We did it! Hi Mom! I beat 100 Games in one calendar year! Here are the final twelve.

89. Full Throttle [1995]

The old adventure game model isn’t what it used to be. This is a bit more serious than other Tim Schafer stuff. There’s still an enjoyable story being told here, but the humor is a bit more subdued. Mark Hamill plays a great bad guy in Ripburger. The only problem is, these adventure games just aren’t what they used to be.

90. Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle [1993]

Another Tim Schafer joint. This one is a bit more up front with its humor than Full Throttle, but like it, the old adventure game model isn’t what it used to be. There’s a neat character swapping thing going on in this one, but apart from that it’s a pretty standard adventure game of that era with its weird puzzles and their sometimes weirder solutions. If I had to pick between the two, I think I’d rather play Full Throttle again.

91. Night in the Woods [2017]

This is a more modern adventure game. It’s pretty amusing throughout, but towards the end it really starts to drag on and on. It builds some good tension and the quality never really falters, but I feel like the point the game is making is made a good few hours before it ends.

92. NiGHTS into Dreams… [1996]

This game isn’t great, but maybe in 1995 it was cool I guess. It’s kind of bizarre really, like as the ending, for some reason my dude dunked on some other dude in the ending cutscene. That was alright.

93. Resident Evil 4 [2005]

I’m glad I finally went back and started going through the Resident Evil series. I really enjoyed 1 and 2 more than I thought I would, but 4’s updates to the formula really brought the action to another level. I was actually surprised to find out it still had tank controls, but it didn't end up mattering. It's so well paced and in regards to the action there's something to be said of the tension slowly turning around builds.

94. Another World [1991]

This game crashed constantly on me. It kind of plays like ass too. However, I think the look has its charm and there was something to its minimalist approach to everything. I enjoyed it.

95. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins [1992]

This was a fun Mario to examine after playing Super Mario Odyssey. As many of its roots that may be in Super Mario 64, I think the Mario Land series seems to feature a lot of the ideas present in Odyssey. It’s a pretty solid game in its own right too, and the introduction of a childhood favorite character of mine, Wario.

96. NieR: Automata [2017]

The way this game shifts focus seamlessly between shoot em up, 3D action and sidescrolling action is really something. I wish the combat was more engaging, especially coming from Platinum, but there are enough great moments tucked away here that made it treat to play through. The slow walking sequence and sudden change in save structure in route C almost killed it for me though, and then also again when it started to get really anime. Still I made it through to see Route E which was a nice way to see that this game was nothing if not a labor of love.

97. Tacoma [2017]

I really can’t decide how I feel about Tacoma. It’s largely uninteresting, which might be the point as I imagine Fullbright is trying to make its character’s feel real. To me it feels like they wasted a lot of potential on a good concept, and it is a good concept. At least the ending made me feel good.

98. Final Fantasy VI [1994]

I finally did it! I beat a Final Fantasy game. I was a lot further along than I remembered being when I left off at least two years ago. I had the thing where you stop playing an RPG for a long time and have no idea what's going on times about seven. Turns out, I was practically already at the final dungeon and somehow stopped. It was a bit difficult since I didn't remember a lot of the moves, but I made it through Ultimaing Kefka to death. Great cast and a great game. Now it might be time for me to step up and right some wrongs playing some more jRPGs.

99. Final Fight [1989]

It’s the game that solidified the beat ‘em up genre. And it’s still better than many of them. I mean, a dude rolls up in a wheelchair dumpin’ and you get to knock him out of it.

100. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 [2014]

Not only did I beat 100 games this year, but I with this I have officially played all of the Castlevania series. Other than some of the spinoffs anyway. Regarding Lords of Shadow 2, what an abysmal note for Konami to leave this series on. MercurySteam already wasn’t my favorite developer on the series, but they really outdid themselves on this one. It’s about as bad of a game as I’ve played this year. It makes nothing out of its modern day setting, the fiction they’ve built up nor the Castlevania name. It’s as generic a God of War clone as you can get, and if it weren’t for the occasional flash of something palatable, it might’ve been the actual worst game I played of these 100. Instead it’s just damn close.

101. Castlevania [1987] – The Victory Lap

Castlevania is one of my favorite series and I needed to get the taste out of my mouth with a little rendezvous with the progenitor. I might even call this my pilgrimage game. It’s a great way for me to kill an hour and some montsters.

There you have it. The 100(1) games I beat in 2017. We did it everyone, pack your bags, we're going home.

January Progress Report 19/100

February Progress Report 24/100

March Progress Report 26/100

April Progress Report 37/100

May Progress Report 46/100

June Progress Report 48/100

July Progress Report 52/100

August Progress Report 63/100

September Progress Report 73/100

October Progress Report 82/100

November Progress Report 88/100

December Progress Report 100/100 (viewing)