[EVENT] The Sonic Stadium 52 Game Challenge 2024! - New Prizes every week! Current Prize: Sonic Battle Profile gift!

[Sean]

#3/52 - One Step From Eden (PC)

Just did one run through this game, not 100%. One of my favorite indie games to go back and play.

[Tornado]

I feel like if Kevin had used things called this in the film against Harry and Marv he would have been tried the Hague at the end.

 

Some of these are kind of forced.

That one isn't even a pun!

All houses saved, top rank. And lol I did that thing where I hoarded all of the ammo for the two really good overpowered guns and then only (barely) used one of them before the game was over.

 

 

 

This no name company that Sega contracted out to make their Home Alone tie in movie game didn't have to make a pseudo-open world survival game with random drops, random enemy AI decision making, resource management and fucking item crafting. On the Sega Genesis. In 1992. They were competing with the fucking Bethesda NES game and the shitty SNES game made by the people who made Bart vs the Space Mutants. There's no need to completely obliterate them.

[Salamander]

I won't be finishing either of these games this week, so this is just a check-in:

Ongoing: Mercenaries Lament: Requiem of the Silver Wolf (Switch) - What I love about fantasy stories is their escapism!  Take this, the seventh and most recent installment in the Mercenaries Saga series.  A plague has fallen upon the land, the victims of which rise from the dead as zombies.  The virus first arose in a foreign nation which attempted to hide it, causing cases to skyrocket and spread abroad.  The public chafe at lockdown restrictions and dismiss the virus as a simple flu and the zombies as a hoax, whilst the government contemplates lowering their guard to raise citizens' morale, and the rich and powerful stoke conspiracy theories at the expense of doctors' safety and the distribution of preventative medicines.  Ha, ha, what an unbelievable premise!  Can you imagine if people acted like this in real life?

Spoiler

Ongoing: Picontier (Switch) - My slow life continues, as I once again hold off on the plot for multiple in-game and real-life weeks to complete side objectives.  I've finally started maxing out certain characters' affection, though!  Cynically, the main thing this allows me is to not have to spend time in my daily routine going out of my way to see them.  But I've also made serious improvements to my farming efficiency and upgraded a number of facilities.  How far through the game am I, actually?  Not a clue!

Spoiler

 

[Gavvie]

Game 7 Finished / Game 2 Completed - Bluey: The Videogame!

Downloaded this for my daughter Alexis, but then decided to stream it myself as part of the Blue Cross' 1897 Challenge fundraiser.

Finished all 4 Episodes and all collectables in about 2 1/2 hours, so if you want a sweet game with a pretty quick completion on Xbox I'd recommend it - it is for kids so there's 0 challenge and 0 chance of failing anything, but still a decent thing to rack points up with.

[SadVlad]

Game 12: Mega Man Zero

This game was horribly difficult. Finally got around to finishing the last mission. Nice to finally have this one done. 

Just now, SadVlad said:

Game 12: Mega Man Zero

This game was horribly difficult. Finally got around to finishing the last mission. Nice to finally have this one done. 

I'm not the biggest fan of mobile emulation when it comes to touch controls. Definitely made this experience twice as hard as it already was.

[Sean]

#4/52 - Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (PC)

Finished campaign, no 100%.

Some kind of odd proto-Doom 2016 TPS that's pretty okay and equal parts fun and frustrating.

[cosmichaos]

7th Game: Assassin's Creed 2: I know that 1 AM is certainly a time to be up playing video games, but I was hellbent on finally finished AC2 after a long, rough road. For as often as I played, it always seemed like the end was never near. A solid 26 hours later, I finally reached the baffling ending. I won't say that I disliked this game, because for the first 7-9 hours of gameplay it was probably some of the most fun I've ever had in a video game. It just....eventually lost its charm.

A lot of missions became tedious and because of the guards. If one spotted you doing one little thing, suddenly you'd be swarmed by like 400 of them, and every time you tried to do anything you'd be tag-teamed to high heaven. Like, being on the roof makes the guards hostile. What are you, the fun police?? Pull the sticks out of your asses and let me climb the roofs! Also, I don't know if it's just me, but the platforming went from fun to absolute nightmare after getting through the first half of the game. Near the end it barely functioned at all.

