52 Games…1 Year…2022
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39. Shredders - Xbox Series S (2hrs)
Unpolished snowboarding game that makes me wonder if joining the Game Pass roster makes some developers (whisper it) a bitlazycomplacent. It's one thing to replicate a dormant genre, but whoever got the 'finished article' stamp out for this one needs to give their big head mode a wobble. I can't see any evidence of this existing on XB1 consoles, so the fact that this appears to be 'next gen' only is even more alarming. It's a glitchy, janky mess at times, with the screen often resembling multiple unaligned triangles thanks to all the [not sure the technical term - screen tearing?] going on. At a glance the cut scenes are as on on-the-nose as a wallywear dudebro's visor, then it breaks the 4th wall with a sledgehammer, and after that who knows as I skipped the rest. Perhaps I missed the illest ride of my life, but I doubt it.
The snowboarding is okay, but the buttons felt like they could do with a good remapping, which of course you're not permitted to do. Sometimes the rider behaves, sometimes he doesn't (like when it seems impossible to turn left or right, for example). Pretty much the entire final third of the story mode consists of 'follow this dude(tte)' missions. I Reckon incoming: If people hadn't gone cold on snowboarders and they'd continued to be a staple genre past, say, 2006, they'd be A LOT better than this by now. In some ways it's an ideal GP game, but I wonder if that's all the devs were aiming for when they called time on it 75% of the way through production. If I'd paid money for this (£24.99!!!!), I'd feel like, totally sick.
If you're desperate to relive a specific era of gaming it might tide you over until Shredder's Revenge. [4]
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Oof -
I'd been looking forward to it too. A proper buzz kill game.
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40. Tunic - Xbox Series S (18-20hrs, need to check the save clock)
A beautiful patchwork quilt of inspirations that weaves its threads together with consummate skill, then drapes itself over a blow up mattress.
This is without question one of my favourite experiences of the past decade, but the extreme difficulty doesn't suit the feel of the game. The mechanics aren't awful by a long shot, but they're a considerable distance away from the majesty of the adventure. I'm an advocate of assist modes, but I've never felt the need to implore anyone to reach for them immediately. However, playing this as intended feels like listening to [insert your own masterpiece, I'm not foolish enough to leave myself open to scoffing by typing 'Blood on the Tracks'] with earmuffs on. I should thank @Tempy for the inspiration to toggle the no fail setting for the final boss (YMMV), but in hindsight I wish I'd swallowed my pride for each of the main guardians. Too many c***s spoil the broth, so to speak. I love banging my head against a good boss, unfortunately none of Tunic's bigger baddies tick all the required boxes and the frankly rotten nastiness of the major encounters highlight the slight control deficiencies. They're doable with a ton of practice (as stated, the controls aren't bad per se), but in practice neither the patterns or the methods are much fun. The devs had more faith in the strength of the combat than it deserves, and the difficulty is almost humorously outrageous at times. Having said that, the standard stages felt like hey were pitched just right, so it's just the bosses I've got an issue with.
With that out the way, the entirety of the rest of the Tunic experience is bona fide, once per generation masterpiece stuff. If the bosses threaten to shake you off, don't let them. If you still don't fancy playing this, watch someone else play it and experience the wonder vicariously. I've been trying to think of an analogy for the layers a while, as a lowly onion won't suffice. It's more like a map in a bottle, written on rose petals in invisible ink behind a magic eye picture of yourself picking up a map in a bottle. Eh?? The pixie dusting that covers the whole thing is intoxicating. I devoured it in a few days, assisted by almost full banishment to the loft room at home as I'm riddled with covid. I mentioned this elsewhere but this will forever be tied with feverishness for me. I'm on the mend now, but yesterday was a rough one, NGL, and I did most of my mopping up in a weird trancelike state between naps with a splitting headache. Which bizarrely suited it perfectly.
With better judgement of its difficulty (or better yet, an improved combat system) this could have been a [10]. The drip feeding of the instruction manual - and the pages themselves - might be the greatest thing in the history of adventure games. At the very least it's on par with insult sword fighting. So much better than I thought it would be, and I've been on the hook since the reveal. [9]
P.S: Wasn't sure where to put this, but it's weird how much Death's Door feels like an abridged version of Tunic, or at least the surface level of it. If a film was made lifting the lid on the development process of DD it wouldn't surprise me if it started with a spying mission, Biesla style, followed by a mad dash to get out the gates first.
