52 Games…1 Year…2022
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Yeah sensible. I didn't gold them all. I think the last one unlocks if you clear the first lot? Tenner says you can't gold it. Tenner to me if you can't even complete it. -
I need to find one more cube by the sounds of it. I'll take a look. Precise platforming isn't the game's strong suit though - the difference between silver and gold on those seemed to be enjoyable vs tedious.
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Glad you got an ( 8 ) out of it Moot.
I think I had similar overall feelings. I was less bothered by the gating, but that's because I mostly played it with my wife who insisted on having every orb before we moved on. (Which perhaps also gave a bit more to go at early on). Music levels are the ones we most enjoyed - and the most likely to replay just for the sake of it. Definitely agree it only really comes into its own towards the end - the post games stages are pretty good (and challenging) if you can be bothered to track down those remaining orbs... (Though there's no real reward for doing them.)
We did enough of the trials to be able to unlock the final stages, but not more. I would chase the in game orbs/ hidden levels first... -
14. Ghost Sweeper Mikami: Joreishi ha Nice Body (SNES) - 1hr
A Japanese only release that I discovered through SNESdrunk.
A simple action platformer, based on a Japanese anime which is essentially Ghostbusters. It's developed by Natsume who made some great NES games and are a very underrated developer of the era imo.
The graphics and music are both great and it controls perfectly, it has that great action platformer flow that games like Castlevania do so well.
Unfortunately its let down by its short length and lack of challenge. There's only 7 Levels, and enough continues to see the credits within an hour, even for average skilled players. There's even a password system, which is completely unnecessary.
If there was a bit more meat on the bone and more of a challenge this would be firmly in the hidden gems category. As it is its a fun playthrough, nothing special but there's certainly worse ways to pass an hour.
6/10
My listオレノナハ エラー ダ -
15. God of War (PS4) - 28hrs
Initially didn't click with this. I'm not generally a fan of games with upgrade systems and skill trees etc, I find them to be a bit convoluted most of the time. I was also a bit annoyed in the change of formula as I was a big fan of the series up to this point. Not an ideal mindset going into the game.
Slowly but surely in sucked me in though. The presentation is outstanding, it really is a technical marvel. The combat is good, I'm not as taken with it as others here but it works well and opens up the more you play. The game does get to a point where you're kind of overpowered though, I died quite a bit to begin with but by the final third it became a bit of a breeze.
The relationship between Kratos and Atreus didn't do much for me. It was done well enough though, decent dialog etc but I must say I was a huge fan of Mimir. He injected a decent bit of humour into the proceedings and helped move things along.
Unfortunately I didn't get into the side quests much, it just didn't pull me in like other games have in that respect. I also found the ending a bit anticlimactic...
Spoiler:
Overall I still prefer a couple of the older entries, but this is still a very good game. It's won me over enough that, instead of this being the end of the road for the series for me like I initially thought, I'm now looking forward to the sequel.
8/10
My listオレノナハ エラー ダ -
Agree with the spoilers/anticlimactic comment. Was a neat enough way to wrap it up but I was hoping for something a bit more.
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83. A Little Golf Journey - Switch (5hrs)
A laid back golf adventure that I rushed a bit as I was keen to get it done before Turtles lands. Kinda like spending £12 on a double measure of fine whisky, then smashing it in one and shouting LADS. If played as intended - a chill puzzler with secrets galore - I see no reason why a full point couldn't be added to the score below. Burning through it suited me but not the game.
The engine is a bit nasty, particularly the map segments. It's no big deal, but with a more charming visual allure (and some extra spit & polish elsewhere) this could've infiltrated badger indie darling territory imo, rather than 'Moot's playing another Moot game'. It actually looks nicer undocked than it does blown up on screen, where it resembles some sort of clinical yet garish early Unreal Engine XBLA effort. It didn't bother me after a while but the slight whiff of cheap was always in the air. Gameplay is simplistic - aim and shoot, with a button for a power shot and one for focus. This works fine for the slow paced golfing. Most holes offer three stars depending on how many strokes it takes to putt, which I tried to keep pace with until they became a little too militant with their 'this strategy or fail' demands, so I started aiming for two stars after a couple of hours, which was the sweet spot for me. YMMV of course. Many holes have hidden exits, or items to collect. There are 400 stars available, and 64 'Blue Things'. I finished on 200/12, so there was plenty more to see if I'd bothered to go looking. Play it properly and there's probably a good 10-12hrs of mileage to be had - it's definitely not your average minigolf game. [7], was good fun and a little different. If you watch a trailer and the premise appeals I daresay you'd enjoy it. Putting is weak though, which is a shame.
