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Games I Played in 2023

Here's a few highlights and trends in my game playing for this year :

This is the year that I really started redefining what it means for me to "complete" a game. I would usually try to reach the end by staying the game mostly on the critical path, but this year I tried to complete as much content as possible in my games. That means that I went for every True Ending when it was possible (even if it means completing the game three times), doing all side quests and taking on extra challenges. This has made me enjoy my games even more.
This year I played big 100+ hours games twice. For both Zelda and Dragon Quest XI, it wasn't painful at all to play the same game for this long, on the opposite I wanted to play more even when I was close to be done. I'll try not to be intimidated by what I see on HLTB before starting a game that I want to play in the future.
I completed my first shooter game this year! Even if I was a bit intimidated by the genre, I finally found a game that was appealing enough to me that I wanted to push through and keep playing it just to learn the patterns and get farther.
This is also the year that I built my MiSTer! I have already played a GBA game, a couple of TurboGrafx-16 games and I'm looking forward to keep exploring more systems that I didn't have access to or knowledge of as a kid. I'm getting less interested in newer games every year and more involved in exploring the games that I missed in the past.

List items

1. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4

Completed on January 4th
I tried Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 for a short time a couple of years ago and I absolutely hated it. I didn't appreciate that the developers had tempered with the classic THPS two-minutes-run formula.
Knowing that the game is well appreciated by fans, I wanted to give it another chance. I'm glad that I did because I ended up loving my time with THPS 4. I got used to the new challenge formula pretty fast. Even though you can't complete multiple challenges in a single run, every challenge is super fast to complete and can be restarted instantaneously.
While the level design wasn't as iconic at the two previous entries, most of the challenges were well designed and really made you use all of your skateboarding skills.
The core gameplay isn't changed much from THPS 3 and that's a good thing, because it represents to me the pinnacle of the series.
[+] Tons of rewarding challenges to complete
[+] Super responsive controls and menus
[-] Some levels don't have much personality
8/10
2. Turok 2: Seeds of Evil

Completed on January 8th on hard
When Turok Dinosaur Hunter came out in 1997, I was amazed by it. The atmosphere, the graphics, the secrets ... the game had a mythical quality to me. When Turok 2 came out the next year, I was super hyped. The marketing campaign made the game look immense in size.
At the time, I was able to borrow the game from a friend and play it for a couple an hour or two before getting stuck in the first level, unable to progress. I looked at the manual that had all of the amazing weapons in it and imagined how the rest of the game (which I couldn't see) could be.
Fast forward to the 2020s, I bought a physical copy of the remaster when they were sold by Limited Run (in the N64-style box, no less). This is how I finally played and beat Turok 2. Being done with it, I don't see how I could have ever done it on an N64.
The game is a weird follow-up to the original. The levels are absolutely massive, with specific objectives for each. The problem is that progress is not very well tracked and it's possible to get to the end of a level while having missed an objective at the very beginning of it.
The weapons and the enemies are really the best parts of the game. The arsenal is very expansive and almost every weapons has its use. I played the game on hard and didn't find much challenge however. My lives were always maxed and I was always comfortable using my strongest weapons with all of the ammo refill lying around.
It was a fun ride, but the game is way to tedious compared to the original.
[+] Tons of weapons, all feel different
[+] The remaster has a lot of quality of life enhancements
[-] Levels are WAY too big
[-] Easy to miss critical objectives and items
7/10
3. Final Fantasy VII Remake

Completed on January 16th on hard + Intermission Episode
I replayed FFVII Remake on PS5 on hard along with Yuffie's DLC episode. The action in the game really shines at 60 FPS.
It was also a way better experience this time around playing on hard difficulty, which forced me to learn an use the game mechanics. Being a kind of new game plus, I also skipped all of the side content (the worst part of the game to me) and focus on the retelling of the original story.
The Intermission expansion was just the right length and added a few combat mechanics that were fun to use. The Fort Condor mini-game was also just deep enough to be engaging without being overwhelming.
[+] Seems like the game was meant to be played at 60 FPS
[+] I love that the game is not a straight retelling of the original
[+] Yuffie's episode is substantial and breezy
9/10
4. Crisis Core –Final Fantasy VII– Reunion

Completed on January 21st
It seemed like the obvious thing to play the newly released remake of Crisis Core right after playing FFVII Remake. I had finished (and liked) the original release in the late 2000s but never went came to re-experience it.
It was mostly a good experience to replay Crisis Core. I still don't care for the Genesis/Angeal sub-plot but everything relating to the main series was very well fleshed out.
The gameplay was fine, but on normal difficulty I was able to get super strong very early on, which I appreciated since I was mostly interested in seeing the story. The progression loop with the bite-sized missions are clearly balanced for portable play.
In the end both FFVII Remake and Crisis Core Reunion made me curious about replaying (again) the 1997 original.
[+] Combat is fun and simple
[+] Missions and chapters are mostly quick to complete
[+] Fun to experience with materia combinations
[-] The new villains are not interesting at all
8/10
5. F-Zero

Completed on February 6th
What an amazing game F-Zero is on the SNES. It's even more amazing that it was a launch title for the system. I'm stunned by how much depth there is to the gameplay, even if it is a simple racer running on Mode 7.
The controls are perfect. It's so much fun to use the shoulder buttons to tweak your trajectory just a little bit. And the vehicles have just enough of a drift effect to make you release the gas from time to time.
The courses were also all very different and it was very satisfying to learn a track to the point of being able to stay in first place for the whole time.
It has become my favourite racing game on the SNES, it is better than Super Mario Kart.
[+] Super smooth racing action
[+] Excellent controls
[+] Tracks are all fun and varied
[+] The soundtrack!
9/10
6. Final Fantasy VII

Completed on February 12th
Even though this was my fourth time completing Final Fantasy VII, it also ended up being my favourite playthrough to date. It's incredible that this was Square's first attempt at a 3D RPG and that it only took a year to build.
This time I decided to do more side quests, and the story was easier to follow, thanks to my replays of FFVII Remake and Crisis Core earlier this year. I also understood some of the mechanics better.
I chose to replay the PS1 version of the game on real hardware and I appreciated the game way more this time around than when I did it on the Switch a couple of years ago.
[+] Beautiful story about life
[+] Memorable OST, superb visuals
[+] Incredibly ambitious scope
10/10
7. Operation Logic Bomb

Completed on February 19th
Operation Logic Bomb is one of the games that I discovered for the first time while exploring the SNES library in chronological order with my Bitmap Book SNES Compendium.
The game is a mix of top-down Contra for the combat and Soul Blazer for the level progression (where everything unlocks when you defeat all enemies).
The gameplay is really solid. Every weapon has a specific use and feels different and useful to handle. There are only a few enemy types but they all have their own behaviour pattern, so you can think of strategies of how to take them on in the most efficient way.
There is a fun little story which doesn't get in the way of the game but contextualizes the levels and the enemies. The music is appropriately upbeat to get your adrenaline running for the more intense levels.
A real surprise that I had never encountered this game, it was a lot of fun to complete!
[+] Just enough weapon variety
[+] Levels are large but you never feel lost
[+] Each enemy has its own attack pattern
[-] Could have had a bit more variety in level design
8/10
8. Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose!

