I know we got over a week left in the year...but...me beating something new before Jan 1? Ain't happening, I got time now...so...I'm just gonna end this thread.
Now now what is the damage this year, the year of our lord 2023.
1. Frog Detective 1: The Haunted Island
2. Dragon Quest Treasures
3. Metroid II: Return of Samus
4. Metroid Fusion
5. Armored Core
6. Armored Core: Project Phantasma
7. Armored Core: Master of Arena
8. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
9. Street Fighter 6 (World Tour mode)
10. Pikmin 2
11. Pikmin 3 Deluxe
12. Pikmin 4
13. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
14. Super Mario Bros. Wonder
15. Super Mario RPG (remake)
Things not unique/completed that I did play to not make the list proper
Metroid Prime
Super Metroid
Caves of Qud
No Man's Sky
Wario Ware
Advance Wars
Trials of Mana
Baldurs Gate 3
F-Zero 99
Pikmin
Into the Breach
WoW Season of Discovery
I think that this is just how I play games now a days. I like to beat stuff, and I don't really need to force it anymore, nor have I for...probably years now. I didn't force the 10 this year, I coulda probably finished baldurs gate...but...that game has been getting some major patches, maybe one or two more and I'll polish it off...in 2024.
Steam year in review is a new thing they have done starting...last year. It's pretty cool (click for link). Doesn't show everything because I play a lot of...not...steam...but it still lets me track things pretty easy in my life and stuff. Jan I got sick sick, didn't play anything beatable really.
Feb I got started playing stuff, dragon quest, then the beginning of my 2+ month metroid binge...then uhh ice storm..."hey I'm not coming home because of the weather...do you want to come to the hotel"...
...so I almost got stuck...but...that lead to many many...many many many great times over the course of the year, into me moving out...again...almost got stuck in a foot of snow but WORTH IT.
INTO YADDA YADDA, years go by fast but when reflecting upon the year, it's crazy to see how long ago last January really was. Life has its ups and downs, this year had a bunch of those...ending on the past few months being pretty alright.
To wrap this up with my normal bs I talk about.
Most rewarding game to completeThis one on paper is metroid dread, dread mode. In practice...armored core? Metroid 2? Pikmin 2? I just can't pick one, dread mode is obviously the hardest...but...armored core, metroid 2, and pikmin 2 have all been on the "to do" list for over a decade, and I have failed to beat them on multiple occasions. so...yeah, all of those games, very nice to finally have completed.
Biggest SurpriseI'm going to go left with this one and say...
F-Zero 99
I did not play a ton ton of this, but roughly 10-15 hours...for a few weeks I had a hard time putting this sucker down. Came out of nowhere, every time i'd pick it up I would play an hour more than I anticipated. A very welcome surprise from Nintendo.
Least Favorite Game I was about to say I don't have one...then I remembered...
Metroid Fusion
Ain't gonna sugar coat it, I DISPISE this game. I don't like it, I'd almost say I hate it...glad I never have to play it again.
Runner up FavoriteThis year is hard. I can't put metroid dread in here because it's not on "the list" so it does not "count".
Armored Core 6
Not much I can add that I haven't said already but ARMORED CORE IS BACK, AND ITS REALLY FUCKIN GOOD. Had a hard time peeling myself away from the game, even after I completed it 3 times. It WAS gonna be my goty...not an easy choice for me to make...but...
Special MentionStuff not on the list section. Metroid is an amazing franchise, as lukewarm as I typically am on Prime, I couldn't pull myself away from the game until I was seeing credits.
Pikmin 1 was a blast to play through a second time, and dominated my old time I did.
No Man's Sky continues to draw me in with its infinite (maybe finite with their new game on the horizon) updates, always something to do, something to acheive.
Street Fighter 6 was on the list, but after I did the single player stuff, I put a good ~65 hours into ranked/casual matches online. Netcode while still not perfect was lightyears ahead of 5. I really do need to pick the game back up but it's hard to find the time to achieve mastery in a game when so many gems keep being released on a constant basis now a days. Haven't really touched it since June, but at no fault of it's own.
Advance Wars I almost forgot about, the way they advertise/talk about the game is like they don't want people to buy it. Still as a fan of the series, it's great. Biggest dark spot is the afterthought that is the online functionality. Aside from that, it's a pretty big recommend from me.
Favorite Game/GOTY 2023
Pikmin 4With how many BANGERS to come out this year, it was really hard picking between pikmin and amored core...but to no fault of fromsoft, Pikmin 4 is another level.