The story was solid, though I was getting sick of Ezio continuously failing to assassinate Rodrigo Borgia and then passing up the chance to kill him at the very end. I know it was because killing him wouldn't bring his family back and stuff, but Borgia was still a horrible man though and really did NOT deserve to live.

[WorksOfMagic]

Finally completed the main campaign for Sonic Pocket Adventure (NGC). Have yet to get all puzzle pieces, but considering that afaik they add nothing to game completion aside from bragging rights, I'll consider this game complete for now.

[Dreadknux]

Another slow week for me sadly. Work has been kicking my butt. But I aim to get back on it from next week, I am keen to complete Pentiment and plough through the second Ace Attorney game on my Xbox.

Current Standings:

Beaten:

1. Sonic Adventure (Xbox 360)
2. Turnip Boy Robs a Bank (Xbox Series X)
3. Murder by Numbers (Nintendo Switch)
4. Tunic (Xbox Series X)
5. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Ace Attorney Trilogy, Xbox Series X)

100%'d:

1. Sonic Adventure (Xbox 360)
2. Turnip Boy Robs a Bank (Xbox Series X)
3. Murder by Numbers (Nintendo Switch)
4. Tunic (Xbox Series X)
5. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Ace Attorney Trilogy, Xbox Series X)

In Progress:

• Halo Anniversary (Xbox Series X / Halo: The Master Chief Collection)
• Judgment (PlayStation 4)
• Club Nintendo Picross Plus (Nintendo 3DS)
• The Revenge of Shinobi (Xbox 360 / SEGA Vintage Collection: Alex Kidd & Co.)
• Super Hang On (Xbox 360 / SEGA Vintage Collection: Alex Kidd & Co.)
• South Park: Let's Go Tower Defence Play! (Xbox 360)
• Pentiment (Xbox Series X)

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Reminder to everyone to get your check-ins done before Monday to get the Knuckles Chaotix profile gift!

[Danj86]

Registered Games

1. Sonic The Hedgehog: Triple Trouble 16Bit

2. The Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown  -  1st: 100% Completion

3. Klonoa: Phantasy Reverie Series P1 - Klonoa: Door to Phantomile

4. Klonoa: Phantasy Reverie Series P2 - Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil

5. The Pedestrian

6. Another Code: Recollection P1 - Another Code: Two Memories

7. Another Code: Recollection P2 - Another Code: R - A Journey into Lost Memories

8. Touhou: Luna Nights - 2nd: 100% Completion

9. Afterimage - 3rd: 100% Completion

New Additions

• 10. Yohane The Parhelion -Blaze in the Deepblue- - 4th: 100% Completion

Spoiler

I'm breaking my own rules. Several weeks back, I claimed I wanted to try and make a post with at least three completed games mentioned. Then the next time I made a post which added two games and now I'm making a post with just one. This one is special at least since it is my 10th.

Another one for Marchovania month (I just made that up on the spot, what do you think?) and a super cute one since it's based on a spin off of Love Live Sunshine. I like the unique was Yohane adds the new abilities. You see, the story starts out with Yohane at home, learning that a mysterious labyrinth had appeared and many of her friends had gone to investigate but nobody had returned in a while. Forces in the labyrinth had captured her friends and Yohane can save them by defeating the boss guarding them. Once saved, that friend can be summoned through a single button press and they'd perform a special ability unique to them which will help access new areas.

Something else this game does differently is have you craft equipment, rather than purchase or find them. So you'll actually be finding materials from defeated monsters or by smashing breakable objects. In fact, you could argue that Yohane herself doesn't even attack. Sure, she can craft weapons and equip them, but when she actually uses them, the attack looks more like a summon, just like with her friends.

Like with Touhou: Luna Nights and Afterimage, Blaze of the Deepblue doesn't make it obvious if the player had 100% completed it either. You get side quests given to you by your rescued friends which upon completion, upgrades them with a second ability. The only exception to this is the character you start the game with.