Completed on February 20th
I remember renting this game as a kid a couple of times and never getting very far (even though the game isn't very long). Playing it as an adult today, I was able to take my time with it and actually finish it.
The gameplay is mostly fine, but the dash mechanic is not always super responsive. It makes some of the stages with instant-death more frustrating than they should be. The more "classical" platforming stages are all great fun though.
I especially liked the mini-games between the stages and the football level. There was a lot of creativity and love for the Tiny Toons franchise put into this game.
[+] Each stage plays differently
[+] Fun mini-games between stages
[+] The football level
[-] Dash mechanic is sometimes unresponsive
[-] Some auto-scroll levels are too long while others are too short
7/10
9. The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse

Completed on February 21st
This is one of my favourite games from the SNES. It was one of the only game at the time that I could finish by myself. As I remember it, it was a grand adventure that took me to many different places each with its own vibe.
Replaying it as an adult, I can still see that it is a very good video game. It just wasn't as big or grandiose as I remembered it (it took me roughly 90 minutes to complete).
The different costumes all bring something different to the gameplay. The bosses are all fun but a little on the easy-side.
[+] Solid gameplay
[+] Each setting and costume feel unique
[-] That one jump at the end of 4-1 in the mountain ... >:|
8/10
10. The Great Circus Mystery Starring Mickey and Minnie

Completed on February 21st
This was my first time playing the sequel to Magical Quest. I knew that it wasn't as liked as the first game, but I still came open minded that if it was more of the same, I would be happy.
It ended up being more of the same, but in a more generic container. The levels were less imaginative than the original and the suits weren't all fun to use. Some of the stages made you change suits all the time which isn't very fun to do.
Still an okay platformer, but nothing like the original.
[+] Solid gameplay base from the original
[-] Too many disjointed elements in each level
[-] Some of the suits are less useful than others
6/10
11. Super Mario Bros. 3

Completed on February 25th with Arthur
I was replaying Super Mario Bros. 3 with my son. He's not good enough to play it by himself yet, so he was mostly watching me go through the game. He really got into it, helping me whenever he had an idea with items and completing some of the bonus mini-games for me. He really loved the game, in the end he told me that it was a 20/10.
Aside from the magic time of playing a Mario game to completion with my three year old son, I also really had a great time. I've always preferred Super Mario Bros. 3 to Super Mario World, and it still hold true. The game is incredibly varied, but most of the levels are so quick to finish that you never get too frustrated by anything.
We take it for granted, but the controls and the level design in a Mario game are sooooo good. When I was running through a level, it almost made me think of a better Mirror's Edge as I was imagining Mario doing parcour in the ice levels.
[+] Perfect controls
[+] Huge game for the NES, lots of varitey
[+] Levels are just long enough
10/10
12. Gargoyle's Quest

Completed on February 25th
Aside from Pokemon Blue and Link's Awakening, I haven't played a lot of Game Boy games (back then or now). Since the Game Boy is now available on the Switch Online service, I was tempted to try Gargoyle's Quest.
I loved my time playing though the game. I love the RPG mechanics that are added to the game to make the story progress and make your character stronger. The RPG sections served as a nice palette cleanser between platforming levels.
The platforming levels are built around the ability of the main character to hover for a brief period of time and stick to walls. It was a refreshing take on the genre and asked to be methodical and strategic to get through levels.
There is combat and bosses, but none of it is very hard. The challenge is mostly in the platforming, but even then the game wasn't very hard.
[+] Charming RPG sections made me think of Dragon Quest 1-2
[+] Inventive platforming mechanics and level design
[-] Bosses were a bit too easy
[-] Random encounters on the world map aren't very fun
8/10
13. Gargoyle's Quest II: The Demon Darkness

Completed on February 26th
It's a little mind-boggling to me that a 1990 Game Boy game would receive a sequel on the NES ... in 1992! I thought that I would be playing the next evolution of the classic Game Boy game with the power of the NES behind it. What I didn't expect is that Gargoyle's Quest II is an almost shot for shot remake of the original.
There isn't much to say about the game, it almost literally the same game as the Game Boy game, only with more colourful graphics and a lot more slowdown. The story was a little different, but followed the same basic flow of getting from town to town and recovering items to advance.
The weapons and upgrades were the exact same as the original. For some reason, the combat didn't feel as tight as in the original game. The level design was good, but the game had way too many super long jumps that you can barely reach.
In the end I was a little disappointed that the sequel didn't bring anything new to the table, but I still enjoyed my time with the game.
[+] Still great gameplay formula
[+] No random encounters this time
[-] Doesn't bring anything new from the original
[-] Some frustrating level design choices (long jumps)
7/10
14. Demon's Crest

Completed on February 27th
Demon's Crest is a flawed sequel. It improves and expands so much from the first two games, but fails to get the whole package together, mainly because of sub-par level design.
First, I loved the new system of gargoyle transformations and abilities. Whenever I got a new form I was always looking forward to using it in previously completed levels to unlock more upgrades.
The problem was that some of the abilities allow you to bypass large sections of the game. If you get those abilities (like the one where you can fly higher) early enough, most of the levels become trivial to traverse.
The same can be said for the combat. The bosses are all fun to learn and defeat, but the huge amount of items that the player can stock in addition to some defensive abilities can make even the toughest fights a cakewalk.
Overall still good game, but could have been the series highpoint if the level design and progression had been tweaked.
[+] All the different gargoyle forms
[+] Levels are quick to traverse
[+] Varied, fun boss fights
[-] Flying ability allows you to bypass most level hazards
[-] Not a lot of challenge in the endgame
7/10
15. Final Fantasy VIII

