Lurker > KCF0107

37. Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (DS, 2007)


I tried my best not to make it obvious that the first Kyle Hyde game was going to be on my list in my Last Window write-up, but I don't know how I fared in that endeavor.

The game introduces Kyle Hyde, a former detective turned salesman, as he checks into the titular location while chasing the past. He converses/grills with the employees and patrons as their interconnected stories weave into his own. While Last Window was a more grandoise and interesting narrative full of twists and turns and irregular pacing, I was drawn more toward Hotel Dusk's structured plot and smaller cast. You can debate whether this or the sequel is more personal for Kyle, but it was definitely more intimate for me given the isolated, compact location and greater focus on characters.

I knew about this game when it came out, but despite loving noir stories and the art style, this was during an era when point-and-click adventures didn't appeal to me like they did in the 90s and 10s-present. However, when I went to college in the fall of 08, I decided that I wanted to buy a bunch of DS games as I did not to bring my Xbox 360 the first semester. I recall that one of the characters, Louis DeNonno, was named the best new character of the year or something in Nintendo Power (yes I was still a suscriber then), so this was one of a few games that I decided to grab. Who knew that I would ultimately view it as my favorite DS game?

I seldom replay games whose narrative is its main or sole appeal. Subsequent playthroughs would only serve to demonstrate the law of diminishing returns. The fact that I used to replay this every other year (I haven't since 2016 sadly) is a testament to how strong I felt the script was and how little the game depended on twists or shock value.

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Bump

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

February is almost over

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Bump

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

I think that was a game that I gave you. Sorry that you weren't a fan.

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Damn, we almost had a Sands of Time/BG&E final, which would be hard for any other year to top.

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Titanfall 2 (XB1)

People kept telling me that this was one of the best FPS campaigns out there. As a result, I found the first half to be disappointing before the game showed a lot more promise in the second half, especially with some level-specific items like the arc tool and time-whatever. It wouldn't make my Top 25 FPS campaigns, but I can understand why someone else would hold it in very high regard.

The multiplayer though is where the game shines. It has a ton of modes, and all that I tried were a lot of fun (Last Titan Standing my favorite). It also had a lot of loadout customization options available at the start. It's how I quickly realized I liked the Spitfire/Charge Rifle combo, which is funny because I never touch the latter in Apex Legends.

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

36. Beat a game that's been in your backlog for a long time

Titanfall 2

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

https://mobile.twitter.com/robertmays/status/1365009592120451073?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

I had a dream last week of Wilson being traded to the Dolphins.

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Bump

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

KCF has beaten Horizon: Zero Dawn

This game kind of didn't start off well. While impressive on a technical level, the opening segments were eye-rollingly heavy-handed, and lighting using the focus wasn't the best. When you were able to explore the Nora lands. Machines were always in packs and in the most inconvenient spots, mounts were clumsy and largely useless, and battles were a slog. As I got more skills, access to better weapons, and entered the Carja lands, things only went up from there.

I loved exploring the world after the initial area, I think they did a fantastic job with enemy variety and how to battle with them, side stuff was truly rewarding and not just extra fluff, and I just really liked the juxtoposition of primitive and advanced technology. I still had several issues with minor things like the odd saving system and concentration not being as effective as it should, but also some more substantial stuff.

A lot of open-world games do an excellent job with mission variety, but I felt HZD was severely lacking in that department. Part of that is because there is a much lower gameplay-affecting customization than its peers. There are only a few kinds of weapons, and outside of the basic enemies, most of the machines maybe have two weapons that are effective and efficient to fight with, so your limited options are even more limited. They also seldom leveraged the environment to make scripted fights more dynamic, and when they did, it was usually just for human enemies.

I also never really cared for the overarching story, not that Guerilla Games did a poor job or anything remotely like that. The game had a pretty original plot for a video game, so I commend it for that, but it just wasn't my thing. I don't need a game focused on explaining how and why the world became the way it is. I preferred the side quests because they had the more interesting approach to me of dealing with the world as it is. Some things are cooler if they are left ambiguous or just have minor hints as to its origins.