Edit: That actually looks quite nice, all soft focus and flat shaded. The Switch port looks like that but without the soft haze and with added janky texturework.
84. Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master - Megadrive (90mins)
I fancied revisiting this after watching a Sega Lord X video recently. I missed it at the time as I think I'd had my head turned by the promise of polygons in the pipeline at that point*, but I did play the quality M2 port on 3DS. It's an excellent ninja game and in many ways it's better than Revenge on paper, but that remains the pinnacle of the series (and genre) for me.
Joe's expanded repertoire of moves is well handled, with the diagonal flying kick being particularly useful. The wall jump is fun too, and not over-used. Stages are well designed, leaning more heavily into outlandish territory than its predecessors, and the visuals are nifty for a MD title. Audio lets it down as it somehow manages to sound weaker than Revenge in every area. I know these tunes are comparatively unfamiliar to me, but I don't think I'm being harsh by describing them as mostly uninspired and occasionally insipid. The best piece of music appears twice, which was recycled and improved for the Ice Cap Zone in Sonic 3 anyway. Bright spots aside it's a crushingly disappointing score on the whole - up there with Streets of Rage 3 muzak as the greatest travesty of justice in Sega's history. Both games sound like Koshiro was replaced by a cat running over a keyboard at times. The sound effects have that CLUNK sound I wasn't keen on with some Megadrive games too. The horse/surfing segments are strong (or at least a welcome change of pace), which makes a nice change for that sort of thing, as are bosses for the most part.
I can't find too much fault with this elsewhere, but the pixel perfect arcade(athome)like simplicity of Revenge actually gives it the edge. Time has dulled my skills and I played this with heavy use of save states. Unless I've lost the ability to judge this sort of thing, the last two stages felt trickier than anything from its predecessor. There are lots of insta-death holes in the back half of the game too, which feels harsh with a starting base of three lives. NB: I don't know if this offers continues because save scumming innit. Either way this would be harsh game in original cart form for sure. Overall it's very good, and I'd understand someone arguing its case for inclusion in a MD top ten, but it's not quite there for me. 88%
*I checked the release date after typing this and it was released roughly a year earlier than I thought - the visual trickery is even more impressive for mid '93. Not a clue why I wasn't itching to play this at the time then. Reviews were mixed for an IP of this calibre but they were still mostly high. I don't think it's always been placed on the pedestal it's on now - time has earned this extra kudos points. -
85. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (Xbox Series S, 4hrs)
A hugely assured update of a specific type of side scrolling beat 'em up. The turtles games were always a very particular type of fun. So arcadelike that they almost felt like throwaway experiences when compared to something like Streets of Rage 2, but resolutely enjoyable, bright, bold and full of coin-op swagger, whether housed in an actual cabinet (spewing snippets of sampled speech for added clout) or on a console under the TV. They hit a sweet spot for sure, which absolutely worked at the time, but keeping that same basic feel was a very bold design choice for a modern update, especially as it's the first HYPE level scrolling beat 'em up in Streets of Rage 4's slipstream. Sega's recent revival pulled out all the stops to be a legitimate scrolling fighting game - deeper/more complex than met the eye initially and clearly not a brainless brawler (accentuated by the excellent DLC). It aimed to appeal to many types of players and succeeded nigh-on flawlessly. Shredder's Revenge doesn't cast its net anywhere near as wide. It's far too straightforward for comparisons to SOR4 to be fair (or even worthwhile), but for the smaller number of players likely to gravitate towards its charms the outrageously pilfered template is glorious. Like, masterful stuff in terms of faithfully updating what these games were. As an aside, did Konami give their blessing for this? Because even taking into account the fact that numerous non-Konami TMNT games have taken the same genre route over the years this is so obviously indebted to its inspiration I'm not even sure where, if at all, the devs bothered to draw a line. I wonder if this level of flattering imitation ever sails close to hot water? It doesn't just feel a bit like a game inspired by the Konami releases of yesteryear, it plays like a direct sequel. It's the approach I would've asked for, but I still find it odd that such a copycat continuation exists.
