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2023 In Games (Part 2)

Tuesday, December 12th, 2023

This past year I kept a list of all the games I played as well as how long I played them. My notes also included short reviews/thoughts, and here they all are.

With two exceptions (noted after the game name) every game was played on Switch. The time I played each for is in parenthesis at the end (X hours) but for games that I played less than about three hours this is excluded.

Tactics Ogre Reborn: The original is a masterpiece, but this remake – while pretty – is unfortunately hamstrung by some questionable balance adjustments. I gave up when it became exceedingly grindy. (11)

Rogue Legacy 2: A 2D roguelike so addictive I had to delete it lest it suck up too much of my time. Is it better than the first one? Undecided. (15)

Katana Kami: Weird controls and floaty combat mar this C-rank rogue clone. (10)

Live A Live: This remaster of the beloved SNES multi-scenario RPG is perhaps not as good as its reputation deserves. I beat it, but had no desire to see all the multiple endings. (25)

Picross X: Picbits vs Uzboross: Not enough Picross in this frenetic puzzle game. A good time-waster regardless. (5)

Dragons Dogma: Dark Arisen: I first beat this open-world RPG on PS3 eleven years ago, and KLS beat it about five years ago on PS4. Since I’d never played the expansion I returned for another full playthrough and had an absolute blast. One of the best RPGs of all time. (95)

Crystar: Tedious combat and half-baked gameplay loop failed to salvage a somewhat interesting story in this budget action-RPG. (20)

Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line: A fiendishly addictive rhythm/RPG hybrid bathed in Final Fantasy series nostalgia. Potential game of the year! (65)

Megaman Legacy Collection: Indisputable value, but holy cow are these old games punishing! (This collection contains nine old NES Megaman games; so far I’ve only played the first one briefly.)

Arkanoid Eternal Battle: A terrible online battle royale. Almost no players meant I could barely begin a match. Emulation of the original game is poor with a warped screen and bad controls. This should have been a free download.

Dragon Quest Treasures: A fun treasure hunt game with roots in mobile games that didn’t outstay its welcome. Would have been a great 3DS game. (35)

Mary Skelter 2: Competent but ultimately repetitive dungeon crawl. Lots of systems but itemization isn’t interesting and I would have preferred pixel art monsters. (12)

Demon’s Tilt: Nearly unplayable due to overly tiny graphics and erratic screen movement. I feel this digital pinball is misplaced on Switch and is probably a much better game than I experienced.

Octopath Traveler 2: A great sequel loaded with content, fun ‘systems’ and combat. Possibly overly long! (80)

Final Fantasy (GBA): Extremely replayable and always fun. I played this one on my GB Micro during my Oz/JP trip and beat it with an unconventional melee-only party. (17)

The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom: Sequel to one of the greatest games ever made that somehow manages to top the original! This game possessed me until I unlocked everything. (165)

Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed: Amazing conclusion to the entire Xenoblade saga. A perfectly condensed Xeno experience full of nostalgia for long-term fans. (30)

Beholgar: Fun but frustratingly buggy. I ended up watching it completed on Bard’s stream. (5)

Diablo 3: A contender for the greatest game ever made. I’d already played for hundreds of hours over the last eight years but the cravings had returned… (55)

Labyrinth of Zangetsu: Very loyal to retro dungeon crawler design including punishing difficulty. Visual style is the main appeal but wears thin quickly. While it was thin on content and a bit grindy toward the end, I still enjoyed beating it. (25)

Vampire Survivors: Insanely addictive but very repetitive. I had a great time unlocking everything and moved on. (40)

Black Tiger: A 1980s arcade favourite of mine. I downloaded this one for cheap and had a great time beating it for the first time in years.

Exed Exes: Another nostalgic favourite. I remember have strong memories of playing this one in fish’n’chip shops. It would make a good score competition game.

Progear: I’m not a fan of the graphics, or of the fact it’s a bullet hell without an avoidance/bullet eating system. Also the perspective is weird and the point bonuses should move left not down! Not one of my favourite Cave games.

Giga Wing: Amazing bullet hell shooter with a great risk/reward system. Scores in the trillions are silly though!

Varth: Fun but pedestrian shooter with an unusual shield multiple system that adds very little to the game. A relic of an era before bullet hell.

19XX: The War Against Destiny: Very fun shooter with fluid motion and lots of popcorn enemies. Weapons could have more variety. I think the scoring system has practice potential.

1944: The Loop Master: Amazing graphics but very difficult even on the easy setting. I prefer extra lives to a power-based system, and with only one life this one feels particularly punishing.

Wargroove: An Advance Wars wannabe that didn’t grab me. Feels like a fan game.