My screenshot in the spoiler tag will show my save file, the sparkle on each character signifies the completed side quest and upgrade unlocked. The ribbon on the left at the highlighted file I believe indicates that the story of the game has been completed. It doesn't really tell you anything else. The world map felt on the smaller side but it didn't give you any restrictions on fast travel, making getting to specific areas much faster. The map would also tell you which rooms have secret treasure chests which made finding everything easier too. Nearest I could tell, I'd fully explored the labyrinth and while the Switch version doesn't mention the Trophies/Achievements that the other versions would have, I still checked them and they mostly seemed to ask you to save the friends and complete the side quests.

Although my description of the game seems to have fallen off the rails, I feel Blaze of the Deepblue is a cute game with a wholesome ending. The pixel art is nostalgic too. I might even call it my second favourite game out of all the ones I've played so far. Prince of Persia being the first.

[Lady Marie]

This week, I have an update for my second game that I finished, plus another game that I’ve started to add to the ever growing list of ongoing games.

UPDATE: Game #2: Fortnite (Completed)

Before the Season 1 BP ended, I was able to reach level 200 and get all the rewards done along with it. I was very happy with the progress I made, and while the Battle Royale aspect of the game still isn’t my favorite, I will say that my skills have been slowly improving. I found that I do enjoy the BR more when I don’t have to do tedious, incredibly specific requests. As long as I can mostly play normally, I can chill and have a good time. I’m still in the game mostly for the Festival mode, but I’m excited to see what they’ll have in store for this next season.

Along with completing the Fortnite BP, I was able to start Final Fantasy VII Rebirth this week after finishing Yuffie’s DLC in Remake. I’m already absolutely in love with this game. The graphics, the music, getting to see all the characters again… It’s nice to be able to continue the story again. It’s already made me tear up, which means I’m probably in for a long, emotional roller coaster. But that’s why Final Fantasy continues to hold a special place in my heart.

Still making progress on Baldur’s Gate 3, Virtue’s Last Reward, Midnight Suns, and Spider-Man 2, but they’ll probably get put on the back burner for a bit. I wanna focus on finishing Rebirth ASAP to avoid as many spoilers as possible (my YouTube feed is already trying to hit me with them).

[NegaMix]

Checking in again: No progress to report for this week, sadly, as renovating the house has been taking top priority all week. Wish I could've done something at least, especially with Spider-Man 2's recent update, but it is what it is.

[cosmichaos]

Game 8: Sonic Adventure DX: I finished it on the GameCube, but there’s not really anything I have to say about it. I like it enough, but not to the degree I can gush about SA2(which I can’t enter here because I’ve already finished it everywhere it can be played). I’m sure everyone’s already heard “oh big story sucks”, which, yeah, fair enough, but on the plus side Sonic and Tails play really good, so it kind of balances it out. 
 

 

7/10, I don’t think this was as rough a transition to 3D as some critics complain it is.

[FReaK]

Update!

 

This week there was not much time to finish FF7R, so I played another classic for 100% completion.

This time: The Curse of Monkey Island

Spoiler

 

I always loved this game so much and revisit it every 5 to 10 years. It's the third one in the series and has a really unique artstyle, everything is drawn by hand and still looks georgeous to this very day. I also always play this on the hardest difficulty.

Combined with funny puzzles and great dialogue I can recommend this to everyone who likes classic adventure games. Unfortunetaly it has not been remade since it's initial release, unlike the first two games. But you can still get it on Steam :)

 

 

[TitansCreed]

Just a check in again from me this week. I'm inches from finishing Frontiers' Final Horizon DLC, but it probably won't happen till this week rolls over haha.

Literally the video that landed today is where I'm at. I presume I'm close to the end, but who knows how long that'll take.
 

 

[Endoian]

Game 7.- Hello everyone, I know I have been inactive but I will explain that soon, for the moment I will only do the Check-in and the game that I finish this week " Sonic avance 2", I had a lot of fun playing it although I have many complaints that I didn't have with the first one but hey, it's still entertaining.

