Recent Posts

31

All of all! / Re: Pulse check

« Last post by Fisherson on February 04, 2024, 10:33:50 PM »

Try again, I'll join.

The problem is I'm a mod for a Discord server already. I can set up thinks but somebody else needs to do the day to day maintenance/expansion.

32

All of all! / Re: Pulse check

« Last post by MartinVole on February 04, 2024, 03:16:10 AM »

Try again, I'll join.

Me too!

33

All of all! / Re: Pulse check

« Last post by Apex on February 03, 2024, 09:46:36 PM »

How is it that you're three years younger than me yet I remember being the young jibbering troll who didn't understnad the concept of not bombing people's public RPs from literally dropping starship on you? XD Gah my mental image is destroyed.

Also I did create a Charas Discord and as they say in Undertale: but nobody came...

Try again, I'll join.

34

All of all! / Re: Pulse check

« Last post by MartinVole on February 02, 2024, 07:11:24 AM »

Dang, late response but, y'know, it would be cool to have a hangout... I'd definitely join.

35

All of all! / Re: Games of 2023

« Last post by Momeka on January 10, 2024, 07:04:27 PM »

PC:
Valheim - It's fun building bases.
theHunter: Call of the Wild - Hunting simulator, pretty fun in multiplayer. Just hike around a virtual forest and talk **** with friends.
Factorio - Played through it again for like the 3rd or 4th time.
Metal Gear Solid 2 - Replayed it, still pretty fun.
Metal Gear Solid V - Tried to replay this too, but gave up about half way through.
System Shock 1 (The remake) - It was fun, I really like what they did with the art style. Gave up about 75% way through
Boltgun - Was fun, but bounced of it pretty quick.
Psychonauts 2- I enjoyed it, was pretty close to the end when I stopped playing it. Should probably go back and try to finish it.
The making of Karateka - Not sure I would call this a "video game". It's more like an interactive documentary where you sometimes play games. But I really enjoyed it, hope this becomes a thing.
Rad - Action roguelike, played it for a few hours. It was fun, would play again... maybe
Void Stranger - Block pushing puzzle game with cool art. Should go back and finish it someday.
Legends of Amberland 2 - Grindy first person dungeon crawler. I enjoy it, perfect podcast game. One of the few games I finished.
Fates of Ort - Mostly played it to see how they did their 2D isometric stuff. Was fun at the start, but got pretty repetitive quickly.
Starship Trooper Extermination - Played it with Drace a couple of times. Was fun for just mindless shooting for an evening.
The Sargosian Abyss - Group tactics roguelike game. It's was a bit too difficult for my taste.
Rusted Moss - Cool metroidvania. Will probably go back and finish it someday.
The Citadel - Weird anime weebo doom-like fps. Looks cool but did not finish.
Prodeus - Modern classic doom clone, finished it. Was okay.
Squirrel Stapler - Meme fps game. Finished it.
Chop Goblins - Another meme fps game, more content than Squirrel Stapler. Finished it.
ZeroRanger - Shoot em up. Hardly play this type of games. But I really enjoyed it.
The End of Dyeus - Open world first person rpg. Was pretty fun, did not finish.
Barotrauma - Currently playing with friend group. Really fun to mess around with friends, probably not as fun alone.
Path of Achra - Cool roguelike, is in early access. Will probably go back when more content has been added.
Diablo 4 - Played through the campaign and had fun. Did zero post campaign stuff. I'm happy with what I got.
Hunters - Was pretty fun for the ~15 min it took to finish. The companions are a bit too stupid sometimes, but it's also a gamejam game so I'll give that a pass.

Playstation 4:
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim - The longest single player game I finished last year. Half sorta visual novel and half mech tactics game. The visual novel part was the best part.

Switch:
Dragon Quest Treasures - It was fun. I should go back to it someday.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder - It was fun seeing all the gimmicks at the start. But got kinda of bored and never finished it.

DS:
Dragon Quest VIII - I got stuck on a boss

I am really bad at finishing games.

36

All of all! / Re: Games of 2023

« Last post by Moosetroop11 on January 10, 2024, 12:01:37 PM »

Yeah, dungeons weren't fun to navigate, I practically had a map open the whole time for most of the series. 3 and 4 were a bit better in that regard though, and way less grindy as well. Really 4 was the best in the series, I know that's not an original answer, but it's darn true. I'd give 4 a shot if nothing else.