I still think that it's a great game, it's probably one that would be hard for me to re-visit, but I thoroughly enjoyed the dozens of hours that I put into it.

It bothered me all game that I knew that I heard Rost's voice before, and I looked it up after finishing, and he is also the voice of Caustic in Apex Legends as well as Blisk in another game that I'm currently playing, Titanfall 2.

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4)

I got engrossed in the world, but not the story, and I am looking forward to seeing Guerilla Games' followup Forbidden West.

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

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

Horizon: Zero Dawn

This is a category that I struggle to complete every year, but I have already beaten two games that qualified for this (though one was largely played in late 2020).

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Do you only have like old systems and a phone to play games? I'm not judging but surprised that you aren't able to play any of the games given the wide array of systems covered.

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

3/6 games selected in the drawing have been supported since that was introduced.

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

1. Yoshi's Woolly World
2. Omori
3. Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage
4. Case of Distrust, A
5. One Step from Eden
6. Quantum Conundrum
7. Carto
8. Carto
9. Star Fox 64
10. One Step from Eden
11. One Step from Eden
12. Omori
13. Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
14. Hylics
15. Sayonara Wild Hearts
16. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
17. VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action
18. Quantum Conundrum
19. Blasphemous
20. Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order
21. GNOG
22. Halo: Combat Evolved
23. Final Fantasy
24. Last of Us Part II, The
25. Halo: Combat Evolved
26. Sayonara Wild Hearts

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Your March Games of the Month are...

Yoshi's Woolly World (Wii U/3DS)
Omori (PC)
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage (PC/XB1/PS4/Switch/PS1)

Congrats to darkx, Crispy, and Cody for having their games selected!

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Noms and changes are now closed. I will draw soon-ish

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

GRIS is $6.79 USD for PS4
https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP3643-CUSA16694_00-GRISPS4SIEA00000

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Last call for noms and changes

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

I've played every day since the 3rd or so, and I still haven't finished it because I am playing it the way that I want, and that includes side stuff. I am up to around 90% complete, but I will probably just do whatever remaining story missions that I have left before doing the DLC.

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Bump

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Monthly Progress
GRIS - Metal, Ark, KCF, Crispy
Horizon - darkx
Ys II - Axem, Wickle

Nominations
Abacus - Quantum Conundrum
Ark - Blasphemous, One Step Eden
Cody - Spyro 2, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order
Crispy - Omori, Hylics
darkx - Yoshi's Woolly World, Last of Us Part II
KCF - GNOG, Sayonara Wild Hearts, A Case of Distrust
JONA - VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action
Metal - Halo CE, Carto
MZero - Final Fantasy
Wickle - Castlevania: CotM, Fire Emblem: PoR

Supports
Abacus - Eden
Ark - Omori
darkx - Halo CE
KCF - Carto, Quantum
Metal - Sayonara
Wickle - Eden

Drawing on Wednesday

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

8. Beat a spin-off or a game that rebooted a franchise

Battletoads (2020)

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Battletoads (2020) (XB1)

I could never get far in the original, so I like quality of life improvements and other changes (such as a timer for respawning downed allies) to allow me to beat this one. They certainly threw a lot at the wall in terms of the variety of gameplay segments, and most stuck, but man those bike sections are just plain boring and go on forever. I was also taken aback at how hilarious this game was. I kept watching certain cutscenes while I was going through the game.

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Bump

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

I'm on like the 20th or 21st story mission (I am meeting with Nora, the king, and others in Meridian), but I have mostly been doing other missions to get more skills. I decided to try the hunting grounds now, and I was surprised that I ended up completing them all. Some of the time conditions are absolutely ridiculous. Spurflints and Valleymeet were the most challenging to me, the former a complete surprise since it has a focus on stealth.