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41 & 42. Streets of Rage/Streets of Rage 2 - Master System (roughly 2hrs)
I've always intended to try these as they passed me by at the time (I may have briefly played SOR1 in hospital on another kid's Game Gear after a Golden Retriever bit my eyelid off, but that's a very different port). Both of the MS entries appeared in 1993 according to the respective title screens on the ROMs I played, so they were a bit tardy considering how quickly things were moving at the time.
The first game is a remarkable conversion though, all things considered, and feels like a huge effort to create a replica of the original on inferior hardware. The two player mode is gone, but pretty much everything else has been squeezed in - all the stages, all the music, all the characters (still lolling at you, SNES guy), all the moves. It's not quite as good as the MD version of course, but it's a highly commendable imitation.
The second game was tougher to judge, as I kept changing my mind throughout my (heavily save state assisted) playthrough. A lot more has been lost in translation here, including Max, which would be more forgivable if they'd shoehorned a co-op mode in. It's impressive that most of the moves made the jump, but unfortunately the vast leap from SOR to SOR2 (srsly, what a step up that was) has resulted in a nerfed port that falls short of the first 8-bit effort in terms of graphics, sound and gameplay. Or rather, it falls short of the Master System version of Streets of Rage - this actually looks a lot more like the Gear Gear version of the original. I believe Koshiro was involved in this, providing new tunes and rearranging the old ones, but the music - while genuinely good - just isn't quite as strong as the first game. Or the second port of the first game (it's getting complicated knot tying myself in nots now). A couple of new areas have been added, replacing the handful that have been omitted, which are decent enough. It might be a stretch to say that the train top level inspired the similar stage from SOR4, as the tops of trains were as common as lava levels at the time, but stranger things have happened. Despite the far more fleshed out moveset this manages to feel like an older game than MS SOR. Would I have lapped this up at the time? Probably not, actually. Remember we're talking 1993 here, when the whole industry resembled a speeding train. As a random example, Virtua Racing was already wowing eyeballs in arcades, and the first home port was roughly a year away at that stage. So yes, if I'd done a swapsie for this with Golden Axe in 1991 I would have been over the moon - it is ahead of the pack for scrolling beat 'em ups on Sega 8-bt HW - but at the time of release I don't think I would've been willing to get much mileage out of it. Certain enemy times are incredibly annoying and it feels less fair than the first game.
87% for SOR, 69% for SOR2. -
43. Skullgirls: 2nd Encore - Switch (3.5hrs)
It's fair to say there might be a few of these this week. I've just been told I can't return to the office for 5 days + 2 with negative tests, and my wife gave me £15 to spend on the Eshop, so I bought plenty 'o stuff. As I've fed pieces of paper through a machine for a living for 20 years now, and WFH isn't a thing for my limpet-like department, I wouldn't rule out hitting 52 by the time I sheepishly head back in.
2D fighters have been pretty much dead to me since the Dreamcast days. Since then I think I've bought two (SFIV and BlazBlue on PS3) and had a quick go on DBZ Fighters. All were a nope for me. The genre is fine - and was actually my favourite for a brief period when chip shops and cab offices ruled the world in the early 90s - but these days any time I touch one I find my interest waning immediately. I say 2D fighters, but they're all on a flat plane really. The story modes of Mortal Kombat 11 and Injustice 2 did bring me back into the fold slightly. Anyway, the tldr is: I tend to avoid the genre in my old age because I can't be bothered to learn 'em.
So I basically only bought this because I'd just topped up my EWallet with 'free money', and I've always liked the look of the juicy gfx. Imagine my surprise when I realised I really liked it! I've played through the story mode with every character now, and a good 80% of them felt great. Approaching this with my old school SFII hat on, the specials popped out easily and moves chained together nicely. Of course all these games have full command lists in the menus now, which would have felt like cheating way back when. This'll be a good one to roll out in the caravan for mp, I reckon.
The visuals are superb. I knew it was a looker but considering the base game was released nigh on ten years ago (by indie devs) I'm surprised at just how glorious the artwork/design/animation is. Yes, the wimmins do tend to have bouncing breasts poking out of double-tight corsets, but they're so intricately designed I see no reason to put this on the naughty step while Bayonetta flagrantly prances around in front of a butt-cam to a rosie-palmed standing ovation. It's all a bit Cuphead meets the naughty boy island from Pinocchio, which is a glorious mix, and the jazz soundtrack is great (with some tracks provided by Michiru Yamane of SOTN fame, apparently). Good fun, and genuinely feels like a legit fightmans to me. [8]
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Bought that on PS4/5 in a recent sale. Meant to be a legit good fightmans indeed. But I also bought KoF XV cos that's what I do, I buy games and not play them.