Alwa’s Awakening & Alwa’s Legacy: Retro-style Metroidvanias that are both too slow and clunky. Probably ok if you give them time, but neither grabbed me.

Final Fantasy (Pixel Remaster): Yes I beat this twice in 2023! This is a great remake for modern consoles, and I’m sure I’ll return to it again one day. (12)

Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society: This wizardry-like started strong with a good, solid first section (40 hrs) but then restarts with a half-finished procedural grind (hundreds of dungeon levels?!) that sucked the life out of it. Should have been half what it is. (67)

Heroes of Hammerwatch: Content rich twin stick RPG roguelike. I played for hours and hours and felt like I’d only dipped my toe in! I beat the game with one of ten characters and barely explored the dlc. I’ll return to this one… (60)

Kotodama: The 7 Mysteries of Fujisawa: Very mundane visual novel with boring characters and boring-after-one-go match 3 puzzles. I gave up quickly.

Harvestella: Much better than expected action RPG combined with a fun farm simulator. Very deep with fun boss fights. A genuine surprise that occupied me five times longer than I expected! (95)

Fire Emblem Engage: Ironically not as ‘engaging’ as previous games in the series. Too many systems that don’t offer enough to make their inclusion worthwhile. The story feels dialed-in, but the female characters are exceptionally cute. A rare FE title that I just couldn’t get into. (22)

Boulder Dash 30th Anniverary & Boulder Dash Deluxe: A bit of fun nostalgic distraction, but got frustratingly difficult quickly. Loads of content!

Gal Guardians: Acts like a metroidvania but it’s more like an old school castlevania clone. And ultimately, a not very good one with boring enemies and unsatisfying controls. A failed attempt that I gave up on early.

Final Fantasy II (Pixel Remaster): Initially off-putting due to the weird leveling system but the boost mode of the remakes made it bearable and ultimately the game was fun (if flawed). (13)

Trinity Trigger: An action RPG that starts well but rapidly becomes a simplistic by-the-numbers game that has less ambition that many mobile games. The bosses are damage sponges to an almost absurd degree. (15)

Super Mario Bros. Wonder: Every level is unique and fun to play, and it’s hard to imagine this isn’t the peak of 2D Mario games. The ‘secret’ levels can be fiendishly difficult but are so satisfying to beat! I finished this one quicker than expected, and was surprised to find that many thought it may be too difficult! (14)

Paranormasight: Fun visual novel about people using curses to kill each other in 1980s Tokyo. It’s got a great style and the story keeps Kristin and I guessing as we play it together (we haven’t beaten it yet). Recommended! (10+?)

Final Fantasy III (Pixel Remaster): A wonderful evolution of the series, with a fun job system and a nicely paced quest. (20)

Baten Kaitos HD Remaster: Didn’t entrance me like the originals did two decades ago. I may give this a second chance one day.

Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher: I was looking forward to this one! I bought it in Japan but sadly – despite what I read online – it didn’t have any English so I couldn’t play it

Needy Girl Overdose: Misogynistic game where you play the boyfriend of a female streamer. Basically a text adventure with a slight graphical overcoat. Vaguely interesting but many abrupt endings and it has the stink of unprofessionalism. Some will find this offensive.

Metallic Child: Short and forgettable action roguelite not even 1% as good as Hades. Tightly designed though, and notably of Korean origin. (8)

Blacksmith of the Sand Kingdom: A very fun JPRG with extensive crafting. Easy to get into but complicated at the high end. Just the right length as well. A genuine surprise! (27)

Cat Quest 2 : Entertaining RPG-lite that was a bit too easy. Very similar to the first one, but no less fun. (10)

Silent Hope: Diablo-like with multiple classes but repetitive dungeons. And yet it grabbed me hard and didn’t let go until I’d beaten it on all three difficulty levels. An unexpected joy. (48)

Monster Train First Class: Too addictive. Similar but inferior to Slay The Spire, with not as many long term goals. I unlocked everything and moved on lest it grabbed me too hard. (20)

The Messenger: Starts off as an 8-bit style platformer but becomes a 16-but style Metroidvania after a couple of hours play. A well made game with a good sense of humor but I found it a little boring and gave up. (6)

Batsugan: Insanely difficult shooter even on easiest setting. Enemy shots move almost too fast to react to. It feels like it should have a bullet-eating mechanic (but doesn’t). Ideal for the arcade; not so great at home.

Steamworld Quest: A graphically and mechanically impressive RPG that lost me quickly due to its boring story and characters. Also I feel the card mechanic (to the combat) didn’t live up to its potential.