Yeah I heard good things, bought it and started it but didn't get very far, it actually gave me rpgmaker vibes with how the dialogue was - I think I might prefer 2 from what I saw just because it 2 more of a super retro feel (but that might be nostalgia from playing it as a kid) but I'll need to get back into it at some point. At points I actually navigated the P S 2 dungeons by taking screenshots and building my own maps : p

37

All of all! / Re: Games of 2023

« Last post by Fisherson on January 08, 2024, 08:56:24 PM »

Games of 2023:

Baldur's Gate 3. Honestly, need I do more? I wanted to play very few for a price tag of 39.99$ on sale and Bladur's Gate earned Game of the Year earnestly in how much insane work went into the whole shebang.

38

All of all! / Re: Games of 2023

« Last post by Apex on January 04, 2024, 01:26:02 AM »

Phantasy Star II - Funny to see this on Apex's list as well. I used to have it on the GBA but I bought it on steam and loved it this year. I didn't quite finish it yet (this is a theme). I still find the dungeons painful and confusing but not nearly as much as I did back when I played it as a kid.

Yeah, dungeons weren't fun to navigate, I practically had a map open the whole time for most of the series. 3 and 4 were a bit better in that regard though, and way less grindy as well. Really 4 was the best in the series, I know that's not an original answer, but it's darn true. I'd give 4 a shot if nothing else.

39

All of all! / Re: Games of 2023

« Last post by Moosetroop11 on January 03, 2024, 10:30:58 AM »

On top of my usual playing of Dwarf Fortress, Caves of Qud and Minecraft, I played:

Secret of Mana - I got to, I think, the final dungeon? I need to get back and finish it. I love the visuals and the music, and I played it on a SNES which gives it a lovely feel. The combat does feel really clunky, especially with the monsters' invincibility frames meaning that when one of my NPCs attacks, my subsequent attack does nothing. Charging up to the cool attacks takes quite a while and isn't worth it very often, especially since bosses quite often jump or fly up into the air midway or do a big attack and interrupt you. But overall the game's very cool, obviously it's a classic and very close to a lot of people's hearts.

Phantasy Star II - Funny to see this on Apex's list as well. I used to have it on the GBA but I bought it on steam and loved it this year. I didn't quite finish it yet (this is a theme). I still find the dungeons painful and confusing but not nearly as much as I did back when I played it as a kid.

KOTOR - I love this game, figured it was time I played it again. Sadly my laptop has started playing up which has taken the joy out of it a bit so I need to get it fixed then finish it off. KOTOR is an amazing star wars game and the music (by Jeremy Soule of elder scrolls fame) really makes it feel like it's part of the film series. It's pretty dated at points but loveably so (I think). I've had quite a few issues with it on steam though, the cutscenes often minimise to my desktop and I have to open them multiple times until they finally work, which is a real pain flying from planet to planet.

40

All of all! / Re: Games of 2023

« Last post by Apex on January 01, 2024, 03:24:58 AM »

