Your 2023 year end gaming recap - beats, stats, and thoughts
Dec 19, 2023 12:06:27 GMT -5
Post by Ex on Dec 19, 2023 12:06:27 GMT -5
Eh I'll go ahead and list my stuff, as I'm not sure if I'm going to beat any other games before year's end. If I do, I'll append.
Here's a list of all games I beat in 2023 (name, platform, my rating, completion time):
Air Rescue Sega Master System 7/10 20m
Alex Kidd in Miracle World Sega Master System 8/10 45m
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon PlayStation 4 9/10 16h
Atomic Runner Sega Mega Drive/Genesis 8/10 42m
Barunba TurboGrafx-16 6/10 50m
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Xbox 360 7/10 5h 55m
Choplifter! Sega Master System 6/10 20m
Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams Neo Geo Pocket 7/10 25m
Crazy Chicken: Kart 2 PlayStation 4 5/10 30m
Cross Wiber: Cyber Combat Police TurboGrafx-16 7/10 54m
DK King of Swing Game Boy Advance 5/10 1h 15m
Danan: The Jungle Fighter Sega Master System 6/10 35m
Dig Dug Atari 2600 8/10 20m
DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing PlayStation 4 7/10 1h
Far Cry 2 Xbox 360 7/10 19h 10m
Fathom Atari 2600 5/10 10m
Fortified Zone Game Boy 7/10 35m
GG Aleste 3 Sega Game Gear 9/10 50m
Garfield Lasagna Party PlayStation 4 6/10 1h
Gauntlet PlayStation 4 7/10 6h
Guilty Gear Petit WonderSwan 5/10 15m
Guilty Gear Petit 2 WonderSwan 4/10 15m
H.E.R.O. Atari 2600 7/10 25m
Holy Umbrella: Dondera no Mubo Super Nintendo 8/10 5h 30m
Ikari no Yousai 2 Game Boy 7/10 1h 15m
Jungle Hunt Atari 2600 6/10 10m
Karnov NES 6/10 25m
Knack PlayStation 4 7/10 12h
Metal Slug 1st Mission Neo Geo Pocket 7/10 40m
Metal Slug 2nd Mission Neo Geo Pocket 8/10 1h
Montezuma's Revenge Atari 2600 7/10 20m
Nanostray Nintendo DS 7/10 45m
Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway PlayStation 4 7/10 2h
Ocean City Defender Atari 2600 5/10 10m
Operation Logic Bomb Super Nintendo 7/10 1h 20m
PAW Patrol: Grand Prix PlayStation 4 5/10 45m
Plaque Attack Atari 2600 4/10 10m
Rapid Reload PlayStation 7/10 1h
Rastan Sega Master System 6/10 35m
Red Dead Redemption 2 PlayStation 4 10/10 155h
Redeemer: Enhanced Edition PlayStation 4 6/10 5h
Risen Xbox 360 8/10 45h
Running Battle Sega Master System 3/10 25m
SNK Gals' Fighters Neo Geo Pocket 7/10 20m
Sangokushi III Sega Master System 5/10 25m
Silent Bomber PlayStation 6/10 3h 34m
Smurfs Kart PlayStation 4 5/10 30m
Sniper: Ghost Warrior Xbox 360 6/10 7h 43m
The House of the Dead Sega Saturn 7/10 30m
The Legendary Axe TurboGrafx-16 6/10 1h
The Lucky Dime Caper Starring Donald Duck Sega Master System 7/10 30m
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince PlayStation 4 8/10 12h
Unravel Two PlayStation 4 7/10 5h
Virtual Hydlide Sega Saturn 8/10 3h 40m
Wonder Boy Sega Master System 7/10 1h 25m
Wonder Boy in Monster Land Sega Master System 6/10 55m
I beat more games this year than last year.
So only counting games I beat (thus not counting games I dropped, not counting non-campaign multiplayer, not currently playing), I put about 356 hours into gaming this year. But that's not really true, because a huge chunk of that time was from RDR2, and I put most of my time into RDR2 in 2022, not 2023. But since I beat RDR2 in 2023, that time carries over.