Afterimage: A fun Metroidvania with beautiful graphics and a nice challenge level. (12)

Puzzle & Dragons (iOS): 2023 was the year I surpassed 10 years of consecutive logins (3843 days as of this post) and I still play it every day. I can’t even guess how many hours I sunk into this one in 2023, but I’m positive this is and will ever remain the game I play most in my entire life!

So there you go, a record of considerably over 1000 hours of gameplay this past year alone. I guess I’m still as much the gamer as I ever was

Posted in Blog, Collecting, Games, Miscellaneous, Retro | Comments Closed

2023 In Games (Part 1)

Friday, December 8th, 2023

2022 was an interesting one in my game-buying hobby, since I only bought games for the Switch. Things were quite different in 2023, mostly due to two Japan trips during which I bought lots of games. In several ways, this would prove to be a historic year for my game collection.

Before I get to the purchases, I made another game sale this past year. I sold off my Wii, Wii U, PS3 and PS4 collections: a total of about 270 games. I made much less than my previous sales, but I had little attachment to any of the games and it was an easy decision to make since it freed up considerable space and helped me consolidate my remaining collection (still >1000 games) into one part of the house.

In terms of adding to the collection, I bought 95 games for 11 different systems in 2023. Here’s the breakdown by quantity

The Switch saw by far the most purchases: 65 in total (in addition to a second console). Second was the Playstation 2 with 5 games, and the remainder had only 1 – 3 games each. Here’s the breakdown by dollars spent:

An interesting result, since the Switch had nearly 70% of the purchases but only 63% of the dollars spent. The reason why will be discussed later.

Unpacking the above graphs with some actual values: in 2023 I spent ~$3900 on games (about 40% of which was in Yen). This is by a wide margin the most I have ever spent on games in a single year, and also the third most games I have ever bought in a single year (2006 and 2009 were both higher). The average cost per game – $41 – is also the second highest ever, only beaten by a whopping $51 average all the way back in 1993 (when I bought 14 games). These are astounding numbers, but what if we focus on Switch games only? Even then I spent $2480 on 65 games, both of which are considerably higher totals than 2022 or in fact any year since 2007!

I suppose 2023 was the year I doubled down on the ‘collecting’ part of my collection

The above two games were blogged after Japan trips but I’m including them again here because they’re notable: At about $163 (for Black Onyx) and $148 (Wizardry) they are the two most expensive games I have ever purchased. During the pandemic the prices for ‘retro’ games have skyrocketed, and while this is one reason I have sold out of large portions of my collection, it also makes buying such games an expensive proposition. As I have sold my collections I chose to focus subsets of each, such as basic lands for Magic, R2 units for Star Wars figures and Wizardry video games. And to paraphrase what a retro store attendant in Japan told me in June: “Only maniacs collect Wizardry games!”

That said I more or less have the Wizardry games now (unless I venture in computer versions…), and while a lot of the purchases in 2023 were Wizardry related – 22 of the 95 games were Wizardry – I daresay there won’t be any more going forward. I think it’s a given that 2024 will be less than 2023 both in the number of games bought and dollars spent, but I’m still fairly sure the Switch collection – now over 200 games – will continue to grow

Time for my three favourite games of the year, in no particular order:

Diablo 3 (Switch)

A return from a game that made a similar ‘best-of’ list way back in 2015? I had a craving to replay this one, so I bought it (for the 4th time…) for the Switch and played it like a monster for a few weeks. I started with a Sorceress, and once she reached the maximum level I then switched to a Barbarian and maxed him in one day. I went on to earn over 1000 paragon levels while hunting best-in-slot gear for both, and ended up reaching the highest levels of difficulty I ever had in the game. And I loved every minute of it

The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom (Switch)

In some ways this was a ‘more of the same’ sequel, but considering it followed one of the best games ever made it wasn’t at all surprising that the latest Zelda was a masterpiece. This was another game I dove right into and that owned me while I was playing it. I saw everything, found everything, unlocked everything, and when I finally finished it about 100 hours later I wished another game in the series was already available!

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line (Switch)

Another sequel, but this time to a DS game from 2014. This is a rhythm game based on Final Fantasy and was an absolute joy to play. Once again I unlocked everything and enjoyed every second of it. It’s an enormously satisfying game to play, especially when you do well, and I think the engine would lend itself to many other games (such as a Zelda or Mario version). As much as I loved this one, I have to say I’m humbled watching videos online of players beating the seemingly impossible highest difficulty levels. I think they’re probably the greatest levels of video game skill I’ve ever witnessed!