I don't know if they gave me my Week 6 Check-in reward, If you could tell me an administrator or give it to me I would greatly appreciate it, I know it's just an award but for me it means a lot in this community.

I will try to be more aware and have the game ready for Check-in next week, everyone take care of yourselves.

[ShadowXeldron]

Time for the end of week status update. This time I've stocked up on original DS games.

I got Mario Slam Basketball (Mario Hoops 3-on-3 for those across the pond) and actually played it without realising it's March 10th. It's way better than its sounds and I'm not even interested in basketball! I've just beat the Flower Cup and unlocked Paratroopa and Dixie Kong.

I also got Final Fantasy 3 and 4 as well as Meteos. Haven't played the latter yet and have barely done anything in FF4 but I'm up to the Tower of Owen in FF3. Finally, I did a bit more of Final Fantasy 7 and have reached the first cave you go to after leaving Midgar.

[Spin Attaxx]

GAME #6: MEGA MAN 4

Honestly, of all the NES Mega Man games, this one is probably the one I find myself coming back to the most. There aren't really many drawbacks to this one unlike the prior three games, and combined with the intro explaining Mega Man's origin and the addition of the Charge Shot, I think this is probably a great starting point for newcomers to the series. The weapons this time around, honestly, are probably the most solid and well-rounded set yet. Nothing is outright situational, game breaking, or self-flagellating like in the past three games, and just about all of them have their moments to shine outside of being a boss weakness. There's very few duds in my opinion, and even then I found some uses for those that were. (You'd be surprised what Dive Missile can one-shot.)

And how about those bosses? Well, as usual they've all got cool designs I love dearly (yes, even you Bright Man and Toad Man). But... well, they inflict more contact damage than they probably should. "MM4 boss contact damage" has become a bit of a meme on the MaGMML Discord: these guys can kill you in four hits! Some of them are also rather poorly designed - Bright Man can and will get cheap shots on you if you don't know the "proper" way to fight him (i.e. skipping specific HP thresholds to stop him using the Flash Stopper), and on the opposite end Toad Man is a non-threat despite having a screen-wide attack. But other than that, these guys are all interesting and fun fights; Skull Man's perhaps the most interesting as every move he makes is a reaction to what you do. He's probably the most complex Robot Master at this point in the series.

That said, with the Charge Shot, there comes an unfortunate side effect; against bosses, there's starting to be little merit in using non-weakness Special Weapons over it. That's not to say it's fully in effect, though - Dust Crusher can still inflict more damage on Pharaoh Man quicker than Charge Shots, Dive Man is basically semi-weak to it, and Pharaoh Shot is more than viable as an aimable Mega Buster replacement. But I know that with the next game onwards, nine times out of ten a fight against a boss will boil down to "weakness or bust(er)", which is a shame given how versatile the weapons in those games can/could be. But otherwise the Charge Shot in this game is perfectly fine... a sentiment I won't be sharing with the next NES game.

Anyway, last time I mentioned the problem Mega Man 3 seemed to face in adding more meat to a Mega Man game beyond the eight main stages and Wily Castle. This game offers an interesting alternative - two fortresses. Dr. Cossack's Citadel stands out for having unique challenges and interesting bosses in a way the Doc Robots from 3 just couldn't offer. The standout is possibly the Cockroach Twins with how hectic that battle can be, though Square Machine is memorable as well. There are, however, a few flaws with this. First, the awful fortress checkpoint system where dying to the boss puts you back at the halfway point of the stage is still here, thankfully for the last time. Second, your weapons don't refill between fortresses when they probably should. And finally, while Cossack's citadel is very solid, the Wily Castle feels compromised as a result. It's really only two stages long, followed by small hallways leading to boss fights. You don't even get a first stage that feels like you're breaking into the building, like you did with every castle up until now, which is rather disappointing. I can only imagine they were running out of time and/or space by this point, but still.

(Oh also there's no password to let you pick up at the Wily Castle, but in today's day and age with save states, that's hardly an issue for anyone, I imagine.)