Oh yeah! Like last year I set a goal of trying to beat 50 games I had never beaten before, but I got through that a lot faster than I thought I would, and realized by early November that I was actually pretty close to 100. So that became the new goal, and I was able to meet it with about a half a month to spare. Here is my list:
Star Ocean - SNES
Crash Bandicoot 4 - PC
Koudelka - PSX
Castlevania 3 - NES
GEX - 3DO
Shadow Hearts - PS2
Dr Hauzer - 3DO
Panzer Dragoon Mini - GG
Shadow Hearts 2 - PS2
Pizza Tower - PC
D's Diner - 3DO
Shadow Hearts 3 - PS2
Alex Kidd in Shinobi World - SMS
Resident Evil 4 Remake/Separate Ways - PC
Spell Caster - SMS
Beautiful Katamari - 360
Vampire Master of Darkness - SMS
Neutopia II - PCE
Crusader of Centy - GEN
Pikmin 2 - GCN
D2 - DC
Donkey Kong 94 - GB
Stranger of Paradise FF Origins - PC
The Evil Within - PC
Final Fantasy Theaterythm Final Bar Line - Switch
Evil Within 2 - PC
Spongebob Cosmic Shake - PC
King of Fighers R-2 - NGP
Mario Kart Double Dash - GC
Gimmick - NES
Mugen Senshi Valis - PCE
Valis II - PCE
Quest 64 - N64
Crash Bandicoot Wrath of Cortex - XBX
Valis III - PCE
Contra Hardcorps - GEN
House of the Dead 2 - WII
Metroid Other M - Wii
Danganronpa - Vita
Diablo IV - PC
Crash Bandicoot Huge Adventure - GBA
Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Switch
Land Stalker - GEN
Outrun 2 - XBX
Blue Stinger - DC
Danganronpa 2 - Vita
Ghostwire Tokyo - PC
Outer Worlds - PC
Phantasy Star - SMS
Phantasy Star II - GEN
Famicon Remix - Wii U
Phantasy Star III - GEN
Jet Set Radio - DC
Phantasy Star IV - GEN
Astal - SAT
Gokujyou Parodius - SAT
Jikyou Oshaberi Parodious - SAT
Sexy Parodious - SAT
Castle of Illusion - GEN
Kirby and the Amazing Mirror - GBA
Suikoden - PSX
Densetsu no Starfy - GBA
Suikoden II - PSX
Mario 64 B3313 (rom hack) - PC/N64
Sonic Origins Plus - PC
Wonderlands - PC
Sonic Megamix (rom hack) - GEN
Shadow the Hedgehog - GCN
Kirby Planet Robobot - 3DS
Danganronpa V3 - Vita
YS III - PCE
Sonic Superstars - PC
Metroid 2 remake - 3DS
Final Fantasy VI T-Edition (rom hack) - SNES
Pikmin 4 - Switch
Super Mario Wonder - Switch
Star Ocean 2 R - PC
3D Dot Game Heroes - PS3
Hardcorps: Uprising - 360
Contra 3 Alien Wars - SNES
Blazing Chrome - PC
Rouge Legacy 2 - PC
Bloodstained COTM 2 - PC
Freedom Planet 2 - PC
Gal Guardian - PC
Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth - PC
TMNT Shredders Revenge - PC
Axiom Verge 2 - PC
Mummy Demastered - PC
Vampior Survivors - PC
Shante Half Genie Hero - PC
Hi-Fi Rush - PC
Nickalodeon All Star Brawl 2 - PC
Devil May Cry - PC
Devil May Cry 2 - PC
Devil May Cry 3 - PC

Whew.

I'd be here all day if I went into a detailed review or even a glancing review of all of these, so I'm just gonna say which ones I really liked:
Shadow Hearts 2 was amazing, it felt comfortable like a game I would have enjoyed and played a million times in my teenage years. It's enhanced by having played Koudelka and Shadow Hearts 1 before it, but it was easily the best out of the quadrilogy. It's got great atmosphere, likable characters, good combat, and fun sidequests. It's probably my game of the year, but it's hard to say for sure.

Hi-Fi Rush was really fun, not much more to say other than it's short and sweet and doesn't have a second of downtime. Every boss fight was super fun and I had a big goofy grin on my face the whole game.

Star Ocean 2 R was a pleasant surprise for me. I absolutely love the original, and it's one of my favorite RPGs on the PSX, which is impressive considering it's an RPG powerhouse. This remake did everything right.

Danganronpa 1 - V3 was a really fun visual novel mystery series. It's best going in blind on this one, but expect great characters, and a lot of great reveals. It's a bit on the brutal side as far as violence goes though, so if you're squeamish, it might not be for you.

Contra Hardcorps is the best in the series by quite a bit, fight me.

Final Fantasy VI T-Edition is an amazing way to experience a game you've probably already beaten a million times. It adds a million new things and ramps up the challenge significantly. I found myself having to really abuse some strategies to get through this one, and the final boss was absurdly hard. This is what the game needs though if you've played it a million times like me. It made it feel like I was playing a masterpiece for the first time again.

Lots of other games were pretty amazing, but these ones stood out when looking back at the year. I am just gonna aim for 50 again next year though, 100 was a bit much and I felt like I wasn't allowed to slow down and enjoy some of these because of it.

Here's my hot-take for the year: Baulder's Gate 3 was a turd. I ran into several game breaking bugs that sent me back to saves from hours before, the story was as bland as they come, the characters were mostly unlikable/uninteresting, and I couldn't make it past Act 2. I had 100x more fun sitting through the grind fest of Phantasy Star 1 - 4 than the 25 hours I wasted on this steaming pile before giving up out of frustration of bugs and boredom. I legit am baffled at how this game got any praise, let alone as much as it did.