Completed on March 5th
Even though I hold a ton of nostalgia for Final Fantasy VIII, this was only my second playthrough of the game. In fact, I still have my save from 2000 with the 99:59:59 counter and my level 99 characters.
This time, I played the game while watching along a story analysis podcast of the game. It allowed me to much better understand the story and understand a ton of things that went over my head the first time.
Between the game's launch and now, I also learned on the internet how enemies level with you and how you can basically break the game with the junction system and the card game. I didn't even look for strategies or actively tried to break the game and I still got so strong by running from regular fights that I basically had no challenge until disk 4.
So the way that I remember Final Fantasy VIII has kind of flipped for me. I felt super nostalgic for the gameplay but didn't remember much about the story. This time I felt like the combat system let me down while the story was a pleasant surprise.
[+] The way the story plays with the concept of time
[+] Excellent soundtrack, as usual with Uematsu
[-] The story has pacing issues, not a lot happen in the end
[-] It's really too easy to break the combat system
8/10
16. Kirby's Dream Land

Completed on March 9th
I don't think I like Kirby games. There, I said it. I had always steered clear of Kirby games because they seemed too easy for my taste (with the ability to fly whenever you want) and my intuition was mostly right.
I'm not saying that Kirby's Dream Land is not a good game, because it is. For a Game Boy game, it looks and sounds great, the Kirby mechanics are an inventive take on the classic platformer and the bosses were mostly fun.
But I don't link the core gameplay of Kirby games. They are a bit too slow for me and I don't think the level design complement Kirby's moves very well. The game didn't have as many slowdowns as Kirby's adventure at least.
[+] Charming visuals
[+] Good music and sound effects
[-] Too easy
[-] Kirby moves too slow
7/10
17. Triangle Strategy

Completed on March 27th
I had a good time with Triangle Strategy. I played most of the game on hard and found the tactical combat to be very engaging. The fights were well balanced and the progression system that prevented me from grinding, so I was forced to think strategically and change my approach.
The story has its moments. It takes a lot of time to build the stakes in the first few chapters, but picks up the pace for the rest of the game. Most of the side characters have interesting stories, but the main characters are seriously lacking in personality. They feel like the most generic, boring and predictable archetype of hero and princess.
What was interesting about the plot were the times when the story branched. The outcome were wildly different and it always felt like a big decision to take. I always took the time to talk with my team before to validate if I had the right choice in mind.
I unfortunately locked myself out of the "true ending" pretty early, but I might go back to the game in the future to get it in New Game+.
[+] Progression system forces you to be strategic in combat
[+] Meaningful story branching
[-] The two main characters have no personality
[-] Character upgrade system could have been more expansive
[-] Story wraps up a little too fast at the end
8/10
18. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

Completed on April 9th (partly with Arthur)
When I was young I had only the first Super Mario Land for the Game Boy. It was a rather primitive game and didn't really capture what made later 2D entries great. I was aware of Super Mario Land 2, but had never had the chance to play it myself. It seemed like a much bigger adventure, on par with SMB 3 or World.
Having now finished the game, I appreciate why it was praised at the time. It is better than its predecessor by a wide margin. It includes a lot of new ideas and executes on most of them very well.
The pacing and difficulty curve was however badly designed. Almost all levels are trivial to complete (especially with the rabbit ears power-up) before you get to the last level (Wario's Castle), which is very challenging. The game is also pretty short.
In the end, Super Mario Land 2 was an enjoyable experience. I'm sure I would have found the game more impressive or fulfilling if I had played it on my Game Boy in the 90s.
[+] Varied environments
[+] Big sprites, well animated
[+] Challenging last dungeon
[-] Short and easy for the most part
7/10
19. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater

Completed on April 10th
It's strange coming back to the original THPS after all this time. The series introduced so many quality of life improvements in THPS2 and THPS3 that the original game feels somewhat ancient to play.
The base gameplay loop is all there. You have two minutes to complete as many objectives as you can, for each level. There are high scores, secret tapes, letters to find and miscellaneous objectives.
However, not having the manual and the revert is really tough. It means that the only combos that you can do are with a grind or all in the air. It limits your ability to build score all around the level and encourages you to find a good spot to rack up points and stay there.
The levels are also simpler than those contained in the sequels. There are less secrets to uncover and the general layout are less iconic (there are still some great levels though).
A fun time to re-visit the original, but it makes me appreciate THPS 2,3 and 4 even more.
[+] Classic THPS loop
[+] Great soundtrack
[-] Controls a bit stiffer than THPS2
[-] Harder to do big combos
7/10
20. Kirby's Adventure

Completed on April 10th (party with Arthur)
I really don't like Kirby games. This is the second game in the franchise that I finished recently and I had to force myself to get to the end.
This game suffers from abysmal slowdowns whenever you use on of the copy abilities. The animations are also weirdly lengthy for a 2D platformer and I often ended up taking damage because Kirby was busy finishing a move for a couple of frames.
Most levels' design also don't take advantage of the mechanics of the game. Too often you can just float above most of the level's obstacles to get to the end.
On the positive side, the graphics were very good for an NES game and the upbeat music is catchy.
I'm taking a break from Kirby. Maybe I'll try another entry in the future, hopefully with better performance.
[+] Great music
[+] Good boss fights
[-] So. Many. Slowdowns. All. The. Time.
[-] Game isn't as responsive as I'd like it to be.
6/10
21. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

Completed on April 13th
There is so much to say about this game.
On one side, it's an "immersive sim" with a very strong sense of horror atmosphere. Some of the side-quests are very engaging and rival anything that takes place in the main storyline. The characters are almost all interesting in their personalities and
On the other side, it an unfinished mess. The combat is very barebones and not very fun at all. The powers have minimal impact on combat and gameplay and don't need to be used strategically (at least in my Toreador playthrough). Some of the environments are so empty that it feels like the devs forgot about them.
While the game started great (I blew through the first third of the game, I was hooked), the last third of the game killed the experience for me. You are forced to go through an ton of linear combat encounters, which is really not the strong-suit of the game. One of the last boss has a comical amount of HP (compared to other enemies) and made me use the god mode to finish the game.
The game should just stop after 10 hours, the rest is a waste of time.
[+] Early missions are engaging and require to pay attention to the environment
[+] Horror atmosphere is great, everything is creepy
[-] Combat has zero depth
[-] Last third of the game is unfinished
6/10
22. Binary Domain

Completed on April 16th
Binary Domain is the first Xbox 360 game that I have completed since I started logging my played games back in 2016. I am looking forward to digging in the original Xbox library in the near future and it made me wonder about the backwards compatibility of the Xbox Series X. I saw that Binary Domain was enhances with FPS boost and decided it was a good time to knock this game off my backlog.
It had been at least 10 years since I had played a third-person cover-based shooter. Like everyone else, I was fed up with this type of game by the time the Xbox 360 generation ended. However, playing Binary Domain after such a long pause was somewhat refreshing.
The game is simple but very polished. The shooting feels great, especially at 60 FPS. The default assault rifle gets so strong that you are not really encouraged to use other weapons, but the alternate offered a nice change of pace when needed.
The story was engaging and the plot advanced fast. The whole squad-on-a-mission made me think of Winback, which I loved on the N64. I wasn't a fan of the conversations happening during the game that you could reply to. It didn't add anything to be able to respond and sometimes it was confusing what was the best answer to improve your relationship with the character.
Another thing that I didn't engage with was tactical orders that you could give to your characters. I played on the hardest difficulty and never had any problem playing the game without issue orders to my squad mates.
Overall, Binary Domain was a fun ride that played it safe but executed its ideas very well.
8/10
23. Doom II: Hell on Earth