I am a FREE. I am not MAN. A NUMBER. -
I'm not one to judge fightmans past a surface level so pinch of salt required (plus I didn't play it long enough to get the slightest idea of balance, other than deciding Fukua would be my 'main' if I had one) but it felt like a good one. I did wonder if it was eligible for pro tournaments.
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Wtf on that SOR2 score.
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Oh wait, it's shan system
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8. Windjammers (Neo Geo) - 1hr
Hard one to rate this.
One the surface its just Pong on steroids. Simple to pick up and I imagine has enough about it to be a nigh on perfect game in multiplayer for people of equal ability.
I can only judge it on what I played though, and that was an entertaining but ultimately forgettable playthrough of the single player campaign.
I know deep down it's undoubtedly a great game but outside of a slim possibility of playing it with moot I doubt I'll ever find out.
6/10
My listオレノナハ エラー ダ -
9. Shock Troopers (Neo Geo) - 45mins
Overhead run and gun in the same vein as Mercs and Total Carnage.
Simple and solid arcade action, unfortunately it lacks the twin stick setup of Smash TV or the 8 way button replacement that the SNES port implemented so successfully. Games like this always feel a bit gimped without that control system, but this does a decent enough job of holding fire to lock your position to strafe or tap fire to shoot on the fly.
Has quite a bit of slowdown in places which is a bit disappointing considering the platform its on, but I have a huge soft spot for games like this, especially if they're co-op, which I'm happy to say this is.
8/10
My listオレノナハ エラー ダ -
オレノナハ エラー ダ
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Good vid/channel. I liked the visual pizzazz of the MD SOR though, dropped my jaw in '91 anyway. Always liked the fact that the original Streets of Rage has remained retroking's favourite over the years.
I can fully recommend this glorious scrolling beat 'em up compendium:
Go Straight: The Ultimate Guide to Side-Scrolling Beat-’Em-Ups | Bitmap Books
I think I'll hit the streets at some point today. -
44. Welcome to Elk - Switch (2.5hrs)
Well fuck me sideways, I did not expect this to be anywhere near as marvellous as it is. I tried the demo on Xbox ages ago and earmarked it as interesting, but this joins the genre greats for me. You play as a young woman who is visiting Elk island to assist the local carpenter at the request of her father. After that, I'm not going to spoil a second of it. It's the length of a film and has a delicate, worldly-wise nuance missing from 99% of games that attempt any sort of emotional journey. I play quite a few walking sims in various guises and they're all chasing a feeling that, for me, this nails.
The holy trinity of this sort of thing is now A Night in the Woods, Wandersong and Welcome to Elk. What a game. David Lynch is referenced a couple of times, but not in a HEY LOOK AT US DOING WEIRD way (at least that's not how I read it; it's more of a respectful hat tip than an overt Lynch klaxon). The highest praise I can think of to end on is to call this the gaming equivalent of The Straight Story. [9]
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Ooh intrigued. A Moot rec that I’m willing to try.I am a FREE. I am not MAN. A NUMBER.
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Please do, I can't believe such a gem flew under the radar. Big love for it.
Edit: If you're quick it might still be £3 on Switch. -
45. Alien Soldier - Switch (2.5hrs)
I honestly thought this was abysmal based on the first stage (which I must have played a dozen times over the years). It gets better as you go along - fish boss and floating stages notwithstanding - thanks to the controls gradually making sense. It throws you in at a deeper end than any other run & gun I can think of (even Cuphead gives you a gimme or two to warm up). I can't give it my personal seal of approval, because I'd be lying if I let Hunk reshape my thoughts, but it's obvious that there is a great game in here for those a) able to and b) willing to put the yards in.
I will say it's infinitely better than I initially gave it credit for. Thanks to the size of the character and bosses there's an almost Punch-Out level of pattern recognition to the proceedings, and having watched a couple of Youtube runs this morning I'll admit it's got chops, even if I haven't. I struggled to get to grips with it and despised certain sections, but I've warmed to it for sure, especially after sleeping on it. It looks wonderful in places of course, with plenty of technical jiggery pokery going on, especially in the final third. The music was a bit limp to my ears though.
79%
Maybe I should revisit Comix Zone, another perennial 'level one, nope' game. -
OK, done. And I just got it for 48p using gold points. Could do with a reason to use the Switch.Moot_Geeza wrote:Please do, I can't believe such a gem flew under the radar. Big love for it. Edit: If you're quick it might still be £3 on Switch. -
46. Super Arcade Football - Switch (4hrs)
A continuation of my kickmans journey from a few months ago. Not to be confused with Super Arcade Soccer.