One thing that stands out to me is how oddly melancholic the game's music feels, in instrumentation if not in composition. It doesn't feel as bouncy or jubilant as either its predecessor or successor, which kinda makes 4 stick out even more in my mind. A subtle hint at the tragic circumstances behind our villain apparant? Probably not, but hey, it makes Dust Man's stage sound appropriately gloomy. All in all, probably my favourite of the NES Mega Man hexology. Good, good stuff!

(Oh yeah, there are two hidden items as well I guess. They're cool. I always pick them up.)

(You have to love those giant computers that're probably less advanced than your phone.)

[TheKarmaCollector1994]

Games List So Far:

1: Power Wash Simulator (XBOX One) - Finished 25/02/24

Time for me to post in my weekly check-in. This time around I managed to get some shorter games completed to boost my completions and progress things along in the challenge - including my first three 100% completions! Yahoo! Let’s see what I managed what games I managed to get finished this week:

2: Unpacking (XBOX One) - 100% Complete with All Achievements

I admit that I was on a bit of an achievement hunt this week, as I was able to get this relatively short puzzle in hardly any time at all throughout this last week or so. The premise is even simpler than that of Power Wash Simulator: you simply unpack your removal boxes as you move into various rooms, apartments and locations set during different time periods and basically put everything in the right rooms to make the perfect spaces for your virtual photo album. And… well, that’s pretty much the entire game really. Not too complicated, although there is a slight puzzle element to the game where it will inform you if you put an item in the wrong place, so you can work out where it needs to be. That being said, though, there are a few secrets to find as you play along, and it was through interacting with some of these objects that allowed me to unlock the more interesting achievements that could be unlocked in this game, especially the secret ones.

Ultimately, whilst there isn’t really a story of any kind to this game, it was quite an interesting play through just to unlock all the achievements available. Still, I actually managed to be able to play this game for free with my Game Pass subscription, so I felt it made some sense to be able to get the chance to play something without having to spend money on something that I might not enjoy.

3: Tecmo Bowl (NES/Switch Online) - 100% Complete

Buh…But the football season’s over, Karma!

Well, yes it is, but seeing myself as an American football nerd (ironically speaking as someone who is more familiar with football being played with a round ball as a Brit) and enjoying watching the Super Bowl each year, I felt like starting my own single player campaign through an old classic in NFL video games - no, not Madden, but Tecmo Bowl on the NES! Technically, I had to play this on my Switch through the Switch Online service I subscribe to, but I found it a real fun playthrough regardless.

Playing as Los Angeles through the single player campaign (as the Raiders of the time the game originally came out - 1990, which I didn’t pick up until partway through my run - d’oh!), I kept playing each game with each turn spent trying to guess which pass or run to take in order to score the vital touchdowns or earn the crucial sacks, and whilst at times I did mess up, I did manage to get past the rest of the teams relatively easily, but I was tested by a few of the teams that I came up against during my playthrough.

Eventually, I managed to come up against New York in the Championship game, which I got past almost without breaking a sweat, which led me to the main Tecmo Bowl final game against Seattle, where I was somehow in my element as I was able to make use of my defensive team effectively, gaining interception after interception, which prevented my opponents from being able to catch up to the score my Los Angeles team were able to get, although Seattle did score a touchdown during the third quarter and a field goal in the fourth. It didn’t matter though as I was able to achieve the final victory - were virtual champions of the world, baby!

(Apologies for the quality of the shots of my Switch, but I do hope you can see the screenshots clearly in spite of the dirty screen)

Overall, it can be difficult to overcome some opponents in stages, but as long as you about the basic control system for this title, you shouldn’t have too much difficulty in progressing through the game.