Completed on April 22nd on Ultra-Violence
After completing The Ultimate Doom for the first time a couple of years ago, I really wanted to go straight into Doom II. I played a couple of levels but ended up dropping the game because I was felt overwhelmed with the amount of enemies in the sequel.
Restarting a game now, I appreciated way more the level design and the absurd amount of enemies that you have to go through to reach the end of each level. The game asks more of you than in the original, but it also provides plenty of resources to allow you to chew through enemies.
I don't have a ton to say about Doom II that I haven't said about the original. It's still one of the best playing games every made. Zooming through levels at 120Hz on an ultra wide screen was something special.
Even though I had only a couple of encounters with Doom in the 90s (mainly with the N64 version), I can now say that it is one of my favourite games of all time.
10/10
24. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

Completed on April 30th
I started playing Dragon's Dogma on the recommendation of Mike from Resonant Arc in a recent YouTube video. He was praising the game like it was one of the greatest RPGs ever made. I went into it very hyped.
The first few hours delivered. The combat is pretty deep for an RPG and the more challenging enemies roaming the world make it feel dangerous and engaging.
Some of the side quests are very good, making you go some investigative work on your own. The large majority, however, are not. With multiple "quest boards" present in every town, my quest log got overwhelming very fast. It was overflowing with meaningless fetch quests.
In the later chapters, encumbrance became an ongoing problem as well. It's okay to have a weight system to balance your game, but please don't fill your world with useless trinkets everywhere to fill my pockets every time I kill an enemy. In the last few hours I was probably spending as much time managing my inventory as I was fighting.
Finally, I had heard when the game came out that the story was bonkers. In the end it still felt a little generic for a fantasy setting, but was satisfying enough to move the plot along.
In the end, I wished that my experience with Dragon's Dogma reflected the promising first few hours and not the later hours spent managing dull quests and over-encumbrance.
8/10
25. Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix

Completed on May 11th
I was surprised how much I ended up liking Fear Effect 2.
Even with its low resolution, the graphical style still looks amazing today. The mix between FMV backgrounds and gameplay elements in the foreground is done just as good as in Final Fantasy VII-VIII-IX.
The gameplay felt tense and satisfying. With all of the ammo dropped by enemies, Fear Effect 2 leans more towards action than pure survival horror. Still, the challenges are well balanced and make you use different strategies depending on the enemies.
The story didn't take itself too seriously and move at a good pace to keep me invested. The game as a lot of environmental variety and each area has its own gameplay twist on the survival horror genre.
Coming out in 2001, this game is an excellent bookend to the PS1 era.
8/10
26. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Completed on June 5th
It took me 95 hours to reach the ending credits of Tears of the Kingdom. For the past few weeks, I have been absorbed by the game's universe like I have never been before. It made me feel like a kid again, when every fictitious world felt immense and very real.
The game has a perfect balance of exploration where it has only a handful of main quests that are very broad in their objectives, a lot more "side adventures" that are adjacent to the main story but shorter and a literal ton of side quests where you get to learn about every single aspect of Hyrule and its inhabitants. On top of that, there are events, clues and tons of additional content hidden in dialogue that is not catalogued in the game's quest log.
That's why I had my notebook on my side the whole time, taking notes about what I had learned and building my own quest log of objectives and things to investigate. I was so thorough that I even stumbled upon a few "main quest" events by myself, just by engaging with the world and being curious about what intrigued me.
In the beginning I wasn't sure about the game since it share a LOT of similarities and concepts with Breath of the Wild. However, it became clear very quickly that Tears of the Kingdom isn't a cheap game by any means. Nintendo used the first game as a base to add an unbelievable amount of content to the sequel.
The building aspect of the game is a bit of a "gimmick" in terms of story relevance, but the gameplay implications and how it's used throughout the game is outstanding.
I don't know how Nintendo could top that game in the future, but I probably said something similar after Breath of the Wild, so who knows!
12/10
27. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

Completed on July 20th on Strong Monsters and Reduced Experience from Easy Fights
Even though I have already played the first three Dragon Quest games, I was still worried that Dragon Quest XI was going to be a simple game lacking in depth. I can't believe how wrong I was. The story in Dragon Quest XI is one of the best I have seen in a JRPG. It is beautifully told and has far-reaching arcs that take you on an emotional ride for 100+ hours.
Even the gameplay is sublime. It is JRPG perfection. With the Draconian Quest options of "Stronger Monster" and "Reduced Experience from Easy Fights", the combat was always challenging and asked me to be strategic about my choices. The more I played and the more I discovered hidden depth in changing my line-up of characters mid-fight or sacrificing a character to make everyone else shine one last time to deal final damage on a boss.
The world of Erdrea is gorgeous and complements so well Akira Toriyama's character designs. Every town has its own distinct atmosphere and each chapter almost feels like a different game.
I absolutely loved the three acts structure of the story. The middle section of the story is so dark but so engaging. And while I wasn't sure about the third act at first, I think it was pure genius in the end. Without going into spoilers, it was a courageous bet to tell the story this way and for me it definitely paid off.
Even though it took me 108 hours to beat the game, I feel like I could have lived in Erdrea for a while longer ...
10/10
28. Final Fantasy XVI

Completed on August 5th
I didn't know what to expect from FFXVI. I had read that it was more of an action game but still very much a Final Fantasy at heart. Having just completed the game, I mostly agree.
In terms of story, it is 100% a Final Fantasy game. Even though it has more graphic depictions of violence and sex, what happens in the game still mirrors some of the events of earlier games. I absolutely loved the world that the developers built for this game. It felt very coherent, with its own rules.
At first I didn't like the side quests. They felt generic and rewarded me with almost nothing on the gameplay front. However, as the game progressed they got better and better and in the end I completed them all. They always had something to say about the world and rarely felt there just for the sake of it.
The gameplay on the other hand was kind of a letdown. First, there's the "action game but at 30 FPS" that stings. Then, the game is way too easy. I rarely felt challenged and could always rely on the same strategy for all enemies. For a Final Fantasy game, it seemed way too light on RPG elements. There was almost no customisation for the main characters and even the abilities to unlock were very limited.
All in all, I had a good time playing Final Fantasy XVI.
8/10
29. The Messenger