It's hard to describe, in 2023, a BIG, COMPLETE, essentially BUG FREE, FULLY FEATURED WITH EXTRA CONTENT AND EVEN MORE EXTRA VARIED CONTENT. It's not the cute little short compact experience that Pikmin 1 is, it's a large ass complete ass feature packed game. You "beat" the game...but then play this entirely different mode with Olimar...after which...you find out there's another ~50% more game to go, that's all optional. There's so much to do, and most of it is just great. It's a shame people are giving games like Starfield and Diablo 4 more attention because this game is fantastic. I'm not even a huge Pikmin fantatic, but I knew that this game was special when I was playing it, and months later I still feel that it is my GOTY 2023.
1- earthbound
2- monster hunter world
3- smt nocturne
4- smt 4
5- south park fractured but whole
6- xcom terror from the deep
7- persona 5
8- deus ex mankind divided
9- metroid: samus returns
10- dragon quest xi
11- smt 4 apocalypse
12- advance wars 2
13- disgaea 5
14. Front Mission 4
15. Paper Mario TTYD
16. Luigis Mansion
17. Zelda Wind Waker
18. Rebel Galaxy
19. Persona Q
20. Eternal Darkness
21. Dragon Quest
22. Strange Journey Redux
23. Shining Force Sword of Hajya
24. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
25. Doom (2016)
26. Metroid Prime
27. Plants vs Zombies
28. Disgaea 1 Complete
29. Links Awakening Remake
30. Pokemon Shield
31. Dragon Quest 2
32. Dragon Quest Builders 2
33. SteamWorld Dig
34. Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga
35. Advance Wars Days of Ruin
36. XCOM Chimera Squad
37. Fallout New Vegas
38. Phantasy Star (Sega Ages)
39. Advance Wars Dual Strike
40. Cyberpunk 2077
41. The Outer Worlds
42. Dragon Quest VI
43. Doom Eternal
44. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
45. Monster Hunter Rise
46. Death Stranding
47. Captain Toad Treasure Tracker
48. Metroid Dread
49. Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance
50. Castlevania Aria of Sorrow
51. Zelda Breath of the Wild
52. 10000000
53. You Must Build A Boat
54. Shin Megami Tensei V
55. Into the Breach
56. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
57. Pokémon Legends: Arceus
58. Bayonetta 2
59. Trials of Mana
60. Gran Turismo 7
61. Star Wars Episode I: Racer
62. Astro's Playroom
63. Final Fantasy VII Remake
64. Shantae
65. Shantae: Risky's Revenge
66. Shantae and the Pirates Curse
67. Shantae Half Genie Hero
68. Shantae and the Seven Sirens
69. Soul Hackers 2
70. Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2
71. We <3 Katamari
72. Merchant of the Skies
73. The DioField Chronicle
74. Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition
75. XCOM 2: War of the Chosen
76. Pokemon Scarlet
77. Front Mission 1st
78. CRISIS CORE –FINAL FANTASY VII– REUNION
79. Frog Detective 1: The Haunted Island
80. Dragon Quest Treasures
81. Metroid II: Return of Samus
82. Metroid Fusion
83. Armored Core
84. Armored Core: Project Phantasma
85. Armored Core: Master of Arena
86. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
87. Street Fighter 6 (World Tour mode)
88. Pikmin 2
89. Pikmin 3 Deluxe
90. Pikmin 4
91. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
92. Super Mario Bros. Wonder
93. Super Mario RPG (remake)
7 games away from 100, since I started this stupid idea years ago when I moved into my first house in another life. This is just how it is now. I have been considering getting my own blog somewhere else on the internet to have a...I'd like a place of my own to just throw my thoughts into the ether, mostly for me. I do this for me, it helps me remember things as dumb as it sounds. I know where I was in life when I was playing captain toad treasure tracker...my then ex, current gf was taking classes to do a job, I bought an electric skillet. I remember when I was playing Strange Journey that my last ex came back from a flight and we had some...difficult conversations that eventually lead in our 5 year relationship ending a year later. It's dumb, but it's kind of like landmarks for my mind to remember where I am at in certain places, and since I don't do social media or post my own thoughts really anywhere else, this is what I got, this is what I do.
Next year, coming up soon. No idea what it'll bring, things as of now are...kinda good, new place, not single anymore, can't complain about too much.
NEW THREAD, NEW YEAR, I'LL BE HERE.