4: Sonic the Fighters (XBOX 360) - 100% Complete with All Achievements

Well, I had to include at least one game involving the Blue Blur in the list didn’t I? Whilst Sonic the Fighters isn’t exactly the first game that people think of when talking about Sonic, I wanted to ensure that I had an opportunity to include what would otherwise have been a relatively obscure title in the franchise to some people who haven’t played the Sonic Gems Collection on GameCube. As I didn’t have a copy of that though, I decided to download the game from the Microsoft Store as it provided me with another opportunity to earn some quick Gamerscore… or so I thought…

In all seriousness though, I was actually able to get all of the achievements unlocked for this game in under half an hour, which surprised me considering fighting games are not really my forte. Still, I found that completing the main arcade mode as Sonic was relatively straightforward for the vast majority of the rounds, with the only exceptions being the difficulty spike when fighting Metal Sonic near the end, and oddly enough I struggled to clear Tails’ level at first, although I was eventually able to get past that stage. Ultimately, my finishing time is not the best that it could have been as a result, and I do feel that I could have done better had I put a bit more practice in. Nevertheless, this is quite an enjoyable, if a bit short, curio and one aspect of the Sonic the Hedgehog game series that shouldn’t be overlooked.

(Just to say that I did unlock the other achievements in a second run-through with Honey the Cat afterwards, but I didn’t finish that run. However, I did manage to finish unlocking the rest of the achievements during that attempt.)

Well, that’s all for now. I will post another check-in next week where I will update my progress. Also, as it is MAR10 Day today, I am announcing that I will do a playthrough of a couple of Mario games next week, but which ones? Stay tuned to find out! Later!

 

(P.S. - As today was Mother’s Day in the UK, I wish you all a Happy Mother’s Day to those who are celebrating with their mum’s near and far.)

Games Finished: 4

Games 100% Conpleted: 3

Edited March 10 by TheKarmaCollector1994
Forgot to add tally of games finished and completed. Sorry!

[coral_reef]

Unfortunately I'm just checking in again this week. I'm super busy right now, but should hopefully get the chance to make some good progress next weekend!

[Emperor Robrainiac]

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 check in report: In-Progress (Main Story finished)

And with that, Xenoblade Chronicles 2's main story has been finished! I have to say, I'm actually a little sad this is over, because I really got invested in this game. Took me a couple of months to finish it, but dang, that was a good couple of months well spent. 

I thought the main cast was very likeable. Hell, even Tora despite some of his weirder quirks (Particularly his maid obsession) had some memorable moments. Two characters that really stuck out in particular were Zeke and Pandoria, a duo whom when you first meet them seem to be Team Rocket-esque bumbling thieves who have some really funny moments. Hell, I really loved the main characters and their found family dynamic... Also, Team Pyra all the way

The Story was very interesting, as the main goal of the game is to go to the top of the world tree (As seen in the image above,) to take Pyra/Mythra to their home known as Elysium. Characters bond throughout the story, whether it be through the main cutscenes or the optional "Heart to Heart" scenes you can find in various locations in the game, as they travel from Titan to TItan, learning more about each other as they do so. Eventually, you go up to the top of the world tree, and here is where this game connects to Xenoblade 1.

It's... really complicated but in short, at the end of the first game, we are shown events that caused the universe of Xenoblade 1 to be created, and we are taken to the place where it all started and the person responsible for everything. Again, it's complicated and we could be here all night if I were to detail what happens, but I was pretty blown away when I saw this scene.ned 

In the end, the story was good and had a good message about optimism, the world is fantastical and otherworldly, the characters are likeable, had some fun moments, (both gameplay and story) while still having a good balance between the comedic moments and the sad moments.

But if there's anything I have to say I didn't like about the game, it's probably the gacha system and moments where I had to manage blades. As mentioned before, weapons in this game are known as blades, summoned beings who assist you by lending you their weapon and powers, and there's around 50-ish blades, having their own powers and designs and quirks. Unfortunately, the only way to get them is all based on RNG, and some are much rarer than others. So in other words, if you're looking to 100% the game, you better pray that you get the blades you want.

Another thing that got kind of old after a while was having to switch blades around to activate field skills. Basically, in the overworld, there are areas where you need a blade with a certain skill to open paths, chests, and other barriers. Most of it is optional, but the further you get in the game, the more it becomes required. While at some point you should have enough blades to progress, you either need to level up said field skills by doing certain tasks, or move around your party to pass the field skill checks. Gets kind of repetitive, pausing, going to the character screen and changing your party to figure out what skills you need.