Completed on August 8th
Ninja Gaiden on the NES is one of my favorite games of all time. I remember playing the game during the night with my dad because I had to stay up for my asthma treatment. The epic cutscenes and whole soundtrack is forever engraved in my mind and synonymous with gaming as a whole.
Fast forward 30 years and here I am playing a modern take on that game. The Messenger starts as a pretty faithful homage to Ninja Gaiden. The movement and the attacks feel just as smooth, if not better. For the first few levels, I was in gaming heaven, somewhere between modern enjoyment and blissful nostalgia.
The the game becomes something else, more akin to a metroidvania. I enjoyed that part as well, but not as much as the first chapter.
I liked how the game tried to give you general hints for your next locations, but the clues were just a little too vague to be engaging for me. I ended up paying the merchant most of the time for him to tell me where to go next.
I also liked the presence of a skill tree, but I maxed almost halfway though the game, making the skill currency useless for the rest of the way.
I also felt like the game didn't provide enough good ways of reaching past areas and forced me to backtrack a little too much for my taste, just to get to a specific zone.
All in all I had a great time with The Messenger, and I am looking forward to playing Sea of Stars in a couple of weeks to see how it ties in to the story of this game.
9/10
30. Pikmin

Completed on August 12th
Pikmin used to be a game that I avoided because of how much it stressed me. The game has two simultaneous layers of time pressure and it was just too much for me.
I felt compelled to complete the game this time because my girlfriend was playing it, and watching her play allowed to see the game in a different, less stressful light.
Nintendo's take on the RTS genre is great. It's easy to understand game's rules and everything makes sense. Even the story is compelling - Olimar's writing in his journal is endearing and I laughed out loud a couple of times at the way he describes his ship's parts.
The game wasn't perfect though. Some of the challenges were a bit frustrating because of the small amount of control that you have over the Pikmins' movements. Also, there wasn't a ton of variety in terms of levels (only 5 I think) and types of environments.
As a first entry though, it show great potential. I'm looking forward to seeing how it's developed in the following entries.
8/10
31. Pikmin 2

Completed on August 17th
Pikmin 2 is a strange departure from the original. On one side, it expands the gameplay of the original as you would expect (more Pikmins, more enemies) but scales down on the environments and the levels in a big way.
The sequel has theses caves that you explore within levels. When you enter one, the adventures almost turns into a dungeon crawler. You go down multiple levels, fighting enemies and collecting treasure. It's a neat idea for a side activity, but the game is built in such a way that it is actually the main thing that you will do for most of the game.
What I liked most about the original, the environment puzzles to get the ship pieces, is almost completely absent in Pikmin 2. The game focuses almost entirely on combat.
I wasn't a big fan of the new Pikmin types (they don't add a lot and are hard to get), but I loved the mechanic of having two protagonists in the same level. It allows you to potentially tackle multiples objectives at once ... if only the game allowed you to play in the larger level for more than a second before sending you to a two hours dungeon.
I am still hopeful that the course was corrected with Pikmin 3. If it can expand on the ideas of the original game and leave the caves behind, I'm all in.
6/10
32. Pikmin 3

Completed on August 21st
Pikmin 3 is exactly what I wanted Pikmin 2 to be. It successfully builds on the best aspects of the first game while expanding the scope and adding a few new twists. What's more, the awful dungeons and small levels from Pikmin 2 are gone.
There is a bigger emphasis on story this time around, and the scripted sections are well designed to act as disguised tutorials. I appreciated how the new Pikmin types were useful in and out of combat. I felt more compelled to use them than in Pikmin 2 where they were only used for specific puzzles.
I loved the level design this time around. To collect all fruits in each level, you had to solve puzzles, defeat a couple of bosses and carefully observe the map. The balance between all those elements was great and I never felt sick of being in one single level.
The controls made me struggle a bit however. I alternated between using the Wii U gamepad for exploration and the Wiimote for bosses and combat. Neither felt particulary good. I'm guessing that with better motion controls (like with the Switch), it would probably be the best option.
I'm not going to play Pikmin 4 immediately, but Pikmin 3 rekindled my love the series after the second game had left a foul taste in my mouth.
9/10
33. Powerslave

Completed on August 26th on Hard Mode (PS4)
I love classic FPS games. The Doom formula was so great that a lot of games could take that template almost "as-is" and just apply a different theme to it.
Powerslave tried to do something different, and it succeeded. It has most of the features that you would find from FPS games of this era, but it adds its own twist to the genre. You collect artefacts that enhance your abilities and allow you access previously unreachable areas of levels you have already completed. It's a great concept and here it's executed perfectly.
I appreciated the game for not giving us the usual weapon types either. Aside from the versatile machine gun, every other weapons was useful in some specific situation and I ended up using everything at my disposal through the campaign.
The levels are varied and all interesting to explore. They alternate between combat and puzzle, allowing you to do some resource management while you try to find keys and progress.
Even though you can go back to any previous level at any time, I never found myself lost as to where I should be going. The game does a good job of guiding you to you next objective or to a previous location where you could now find a secret.
I played the "Exhumed" remaster and again, Nightdive did a great job on the port. It runs superbly and looked great even though it's a 25 year old game.
8/10
34. StarCraft

Completed on August 29th
The original Starcraft (and its expansion) are probably among my most played games ever. It was the first online game that I really got into and spent many nights drinking soda and playing 2v2 on Lost Temple with my best friend.
I remember that at some point I played the campaign, but it was so long ago that I don't remember much about it.
Playing this game in 2023, after having also played hundreds of hours of SC2, it felt a bit more "barebones" than I remembered. The original Starcraft is missing a few iconic units that would only come in the expansion, but the mission structure and scenario still hold up very well.
The gameplay was just as I had remembered it, well almost. I had a bit of trouble managing the pathing of my units when moving a large group together. Everyone would get in the way of everyone else and my big attack group would get stuck often.
All in all it was great to revisit the original game in the series, even if it made me appreciate the sequels even more.
9/10
35. StarCraft: Brood War

