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Post by Ex on Dec 18, 2023 0:02:46 GMT -5
Well folks another year nearly over already; 2023 will soon be in life's rear view mirror. So as is HRG tradition, here's a thread to list the games you beat, pick your top best/worst of the year, reminisce about any that stick out, list your 2023 playing stats, that sort of thing. This thread is put in Modern for obvious reasons, but if you want to list your top 2023 retro pick and modern pick separately, that works here too. -
I'm still hoping to finish two more games this year, so I'm not quite ready to post my stuff just yet.
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Post by Xeogred on Dec 18, 2023 0:41:41 GMT -5
This reminded me to make my traditional thread in the retro forum. Hope you don't mind that since we've kept them separate!
Felt like a strange year for me in gaming. Not bad, not crazy, I can't really explain it. Plenty of good variety though.
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Games Beaten:
1. TMNT: Shredder's Revenge (PC) 2. Dead Space Remake (PC) 3. Dead Space 2 (PC)* 4. Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider (PC) 5. Forza Horizon 4 (PC) 6. Alwa's Awakening (PC) 7. 2/26 Dragon Quest 11/DE [Act2] (PS4) 8. Master of Darkness (SMS) 9. Mega Man 1 (NES)* 10. Mega Man 2 (NES)* 11. Mega Man 3 (NES)* 12. Mega Man 4 (NES)* 13. Mega Man 5 (NES)* 14. Mega Man 6 (NES)* 7b. 3/10 Dragon Quest 11/DE [Act3/Platinum] (PS4) 15. Resident Evil 2R (PC)* 16. Resident Evil 2R (PC)* 17. Mega Man 9 (PS4)* 18. Mega Man 10 (PS4)* 19. Ninja Gaiden (SMS) 20. Resident Evil 4 Remake (PC) 21. Ninja Gaiden Shadow (GB) 22. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES) 23. Phantasy Star (SMS) 24. Bionic Commando (NES) 25. Jackal (NES) 26. Zillion II: The Tri-Formation Cycle (SMS) 27. Power Strike (SMS) 28. Axelay (SNES) 29. Super R-Type (SNES)* 30. E.V.O.: Search for Eden (SNES) 31. Xenoblade 3: Future Redeemed (Switch) 32. Kaizou Choujin Shubibinman Zero (SNES) 33. Rendering Ranger R2 (SNES) 34. Popn TwinBee (SNES) 35. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch) 36. Ranger X (GEN) 37. System Shock Remake (PC) 38. Atomic Runner (Gen) 39. Bionic Commando (GB) 40. Cyberpunk 2077 41. Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft (PSX) 42. Tomb Raider Gold: The Shadow of the Cat (PSX) 43. Silent Bomber (PSX) 44. Tomb Raider II Gold: The Golden Mask (PSX) 45. Mega Man X5* [Improvement Project Addendum (v2.1.4)](PSX) 46. Tobal No.1 (PSX) 47. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon (PC) 48. Tomb Raider IV: The Last Revelation (PSX) 49. Armored Core Nexus (PS2) 20a. Resident Evil 4 Remake: Separate Ways [DLC](PC) 50. P.N.03 (GC) 51. Project Eden (PC) 52. Blasphemous (PC) 53. Ion Fury: Aftershock (PC) 54. Ion Fury (PC)* [Arranged/UV] 55. Freedom Planet (PC) 56. Super Mario Bros Wonder (Switch) 57. Super Mario RPG Remake (Switch) 58. Lies of P (PC) 59. FF7 Remake Intermission (PC)
* = replay
First: 45 Replay: 14
Retro: 36 Modern: 23
Total: 59
Misc/Hack/Wad: 2 Romhack - DLC ~ 4
DOOM WADS: 1. Doom: Sigil II (PC)[HMP/PS,~2h] + UV/PS run with THORR OST 2. Doom: Sigil* [UV/PS,~90m]
PLAYED: Chasm: The Rift ~ 90m. Extremely boring level design. PowerSlave PC ~ 90m Nightmare Creatures ~ 30m Tenchu ~ 30m The Thing ~ 30m Van Helsing ~ 90m - not bad Ace Combat 7 ~ 2 hours Otogi: Myth of Demons ~ 3 hours Armored Core: For Answer ~ 90m
2600: 1. Centipede - Got 1 million points. 2. Defender 1 & 2 - Never been a fan of these free roaming style shmups 3. Gyrus - Neat, pretty cool BGM
So for my tastes, it was a great year for remakes/survival horror and some sequels.