But those gripes aside, I had a great time with this game, I'm actually a little sad the main story is over.

But oh well. I still have the prequel DLC to do, and after that the game will officially be complete!

[SgtBloxx]

Progress Report:

I’m on Spring Break now, so I have much more time to play games on my Xbox. Started giving Fable 3, Skate 3, and Need For Speed Rivals a try.

[Failinhearts]

WEEK 9:

The Classic series reaches its end... Well, feasible end. I'm not playing Mega Man and Bass.

GAME 46: MEGA MAN 8 (PS1): 100% COMPLETE

The black sheep of the Classic Series, as a kid, I had a fondness for Mega Man 8. As a young owner of the Anniversary Collection, the level of ambition from the anime cutscenes, the visual polish, the grandiose nature of it being an anniversary title, I always told young me it couldn't get any better than this.

But now that I finally played it to completion, where I'm not so easily swayed by glitz and glamor?

Yeah, this game ain't really it.

Like, it's not BAD bad, no Classic Mega Man game truly is. But it's definitely a step down from what came before. The level design heavily relies on gimmicks. Some cool, like Tengu Man's flight segments. Some awful, like Astro Man's horrid labyrinths.

And some are JUMP, JUMP, SLIDE, SLIDE, JUMP, JUMP.

Some weapons are awesome like Astro Crush, or Tornado Hold. Some are the goddamn Mega Ball.

7 genuinely introduced the Screws as an indefinitely spawning source for upgrades. 8 went backwards with tedious to find bolts and limited upgrades to make the adventure needlessly more complicated and a slog to go through, checking guides to find all of these damn things.

These factors, despite the game being overall easier, makes it frustrating in different ways. It makes it a game I find fine enough, but nothing I seek to revisit. But hey, at least I was bestowed important intel.

You can call Aqua Man Handsome Guy.

GAME 47: MEGA MAN 9 (PC): 100% COMPLETE

I'm of two minds with Mega Man 9. It was a game I was absolutely dreading cause unlike the other games, I didn't have rewind or save states to get me out of major jams. I had to solely rely on Legacy Collection 2 and whatever limited accommodations it gave me to make it through.

And 9, from what I heard online has some truly frustrating moments. I definitely didn't feel ready.

...And yeah, first Robot Master, it was rather rough. But I went for Jewel Man right away, solely cause his weapon allows avenues for easy Screw grinding for a myriad of power ups and upgrades to make the journey easier.

Much, much, much easier. After I got 999 screws, I hardly died through my entire playthrough. It was SO comforting, where I could really appreciate the great things about Mega Man 9. The music is stellar, among the classic series' best. And the Robot Masters and weapons? Absolutely fantastic. Some of the best.

It made for an overall very fun experience, which I wasn't expecting.

So yeah, I came out very surprised. It takes a lot of time for you to get what you need to make 9 a less frustrating experience. But when you put in that time to idly grind (while you play something else), you will return to 9 and find it among one of the Blue Bomber's best.

GAME 48: MEGA MAN 10 (PC): 100% COMPLETE

While a downgrade in some aspects, mostly to the Robot Master selection and weapons, Mega Man 10 was a very fun cakewalk with the Legacy Collection accommodations. Combine the collection's easy mode, with 10's easy mode and platforms, and then the Guard Boost, each option providing a halving of the damage you take, I was practically invincible through the entire ride.

And with all the rewinding, save stating, E-Tank guzzling and leaps of faith, this felt like a great victory lap to just mow down each and every Robot Master that stood in my way, and frankly, it was glorious. While it did drag on a bit by the end, the levels were very imaginative, with things like cyberspace and a soccer field as stages.

A great and fitting end to my mainline marathon.

GAME 49: MEGA MAN: THE POWER BATTLES (ARCADE): 100% COMPLETE

Knowing there was an arcade Mega Man series called Power Battle and Power Fighters, I didn't know what I was expecting. Knowing Capcom, and the Mega Man characters in the Marvel vs Capcom series, I was expecting your usual bogstandard arcade fighter. But what I got was... definitely not that.