Completed on September 10th
The green cover art of Brood War in forever engraved into my mind. The CD case sat on my desk while the disk lived 24/7 in my PC for at least 2-3 years. I played so much Brood War in multiplayer. It was my first experience with an online game and I was addicted to playing it with my friend.
The other memory of Brood War that I have is playing the campaign missions in co-op on the N64 port. The idea of playing SC in coop was mind-blowing to me, even if it was in a tiny split-screen window.
Most of my muscle memory was still intact while playing the remaster. I had lost most of the strategies from my playbook, however. Still, I had a lot of fun coming up with a couple strategies to conquer the campaign missions.
However, having played the game in multiplayer for so long, my reflex in almost all levels were to max out my economy, build a big army of the strongest unit I could and crush the opposition in one fell swoop. It worked most of the time.
What stuck out to me the most about this replay of the BW campaign is how much the story is left unresolved and serves as a setup for everything that happens in SC2. In my mind Jim Raynor was the main protagonist, but you almost don't see him at all after his episode in the original game!
It certainly got me curious about replaying the campaigns for SC2 ...
9/10
36. Sea of Stars

Completed on September 29th
Sea of Stars is a very well made RPG made in homage to the classics. It doesn't reach the heights of its inspirations, but it is still a very enjoyable journey to embark on.
The graphics are absolutely stunning. I'm still amazed at how they were able to incorporate real time lighting in a 2D game. The spritework is also second to none, with a ton of animation frames and so much variety.
The combat system was fun, but the game wasn't challenging enough for me. I rarely died or had to use consumables, even for the secret-super-hard bosses.
Big shout out to the music. It showed that Yasunori Mitsuda was on board this project. The town themes had vibes of PS1 era JRPGs and I loved every second of it.
I completed everything I could in the game. I did every side quest and unlocked every secrets. I would say the that the journey was more enjoyable than the destination in Sea of Stars' case. The ending was a bit lackluster, but everything leading up to it was engaging and heartfelt.
8/10
37. Resident Evil 4

Completed on October 12th on Hardcore along with Separate Ways DLC
While I have been very enthusiastic about the RE2 remake, I never saw the point of remaking RE4. It's already an excellent third person action game, what could the remake possible add that would change the experience (like what they did with RE2)?
It turns out that my apprehension weren't wrong. The remake of RE4 doesn't try to change your perspective on the original, it just makes you experience it again with modern sensibilities and a fresh coat of paint.
Because of this, I had a hard time at first enjoying the game. It felt like the same game that I had already completed a couple of times over the years. I was also playing on Hardcore difficulty, which means that the start of the game is the hardest part since the enemies are deadly and you don't have much resources to fight back.
However, after a few chapters, I began to let go of my expectations and just enjoy the remake for what it is. It successfully build on the original template and adds new experiences here and there to make the adventure feel familiar yet new.
Everything in the game is high quality. The graphics are beautifully depressing, the shooting feels great and the story is well told.
I'm glad I played the game, but I hope that Capcom is done with remakes (unless they are going for Code Veronica, which would be the last they should do). I'm mostly craving new adventures in the RE universe.
9/10
38. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Completed on October 17th with Alucard / Best Ending
I understand why Castlevania: Symphony of the Night hold such historical significance. It's a game that has so many unique ideas, all wraped in a package of beautifully crafted pixels and sublime music notes.
The game has so many things going on at the same time that it feels like most of the items / weapons / spells / familiar are afterthought, put in the for fun. The core gameplay is absolutely great, controlling Alucard around the castle is tactile and it always feels great to see him slide backwards faster than he can run.
The game is a bit unbalanced however. There is a slight jump in difficulty at the beginning of each act, but the game quickly becomes a walk in the park. Most enemies do only a single point of damage while you can kill them in 1-2 hits. You can also bypass most of the challenges with the bat form.
I had fun completing the game at 200%, but some of the area I probably could have never found by myself.
I look forward to playing through the GBA games to see where the "Metroidvania" branch of the series went from here. I'm hoping for the same great atmosphere and progression with a better balance and more challenge.
9/10
39. Castlevania: Circle of the Moon

Completed on October 31st
I remember when the GBA came out that I was amazed that a game in the style of Symphony of the night could be available on a portable system. I didn't own a GBA at the time and so the game had kept its aura in my mind after all these years.
Playing it today, right after Symphony of the Night, the game lost a bit of its shine. It's a worthy Castlevania game, but some of its aspects could probably be improved in sequels.
For example, I absolutely love the DSS system of mixing and matching cards together to discover what cool magical effects they have. However, each card drops from a specific enemy and you never know which enemy COULD drop a card. So that means if you want to get all (or most) cards without a guide, you have to grind random enemies in the hope that it's one of the types that sometimes drop a card. It was a bit frustrating to see the huge amount of cool spells at the end of the game that I couldn't use because I hadn't picked up the corresponding cards.
The level design is also a bit lacking. There is a lot of backtracking and for most areas you only have one way to reach it, forcing you to use the same paths every time.
The bosses were challenging and interesing to fight, but they rarely have story tied to them or feel connected to their section of the castle. There were a couple of enemies with interesting attack patterns that forced you to think about you attacks instead of mindlessly whipping until death ensues.
All in all I liked Circle of the Moon, but I am mostly looking forward to see how they improve the formula in the next iterations to see if they ever reach the heights of SotN.
7/10
40. Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Completed on November 2nd at 100% (5 medals, just missing a few standees)
Super Mario Bros. Wonder feels like the first true 2D Mario sequel since New. Super Mario Bros. on the DS. It evolves the formula we know and love without staying too far from its origins.
The wonder flowers are an interesting concept to keep each level exciting and fresh. The badges were a neat idea, but I sticked with the parachute cap for most of the game since it served me so well (and was not too contextual to specific levels).
The game is balanced on the easy side for the most part. I very rarely died and was almost always maxed out at 99 lives. Aside from the secret final level (which is really hard), I rarely died in any of the levels or bosses.
The graphics, sounds and music were very good, as you expect from a Nintendo game.
Overall a fun ride.
9/10
41. Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Completed on November 12th on Hard (Platinum Trophy)
Spider-Man 2 was like a perfectly execute chocolate cake recipe. It's something that you've tasted a million times before, but still feels satisfying to eat. At this point, the open-world-superhero game is pretty well defined and developers know how to execute it.
Still, there were a few things that kept Spider-Man 2 fresh even though it played like every other game in the genre before. One thing is the graphical update to the city of New York. The raytracing on the building is absolutely stunning and makes zipping around the city even more enjoyable.
The combat was perfectly fine but didn't feel much different from past entries. Most enemies could be defeated in the same way and I would have liked to see more variety. The boss encounters were fun challenges to put your combat knowledge and reflexes to the test.
The main story was well put together but felt a little disjointed between its two main parts. The side stories were a fun distraction and their impact varied.
Overall, I had a ton of fun playing Spider-Man 2. However, I would have liked the game to take more chances and challenge our expectations by evolving the genre more than it did.
8/10
42. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon

