2024 Year In Review
It’s been a while since I made a video. Way too
late for a 2024 year in review, but whatever. Here it is. Anyway, as usual, this isn’t a games of
the year list, so to speak, but rather an overview of all the games I played in 2024 that I put a
reasonably significant amount of time into. Also, some of these games I played through PlayStation
Plus Premium, and I might not have access to them anymore, so I’ll probably just use the game’s
trailer for footage or something. Apologies for the lazy editing. Silent Hill, the short message
sucked. Not that I was surprised. You run away from a monster in first person trying to navigate
a maze and solve puzzles under pressure. The story is really pretentious with a heavy-handed focus on
social media bullying and suicide, but I couldn’t really find myself caring about the characters
all that much. The game on its own isn’t terrible, and I probably wouldn’t make such a big deal about
this if it was a small indie project, but bearing the Silhill name demands a greater standard,
especially since I likely wouldn’t have so much as glanced at the game if it wasn’t for the IP in
the first place. At least it is completely free. You sort of like get what you pay for and it’s
also over rather quickly. For those reasons, it’s fine to play for curiosity sake,
but don’t expect much. If anything, I should be relieved that this is about the worst
game that I spent any significant amount of time playing in quite a while. And considering
the absolute crap that I reviewed before, that’s saying a lot. Solstice is a fast-paced
action game with a cool and edgy anime aesthetic. This looks like it would be right up my alley, but
there’s a shocking amount of hurdles that keep me from enjoying the game all that much. The gameplay
takes some pieces from the likes of Devil May Cry and the older God of War titles, but it’s pretty
janky and doesn’t feel nearly as polished as the AAA contemporaries it aims to imitate. Taking down
enemies is based less on skillful combos or proper crowd control, and far more so on switching to
the right weapons on the fly to take advantage of enemy weaknesses, as well as activating
color-coded force fields when appropriate. Worst of all is your main defensive option being
based around timed button prompts with a small visual cue. And even when I think I pull it off,
it still feels like luck if it actually works. I never really understood how the defensive
mechanic was meant to function properly. This game comes close to being decent, but it has way
too many annoying aspects that get in the way, and I decided to drop it after about 10 hours in.
I gave it a solid try, and I wanted to like it, but I wasn’t feeling it at all. With games like
Amorei, Bug Fables, RFL, Rise of the Third Power, and Cassette Beast, I’ve played my fair share of
recently released indie turn-based RPGs, and I’ve enjoyed them all. Sea of Stars is the exception.
The combat is creative at first, but it doesn’t take long for it to get really repetitive, even
for an RPG. And perhaps even more importantly, the story and characters are unbelievably bland.
It’s such a boring game with hardly any style to it. It functions well enough. It does have its
moments, and it’s fine for what it’s going for, but it does so little interesting, and you’re
better off playing so many other RPGs instead. Even if you are out of other options, I still have
a hard time giving this a recommendation. It’s not terrible, but I feel like it wasn’t worth my time
to play it all the way through to the end. Kukiomi is a goofy micro miniame collection similar to
Warriorware, but with way less clear instructions and a focus on being purposefully stupid.
It’s heavily based on Japanese cultural norms, so most people will be pretty lost their first
time through, but that’s part of the fun of it. However, the game play is less about overcoming
a challenge and more about going through silly scenarios. Whether you win or lose a segment,
you’re still going to move on to the next miniame anyway. As such, once you’ve seen everything the
game has to offer, it quickly loses its appeal. There are a few different game modes, including
one with a focus on co-op, but this didn’t hold my attention nearly as long as I expected.
Speaking of co-op, this list is going to have more than a few games with that focus, and it was
nice having this kind of perspective. Moon Hunters is pretty good, but it’s also very, very simple
and too repetitive. It’s fun the first couple of times through, but the runs quickly start to
feel pretty similar. And just like any rogike, the difficulty is often determined by luck. If you
get the right upgrades in your run, then you can easily steamroll the game. Even without that in
mind, it’s still pretty easy overall, especially if you pick certain characters. With so few enemy
types and environments, it doesn’t give me much of a reason to keep coming back for more. And the
game as a whole feels rather lacking. Not bad, but far from great. I expected more from this
because I like 2D platformers on the Game Boy. Mario Land 1 and 2 are simpler and slower games
to their console counterparts, but both of them are still neat in their own right. The first
Warrior Land is way too slow and simplistic, and it doesn’t even have the same kind of charm or
creativity that something like Kirby’s Dreamland offers. Instead, you get a slow-paced, extremely
basic, and way too easy 2D platformer. The later Warri Land games would end up finding their own
unique niche, and they’re way better overall, but the first one is very weak to me. Aside from
the appeal of playing as Warriio and some decent graphics for the Game Boy, there’s not much here.