It isn't a platformer, it is structured in a way like an arcade fighter. You go through three story routes as either Mega Man, Proto Man or Bass, fighting a variety of Robot Masters in arenas. What's cool is with it being an arcade game, you are able to see older Robot Masters in the style of Mega Man 7, and the sprites look great.

But what's not like a fighter is the gameplay. It really is just jump and shoot Mega Man. A glorified boss rush, but with wonkier physics and waaay bigger health bars. The game even carries over the weapon copying gimmick.

I don't think it plays that well, honestly. But it's a neat little experiment in concept. And at least with the sequel, it gets better from he-

GAME 51: MEGA MAN: THE POWER FIGHTERS (ARCADE): 100% COMPLETE

It got worse.

The Power Fighters is a lot of bloat, with a lot less substance. The sprites are smaller, and the arenas are bigger. It makes the already slow paced fights even slower than they already are cause you have a lot of distance to close, and smaller hitboxes to nail the enemy with. You don't copy EVERY weapon a Robot Master drops, reducing a lot of the fun that comes from beating an enemy. There are more Robot Masters to fight per route, making the journey more of a slog. It's just an inferior sequel to an already very flawed game, not much to say.

GAME 52!!!!!: MEGA MAN: POWERED UP (PSP): 100% COMPLETE

And thus, we end the Classic series where it all began, with this incredibly overhauled remake of Mega Man 1. Powered Up counts despite being a remake due to New Style having completely different level design, and two new Robot Masters. Completion consists of beating every Robot Master with the Mega Buster, recruiting them as playable characters.

And can I say that is probably the COOLEST thing the franchise has done since Wily Tower? And like Wily Tower, we don't see this again. Which freaking blows cause this is a great remake.

It irons out the flaws of the original, and adds so much more. It's more accessible, it's got so many new characters for replayability, new abilities, voice acting, remixes, challenges, a whole ass stage creator? This is hands down one of the best remakes to a platformer ever, and we can only wish to see more games done in this style sometime within our lifespans.

GAME 53: MEGA MAN X (SNES): 100% COMPLETE

Out with the old, and in with the new. This is not my first rodeo with Mega Man X, and this time... I somehow had a worse experience? I don't know. Something about this game, while still good, don't get me wrong, it's solid. It's a classic for a reason. Something about it didn't click with me as much as what I played prior.

Is it the shift in artstyle? The darker tone? The bullshit bosses and Sigma stages? Me being tired of hunting for hidden upgrades and objects when I just wanna jump and shoot to the end? Something about X burnt me out a bit, and I can't put my finger on what.

Especially with how much my fingers hurt having to charge the X Buster, jump and dash at the same time, performing dexterous gymnastics that didn't make things any fun either. Especially since perfectly timed jump dashes on walls is needed to reach certain areas which I HATE the timing for.

Maybe I'm a contrarian, or maybe I'm tired. But while I understand why this is considered one of the greatest platformers ever made, all I can do is shrug.

GAMES FINISHED: 53

GAMES COMPLETE: 49

[Winston]

I sadly didn’t have much time to game this week. I had quite the busy schedule with other hobbies and work, but I did play some things. I’m still making my way through It Takes Two, which has been a lot of fun. I think the last level me and Ryan did was probably the best thus far, even if the boss was a little lame, but I hope things keep getting better stage wise from here!

I didn’t get a chance to play FFVII Rebirth again this week, but I’m definitely gonna try to get more into it this week. The new Fortnite season started up too, and while I haven’t had the time to play it. I’m looking forward to hopefully making it another addition on here, even if the battle pass isn’t as good as the last one. Still, it’ll be fun to work through it with friends I think. I might just go with a simple finish for it this time, but you never know.

i did pick up a few games this week too, and maybe they’ll be here eventually, namely Suicide Squad since it had a good price for the deluxe edition on the PlayStation store.

But yeah, gonna try to get some more games done this week. I’ve slowed down quite a bit since my last major post, which was the six, but I want to try and get back up to speed again.