As far as my average review score being 7, that's because if a game isn't at least a 7, I'm likely to drop it. So 7 or better tends to be my threshold for if I'm going to finish a game. This does cause 7/10 to become my average review score as a result. Well the older I get, the more I value what time I have left, thus the less I care to bother finishing 6/10 or worse games. Why waste time on shitty games when there are better ones to play? I still bother occasionally, but my impetus for doing so wanes ever more strongly with each passing year. Overcoming sunk cost fallacy is paramount.
Here's a list of all games I beat in 2023 (name, platform, my rating, completion time):
Air Rescue Sega Master System 7/10 20m
Alex Kidd in Miracle World Sega Master System 8/10 45m
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon PlayStation 4 9/10 16h
Atomic Runner Sega Mega Drive/Genesis 8/10 42m
Aztec Adventure: The Golden Road to Paradise Sega Master System 3/10 1h 35m
b.l.u.e. Legend of Water PlayStation 5/10 8h 40m
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II PlayStation 4 7/10 15h 55mBarunba TurboGrafx-16 6/10 50m
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Xbox 360 7/10 5h 55m
Choplifter! Sega Master System 6/10 20m
Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams Neo Geo Pocket 7/10 25m
Crazy Chicken: Kart 2 PlayStation 4 5/10 30m
Cross Wiber: Cyber Combat Police TurboGrafx-16 7/10 54m
DK King of Swing Game Boy Advance 5/10 1h 15m
Danan: The Jungle Fighter Sega Master System 6/10 35m
Dig Dug Atari 2600 8/10 20m
DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing PlayStation 4 7/10 1h
Far Cry 2 Xbox 360 7/10 19h 10m
Fathom Atari 2600 5/10 10m
Fortified Zone Game Boy 7/10 35m
GG Aleste 3 Sega Game Gear 9/10 50m
Garfield Lasagna Party PlayStation 4 6/10 1h
Gauntlet PlayStation 4 7/10 6h
Guilty Gear Petit WonderSwan 5/10 15m
Guilty Gear Petit 2 WonderSwan 4/10 15m
H.E.R.O. Atari 2600 7/10 25m
Holy Umbrella: Dondera no Mubo Super Nintendo 8/10 5h 30m
Ikari no Yousai 2 Game Boy 7/10 1h 15m
Jungle Hunt Atari 2600 6/10 10m
Karnov NES 6/10 25m
Knack PlayStation 4 7/10 12h
Metal Slug 1st Mission Neo Geo Pocket 7/10 40m
Metal Slug 2nd Mission Neo Geo Pocket 8/10 1h
Montezuma's Revenge Atari 2600 7/10 20m
Nanostray Nintendo DS 7/10 45m
Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway PlayStation 4 7/10 2h
Ocean City Defender Atari 2600 5/10 10m
Operation Logic Bomb Super Nintendo 7/10 1h 20m
PAW Patrol: Grand Prix PlayStation 4 5/10 45m
Plaque Attack Atari 2600 4/10 10m
Rapid Reload PlayStation 7/10 1h
Rastan Sega Master System 6/10 35m
Red Dead Redemption 2 PlayStation 4 10/10 155h
Redeemer: Enhanced Edition PlayStation 4 6/10 5h
Risen Xbox 360 8/10 45h
Running Battle Sega Master System 3/10 25m
SNK Gals' Fighters Neo Geo Pocket 7/10 20m
Sangokushi III Sega Master System 5/10 25m
Silent Bomber PlayStation 6/10 3h 34m
Smurfs Kart PlayStation 4 5/10 30m
Sniper: Ghost Warrior Xbox 360 6/10 7h 43m
The House of the Dead Sega Saturn 7/10 30m
The Legendary Axe TurboGrafx-16 6/10 1h
The Lucky Dime Caper Starring Donald Duck Sega Master System 7/10 30m
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince PlayStation 4 8/10 12h
Unravel Two PlayStation 4 7/10 5h
Virtual Hydlide Sega Saturn 8/10 3h 40m
Wonder Boy Sega Master System 7/10 1h 25m
Wonder Boy in Monster Land Sega Master System 6/10 55m
I bolded the 9/10s or greater. So we end up with a top 3:
Red Dead Redemption 2 is the clear winner as best game I beat in 2023. I talked earlier this year about how enthralled I was with RDR2 from beginning to end. RDR2 has become my all time most favorite game ever. That's coming from someone who has played video games for over four decades now. I would never have expected a AAA mainstream game made by the GTA house, would ever have blown me away like RDR2 did, but facts are facts. RDR2 is simply the greatest video game I have ever played... for my tastes, anyway. And if you're wondering, yes I beat RDR1 before RDR2.