The Amiga Mini chat on the forum left me craving the beautiful games of the NafNaf jumpers for goalposts era. I played Behold, the Kickmen! a couple of years ago, which was a God-tier guilty pleasure with two left feet and one of the best trailers ever. This is similar-ish, but without the deliberate hinderances of Kickmen (you couldn't even tackle for the first half an hour of that, iirc). It's also an even simpler approximation of the sport that uses a good old one button interface for all your shooting, passing and tackling needs.
The throwback Blighty Horace-esque story scenes are peak awefulsome, with the dialogue coupling one or two genuine laughs with pea-rollers that warrant a match fixing inquiry. As hapless Martin (who wanders into the Balarm F.C stadium at the start of the game after seeing a bankruptcy notice and buys the club from Old Joe for a pound coin with a hole in it) you have to steer the club through three leagues culminating in title decider with Snakesfield - a team of fancy Dans who play in gold boots. Trust me, it ebbs and flows like a Steve Bruce novel. The whole thing feels like it was bedroom coded by a couple of Balham F.C fans, possibly in their late 40s to early 50s, eager to relive the heady days of Pro Set scrambles, leg breaking yellow cards, knowing someone that insisted Subbuteo was actually well good, mass videogame piracy and Three & In. Spoiler alert:
It's about as kick up and play as a footie game gets, but be warned: if you pick it up to play you won't be able to put it down. Not because it's good (it is tho), but because it's the only Switch game I've seen where undocking it borks the display upon redocking, and you'll have to restart the software. Gotta love a good deliberate easter egg.Spoiler:
Being a one button affair there's obviously a decent aftertouch system in play for curling screamers in off the post. That's how these things work. The career is ridiculously easy on the whole (my stats were something like W 100, D 2, L 2, although neither the draws nor the losses go down on Martin's CV as you have to win each game to progress). You'd think I would've got bored with such a drawn out, repetitive procession to the credits that puts up next to no resistance whatsoever, but you'd be dead wrong. I celebrated almost every goal with clenched fist air punching irl, and I had a wonderful time. The sliding tackle pays no heed to where the ball is, so the hidden dice roll just adds to the excitement. Your squad consists of, among others, Vega, Murphy, Stantz, Newandyke, Dufresne, Wayne, Connor, Anderson, Ripley, Corleone, McClane, Starling and Carter, which gradually snapped into focus as I mind palaced the lot like the embodiment of an I Understood That Reference gif. Eat you heart out, Tunic. The core gameplay is honestly great fun. Things have moved on in leaps and bounds (even goalies are supposed to play football now, I hear), I just can't imagine a timeline where such a simple football game isn't enjoyable. It's admittedly not quite as realistic as it could be, thanks to the occasional meteorites and bears running across the pitch, but escapism is underrated.
[Three Chris Waddles shy of a scorchio]
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England are playing in red and white stripes? Vomit -
I think the kit colours are randomised. I didn't see the same away kit twice for the Balarmy anyway.
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Yellow card seems lenient
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10.Gears of War Ultimate - 6 Hours - 10/10 - Series X
Just wanted something simple and awesome to shoot shit up. So one of the best examples of cover shooters ever.
As awesome as ever if not very, very simple. Which is no bad thing. Always an ace playthrough. Does what it does perfectly. 10/10 -
47. A Good Snowman is Hard to Build - Switch (90 mins)
Draknek puzzler that feels like a practice run for the all-time gloriousness of A Monster's Expedition. Build a snowman by rolling a small snowball on top of a medium sized snowball on top of a big snowball. Roll a snowball over snow and it'll get bigger by collecting any snow beneath it, roll it over grass and it'll stay the same size. There's not much to it, and the snowball pushing is nowhere near as intricately knitted together as the log shoving of AME, but the tiny brain teasers themselves are of a similar quality. It's short, and I've decided I'm not interested in the post-game (at this moment in time anyway), but it's a lovely little thing for £4. Kudos points for the snowmen having names - it's a minor touch but adds a lot. [7]
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Sounds fair.
I think my draknek ordering is:
- Sokobond
- A Monster's Expedition
- Cosmic Express
- Snowman
(with bonfire peak low ish too)
The top three are all excellent (all growing superbly as you progress through them) -
What happened to your video updates Dante
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Been too tired on weekends for the last few weeks. I'll try and get one sorted this weekend.
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