I had been meaning to play Undertale for years due to its incredible popularity, and I was kind of
pressured into playing it a second time to get the best ending. I sort of get why people can be
really attached to this game, but I found it to be overrated. The combat is interesting at times,
but it’s mostly extremely gimmicky. Some of the characters are all right, but there’s not enough
to them to make a lasting impression. I really don’t get it. It’s not a bad game. It’s fine. And
maybe if I played this when I was younger and more impressionable, then I’d be more impressed by all
the meta narrative elements. But as it stands, for me, it’s nothing too special. Dave the Diver
is another game I was looking forward to because everyone seems to love it, and I really don’t
see why. I almost get it. Exploring the ocean is pretty nice and relaxing, and running
the restaurant is a fun miniame. However, the game as a whole is a tremendous grind. You’ll
need a ridiculous amount of currency and materials to upgrade your diving equipment, hire and train
employees. Your weight limit always gets exceeded very quickly, and you’ll always need a ton of
fish for both making money directly and getting upgrades to make more money later. All of this
wouldn’t be so bad if the raw gameplay was good, but it is very, very, very slow and kind of
boring. I got a little bit past the first two bosses, and the game was fun at first, but
I could see the direction it was going in, and I decided, nope, screw that. If the grind was
severely toned down, I’m sure I could see myself playing this more. All right, I know this is a
stupid party game, but hey, it was fun while it lasted. In Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, one
player has to diffuse a randomly generated bomb, while another player has a massive document with
various steps on how to diffuse each segment. It’s a game of both thinking fast and communicating
clearly, and you’re on a really strict time limit. I think my girlfriend and I got most of the bombs
completed and according to the Steam achievements, we’re at about the top 12% or so of players. So, I
think that’s pretty good. It’s just that the game gets to a point where you need to start coming
up with hypers specific shorthand phrases and shortcuts to get even further. And holy hell,
do we hate the Morse code puzzles. It kind of outlived its welcome for us, but it was a lot of
fun while it lasted. I thought that I would like this game a lot more because it’s a sort of puzzle
platformer and the main gimmick is a little novel, but eh, I don’t know. The puzzles get annoying
after a while despite how simple the levels are, and there’s really not a whole lot going for
this game. Each chapter introduces new rules and obstacles, and the boss fights are cool, but
my girlfriend and I couldn’t be too bothered to finish it. It was fun at first, but it didn’t
quite hook either of us in. I do recommend checking it out if you’re interested. I think it’s
a cool and clever game, but it’s not quite for me. A couple of my friends played Inscription, loved
it at first, and then hated it by the end. And after seeing this happen twice, I had to play it
for myself to see why. It starts off as a roglike turn-based card game, and as you get further, the
rules change drastically in ways that I’ll try not to spoil. I do agree with my friends that the
overarching plot is pretty damn stupid and lame, but I do want to give the developer credit for
actually making a creepy pasta ccentric story and doing their best to make it work, even if the main
character is a bit obnoxious. The main game mode isn’t half bad for a card-based rogike. It’s just
that halfway through it changes into something completely different, and you have to go through
a lot of alternative stuff in order to get back to that part of the game. It’s kind of a cool and
neat idea, but it’s a shame how much you can drag its feet around halfway through, and it definitely
kills the mood and the fun of it by the time you finish. The Pedestrian is a 2D puzzle platformer
that’s designed to be really simple and easy to get into. While there’s no real story or dialogue,
the unique presentation on its own is fun to look at and see where it goes. The puzzles slowly ramp
up in difficulty, but they’re all pretty intuitive and easy to figure out, aside from a couple of
rooms near the end of the game when it gets much tougher. There’s not a whole lot going on here,
but it’s definitely not trying to be something it isn’t. It’s very pure in its approach. It’s
pretty fun and it had a couple of nice moments that genuinely surprise me. I give it a soft
recommendation because you can play something better, but this isn’t half bad and I think most
people would find it interesting if they gave it a chance. I got this game specifically as a co-op
game to play with my brother and it was just okay. It starts off extremely slow and boring,
but it eventually does come into its own, especially in the postgame missions that have
a focus on character customization and more interesting enemy encounters. The versus mode
is also surprisingly competent. Nothing amazing, but not half bad. It’s a game that I could see
myself potentially putting a lot more hours into if it were a little bit better. It doesn’t hold
a candle to my preferred co-op games with the bros like Ghost of Sushima and Hell Divers 2. And
while it’s not half bad for what it’s going for, I don’t want to call it half good either.