I'm still keen on the old games, revisiting the 16-bit efforts every few years. I've played good and bad GBA games and I've even suffered the entirety (and then some, as Tilly latched onto it for a while) of the much maligned Platinum effort from a few years ago. This is so easily the best of the lot it's not even a competition. I loved the original arcade game as a Ninja/Hero Turtle mad child, but it was a coin eater and the XBLA re-release cracked the rose-tint lenses slightly. I'm not knocking what it was, but time hasn't been too kind to it. This takes everything that was good about the improved Konami sequels and adds finesse, while focusing on the multiplayer aspect of the original. The only modern console game I can think of that would be such a perfect fit for an arcade machine is Huntdown. All the main components work, nothing feels unfair or overly annoying and the repetition is rewarding. On my tier list only Streets of Rage 4, Streets of Rage 2 and Mother Russia Bleeds would be guaranteed to sit above it, which puts this in a dust cloud with Wulverblade and Guardian Heroes duking it out for the coveted title of Fourth Best Scrolling Beat 'Em Up Of All Time.
A quick round-up of the negatives: The story mode feels bolted on, with most of the challenges ticking themselves off as you play. The item hunt whiffs of afterthought too, you'll find most of this stuff organically. It's basically an arcade mode that saves your progress - the rest of it is just window dressing. Special moves do a little too much damage on bosses I thought, and the taunt move to re-up the special meter seems odd (there's no time limit, so reaching max charge straight after clearing any given screen is a valid tactic and there's even time to sneak one in during most battles on the normal difficulty setting). There are bugs galore on the Xbox version unfortunately, including a worrying full freeze that always seems to correct itself after around 15 seconds. I'm still locked out of the online side of things after one super-fun session, and I've given up trying to find out why. Options are a bit limited too. It's not Windjammers 2 levels of barebones but it's not far off. You won't find boss rush, time trial, NG+ or horde mode gametypes here. There's not even an arena duel or a playable tutorial. There aren't any accessibility options either (you can't alter the amount of lives/continues in the arcade mode for example). Plus it's lacking in other fairly standard nu retro concessions like CRT filters, which believe it or not I like to use from time to time (there are dozens of us).
None of these things take the shine off though. It's a multiplayer game at heart and personally I'd prefer to reach for this with three+ mates in the same room than SOR4, which is about as high praise as you could possibly expect for it as SOR4 is a bona fide masterpiece for the ages. It doesn't just capture the spirt of the games Tribute Games are paying tribute to, it ruthlessly assimilates everything good about them. Ultra specific fan-service mission accomplished; if I'd played this in 1993 my feet/ankles probably would've appeared on the Spontaneous Human Combustion pages of an unexplained mysteries magazine. Looking forward to playing it with retroking, there's no way he won't love it. [8]
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9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
I was born in 1984 so I grew up as a Turtles child. I remember the TV show, the movie where Raphael spent half of it in a bath tub, and Go Ninja Go Ninja Go. I remember TMNT4 Turtles In Time, and the Arcade Cabinet. It was my childhood, and Streets of Rage 2 is in my top 10 of all time, so Shredder's Revenge was obviously going to alert part of my brain.
It's good. That much is true. It is a good beat em up with a progression system for those that want to keep wringing every last drop from each character. And I bet it is a blast in co-op. However, I sat through it solo, just wanting to see the end, and I found it good, but without enough tricks up its sleeve to keep me going for the length it wanted.
Bosses were all enjoyable barring the final one with a frustrating need to wait to attack. The levels were good, and collectibles all very nodding and winking at someone who had a Mondo Gecko toy in 1991. Music is an absolute blast, and probably the one aspect I cannot fault at all - particularly the on rails levels with the raps, *chef's kiss *
I can't say I encountered any bugs during my time, although I have seen enough reports to know they're out there. However, I also can't see enough to the game to make me want to go back as another character (I played as Donatello because, cmon, I've played a Turtles game before).