Completed on November 27th (NG++, all endings)
I have a pretty long history with the Armored Core series. I first played the original on a PS1 demo disk that left me impressed by the customization options and the heavy feel of mech combat. When I finally was able to buy a PS2 near launch, the game that I purchased with it was Armored Core 2. I brought it home and played it for a while, but the massive slowdowns in frame rate discouraged me from putting too many hours into it.
Being of massive fan of modern From Software, I was obviously looking forward to seeing them take another shot at the AC franchise. As expected, Armored Core VI delivered.
Getting used to the many movement options for your mech takes a little while, but is immensely satisfying afterwards. Eventually, you start to get a feel of when to boost and when to reload your weapons.
Talking about weapons, ACVI is a game that encourages you to try out as many weapon combinations as you like. I played the game three times over and I feel like I only scratched the surface of the weapons and build that I could have used.
Some highlights were the tetrapod legs that hover to rain death from above, the different melee blades to get in close and personal and of course the dual gatling gun plus dual stun needle build.
Most mission objectives were a little repetitive, but the missions with more "setpieces" really stood out, especially the level when you go down a silo and a huge laser is firing at you from the bottom of the pit.
It was interesting to have to play NG+ and NG++ to get to the true ending, but at times it felt a little bit like a chore since not much changed from playthrough to playthrough. The story was interesting and a little more comprehensible than usual From Software games.
Looking forward to playing something a little more upbeat now! :-)
8/10
43. Sonic the Hedgehog

Completed on November 28th with bad ending (2 chaos emeralds)
I finally did it! I completed the first Sonic game! I have been trying to get through this game for years. I remember playing it on the PS3 Sonic Genesis Collection and never getting farther that then second zone.
Playing it today on my MiSTer with the M30 controller, I was able to make it to the final zone on my first run, and beat the game on my second.
I took the time to learn how the secret zones work and it totally elevated the game for me. Finding rings in levels became important and I wanted to spend as much time as possible in the secret zones to either find the chaos emerald or get enough coins to get a continue.
The levels are well designed and I appreciated that they feel more expansive than traditionnal side-scroller levels without being overly complicated mazes. Whatever way you choose, you will find a path to the exit.
The music is absolutely amazing and I loved every track. It gave a different vibe to each zone and made me excited to find out what would be next.
Looking forward to moving on to Sonic 2! (And to replaying this to get the true ending some day.)
8/10
44. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Completed on November 30th (2 chaos emeralds)
This is the Sonic game that I am most nostalgic about. It's strikes an excellent balance between letting you go fast safely sometimes, and making you explore the level as well. I feel like the levels are bigger and even more open than in the first game. The bosses are satisfying the fight, but mostly didn't put up any challenge.
The music is as always excellent and catchy, but I prefered the soundtrack from the first game, I felt like it gave each level more personnality than this time around. It was more in the visual department dans Sonic 2 outdoes Sonic 1, especially in the color palettes that each stage uses.
The special stages were less random this time around, but having Tails following you and jumping 1,5 second after you and losing rings was annoying.
Moving on to Sonic 3!
9/10
45. Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Completed on December 2nd (2 chaos emeralds)
Oh man, what a letdown this game was after Sonic 2 had perfected the formula.
The level design is a huge step back from the second game. There are way too many levels with dead ends and endless loop that make it hard to find where to go next. I've hit the time deadline a couple of times, which never happened in the other games.
There were also a couple of enemy and obstacle placement that felt cheap and were a bit frustrating to go against. The game also had a couple of "setpieces" that are there for the spectacle but ultimately slwo the momentum of the game.
On the other hand, the special stages were the most fun of the trilogy. The graphics were still pretty good, but the visuals weren't as crisp as in the previous entries.
It makes me feel like I'm done with Sonic for now ... I will play Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic CD next, but I think I will wait for the sour taste of Sonic 3 to pass.
6/10
46. Rollerdrome

Completed on December 5th (main campaign)
Woah.
Rollerdrome mashes together two historically great game (THPS and Doom) and comes up with an original concept that feels just as good to play as its inspiration (and that's saying a lot).
The simple actions of moving your character and shooting enemies feel incredibly natural and fluid. You are always in control and when you learn the basic patterns of the enemies you are able to plan your route like a killing machine.
The trick system is not as fleshed out as I would have liked, but it gets the job done and is never in the way. You get your ammo and go back to destroying the house players.
The graphics are sublime and incredibly well suited to the theme and action of the game. The flat textures give everything a particular look that makes it easier to keep track of the action.
The challenges were a great idea that could have been expanded with a bit more variety, but still offered a good way of learning levels, enemies and weapons without the use of a straight-up tutorial (even if there is also one of those).
I'm not sure yet if I want to go back to play the hard campaign, but I might be tempted ... one, more, game!
9/10
47. Small Soldiers

Completed on December 6th
I have a weird nostalgic attachement to this PS1 movie tie-in. I remember renting the game and playing it at my friend's house down the street. It was a snow day so school was off and we had all day to play the game. I don't remember much else about that day, but the game had left a positive impression on me.
Fast forward 25 years and I recently came across a physical copy of the game at my local game shop. I picked it up and then yesterday I finally put it in my PS2 to play the game for real.
Small Soldiers is an action platformer with very typical gameplay for that era. You collect color coded keys, pick up weapons and try to find secrets before reaching the end of the level.
The first few levels in the Gorgon world are pretty imaginative and reminded me a little bit of a third person Doom, if that makes sense. The later levels on the Commando homeworld a more bland and straighforward in their design.
The enemies are mostly fine, but the Commandos take too much ammo before going down. The game would also have benefited from an auto-lock function to keep track of the enemies while moving.
The soundtrack was great and made the low-poly action feel cinematic enough.
I'm glad to finally have played this game after all these years.
6/10
48. BRAHMA Force: The Assault on Beltlogger 9

Completed on December 10th
Brahma Force was a surprising game. In my PS1 days, I had never heard of this game of even seen it in a magazine. The game was recently identified as a "hidden gem" by a couple of YouTube channels and it encouraged me to buy it when I encountered it at the local game shop.
The first thing that strikes you when you start a new game is how ambitious the developers were with the amount of quality CG that is included. For 1996, the animations were pretty impressive and didn't look dated.
The story itself was a bit hard to understand since there is a ton of dialog and no subtitles. It seems to be some kind of "Dead Space" scenario where a space station has been overtaken by an evil AI. I skipped a couple of dialog since the story didn't matter all that much in the end.
The gameplay is great for the most part. Your mech moves fast but also feels heavy in its steps. The weapons are all very different are useful in different situations. The upgrade mechanic almost makes the game like a metroidvania, where you find upgrades to your weapons, armor and energy hidden in the levels.
The progression was the most fun part of the game, slowly evolving your mech to take less damage, have more HP, have a larger energy pool and find new weapons and upgrade them.
Most of the levels were well designed. Some felt too linear, but most had a couple of open areas to let you explore and find items. I wasn't a big fan of the respawning enemies however. They were useful to farm items, but they also meant that you never had a break in some areas.
Brahma Force is a "hidden gem" indeed.
7/10
49. Threads of Fate

