The Great 2023 Video Game Challenge

That's weird where did all the posts go?

Credit goes to tazzyboyishere for first starting this in 2016, and Robazoid for carrying the torch through 2020. Basically, there are 50 challenges outlined below that will require you to beat 52 games total. This isn't a competition and there's no prize for winning aside from a sense of accomplishment. This is just a fun thing to participate in while we all work through our video game libraries. It also gives us a place to discuss what we're playing. Feel free to join in!

Rules:
- A single playthrough of a game can only be used for one challenge
- Use your own judgment to decide if game fits in a certain category
- Games started in 2021 or earlier are fine as long as they're finished in 2022
- Please add your own games to the spreadsheet linked to below, which anyone can edit
- When using the spreadsheet, please don't mess with checklists/tallies that aren't yours
- There's a tab listing favorite games in the spreadsheet if you need help with Challenge 42
- If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SHwbTtsxvEZ1zyWoe72ORQyNM2WesSkzBW3A71xJJRs/edit?usp=sharing

Challenges:

Years (5)
1. Beat a game released before 1993
2. Beat a game released between 1993-2002
3. Beat a game released between 2003-2012
4. Beat a game released between 2013-2022
5. Beat a game released in 2023

Series (4)
6. Beat a game in a completely new series
7. Beat a game in a series you've already played some of
8. Beat a spin-off or a game that rebooted a franchise
9. Beat a remake or enhanced port

Creators (4)
10. Beat a game made by a director/composer/artist/etc that you like
11. Beat a game made by a developer you like
12. Beat a game made by a developer you've never tried
13. Beat a game made by an indie developer

Genres (10)
14. Beat an RPG
15. Beat a puzzle game
16. Beat a rhythm game
17. Beat a shooting game
18. Beat a simulation game
19. Beat a platformer
20. Beat an action game
21. Beat a strategy game
22. Beat a fighting game
23. Beat a sports game

Themes (6)
24. Beat a game with romance as a central theme
25. Beat a game with horror as a central theme
26. Beat a game with revenge as a central theme
27. Beat a game with mystery as a central theme
28. Beat a game with the supernatural as a central theme
29. Beat a game with comedy as a central theme

Demographics (6)
30. Beat a game with a female lead
31. Beat a game with a child lead
32. Beat a game with a non-white lead
33. Beat a game with a robot/artificial lead
34. Beat a game with an animal lead
35. Beat a game with a lead that's from a fictional species

Time (4)
36. Beat a game that's been in your backlog for a long time
37. Beat a game you'd dropped or had a long hold on
38. Finish a game in one day
39. Finish a game that took you at least twenty-five hours to beat

Stats (3)
40. Beat a game with a Metascore below 70
41. Beat a game with a Metascore above 90
42. Beat another user's favorite game

Adaptation (3)
43. Beat a game based on licensed stories/characters
44. Beat a game that's been adapted into another medium
45. Beat a game that features historical events or people

Miscellaneous (5)
46. Beat a game you received for free or through a paid subscription service
47. Play a technically unbeatable game for at least six hours
48. Beat a game that starts with the first letter of your username
49. Choose a random page on TVTropes and beat something from the video game section
50-52. Beat three games in a series

I went looking for this topic last night. Whoops. Not entirely sure where I left off, but I'll guess, and post

12. Beat a game made by a developer you've never tried
Luck be a Landlord

25. Beat a game with horror as a central theme
Vampire Survivors

35. Beat a game with a lead from a fictional species
Hyper Light Drifter

49. Choose a random page on TVTropes and beat something from the video game section
Dark Souls 3 (Randomizer) (My trope was automatic crossbows, which was kind of funny, because the final DLC bosses' repeating crossbow was one of the very first weapons I got. Pretty much had to use it, at that point.)

15/52

I was also looking for this last night. I think it must have purged a day ago, what weirdly unfortunate timing for all of us!

April update

48. Beat a game that starts with the first letter of your username
Adventures of Lolo

12. Beat a game made by a developer you've never tried
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

9. Beat a remake or enhanced port
Retro City Rampage DX

17. Beat a shooting game
Vampire Survivors

47. Play a technically unbeatable game for at least six hours
Marvel Snap

25. Beat a game with horror as a central theme
The Walking Dead: The Final Season

16/52

9. Beat a remake or enhanced port
Halo CE: Anniversary

Was fun going through this again, played on Heroic. Will likely at least play through 2, 3, and 4, which will get me the three in one series spots.