So a fun trip down memory lane, but one I don't need to repeat. As always, thank god for Gamepass. -
The Raphael bathtub movie is still great. Secret of the Ooze was a comparative travesty.
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Nice reviews here!
I think it’s great! Haven’t finished it yet it’s not terribly far off SOR4. I do agree it’s a touch long but no complaints.
Really had forgotten how much I loved the Turtles. It’s a series I’m not burned out on/haven’t ever revisited. It’s a treat seeing stuff I’d forgotten about (The Rat King! I had that toy!). I was doing the shopping last night and ended up standing in the toy aisle for way too long talking myself out of buying action figures lol. Might have to watch a couple of old episodes.When you got movies like Tom Cruise in them, you can't lose -
I only had Leonardo as a kid (other than a foot soldier I swapped somehing for), despite being about as obsessed with the whole franchise as you could get. One of Leo's flimsy katanas broke after maybe eight minutes of not-too-vigorous play and my dad decided that any future Turtles figures could fuck off as they lacked the sturdiness of the Thundercats.
The day I found the OG graphic novel in Smiths is probably still in my top 20, although it effectively killed off my appreciation for the cartoon as all I wanted after reading it a billion times was DARK TURTLES. -
86. Deathrun TV - Switch (80mins)
Distressingly poor roguelike twin stick shooter that somehow received a 'Recommended' from Eurogamer. Mileage varies for everyone on all games of course, but no amount of brain contortions would leave me thinking this could possibly be any better than 'a bit shit' for anyone familiar with the highs and lows of the genre. It's not cheap - I grabbed it at £8.33, which is 30% off its original price - but it sure feels like it. I love to bask in the glow of a successful 89p punt on the EShop, as anyone who reads this thread may have noticed, but I wouldn't even dream of recommending this at a Poundland price.
After a dozen or so Game Overs I finished a run on the standard difficulty with a few accessibility tweaks and ended up with a long list of complaints, the main one being the fact that it feels horrid to play. I don't want to waste much of my evening laying into it, suffice to say it's a waste of time, money and storage space and I reckon if you stuck a pin in a list of the 50 or so twin stick shooters on modern marketplaces you'd have a 100% chance of picking a better game than this, if you factor in the price. If you want a Smash TV clone play Galaxy Champions TV instead (it might look basic but at least it doesn't obscure parts of the action with an off-kilter isometric view). If it's specifically the Running Man/Flashback level 3 itch you want to scratch try Black Future '88. [3]
87. Guns, Gore and Cannoli - PS5 (2hrs)
Aside from a box of Jaffa Cakes, part of my father's day pressie was a couple of hours to myself upstairs (the final part is the voucher I'll be gleefully spending when I've finished typing this). I bought this for a couple of quid roughly six years ago but never played much as I planned to try it in co-op at some point. There are far better alternatives out there now, so I opted to plough through solo.
I've got a soft spot for run & gun games that only offer horizontal fire, but Huntdown this is not. Nor is it Rolling Thunder or Gunman Clive. Although it's initially satisfying to cut through goons with a big shotgun the poor design gradually wears thin and by the time it gets difficult you'll be painfully aware that it's an overly simple, shoddily put together shooter with not much going for it past a fairly neat lick of paint. Enemies mob your character and cling to you, which gives the controls that 'wading through a bog' feel that no-one likes ever. The kick button is supposed to act as a way to clear some space, but in practice it's rarely as useful as it should be. Guns take an age to reload - infuriating under pressure, of course. There are ten(ish) weapons and only two buttons to scroll through them, which means you'll spend a good chunk of the game fumbling through your arsenal under fire. It makes you do a bit of platforming towards the end too, despite the fact that the controls aren't suited for it. To make matters worse the whole thing feels like it should have a roll/dodge but the devs forgot to map it to any of the buttons.
I'll admit I had fun with it on the whole, but it's a poor game in single player, with some yikes stereotype stuff and an array of misogynistic quips thrown in for good measure. The flamethrower is neat though. [5]
Not a vintage couple of days. -
18. Turtles Shredders Revenge- 6 Hours - 6/10 - Xbox Series X
Well that was…ok. Presentation is lovely, great nostalgia vibes and the soundtrack is pretty awesome, but it’s so very samey samey without offering any kind of change to the formula. And the bosses, kinda pointless really. It was still fun and another win for Gamepass as I’d have probably bought it, but I definitely expected more.