Completed on December 16th (both characters, true ending)
Threads of Fate is a Squaresoft RPG that came out a bit too late in the lifecycle of the PS1 for me to be interested in playing it at release. Still, I remember playing the demo and being curious about the game.
I finally acquired the game this year and was able to correct the mistakes of the past. It's a charming game and an okay spiritual successor to Brave Fencer Musashi, but I don't think I missed much by passing this game all those years ago.
The characters (both in writing and their design) are the highlight of the game. Every NPC you meet is interesting and has a different interaction type with the player.
The combat was fun with both Rue and his monster tranformations and Mint and her magic spells. Some fights were a little frustrating because it wasn't clear when the enemy was invincible to attacks and when it was okay to hit it.
The story was more engaging with Rue, but Mint had more dynamic exchanges with other characters. The story also seems to not play out the same between the two scenarios, I would have preferred if it was the same story but seen from different sides.
Overall a good game, but I don't think that I will replay it again in the future like other Squaresoft PS1 classics.
7/10
50. Mega Man 11

Completed on December 18th
I'll start by saying that I am not a huge Mega Man fan. I like the game well enough, but I am often intimidated by their difficulty or I think that I won't have time to go through every possible combination to find the bosses weaknesses.
However, for the few Mega Man games that I have completed (1, 2, X and 11), I have always enjoyed my playthroughs and ended up thinking that the difficulty wasn't so bad.
This is definitely the case for Mega Man 11, with which I had a great time but also found pretty easy, especially when taking into account how you could farm items.
The new mechanic (especially the speed cog) fits super well with the core gameplay of Mega Man and was well integrated in the level and enemy designs. It was super fun to unload a ton of bullets on a slowed down enemy.
The levels were well constructed but I could have used a bit more challenge in the platforming sections.
I thought I wouldn't like the graphics, but they were very well done and fit the Saturday morning cartoon vibe of the story. The music however was mostly forgettable when not downright annoying.
A well executed Mega Man game.
8/10
51. Bloody Wolf

Completed on December 24th
This is my first TurboGrafx-16 game completed since I started tracking my games in 2016. I had previously played the Bonk games, Castlevania Rondo of Blood and Splatterhouse on the Wii Virtual Console, but that was long time ago. Since I got my MiSTer, I have been more interested in going back to explore systems that I knew nothing about at the time.
Bloody Wolf is an interesting title from 1990. The gameplay style is a bit like a top-down Contra game, but with more involved objectives, progression and items. I loved that most enemies died of a single hit, but had a different attack pattern depending on their color.
The bosses were all interesting to fight and mostly well balanced. The game is also fogiving in that it gives you unlimited continues and doesn't penalizes you too much for dying (you keep most of your items, except for weapons and health upgrades).
I loved the simple story that makes you believe that you are done in the middle of the game because you saved the President, only to have to go back in with the other character to save yourself from enemy captivity. It's 80s action movie crap at it's best.
All in all a great game and a ton of fun.
8/10
52. Blazing Lazers

Completed on December 28th (1CC)
I DID IT! I just completed my first shooter, and it feels amazing. This is not just a game completed, it's an accomplishment. I learned the levels, mastered the mechanics, conquered every boss and ultimately destroyed the game.
Before this, I had only a distant interest in shooting games. They always seemed way to hard for me and when I tried most of them I would only make it to level 2 (if that) and move on to another game.
With Blazing Lazers, the basic mechanics of moving and shooting felt so responsive that it compelled me to play just a little bit more. And after a few tries, I was able to make it to the last level, the boss rush gauntlet. This is actually where my journey began.
I tried multiple runs, trying to improve my technique and find new approaches to save my lives and retain my powers until the last level. I had a few bad runs and a couple of good ones, but still, every time I learned something.
Today it all came together on a great run that allowed me to get to the end boss with a lot of lives and defeat the ugly robot with room to spare. I felt so tense during my last few runs that I was actually sweating!
I'm not a shooter fan yet, but now I'm open to the idea of playing them, taking the time to learn and complete them. I also love the idea of perfecting a game until being able to 1CC it.
8/10
53. New Adventure Island

Completed on December 29th
This is my third TurboGrafx-16 game completed in a row and I am starting to be seriously in love with this system. While not quite a SNES / Genesis (at least for the games I have played), it definitely fits the bill of a super powered NES. The games are simple, but the graphics and music and performance are absolutely superb.
New Adventure Island takes the formula that the series is famous for (basic platformer, couple of weapons, eat fruits to gain more time, skateboard powerup) and perfects it. The controls are sublime, your are able to jump exactly when you want and land on a pixel-wide edge. The level design actually encourages you to go fast by letting you see most obstacles in advance.
The weapons were well balanced and almost all had benefits. I enjoyed using axes on bosses because you could unload a ton of projectiles on them in a short amount of time. I also appreciated how slow their patterns were, making it possible to clear them on a first try, even with the one hit kill penalty of this game.
I'm not sure if I would have beat this game without unlimited continues (any level isn't a problem by itself, it's chaining all of them in a row that's challenging), but I loved my time with the game anyway.
I'm actually looking forward to exploring more of the Adventure Island series of games.
8/10
54. Final Fantasy Origins

Completed Final Fantasy on December 30th
I have finally beat Final Fantasy, the first entry in my favorite RPG series.
I had my notebook with me the entire time and took around five pages of notes to help me on my journey. I love that RPG of the NES era don't explicitely tell you where to go, you have to talk to NPCs and figure it out by yourself. The clues are sprinkled smartly in the world and you are rarely stuck for long.
I was afraid that the combat would be boring and unfair but it was instead dynamic and fun to engage with. I love that the game has a different magic system than the other entries. I particularily had fun in optimizing my dungeons runs by abusing items that can be used to cast spells instead of expending my own supplies.
Talking of dungeons, I loved their design. They were never too big or too confusing to navigate, and always had interesting loot to uncover. The last dungeons was very long and had lost of sub-bosses, but the remake's "Memo" function allowed me to take it easy and not worry about being wiped out.
The overall plot was probably the weakest element of the game. It gets the job done to motivate you to get to the next objectives, but there wasn't a lot of interaction between NPCs and your party, making you more of a spectator of the world than a participant in it.
I am very much looking forward to playing the second game to see what was changed and added to the series.
8/10