Dead Space Remake (PC) - I 100%'d the original game on Xbox and still replayed it a lot over the years. Still have a soft spot for it over the sequels. This remake is so dang good it could be a replacement of the original now, so that's high praise for me. It tweaks just enough that adds up a lot in the end and makes for a super 2.0 Dead Space experience that's amazing and refined all around.
Resident Evil 4 Remake (PC) - Capcom's been on a role with the RE Engine era of remakes and RE in general. This is somehow another RE2 situation, where I have two perfect versions of a long time favorite. I don't think this remake fully replaces the original for me, yet this is a 10/10 too. So I'll be replaying both for more years to come.
Xenoblade 3: Future Redeemed (Switch) - The epilogue to the RPG I put the MOST TIME into ever, bringing me to about 180 hours worth of Xenoblade 3 goodness. This DLC puts a cap on the entire trilogy and is one of the most epic JRPG finales I've seen in a bit, it was exfiltrating. The credits made me emotional because long time fans, I'm talking pre Xenoblade, will know what I'm talking about. The pay off was immense and it has me stoked for whatever is ahead in the future of Xeno.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch) - The weirdest Zelda game since Zelda II and I mean that entirely in a good way. It's baffling Nintendo made this and it's a main line Zelda game, with some of the craziest mechanics ever in an adventure game. For me, it fixed all the nitpicks I had with BoTW and was even better. Loved it.
System Shock Remake (PC) - Exceeded my expectations and then some. I liked the original game, I love immersive sims, and suddenly this is one of the best ones to ever come out, period. It'll be an uphill battle for a niche' genre but whenever you see people talking about "Best Remakes Ever" lists, this should absolutely be in the discussion. And up against other remakes this year that I loved, it's safe to say System Shock was the more "shocking" one, pun intended, because the original is 30 years old and it translated so well to a modern face lift. That's a bit more mechanically impressive to an extent than Dead Space and RE4, which kind of just got a graphical face lift on the surface.
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon (PC) - Armored Core's return to stardom and it couldn't have been more glorious. With the $$$ FromSoftware can throw around now and them dropping the best games of the last decade, it was no wonder that AC6 kind of instantly became one of the best mecha games ever made, perhaps THE best. The combat is absolutely amazing and some of the best FromSoftware has done yet. Taking everything they knew from Armored Core of the past with what they've mastered in the Souls line, it's a perfect marriage of high octane explosive chaos. YOU WILL BECOME GUNDAM!
Lies of P (PC) - Arguably a Souls clone and yet, does far enough with its own mechanics, story, and aesthetic, that sets it apart for me. Proof that I'll always enjoy a focused linear game, I can still go from something like Elden Ring, to the linear Lies of P, and have a blast. It has some warts here and there, imperfect difficulty balancing in spots, but for a bit of an unknown Korean developer on the global scale, this is an A+ effort and I look forward to whatever they do next. The bar has also now been set high. There shouldn't be any excuse for low tier Souls clones and such.
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Post by anayo on Dec 18, 2023 20:08:57 GMT -5
I loved this. It made me feel like a kid again.
I loved this, too. I ordered it off of eBay just based on one screenshot.
I did not love this. It was weird and I never got the hang of it, even though I earnestly tried to.
Maybe I like boomer shooters more than you do. Or at least my fondness is strong enough to make me more tolerant of the mid-tier ones.
I really enjoyed beating Dark Souls this year. But it fills me with existential dread when I look at how many Souls-like games there are. Dark Souls 1 alone took me about 70 hours to complete, and it was a rough 70 hours. I have Dark Souls 2 on Steam and intend to play it one day. But it makes my head spin to think about anything outside of the main series.