This was a difficult trio to select, since I played a lot of very good games in 2023. In fact I played a lot of games in 2023, which is one reason why this post is titled ‘Part 1’. For the first time ever I’m following up with a bit of a crazy second part, but it’s going to take some work to complete. Watch for it in a few days…

Posted in Collecting, Games, Miscellaneous, Retro | 1 Comment »

Top 40 Nostalgia

Saturday, October 7th, 2023

Some years back I referred to my collection of ‘Too 40’ charts I used to get at the record shops. I had dozens of them lasting many years through the 1980s, and wish I still had them.

Recently I found some scanned in a historical website of Australian music. The scans were a little low-resolution, but the charts are still readable. Here’s one from March 1984:

Some iconic songs in that top 10! Also note that Thriller is at week 67 in the top 40 but a Midnight Oil album is at week 69! Incidentally I love how this scan is obviously of a copy once owned by a kid who wrote on it.

Here’s the back of the same chart:

These were about A4 size, always printed in two different colours, and usually sat in piles on a counter free for the taking. The fronts always showed the singles/album chart and the back was usually an ad that often contained lyrics. It was a particularly great week when a band I liked was featured on the back

Here’s the front and back of another from 1984:

99 Luftballoons spent at least two weeks at number 1 in Australia? I wouldn’t have remembered that, even though I did buy the single (and I believe own it to this day). Since I was a big fan of Nik Kershaw in those days, I’m sure I was thrilled to see him featured on the back.

Here’s one from 1985, in which we see the Countdown (a very famous Oz music TV show) promotion had ended:

And lastly the fronts only of two more:

That’s all I was able to find online, and since it was years ago I no longer remember where. If anything this dip into nostalgia makes me want to get my hands on one even more. Years back I saw one (in so-so condition) for sale in an antique store for some silly price and passed. Next time I may reach for my wallet, especially if it’s got a good band on the back

Posted in Australia, History, Music, Retro, Time | 2 Comments »

Funspot (Part 1)

Tuesday, July 25th, 2023

We went on a cruise of Lake Winnipesaukee today. The weather was lovely and the breeze as the boat glided along was a nice break from the heat. The shores of this large freshwater lake are full of enormous and very expensive home and all I think when I see them is “How long does it take to clean a home like that?” Of course those that can even afford a house ten times larger than ours can also afford staff to clean it!

Afterwards, and for the second time in two days we went and spent several hours at Funspot. This is – once again – the principle reason we’re here. Last time was during the pandemic and they seemed to have fewer machines but I’m very pleased to see things have turned around and there’s now more than ever!

A new inclusion are several super-rare games such as this ‘Mystic Marathon’ cabinet. Only five were ever made and Funspot has two of them! The other is playable and I can assure you the game is awful

I played lots of games both days – more on this tomorrow – and as always it was extremely nostalgic and a good even-more-retro follow up to my time spent at Hirose in Akihabara six weeks ago.

Of course they’ve still got a bunch of pinball machines, including several rare and unusual examples. Every time I visit I play Hercules and wonder how it ever got into production.

A new addition is the ‘pinball outpost’ which is a darkened alley with about a dozen tables. The low light lets the lights on the machines pop and makes it easy to marvel at the beautiful back glass art. Check out this table art too:

I played a few pinballs of course, but for me they’re a side-dish to the video games. Even the most thrilling pinball can’t hope to compete with a sit down Star Wars in the original cabinet

Tomorrow I’ll have more info on some of the games I played and how I did. Stay tuned!

Posted in Games, Miscellaneous, Retro | Comments Closed

The Ironlords

Saturday, July 22nd, 2023

When I sold my Star Wars figures, I also traded in a small amount of other items for store credit. With the credit, I took these:

It’s a set of five die cast metal figures. Each is about two inches tall, fairly thin of sculpt and with lots of obvious flash. They also have bases, and even though I haven’t opened them, seem to be able to stand well on their own.

Here we have Ghan and Astare, two wild barbarians from some forgotten world, obviously fighting for the same cause as evidenced by their identical shields. Their compatriots have similarly evocative names: Vlad, Dakk and Femaré. How do I know this? It’s on the back:

Holy moly, there’s two other series as well? Reptilians and Demons?!? Fear not good reader, because I got them as well:

These are just lovely, either cast in or painted green and gold metal respectively. The Reptilians seem to be humans wearing lizard-themed armor, but the Demons are legitimate monsters.

That’s Slithus and Gark ready to fight. If only someone would burst them from their packaging.

Released in 1983 by a die cast toy company called Midgetoy (which seems to have folded the year prior), I can’t find anything about these online. But as soon as I saw them on the shelf at the shop they just called to me. As an 11-year old, I would have gone absolutely bonkers for these, and would have waged many fights between the reptiles and barbarians and demons, using a rules system of my own creation. I would have loved these unequivocally, and they would have been my treasures.

And now – 40 years later – they are

Posted in Collecting, Models, Retro | Comments Closed