9/52

39. Finish a game that took you at least twenty-five hours to beat
Cassette Beasts

17/52

15. Beat a puzzle game
Princess Farmer
7/52

24. Beat a game with romance as a central theme
River City Girls
8/52

4. Beat a game released between 2013-2022
Operation Tango

15. Beat a puzzle game
Escape Academy

27. Beat a game with mystery as a central theme
Judgement

35. Beat a game with a lead from a fictional species
Hyper Light Drifter

41. Beat a game with a Metascore above 90
Metroid Prime Remastered

39. Finish a game that took you at least twenty-five hours to beat

Tales Of Vesperia: Definitive Edition. If I didn't think I'd be able to beat this challenge after the Persona games, I'm pretty certain now that I won't. This has to be one of longest Tales games right? I liked the new additions to this version a lot, but I don't think it breaks into the top tier of the Tales series. My ranking for the games I've played go: Graces > Berseria > Arise > Abyss > Vesperia > Xillia > Xillia 2 > Symphonia > Legendia > Zesteria > Symphonia 2

10/50

31. Beat a game with a child lead
Beacon Pines

18/52

4. Beat a game released between 2013-2022

Our World is Ended

10/50

17. Beat a shooting game

Gal*Gun 2

11/50

35. Beat a game with a lead from a fictional species
Fire Emblem Engage

48. Beat a game that starts with the first letter of your username
Journey

9. Beat a remake or enhanced port
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (2019)

20/52

15. Beat a puzzle gameFill the Cup
34. Beat a game with an animal lead Tunic
17. Beat a shooting game Titanfall 2
1. Beat a game released before 1993 Arkistas Ring
22. Beat a fighting game Ranma : Battle Renaissance
18. Beat a simulation game Goat Sim 3
19. Beat a platformer Rayman 2 GBC
37. Beat a game you'd dropped or had a long hold on Bahamut Lagoon
2. Beat a game released between 1993-2002 Capcom Vs SNK Pro
27. Beat a game with mystery as a central theme Danganronpa V3
30. Beat a game with a female lead Saomi
43. Beat a game based on licensed stories/characters Winnie the Pooh Kindergarten
23. Beat a sports game Rocket Power: Team Rocket Rescue
4. Beat a game released between 2013-2022 Riverbond
7. Beat a game in a series you've already played some of Trials Rising
36. Beat a game that's been in your backlog for a long time Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout
8. Beat a spin-off or a game that rebooted a franchise Minecraft Dungeons
11. Beat a game made by a developer you like Rockman X3
31. Beat a game with a child lead Crayola Scoot
38. Finish a game in one day Gal Gunvolt Burst
46. Beat a game you received for free or through a paid subscription service Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX

21/52

id like to finish this year

40. Beat a game with a Metascore below 70

Dark Rose Valkyrie (58). I like the story and I like the concept of the hidden mechanics they were going for (like what causes the plot to change) but the execution is sloppy and convoluted. Also, the game is really hard and does not explain well - or at all - some of the gameplay mechanics that would have helped make things easier to digest. I would suggest playing on easy if you like playing RPGs for the story, but the game severely punishes you if you play on anything other than the hardest difficulty. I still had fun but I definitely would not go back for a 2nd playthrough

11/50

6. Beat a game in a completely new series
Peggle

21/52

30. Beat a game with a female lead
Portal 2

Not sure if I enjoy this or the original Portal better, but probably this one. The commentary from all characters is top notch

10/52

The site must've moved some forums around as the tracking switched off by itself.
It took me a while to find the Contests board again.

40. Beat a game with a Metascore below 70
Link's Crossbow Training

3. Beat a game released between 2003-2012
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles

6. Beat a game in a completely new series
A Building Full of Cats

7. Beat a game in a series you've already played some of
A Castle Full of Cats

10/52

14. Beat an RPG

MIND0

31. Beat a game with a child lead

Shady Part of Me

13/50

2. Beat a game released between 1993-2002

Night Striker. Been checking out games on the Sega Mini 2. It's bad, but short.

12/50

22. Beat a fighting game

Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers. Also on the Sega Mini 2

13/50

34. Beat a game with an animal lead

Dust: An Elysian Tail. If this was backwards-compatible I would have beaten this a long while ago. Great metroidvania

14/50

18. Beat a simulation game
Coffee Talk

22/52

16. Beat a rhythm game
No Straight Roads

23/52

46. Beat a game you received for free or through a paid subscription service

Cave Crawler. Short and free game on Steam

15/50

38. Finish a game in one day
Ice Age Continental Drift: Arctic Games

30. Beat a game with a female lead
Hero of the Kingdom: The Lost Tales 2

12/52

35. Beat a game with a lead that's from a fictional species
Hoa

24/52

47. Play a technically unbeatable game for at least six hours

Muse Dash

Not entirely sure if I hit six hours or not (this year, that is), but I feel like I've definitely played enough of this for me to add it to the list.

41. Beat a game with a Metascore above 90
Undertale

39. Finish a game that took you at least twenty-five hours to beat
Labyrinth of Touhou: Gensokyo and the Heaven-Piercing Tree

legit spent like a year on it >_>

9/?

5. Beat a game released in 2023

The Murder Of Sonic The Hedgehog. A bit too simple but who cares it was fun

16/50

37. Beat a game you'd dropped or had a long hold on
Pokemon Emerald

This was likely my 4th runthrough at trying to get through this game. Most of the time, I just got distracted by other things. The last run, I got 4 or 5 badges, but then got my gaming PC, so my laptop was essentially left in the dust.