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Post by Ex on Dec 18, 2023 21:49:32 GMT -5
Xenoblade 3: Future Redeemed I'm taking it as this was your overall modern game of the year, in a year of great modern stuff for your plays. You sure loved XB3 more than Sarge did. I'm almost tempted to skip BotW for TotK, but then I wouldn't know how much TotK ripped from BotW. Regardless it's clear TotK is a real winner, at least from a game design/mechanical perspective. TotK's graphics do not impress me at all for a 2023 release. >System Shock Remake (PC) I keep hoping this one actually gets ported to PS4, as the developers swore it will. I will play it on PC if I absolutely have to, I'm glad this remake exists for newcomers. >Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon Well here's one I beat, and will talk about a bit more later. I'm 100% with you on AC6. Absolutely amazing third person shooter, sad so many gamers will deny themselves experiencing AC6's awesomeness because they are allergic to mechs. Their loss. >Lies of P I enjoyed your review of this one, and I was glad to see you finally take a chance on a Soulslike that wasn't made by FromSoftware, and it paid off! Dark Souls 1 alone took me about 70 hours to complete I didn't realize you'd put that much time into it. I put 63 hours in and completed the main game and the DLC. If you didn't do Artorias of the Abyss, I do hope you go back and experience that someday; I loved it. Yeah Dark Souls is a truly excellent game, though I honestly think Demon's Souls (the original PS3 version) is slightly better and definitely more difficult. Unless you're playing as a ranged magic user, then not so much. - I'll be back later with my beat and stats.
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Post by Xeogred on Dec 18, 2023 22:31:43 GMT -5
I think in terms of best/epic ending, Xenoblade 3: Future Redeemed would be the #1 of the year for me, following by Tears of the Kingdom. But all around I'm honestly kind of leaning towards the System Shock remake if I have to pick a #1 game. A big part of that probably being the surprise factor. I went in super excited and optimistic but was floored by how stellar it was. The timing couldn't have been more perfect too, since I've played all the King's Field games and Shadow Tower's now, making me realize SS1 shares a bit more with those and is such a dungeon crawler, moreso than System Shock 2 and modern immersive sims. Makes me wish more out there existed in the particular flavor of SS1.
I want to mention that I've been actively trying to avoid mentioning Nioh alongside Lies of P. I still bat an eye when I see others elsewhere call Nioh a Souls clone. The similarities are there but then yeah, something like Lies of P is a LOT more obvious about it point for point. But yeah if I'm just grading games here with genres aside, I still like the Nioh's even more than Lies of P. They're definitely harder too. I can only hope that Team Ninja's Rise of the Ronin hits PC someday down the road for me and is on par with the Nioh's. Sadly Wo-Long doesn't sound that great and was apparently a B-team. People say that about Dark Souls 2 though which I love, so who knows. I'll play it someday for myself. But I'll probably get to Stranger in Paradise first. That one looks pretty cool.
Nioh 2 is the one that I think could seriously challenge and be ranked above some of my FromSoftware favorites. Nioh 2 was pure gaming crack to me. lol, between all its DLC's and doing everything in the main game, I clocked in a hefty 121h50m for it and loved every minute.
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Post by Sarge on Dec 19, 2023 0:50:56 GMT -5
I fell off that Xenoblade 3 wagon, haha. Did that come out last year? Man, it all runs together these days. Anyway, I'll get a recap in here eventually. Still not quite done with the year. Although I should go check out my Steam recap. I looked at Sony/MS/Nintendo, and I had around 80/15/220 hours on those platforms. EDIT: Hmm, only 56.6 Steam hours. Of course, it doesn't track non-Steam games (blah!), and we all know I've got time in on MiSTer, the Miyoo Mini, and other various non-tracked systems.
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Post by Ex on Dec 19, 2023 1:54:59 GMT -5
I fell off that Xenoblade 3 wagon I can tell your once JRPG-centric nature has changed, when you've not beaten the latest Xenoblade, Dragon Quest, or Final Fantasy entries yet. Yesteryear's Sarge would have tore through all those pronto, even if it meant borrowing his brother's PS5 for FF16. SS1 shares a bit more with those and is such a dungeon crawler, moreso than System Shock 2 and modern immersive sims. Agreed that SS1 is a cyberpunk dungeon crawler, and SS2 is a cyberpunk immersive sim with a strong horror slant. >I want to mention that I've been actively trying to avoid mentioning Nioh alongside Lies of P I don't know if I see Nioh as a Soulslike, to me from afar it looks more like a character action game, albeit with more complexity and difficulty. Of course I could be far off, as I've not played N1 or 2, though I own them on PS4 (due to your recommendation). >Dark Souls 2 Sadly I did not get to a Souls game in 2023. I will play DS2 in 2024!!!! It's on a list of must-plays for 2024 I made at least.