Animal Well was that one game that made a big splash in the middle of 2024 and now seems
to have been quickly forgotten. Makes sense, too, because there’s not a whole lot to it. I do
appreciate how pure and minimalist it is. There’s very little fluff or anything that keeps you from
the game itself. The pixel art is great. The level design is pretty good, and it controls well. The
bosses are cool, too, but nothing outstanding. It’s also very directionless, which is something
that always annoys me about the Metroid Vania genre. You just explore randomly until you figure
out what you need to do. Despite that, it’s a very easy and very short game. You could try to
uncover all of its many secrets, but please, I have better things to do. Despite being decent
overall, they’re just isn’t a whole lot to Animal Well, especially nothing that justifies how
overpriced it is. And again, it’s a lot shorter than it looks. Mother Russia Bleeds is a pretty
stupid game, but it’s the kind of brainless fun that classic beat him up games are well known
for. That’s not to say that there isn’t any depth to it. I could see myself delving into the
combat more if I cared to, but I had enough after a single playthrough, and I was okay with moving
on. It’s not the best beat him up I’ve played, but it is a fun one for sure, and I can recommend
it if you’re looking for a cool game to play with a buddy. The presentation alone is a big part of
the draw. So, if you don’t care for its brand of ultra violence and edgy aesthetic, then this game
likely won’t do a ton for you. Bipad is a cute little co-op game with a fun gimmick. Each leg
is controlled individually by the left and right joystick, which makes for a comically annoying
adventure to traverse. Navigating the land like a couple of drunken idiots certainly makes for
a fun co-op experience. And if you do get really into it, then there’s a bunch of extra challenge
levels to extend your play time. The physics can be a little too wonky, and the main gimmick does
get old sooner than later, but it’s still a pretty good time that was worth playing through to the
end. As a purely singleplayer game, however, it loses just about all of its appeal and is pretty
bare bones, but it’s still an all right game. I was a fan of the original Hell Divers, and I was
excited to try out Hell Divers 2 ever since it was first announced. Unfortunately, my experience with
it was a roller coaster of ups and downs, and I’d imagine most people have probably felt similarly.
Several updates of varying buffs, nerfs, as well as a multitude of confusing glitches,
and obnoxious interactions made the game feel inconsistent and annoying to play. Not to mention,
waiting about 10 months for the third enemy race and vehicles to be added took way too long. After
a year of patches, Hell Divers 2 is finally in a state that I would consider all right, but you
still can’t ignore the ridiculous grind. You have to unlock a lot of stuff before you’re even viable
to play on the higher difficulties. And even then, there are a ton of knowledge checks for the wide
variety of enemy types and weapons you can use. It can be a really fun game, especially with a
group of like-minded friends, but I actually found myself preferring the original Hell Divers. The
first game felt more intuitive, moved at a faster pace, and I feel like it emphasized teamwork
better. That said, I wouldn’t mind jumping back into Hell Divers 2. It’s a serviceable sequel,
and it’s fairly wellm made. However, I do find it absurd that it’s impossible to play offline. If
you own it on PlayStation and you’re not currently subscribed to PlayStation Plus, then you can’t
even play it single player, which is ridiculous. Moon Scars took me by surprise. I went in with
low expectations, but it turned out to be pretty dang good. It’s unpolished for sure, both in
presentation and gameplay. The menu and dialogue graphics are bland, and although the controls
are nice in how responsive and fluid they are, they also let you dance around the enemies a
little too easily. It is really easy to die, but it’s not too difficult to stay out of harm’s
way either. Both healing and offensive magic pull from the same resource, but that resource is also
filled up rather quickly, so you’re kind of never in a bad spot. It also has Metroid Vignia
elements. what with the giant map and all, although it’s a lot more straightforward
than the genre tends to be, which I like, but I get the feeling that the developer was going
for a bigger scope overall and kind of gave up on achieving that vision properly. This feels like an
amateur production that’s a little too ambitious, but that’s not always such a bad thing. Moon
Scars has some draw to it, and it’s a fun game. Low expectations yet again, but another cool
and fun game. Similar to Moon Scars, this is also a 2D action platformer with a dark aesthetic
and an emphasis on parrying attacks. However, this is a more traditional sidescroller rather
than a Metroid vania that has a giant map to explore. There’s a weapon switching mechanic
that’s mainly based around enemy weaknesses, but aside from that, there’s not a whole lot of
depth to the combat. I can appreciate that though. Slain is very straightforward and has a lot of fun
combat encounters and boss fights. I wish it was just a little bit longer, but it wasn’t a bad game
at all. If you’re looking for a fun, simple, and straightforward action platformer, then this one’s
worth looking into. Dredge is a chill fishing game with an Eldrich horror theme. While the story is
simple, the characters and world are pretty cool. The pacing is a little bit slow, but it’s
rarely so bad that it becomes boring. I mean, it is fishing after all, so you should have an
idea of what to expect. Once you get a handle on the game’s rules and expectations, you start
to flow through the motions pretty smoothly, and it’s always really cool to see what
the next area has in store. There’s not really much for me to complain about. It is
a very chilled out and fun game, and it even manages to avoid the absurdly obnoxious grind
that killed my interest in Dave the Diver. You do need to make money for repairs and upgrades,
but the dollar amounts are perfectly reasonable, especially once you’ve invested in crab traps
and fishing nets. It even has some creative, if simplistic, boss-like encounters that you’ll
need to maneuver around. It’s a good game. It just doesn’t have much else to it aside from fishing.