Next we've got Armored Core 6. A blisteringly difficult, stupendously exciting, enthralling third person mecha extravaganza. I hope I used enough buoyed descriptors there to make my point. AC6 is simply a must play for anyone who likes mechs. But it's also a must play for anyone who enjoys challenging, technical action games, on a scale that will blow your mind. Oh, and this game has bosses harder than any Souls game I've played. Especially if you approach without consulting cheaty build guides and wussy walkthroughs.
Next we've got Armored Core 6. A blisteringly difficult, stupendously exciting, enthralling third person mecha extravaganza. I hope I used enough buoyed descriptors there to make my point. AC6 is simply a must play for anyone who likes mechs. But it's also a must play for anyone who enjoys challenging, technical action games, on a scale that will blow your mind. Oh, and this game has bosses harder than any Souls game I've played. Especially if you approach without consulting cheaty build guides and wussy walkthroughs.
Last we've got GG Aleste 3. This is a Game Gear shmup that was developed and released in recent years. And man oh man, is this a fantastic shmup. It's a classically presented aesthetic with modern sensibilities, that taxes the Game Gear's capabilities to its absolute maximum. Some of the very best programming you'll ever see for the platform, with loads of fun shooty shoots to go with it. If you are a legit shmup fan, and you enjoy 8-bit games, play GG Aleste 3 and you'll be enthralled.
Now for some visual stats rendered via HLTB:
April was my busiest month insofar as beat counts go. You may be wondering what's up with December having no beats. Well it's because I'm presently in the middle of two longer games at the moment; Front Mission 2 Remake and Knack II (playing co-op). I've got about 35 hours in FM2R presently, and about 6 in K2. Understand that I could beat ~30 8/16-bit action games in 35 hours, and thus have a huge beat count; but when you're playing long-assed, super-difficult SRPGs... that tends to tie up one's play calendar.
So only counting games I beat (thus not counting games I dropped, not counting non-campaign multiplayer, not currently playing), I put about 356 hours into gaming this year. But that's not really true, because a huge chunk of that time was from RDR2, and I put most of my time into RDR2 in 2022, not 2023. But since I beat RDR2 in 2023, that time carries over.
As far as my average review score being 7, that's because if a game isn't at least a 7, I'm likely to drop it. So 7 or better tends to be my threshold for if I'm going to finish a game. This does cause 7/10 to become my average review score as a result. Well the older I get, the more I value what time I have left, thus the less I care to bother finishing 6/10 or worse games. Why waste time on shitty games when there are better ones to play? I still bother occasionally, but my impetus for doing so wanes ever more strongly with each passing year. Overcoming sunk cost fallacy is paramount.
As far as platforms go, I went hard on PS4 and Master System this year.
Another biggie for me this year was getting into Nintendo Switch. So this handheld/console had been out for six years before I finally bit. You all might recall I used to give the Switch a hard time for being a Vita 2 and lacking enough first party exclusives. Well in the later years of the Switch's life, it has managed to accrue a decent amount of first party exclusives. I still think its library consist of 90% ports (at the least!) but turns out being able to play all these games in handheld mode really is a boon. Yeah I play my Switch in handheld mode 100% of the time. Part of that is because I've got the OLED model and the screen looks so darn nice, the other is convenience. Also, I no longer think the Switch 2 is just a Vita 2! Now with an informed opinion, I think the Switch is... merely a mobile tablet with bluetooth controllers and HDMI out. 
But it's easy to ignore this aspect when a platform has as huge a library of quality titles as the Switch does. Software is king.
But it's easy to ignore this aspect when a platform has as huge a library of quality titles as the Switch does. Software is king.
Well we shouldn't be surprised, since we have some kind of united supernatural HRG EFFECT that changes the landscape of gaming lately. Must be some kind of synergy between our powers.