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Post by Xeogred on Dec 19, 2023 9:50:10 GMT -5
Xenoblade 3 was last year. Still up in the air between that and Elden Ring for my 2022 GOTY. Toughest cage match ever!
I missed the Steam recap, that's pretty cool. But yeah pretty much everything I've mentioned so far:
I did play Cyberpunk this year and enjoyed it for the most part. But when I think of modern gaming GOTY talk and rankings, I'm usually just thinking of the new releases I got to within the same year. Either way, I wouldn't rank Cyberpunk above any of my modern favorites this year.
> Nioh, yeah I'd definitely say you can see the Ninja Gaiden/character action roots in it still. You can't jump, so that's kind of a Souls-like thing that makes the tricky level design similar. Each main weapon of a handful in Nioh though could be its own game worth of combos and mechanics, the combat is so freaking dense. Thus I think it'll be really easy to replay these someday. Using new weapons will feel like a new game in a lot of ways.
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Post by toei on Dec 19, 2023 10:19:47 GMT -5
Here's my full list.
01-15 - Treasure Conflix (SNES/Satellaview) 02-?? - Private Eyedol (PCE-CD) 02-17 - Game Center CX 2 (DS) 02-19 - OverBlood (PSX) 02-25 - Planet Laika (PSX) 03-04 - Sukeban Deka 2 (Master System) 03-13 - Tokyo Beat Down (DS) 03-29 - Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES) 04-27 - Backstreet Billiards (PSX) 05-06 - Berserk Millennium Falcon Arc: Flowers of Oblivion (Dreamcast) 05-09 - Rent-A-Hero No. 1 (Dreamcast) 05-20 - End of Serenity (PSP) 05-30 - Virtua Quest (PS2) 06-11 - Rent A Hero (Genesis) 06-15 - Rolling Thunder 3 (Genesis) 06-21 - Super Ranger (arcade) - Spark Man (arcade) 06-22 - Secret Agent aka Sly Spy (arcade) 06-24 - Thunder Fox (arcade) 06-25 - Night Slashers (arcade) 08-11 - Police Chase Down (PS2) 08-19 - The Firemen (SNES) 08-22 - Dragon Climax (PC) 08-24 - Shogunaria (PC) 08-30 - Linkle Liver Story (Saturn) 09-03 - Arrest of a Stone Buddah (PC) 09-06 - Double Dragon IV (PC) 09-26 - The Ghost Train (PC) 10-02 - The Convenience Store (PC) 10-0? - The Sniper 2 (PS2) 10-12 - R?MJ: The Mystery Hospital 10-1? - Mansion of Hidden Souls (Sega CD) 10-18 - D (PSX) 10-30 - Ecsaform (PSX) 11-08 - War of the Dead 2 (MSX2) 11-16 - Resident Evil Gaiden (GBC) 11-30 - Megami Tensei Gaiden: The Last Bible (GG) 12-01 - Tensai Bakabon (SMS) 12-13 - Rambo III (Sega Genesis) 12-16 - Dynamite Duke (Sega Genesis)
Total: 40
A good number for me in recent years.
I already talked about most of those in the other thread.
Best: Rent A Hero (DC), Planet Laika (PSX), Game Center CX 2 (DS) Worst: The Sniper 2 (PS2), Berserk (DC). Resident Evil Gaiden (GBC) was quite mediocre. Mansion of Hidden Souls (Sega CD) was bad too, but it was short and not too frustrating so it didn't leave as strong a negative impression as some others.
Lots of good games in general, a fair amount of so-so/ok games, and just a few bad ones. I liked nearly every game I beat at least a little, otherwise I dropped them.
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Post by Ex on Dec 19, 2023 10:46:03 GMT -5
toeiYou had a really good run on the retro side this year. And you're still my 2023 retro hero for not only bothering to play Backstreet Billiards, but finishing and enjoying it as well. Proof it pays to venture outside one's usual genres. 01-15 - Treasure Conflix (SNES/Satellaview) 02-?? - Private Eyedol (PCE-CD) 02-17 - Game Center CX 2 (DS) 06-11 - Rent A Hero (Genesis) 12-01 - Tensai Bakabon (SMS)I'm interested in playing all of these someday. Especially Treasure Conflix. I did attempt to get into TC earlier this year, but emulation issues with it put me off. I did eventually get that sorted out, but got distracted by something else.
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