and you’ll have seen about everything this game has to offer by the halfway point. Still, I do
recommend it if it catches your interest. As a fan of Homestar Runner, I had been meaning to
play this ever since it was released on the Wii, and I finally got around to it. The pacing of the
voice acted dialogue is a little bit stilted in that amateur-ish video game kind of way, but the
writing is pretty on point for Homestar Runner. There’s a lot of creative and funny stuff here
of what is essentially some lost Homestar Runner cartoons that are also interactive. Like any
point-and-click game, the puzzles can be very obtuse, overly specific, and will most likely
grind your progress to a halt while you run around in big circles and try to figure out what
to do next. At worst, you’ll probably have to use a guide a couple of times. Even so, I’d say this
is a mustplay for Homestar Runner fans. And on its own merits, I think it’s pretty good as far as
point-and-click adventure games go. I remember hearing so much about Hyperllight Drifter when it
was new. I swear it felt like everyone was making a big deal about it. Now that I finally gone and
played it, it’s good, but not great. There isn’t a whole lot particularly wrong with it. It controls
well. The action is good, various weapons, different enemies, and good boss fights. As
a bonus, I played the whole game in co-op, and it was fun. It just didn’t do anything too
special or particularly well, and certainly, it hasn’t been that memorable for me some months
later. The presentation is great, and it’s a cool world to explore, but I do wish that the game were
more focused. I feel like the openw world aspect wastes a little too much time and for no good
reason. All this said, it is a cool game and I recommend it. It’s just nothing that’s too big of
a deal. Princess Remedy is a free game on Steam, so my expectations were low going into
it, but this is surprisingly pretty great. The gameplay mixes elements of exploratory RPGs
and top-own shooter gameplay, both of which are extremely simplified here. So simple, in fact,
that there isn’t really a whole lot to say about it. But the gameplay is pushed pretty well with
different enemy formations and obstacles, and it can get challenging. It’s a really cool game with
fun, goofy dialogue and a neat aesthetic. I highly recommend it, and I’ll need to play the sequel one
day, too. I streamed this game once before with my good buddy One Doom Game Critic, and I later
played through it all again with my girlfriend, and it was still a blast to go through. I had
forgotten how to get past half the obstacles, but even the stuff I did remember clearly was
still great to go through again because half the fun is explaining and communicating these
abstract objectives to your partner. As a limited information asymmetrical co-op adventure,
it can be frustrating when the next goal is unclear and both players are working with
half the information that doesn’t make sense, but it’s really satisfying when it all finally
falls into place. My girlfriend and I also played We Were Here, We Were Here: The Friendship,
and a little bit of Escape Academy. And all three of those games are good, too. But I’d
say Operation Tango is the best of the bunch. Moving out is all about strategically coordinating
with your co-op partner on how best to carry and throw furniture through a house and into a moving
van as quickly as you can. I’m usually not a big fan of physics-based gameplay, but this one feels
okay. The game is easy to learn, but the level design and obstacles challenge you to think
creatively in order to win with a high score. I kind of wish there were more levels, but it
is very difficult to complete all the optional objectives and achieve a high ranking. So, there
is a good amount of play time here for those who get into it. Easily one of the most fun and
creative co-op games. My girlfriend and I were laughing constantly while we played. I should
add, however, that this is pretty bland and boring single player, but it is so much fun with the
right co-op partner or group of friends. We also got about halfway or so into the second game, and
it seems to be more of the same. Just a ton more levels, silly gimmicks, and it’s still pretty fun.
Hopefully, we can get back around to it sometime. Keeping the comedic theme going, I finally, for
the first time, played the legendary Monkey Island 1 and 2. To this day, the writing and set pieces
hold up extremely well. It can take a little bit to get the ball rolling, but once you do, both of
these games are incredibly funny and wellridden. I feel like the first half of The Secret of
Monkey Island is the best of both games. Good pacing and some obtuse puzzles for sure, but
nothing that can’t be reasonably figured out with some patience and trial and error. Once you
get on the boat, it does start to get much harder. And when you land on Monkey Island itself, pretty
much all hope is lost. You’re into strategy guide required territory. Monkey Island 2 is even worse
about it. Your objectives are almost immediately, ridiculously obtuse to figure out, and
it never gets easier going forward. Monkey Island 2 is far larger and a more
open-ended game than its predecessor. see how far you can get without a guide, but don’t
feel bad if you have to resort to one. Even so, it is well worth playing these games, if only
for the writing and characters. I never really got into cooperative board games, much less
cooperative turnbased dice roll games, but For the King got me very interested in the concept.