6/10 -
88. Dynamite Headdy - Switch (2.5hrs)
The impromptu Treasure thread chat yesterday made me bin my existing plans ('try to find something to buy with my EShop voucher') and replay this instead. It's a firm favourite of mine which I've always considered it to be pretty much the best Megadrive platformer, and something that would definitely go on my list of the top 16-bit games from any genre. The MD Collection from a few years ago offers two versions of this, so I opted to play the Japanese one for the first time.
In many ways it's still fantastic. The vast majority of the gameplay and stage design is still top tier for the era. Spinderella, for example (just called 'Stage Fight' in the original release, which doesn't have the pop culture puns of the western release) is even more of an audiovisual delight than Seven Force, imo, and the constant variety is very well implemented for the most part. It looks excellent, sounds equally good, plays unlike any other platformer and is practically bursting with well executed ideas and wonderful touches (from the secret bonus points to boss attacks that only target the position of your head). Time hasn't been quite as kind to a few elements here and there though, chiefly the shmup stages and one or two hideously difficult, poorly balanced late game sections. I'm not looking to be a negative ninny but as much as I'm a retrohead at heart, I do think most old school games have been surpassed by modern equivalents. Which means while I still hold my favourites in high esteem, but I'm not the sort of loony who thinks Super Metroid would cut the mustard were it released as it is on modern consoles. Certain elements would be improved. Feel free to replace Super Metroid with an alternative 16-bit game of your choice; I'm just using it as an example. While I'm on my hottake soapbox I'm gonna go ahead and say it: I don't think much of Treasure's scrolling shmup diversions in any of their platform games. The serviceable ship stage in Gunstar Heroes isn't befitting of their reputation. The vertical shooter segment in Gunstar Superheroes was even worse and the flying stages in Dynamite Headdy - while welcome as part of its constant attempts to mix things up - are a little too cheap/annoying (Babyface is a good boss, but the levels preceding it are a little on the nasty side). That's not to say that Treasure don't make great shmups, I'm just saying they never seemed to mind chucking unspectacular forced scrolling sections in otherwise excellent platformers. /Retreats into hedge.
Maybe this caught me in the wrong mood yesterday - on the whole it's still superb - but I'm a little disappointed as on the numerous occasions I've replayed this in the past I always had a blast, whereas the needle was often in the red for frustration factor this time. I know the western release was trickier, but maybe the Jpn version had harsher shooting stages? (he told himself). In 1994 this was a 94%, so it'd be pretty mean to go on about the few aspects that have been eroded by time, which are mostly brief gameplay diversions anyway, so I'll stop there. It'll always be a favourite but I no longer think it deserves a seat at the timeless table with the likes of Streetfighter II, SMW, Streets of Rage 2 and Micro Machines 2. It's not eating behind the shed with the earthworms either; 'of its time' has just become slightly more apt.
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Just for the record, I love your inclusion of a gif with your reviews, it’s always useful to have a brief look at the game in action.
Keep it up! -
Sometimes I can't, I've played at least 5 indies where no gif seems to exist
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Yossarian wrote:Just for the record, I love your inclusion of a gif with your reviews, it’s always useful to have a brief look at the game in action. Keep it up!
Yup. I’ve always loved that. Moot (and Tilly) reviews are the best.I am a FREE. I am not MAN. A NUMBER. -
She's hyped for Fall Guys FTP so watch this space.
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I won't even play a game anymore that hasn't had the Tilly seal of approval.
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Didn't know Tilly played Destiny. -
As always Moot, that is a great review and I'm glad you found it tough this time! I always bounce off it due to the difficulty, but it's up there with Probotector with games I want to like.
Anyway you have inspired me to have another go tonight. At least I know to expect a save state fest.Live, PSN & WiiU: Yippeekiyey -
Let me know how you get on with the shmup stage with the cat mech that alternates between foreground and background, and the Twin Freaks boss. I don't recall ever struggling with either like I did this time. Confirmation that I'm old.
