog...which makes sense since the game is short. 
• It was also surprisingly funny and I found myself laughing quite a bit. 
• Any RPG with a battle system where you get to time hits or defense is an RPG for me
  
  
  
  

2023 In Review

1. Super Mario Sunshine
2. Mega Man 2
3. LoZ: Ocarina of Time
4. Pokemon Ruby
5. LoZ: Wind Waker
6.  LoZ: ToTK
7. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
8. Sonic 3
9. Sonic & Knuckles
10. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
11. Halo
12. Sonic CD
13. Halo 2
14. Super Mario 3D World
15. Cotton Reboot
16. Batsugun
17. Spryo 3: Year of the Dragon
18. Halo 3
19. Halo 3 ODST
20. Halo Reach
21. GoldenEye 007
22. Perfect Dark
23. Super Mario Wonder
24. Castlevania
25. Max Payne 2

25 games in a year, not too shabby at all.

 

Completed: Max Payne 2

Finished this one right before the year ended. I have started this game countless times but for some reason never finished it. Really feels like a winter game to me which spurred me on to play it again. An all-time classic. Like most Remedy games this shit is DRIPPING with style (and even substance, too) and shooting bad guys in slow motion will always be fun.

The viagra4free GOTY 2023 Award

Super Mario Wonder

                                                          We spared no expense this year in the graphics department

This was a very easy decision. It felt like I've been waiting for this game my whole life...or well since New Super Mario Bros U came out in 2012. Every bit of it oozes that patented Nintendo charm and countless times throughout the game I found myself smiling without even realizing it. "Unbridled sense of joy" is a phrase that comes to mind when I think of this game (yeah, I think about phrases in my spare time) and that is the best way I can describe this game. Here's to hoping there's DLC or at least not another 11 year wait for more 2d Mario. Thanks, Nintendo.

Completed: Castlevania

Having never completed any of the classic Castlevania games I sought to right this wrong. And learned I definitely do not have the patience for these type of older games anymore. I can say for certain I would not have beaten this without save states (used when entering new rooms, and in a moment of weakness of being tired of getting killed by the final boss). Still a great game though and especially a great game of its time. I can easily see why it's rated as one of the top NES games ever

Games I've been playing lately - Fall 2023 edition

I haven't completed many games lately but have certainly been playing quite a few:

-Ray'z Arcade Chronology. Having a ton of fun playing Raystorm, one of my favorite shmups and one that I have fond memories with as a child in the early days of Playstation. It's been a blast to play Raycrisis too, a game I've always wanted to play but the price of it has always put me off.

 

-TES: Skyrim. Having a lot of fun jumping back into the game and who knows, maybe I'll finally complete (does one actually complete Skyrim?) it.

-Gran Turismo 7. New SPEC II update has been a lot of fun for me and the new Sophy AI races are surprisingly fun. Still wish there was a standard championship mode like in GTs of old but I'll take what I can get.

 

-Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire. This and the GBC Pokemon Pinball are such great games. I didn't play this when it released but it reminds me of a simpler time and that's good enough sometimes. Not to sell the game short though, easily the best pinball experience on the GBA.

 -SSB: Melee. Thanks to Slippi it's been a lot of fun getting destroyed by randoms in Melee. I'll never actually be good but that's okay

-Reel Fishing II. Welp, I'm officially into fishing games. There is something I love so much about the full motion video backgrounds. Couple that with relaxing music and catching some fuckin' fish and I'm all aboard.

 

 

-Mario Kart 7 and 8. We're always playing Mario Kart in some capacity in this household.

Completed: Super Mario Bros. Wonder

What a game. Easily the best 2d Mario since Super Mario World and is absolutely on the same level as that and SMB3. As has been said in nearly every publication about the game, "wonder" could not be a more apt title for the game. Had so much fun with MY WIFE completing and 100%ing the game. Time to play it again!