It has a very generic fantasy adventure setting, but the presentation’s not bad. The gameplay
is pretty dry, but there’s a lot you can do in terms of gaming the system by using powerful
items at just the right times. There is a lot of risk involved. Missing attacks can be very
devastating, but clever players can minimize that risk by playing smart, which is something
that I feel like I’m not very good at. When it comes to using special attacks and items, you can
be stingy, but not too stingy. That being said, failing a 90% chance multiple times will always
rub me the wrong way. The pacing can be slow, and I don’t think this game’s for everyone, but
if you want a light Dungeons and Dragons kind of experience, then I think this is a great option
to look into. While it is perfectly playable in single player since the whole game is turn-based,
I say it works best as a cooperative experience. I loved the first two No More Heroes when I
was younger, but seeing the latest entry as a top-down cheapel lookinging hacken slash game,
and being initially exclusive to the Nintendo Switch didn’t exactly make me excited to buy it
at launch. Now that I finally gotten around to it, I can understand why people could be cold to
this entry. But make no mistake that it really is a bonafide No More Heroes game for sure. The
writing, dialogue, and atmosphere are the usual Goichi Suda absurdity that you either love or
hate. Despite the extreme differences in gameplay, that vibe is still very strong here. There’s also
a lot of references to other Grasshopper games, like some kind of ridiculous shared universe,
but I dare say it actually kind of works out. As for the gameplay, they do mix it up here and
there, but it really is mostly a janky top-down hacken slash with not a whole lot of depth to
it. The new death drive abilities give you a ton of special attacks to choose from, but of
course, the best ones just knock the enemy down and let you whail on them a bunch. Even so,
the game is pretty fun once you get into it, and the boss fights are really cool. Don’t see
this as just a stupid spin-off that you can skip. It’s well worth playing for No More Heroes
fans. If you don’t care about No More Heroes, though, then there’s probably nothing for
you to see here. Proteius is another one of those retroinspired firstperson shooters
that have been cropping up in recent years, and it does not hide its inspiration to games
like Doom in the slightest. a similar backdrop of a single super soldier against hordes of horrific
aliens from another dimension. In a lot of ways, this feels like it could have been a longlost Doom
3. It plays similar enough to Doom 2016 with fast speed, a huge array of fun weapons, double that
in unique and aggressive enemies, and sprawling levels that challenge you in different arena
layouts, as well as some light platforming. The music is really cool, too, but it can get rather
repetitive, and it doesn’t hit in quite the same way that either the older or the newer Doom games
do. I can see the sprite style graphics being a little hard for people to see what’s going on, but
I personally loved it. Some enemy positioning is really cheap and a lot of the secrets are
so well hidden to the point of absurdity, which is really annoying when such secrets reward
the player with currency to buy new weapons, abilities, and other upgrades. It also uses the
Bioshock rules of respawning, where death has no consequences, which is something I never really
liked. However, in this case, there is an optional challenge to beat each individual level without
dying once. There are a touch too many annoyances that I have with this game, but it really is
awesome once you get into it. For anyone who’s a fan of these boomer shooters, this one might
seem generic, but I’d say it’s well worth playing. If you didn’t play this version of Grand Blue
Versus from the betas all the way to the launch, then you don’t know what you missed. The balance
was horrible, the design decisions were absurd, and the game just felt terrible. After
several update patches, it’s feeling okay now. For the most part, it’s similar to
the original Grand Blue Versus. However, the removal of the obnoxious overdrive mechanic
is very welcome. The new bravery mechanic is pretty cool for giving players the choice to be
either more offensive or defensive with how they use the new resource. And there’s more ways to use
your meter as well. Despite this, the gameplay is still relatively slow and methodical compared
to some other fighting games, but there’s a lot more potential for player creativity and
unique approaches. Like most fighting games, it’s really easy to lose more than half of your
health off of one mistake in specific situations, but I’d say it’s overall a reasonable and
well-maintained game. I could see myself potentially getting a lot more into this, but the
character roster is so massive. And I am not going to spend all my time studying a new competitive
fighting game all over again. Not after like three straight years of Guilty Gears Drive. Hell no. I
didn’t bother playing the story campaign for this, but I’m sure it’s nothing special and
just more of the same from the first game. It’s been a really long time since I played
Portal 1 and 2, but I remember liking them a lot. Definitely two of the more fun and memorable
games from about two console generations ago. I never played through the whole co-op campaign,
however, and I can finally report that it is excellent. The gameplay translates well to co-op,
which shouldn’t be too surprising considering how simple it is at its core. The big change is that
instead of only two portals, you now have four, two for each player. However, the basic idea
remains the same. Get from point A to point B by placing portals in the environment. I’m pretty
sure that I brute forced a couple of puzzles in unintentional ways, but the level design is solid
overall, and it’s cool to get two players working on a single puzzle in real time. You really start
to learn a lot about your partner in terms of how they think and communicate. The Portal games are
extremely popular for a good reason. They’re easy to get into, well-designed levels, and the writing
is pretty funny, too. You’re missing out if you’ve never played them, and the co-op campaign is well
worth it. I played the first seven Mega Man games when I was in college, but I haven’t touched the
series a whole lot beyond that. Going into Mega Man 11, it initially felt awkward and stiff, but I
got used to it by the time I beat the first boss, and I’d say it controls very well. The speed and
overall pacing is identical to the classic games, which goes to show that the formula can definitely
still work today. I played it on the highest difficulty and I went for some challenges for
the sake of getting achievements like not using special weapons on any of the initial eight bosses
or buying any upgrades from the store. It was really tough, but it made me appreciate the level
design and bosses since I can’t rely on shortcuts and assistance to beat the game. It was hard as
hell, but very rewarding in that old school kind of way. However, I’m not a big fan of the gear
system. Its main use is to slow down time to help you react and dodge attacks. But this also means
that they designed much of the game around this, putting you in situations that can’t be
realistically dodged without slowing down time. It feels like an unnecessary gimmick and
an otherwise very solid game. I enjoy a good rhythm game quite a bit, and Super Crazy Rhythm
Castle is one of the more creative ones that I’ve played. At its core, it’s extremely simple.