Was definitely underleveled for the elite 4 (highest was Blaziken and Gardevoir at 51 after winning), but got through it. Gardevoir was MVP in the champion fight. Absol saved the day by freezing Salamence in the battle against Drake, as otherwise I was likely done. Aside from Skarmory (who I mainly had for flying and rock smashing), all my pokes in the final team were from Gen 3. This is big, because I always find it hard to go against what has given me success in the past (Gyarados, Golem, and Alakazam mostly). Final team was Blaziken, Gardevoir, Skarmory, Absol, Ludicolo, and Shelgon (was only at level 41 lol, never got to Salamence). May explore some of the post game.

11/52

42. Beat another user's favorite game

Breath of the Wild (Cody11533)

Beat this for the second time, this time with two players one controller in preparation for Tears of the Kingdom. I have no idea why I did this, but it was very fun and surprisingly natural, to the point that we needed almost no communication. I was the right joycon, and my roommate was left - we swapped for about twenty minutes at one point, and it was the most miserable thing I've ever done in my gaming career.

19. Beat a platformer

Celeste

Also two players one controller, and much harder, but we do both have sub-50 speedruns of the game, so it wasn't too tricky and only took about three hours.

37. Beat a game you'd dropped or had a long hold on

Pokemon Black

I started replaying this almost a year ago, and the DS I was using turned itself off at the end of Victory Road, with me not saving since the start of it. Finally picked it up and finished the game for I think the fourth or fifth time. Final team was Krookodile, Darmanitan, Archeops, Samurott, Leavanny and Zebstrika. The lack of Pokemon variety really hurts the game, since it's probably the best entry in the series by some distance if you ignore that flaw, but it's still pretty great.

15/52

Update dump

4. Beat a game released between 2013-2022
Lost Nova

5. Beat a game released in 2023
The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog

14. Beat an RPG
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom

17. Beat a shooting game
Prodeus

18. Beat a simulation game
Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibsiscus & Butterfly

19. Beat a platformer
The Floor is Jelly

20. Beat an action game
UnMetal

27. Beat a game with mystery as a central theme
Smile For Me

37. Beat a game you'd dropped or had a long hold on
Olija

40. Beat a game with a Metascore below 70
Hoa

49. Choose a random page on TVTropes and beat something from the video game section
If Found... (I forget what mine exactly was, but it was something along the lines of having Christmas within a non-Christmas game or something, and there's a Christmas segment in this game)

51. (Second game in the series)
Mass Effect 2

52. (Third game in the series)
Mass Effect 3

5. Beat a game released in 2023
Diablo IV

10/52

Moving Renowned Explorers to:
46. Beat a game you received for free or through a paid subscription service

38. Finish a game in one day
Monster Train

Not sure if I like this, or Slay the Spire better. Was pretty fun though

12/52

33. Beat a game with a robot/artificial lead
Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

28. Beat a game with the supernatural as a central theme
Sacra Terra: Kiss of Death

26. Beat a game with revenge as a central theme
Starhawk (2012)

15/52

Haven't posted in a while

7. Beat a game in a series you've already played some of
Super Mario Sunshine (GCN)

8. Beat a spin-off or a game that rebooted a franchise
Double Dragon Neon (PSN)

12. Beat a game made by a developer you've never tried
Arkanoid: Eternal Battle (PC)

20. Beat an action game
Vanquish (PS4)

33. Beat a game with a robot/artificial lead
Arkanoid (PC)

41. Beat a game with a Metascore above 90
Grand Theft Auto III (PS2)

21/52

22. Beat a fighting game
Street Fighter VI

1. Beat a game released before 1993
Magic Sword

26/52

31. Beat a game with a child lead
Elebits (Wii)

22/52

15. Beat a puzzle game
Chameleon (DS)

23/52

1. Beat a game released before 1993
BurgerTime Deluxe

15. Beat a puzzle game
Peggle Nights

30. Beat a game with a female lead
Lost in Random

43. Beat a game based on licensed stories/characters
Hot Wheels Unleashed

48. Beat a game that starts with the first letter of your username
Kirby's Dream Land

8. Beat a spin-off or a game that rebooted a franchise
Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble

6. Beat a game in a completely new series
Far Cry Primal

17. Beat a shooting game
Half-Life 2

47. Play a technically unbeatable game for at least six hours
FIFA 10

2. Beat a game released between 1993-2002
Kirby's Dream Land 2

22. Beat a fighting game
Garou: Mark of the Wolves

45. Beat a game that features historical events or people
Treasures of the Aegean

38. Finish a game in one day

A.W. : Phoenix Festa

14/50

Move Castlevania: Circle of the Moon to 25. Beat a game with horror as a central theme

*deep breath*

44. Beat a game that's been adapted into another medium
Final Fantasy

50-52. Beat three games in a series
Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy IV

1. Beat a game released before 1993
Final Fantasy V

42. Beat another user's favorite game
Final Fantasy VI

16/52

9. Beat a remake or enhanced port
We Love Katamari REROLL

I do, in fact, love katamari

17/52