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Moot_Geeza wrote:She's hyped for Fall Guys FTP so watch this space.
:eyes: -
16. Green Beret AKA Rush'n Attack (Arcade) - 1hr 10mins
80s Konami run and gun, that's a loose term as your main weapon is a knife. You play a Green Beret tasked with infiltrating enemy military bases (4 levels in total) to save POWs from execution by firing squad.
There's a decent amount of enemy types in the game, cannon fodder that run straight at you that pose little threat, RPG and Flame thrower armed Soldiers and also dogs. Then from the air, Jetpack, Parachute and Gyrocopter Soldiers.
From these you can upgrade your combat knife to a three-shot flamethrower, a four-shot RPG, or a three-pack of hand grenades.
Had this on the NES as a kid and am happy to say this is an arcade game that's superior to the console version by not being a massive quarter muncher. Add to that the usual arcade benefits of superior graphics and sound and this is a winner.
7/10
17. Dynasty Wars (Arcade) - 50mins
Side scrolling beat 'em up from 1989 by Capcom. The goal is to wipe out the Huang Ching, defeat the tyrant and bring peace to the Han Dynasty.
You play on horseback and attack to the left with one button and the right with another, with a third button used for specials.
It's really basic and quite dull tbh, and at 8 levels it really dragged. If it wasn't for playing couch co-op I doubt I'd have made it past the halfway mark.
4/10
18. Carrier Air Wing (Arcade) - 45mins
Early 90s side-scrolling shoot 'em up and spiritual successor to U.N. Squadron.
Like U.N. Squadron you choose from three different characters and buy weapon and shield upgrades in between stages from the shop.
Also like the prequel instead of one hit kills you have an energy bar which is handy for people like me who despite loving these types of games aren't particularly good at them.
There's 10 levels so plenty of content for a game like this, the graphics and sound are both superb which is kind of what you'd expect from Capcom in this era.
Very good game, a shame it never got a console port back in the day.
8/10
My listオレノナハ エラー ダ -
26: Shredder's Revenge: (PC) 8/10
This isn't quite the instant classic I was hoping for, but still pretty bloody good! It's main crime is being a bit too long for this kind of thing. Arcade mode is not at all tempting because if this, which is a real shame. At least you can have some bite size sessions in story mode so it didn't feel like a slog at any point.
Still though! A great example of an old school beat em up, lovingly put together with the best of graphics and sound. It honestly goes a long way that I'm not burned out on Turtles nostalgia, and haven't really followed the various bits since I was a kid. It was a treat to see characters that I'd all but forgotten about again.
Have to admit I finished it a few days ago and haven't been drawn back yet. Am keen to read a comic though. Everyone looks so friggin cool.
27: Death's Door (PC) 8/10
This is one of those games that's very good but with a couple of little changes should be a fair bit better. To get the whinges out of the way: The magic projectile shooting system is needlessly unintuitive. I never got used to it. Many enemies especially bosses take a few too many hits to die and some cool fights end up dragging on. Upgrading a a bit incremental; I'm sure there's a big difference between how strong I was at the start compared to the end of the game, but buying 1 point of extra strength and you can't even tell the difference is a bit of a fizzer.
It also needs a map IMO. It's beautiful game but there's not much variation within each level; I found bits looked a bit too similar and I couldn't remember where I'd been and I didn't really feel like exploring much.
Other than that though! It's a nice little old school Zelda with some pretty neat swordfighting and dodging and some laid back puzzle dungeons. It's very cute and has some nice looking bosses. There's not too much talking and what's there is mostly witty and fun. It's nicely paced too and wound up almost exactly when I was ready for it to end. There's no difficulty spikes, just a gentle incline over the course of the game. Lovely stuff.When you got movies like Tom Cruise in them, you can't lose -
Same scores as me for those two. Appreciated the way Death's Door improved as it went along. I could just about stomach the no map design choice but an optional map wouldn't have hurt anyone. It's a common complaint for sure. DD's battles are a lot better balanced than Tunic's. I preferred Tunic overall but combat annoyances let the side down a bit.
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Is turtles a sleeper hit disappointment of the year? It's odd because it does so much right, but it doesn't grab me like sor4 did.
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