The highest difficulty only has you keeping track of four notes, and only the last handful
of songs are particularly difficult. However, each level has something new to it to keep you
on your toes. Some of the gimmicks are pretty stupid, but a lot of the stages force some fun
multitasking challenges that constantly make you run back and forth while somewhat simultaneously
keeping up with the song. The humor tries a little too hard and the world map is kind of annoying to
navigate, but a lot of the stages and songs are great. Once you get into this game, it’s a lot
of fun to go for a high score. That being said, I want to emphasize that I played this game in
co-op. While it is playable in single player, you’ll be missing a huge part of the draw,
and I really can’t recommend it this way. Travis Strikes Again was an awkward side story,
but No More Heroes 3 is much closer to the true sequel, and it delivers in a lot of ways.
The action is simple, but also fast-paced and satisfying. The setting is ridiculous. The music
is cool as hell, and it’s got that absurd Goichi Suda style all over it. All that said, I really
hate the new style of pacing. You’re no longer navigating traditional stages and fighting hordes
of enemies leading to a boss fight. Instead, you look for several teleportation spots on the
overworld that transport you to individual arenas. And once you’ve battled enough of these, then you
can access the one-on-one boss fight itself. Rinse and repeat this process to the end of the game.
I’m probably making it sound worse than it is, but it does throw off the pacing a lot and
everything starts to feel repetitive rather quickly. While the brunt of the combat is
really cool, the newly added death drive abilities carried over from Travis Strikes Again
don’t add a whole lot to the game in my opinion, unless you like extending near infinite combos
using broken abilities on a cooldown timer. Still, this isn’t a bad game at all. It’s a ton of
fun and the boss fights are awesome. Again, if you’re a No More Heroes fan, these latest two
entries are well worth playing. For everyone else, you probably won’t care all that much. Easily one
of my two favorite co-op games that my girlfriend and I put a ton of time into. Children of Morta is
a top-own action RPG that has rogueike elements, but it keeps itself from being obnoxious about
it. You choose from one of seven characters and tackle the various dungeons filled with monsters
and treasure leading up to a boss fight and a new dungeon to unlock. The setting and style are
cool, but the game play is especially great. You’ll need to balance all of your special
abilities while carefully dodging attacks, and each character plays very differently from
the others. It’s challenging, but rarely is it overwhelming. The enemy numbers can be high,
but it doesn’t come close to the ridiculous mosh pits of Diablo IV, and the combat isn’t nearly
as butt and spammy either. In the post game, there’s a very difficult randomized dungeon
mode, so that offers a good bit of replay value, but the main game has a good amount of content
on its own. I probably wouldn’t find it nearly as fun single player, but it was definitely one
of my favorite co-op games that I played in 2024. It’s kind of bittersweet to finally talk about
Nox. Back when I was doing reviews consistently, this was always a big one from my childhood
that I was waiting to revisit. I was planning to get around to it as my 200th review. I’m glad
that I eventually got the chance to replay it, and it’s just as fun as I remember. Nox is
your typical top-own RPG of the era. Kind of plays like Diablo II, but in a fun world and
with a goofy charm. It’s pretty clear that the developers had a lot of fun making this game.
Lousy second rate candle makers. Kill them all when I rule the world. What sort of halfbaked
operation? And they think I’m running here. [Music] Now, where was I? Yeah. Oh,
yeah. The story and lore are simple, but the writing and cheesy voice acting more than
make up for it and hook you into this world. The gameplay doesn’t do a whole lot special, and it
will seem dated these days, but it’s far from bad. Good level design and enemy placement lead to
some pretty challenging encounters, especially in the later half of the game. While there’s not a
whole lot you can do as the warrior since his play style is much more straightforward, the other
two classes have a lot more spells to juggle and all three of these characters have their own
campaign which offers quite a bit of play time. A lot of my love for this game undoubtedly comes
from my nostalgia, but I think it’s a really cool game that doesn’t get enough attention. I’ll
have to try out those other two classes sometime, too. I’ve only ever beaten this game as the
Warrior, and I’ve also really got to play Harbinger again. I remember it plays similar
to Knox, and that game’s really awesome, too. I had little to no interest in the Demon
Souls remake because hey, I still have my own copy right here, but I got a bunch of months
of PlayStation Plus premium from all those Guilty Gear tournaments I’ve won, so I figured I might
as well give it a shot. I quickly got hooked all over again and went for the Platinum Trophy.
This was a fun little trip down memory lane, and I got to say, it’s almost impressive how
onetoone this is to the original game. While I don’t 100% agree with some of the art direction,
it does look very nice. It plays very nice, too, as well as offering great customization, armor,
and weapon choices, and plenty of unique enemies and traps to bar your progress, just like the
original game. If you’ve already played Demon Souls before, then there’s very little for you
here. It is almost exactly the same game. If they at least added a new stage to the game, like the
originally cut Land of the Giants, then there’d be something to talk about. It’s still a good
action RPG, and it’s worth playing if you don’t have access to the PlayStation 3 version, but
for everyone else, this is kind of pointless. Still, it is a good game on its own merits, and
I recommend it if you’ve never played it. Out of all the co-op games I played last year, I’ve
put the most time into Risk of Rain 2. It’s got a lot of things I hate. Roglike randomization
that can easily affect the overall difficulty, aimless wandering across oversized maps in a
game that punishes you for taking too much time, and unintuitive secrets that make a big impact
once you’ve discovered them, or more likely once you look them up online. All that said, when
you get right down to the raw gameplay, it’s a lot of fun and offers a good amount of replay
value. In the base game alone, there’s a total of 11 characters once you’ve unlocked them all, and
they all play very differently from each other, so you’re bound to find one or two characters that
you can really get into. There’s enough enemies and bosses to keep things interesting without
getting overwhelming and plenty of items for variety, as well as coordinating the best ones
with your teammates. On the highest difficulty, I feel like the game is kind of unreasonable. No
matter how quickly you move, it feels like you’re heavily dependent on getting good upgrades, and
a few characters have a far more difficult time against certain bosses. So, you have some pretty
hefty luck factors getting in the way. You can change up the gameplay using unlockable artifacts,
and choosing the command and sacrifice artifacts makes a massive difference in the overall
difficulty to the point that it’s probably too easy. But at least it’s a lot more fun this
way and fun enough that I’ve enjoyed getting most of the achievements on Steam and putting a ton
of hours into the game. My girlfriend and I have moved on to other games since, but this one will
always hold a special place in my heart. Oh boy, more rogue likes. I swear I hate this genre so
much, but I keep finding myself playing them. Well, actually, Into the Breach may very
well be my favorite of the genre by far. It’s a very simple turn-based strategy game, and
although the maps and enemies can be very random, the game does a surprisingly good job at keeping
everything reasonable and fair, at least on the normal difficulty. You’re not rushed into
making your decisions, and the challenge comes more so in planning multiple steps ahead for
various contingencies. It’s very refreshing to play a rogike where you’re not under the constant
pressure of a time limit. There are a lot of enemy types and unique rules depending on the maps, but
the game does a pretty good job at explaining just about everything you need at a moment’s notice. I
feel like a couple of situations can blindside you and feel a little bit unfair at times, but those
moments are rare compared to the majority of the game. Going for all of those challenges is the
breadth of your overall goal. And while some of them can be annoying, it’s also cool to try out
these unique mechs and play with their strengths and weaknesses to make them work. It’s a simple
game that’s easy to get into, is a lot of fun to figure out, and has a ton of replay value. Even if
you’re not that big into strategy games, which is a similar case for me, I’d still recommend giving
this game a try. This is another game I’ve wanted to do a review of for a while and another example
of a game I love in a genre I hate. Open world, tons of collectibles, stupid uncharted style
climbing. This game’s got multiple red flags, but they’re handled in such a way where it’s
not so bad. Everything moves along at a good speed. The world is so beautiful to look at that
I don’t mind traversing it. And while the combat is very simple, that doesn’t keep it from being
exhilarating. The story is pretty generic, but has some cool themes and the plot unfolds well. The
multiplayer mode pushes the combat further and was one of my bigger obsessions for a good while. And
now I finally had the opportunity to play the DLC. There are a couple of new additions here, such
as a new enemy type and using your horse to ram through enemies, but for the most part, it’s just
more of the same, and I’m perfectly happy with that. While it doesn’t hold a candle to some of my
absolute favorites, like Sakuro or Devil May Cry, I do feel like Ghost of Sushima is one of the
best games of the PlayStation 4 generation. I played this game quite a while ago on
the PlayStation 3 and I already loved it, but I was in the mood to try it again after I had
finished the Fractured Butthole. I still have the same problems with it that I did the first time
around. Mostly that the combat is too easy and too simple to get much out of it. However, it still
is pretty fun, and the presentation is more than enough of a reason to play this with a faithful
visual style and hilarious scenarios that continue to ramp up in absurdity all the way to the end.
It’s far from one of my favorite RPGs, especially from a gameplay standpoint, but it still is
fun, and the story alone makes this worth it. I tend to hate games about aimlessly wandering
around giant maps for secrets to uncover, but the world of Blasphemous hooked me in with its strong
presentation. The music, art, animation, and even the voice acting are of pretty high quality.
The combat is what I’m all about, though. Simple but satisfying combos along with carefully timed
parries. While it is a little basic, Blasphemous focuses on its strengths, and I appreciate
a game that knows what it’s trying to do and doesn’t bloat itself too much. I can understand
those who might find the game to be too slow. The maps can be large to traverse, directions can be
unclear at times, and even normal enemies can be a bit annoying to get through. I was fine with it
for the most part, but it definitely doesn’t flow as smoothly as similar games like Symphony of the
Night or Super Metroid. Even so, the boss fights are what ultimately won my heart. They were all
fantastic highlights to cap off each area, and it was a blast figuring out their attack patterns
and overcoming them. Metal Hellser is a fast-paced firsterson arena shooter that plays like a music
rhythm game. I wasn’t sure what to expect at first, but I got the concept quickly, and I did
not want to stop playing until I reached the end. The pace is lightning fast, but still reasonable
to keep up with what’s going on. Firing, reloading, and switching weapons to the beat in
the music is pretty intuitive, but obviously very difficult to multitask, especially when you need
to aim and dodge as well. And the rocking music fits perfectly. This game absolutely kicks ass.
It does feel like there are a few too many cheap shots at times and it can be frustratingly
difficult to keep a combo going. That’s to be expected with so much happening around you.
But I probably had more bursts of fun with this game than any other game on this list. It kind of
starts to drag towards the end of the game and it can get repetitive, but it’s so satisfying to wipe
out wave after wave of enemies with the vocals kicking in whenever you’re doing well. It gives
me a similar feeling that Devil May Cry does, but in a completely new light. My main complaint
with The Stick of Truth has been addressed in its sequel. The completely reworked combat system is
far deeper and a lot more challenging this time around, especially on the higher difficulties.
Right from the first chapter, this game is just as hilarious, disgusting, and offensive as South Park
is known for. What surprised me most of all is the amount of customization available. Not only can
you customize the abilities of your own character quite a bit, but you also have several allies to
fill out your total party of four. And the combat allows for a lot more open-ended creativity than
I expected. While Stick of Truth was mostly goofy fun, Fractured Butthole is fleshed out enough
to easily be among my favorite RPGs that I’ve ever played. And the fantastic presentation is
the cherry on top. Capcom had some big shoes to fill with this remake of what is undoubtedly the
most beloved entry in this whole franchise. and I think they delivered. Resident Evil 4 remake
takes all the gameplay innovations of Capcom’s recent titles while furthering this entry’s own
strengths, creating a game that pays respects to the original in its own way. The controls are
similar to the recent past entries, but allow the player a lot more freedom of movement and snappier
actions. The diverse weaponry from the original is both intact and expanded upon. Once again,
allowing varied flexibility in how the player approaches all the arenas and enemies. The new
parry mechanic is extremely fun, as well as adding a good amount of depth with risk versus reward, as
well as the resource of repairing your defensive knives. Even Ashley’s been reworked, so escorting
her doesn’t feel like babysitting a useless AI. Watch out. The story is a bit more serious,
especially compared to the original’s campy tone, but there’s still is the occasional wise crack
to lighten up the mood. Hola, Lu here. You guys still around? Well, I wanted to go home,
but Ashley just had to see this castle first. The majority of the original game is represented
with most areas being heavily altered to give a fresh new take. Although the few things that are
missing do stand out because of that and it’s a little disappointing. There’s even a stealth
aspect which I find unnecessary. It grinds the pace to a halt, but it’s too powerful
of an option to ignore outright. However, the minor annoyances mean little in the
whole body of an otherwise very solid game, and the returning mercenaries miniame is the
perfect addition to wrap this game up. I’d say that this remake overall surpasses the original
game, but it’s still different enough that both games stand on their own as unique and fantastic
experiences. All right, that’s it. This video is hilariously late, but there you go. It’s finally
done. As much as I enjoy making this stuff, my life’s going in a different direction lately
for various reasons, and I unfortunately don’t have the time that I used to. I’m still playing
video games, though. That’s never going to change. Hopefully, I can actually get my 2025 year in
review out on time. I’ve already played several games this year that I really want to talk about.
We’ll see how that goes. Until next time. [Music]
The past year has been pretty busy for me, but I’m glad that I finally took the time to get this done. It’s also way, way longer than I intended it to be.
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