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

2. Beat a game released between 1991-2000

Sam & Max Hit the Road

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

AFC West
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs - Ranlom
Oakland Raiders - Bloodychess
Portland Express (formerly Washington Hawks and San Diego Chargers)

AFC East
Buffalo Bills - stevr
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots (formerly Birmingham Cougars and New England Patriots) - Jukkie
New York Jets - Abacus

AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals - Muffinz
Mexico City (formerly Cleveland) Browns - VI
Pittsburgh Steelers - Shattered

AFC South
Columbus Pioneers (formerly Houston Texans)
Indianapolis Colts - mccheyne
Jacksonville Jaguars - Sultan
Tennessee Titans - Socko

NFC West
San Francisco 49ers - Scare
Seattle Seahawks
St. Louis Rams
Toronto Wildcats (formerly Arizona Cardinals) - prof

NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants - Eddv
Philadelphia Eagles (formerly Las Vegas Pumpkins and Phildelphia Eagles) - Pennywise
Washington Redskins - Wiz

NFC North
Chicago (formerly Los Angeles, Richmond, and Chicago) Bears - Stan
Detroit Lions - Nee
Green Bay Packers - Tangicide
Minnesota Vikings

NFC South
San Juan Orcas (formerly Anaheim Lightning and New Orleans Saints)
Atlanta Falcons - MMX
Carolina Panthers - Emerald
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Chris

Note to self: remember to send a stat PM with some explanations to Abacus

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Sam & Max Hit the Road (PC)

I think that I have now read every comic, watched every episode of the cartoon, and played every game from this fantastic duo

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

They are skills you can unlock

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

#38 Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves


While stealth platforming with the smooth-as-silk Sly is still front and center, each game after the first Sly had a smorgasbord of gameplay features in an attempt to keep things constantly fresh, including controlling multiple characters and incorporating as many genres as they could pack in the ;arge open-world, heist-driven structure that they introduced in the second game. Against all odds, Sucker Punch made it all work in a game that includes participating in a dogfighting tournament, helming a pirate ship, and doing some deep sea diving all the while giving you another fun tale full of lively, memorable characters both new and old.

This wasn't the final Sly game, but it was the last great one. It is no coincidence that it was also Sucker Punch's final full Sly game before moving onto inFAMOUS. Now the series is all but dead. RIP my heart.

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

40. Portal 2 (PS3, 2011)
39. Portal (Xbox 360, 2007)




I had played several of Valve's games before Portal including the previously mentioned Counter-Strikes, the Half-Lifes, and Team Fortress 2, but their excursions into the puzzle genre ended up being my favorite.

It wasn't until the Portals that I began to appreciate enviornmental-based puzzle games. I'm sure that I don't need to explain, but Chell, the protagonist, has now powers of her own, and the Portal gun she possesses is extremely basic. One button releases one color (blue/orange), another releases the other color. You can only have one portal of each color out and pressing the same button twice will result in the old portal being replaced by the new one. Going through the orange portal for example will have you exit via the blue portal, and vice-versa.

Despite the basic idea, they had a lot great ideas for the gun with the test chambers. Lasers, turrets, and springboards are just a small amount of all the clever uses the Portal gun can assist you with. While not an open-ended kind of puzzle game, there's more flexibility than you would think given the various obstacles, and they typically give you leeway with precision. Portal 2 actually added quite a few gameplay elements to the fold, maybe the biggest of them being several types of gels that make objects slide fast or bounce high. The learning curve for these were quite easier than one might think.

I sometimes forget that Sam & Max originated as comic books, so my vote the funniest games/characters probably goes to the Portals with GLaDOS, Wheatley, and Cave Johnson as three of the funniest characters in gaming. The passive-agressive GLaDOS, incompetent Wheatley, and cantankerous Cave are phenomenal from the moment you meet them. For a series where the plot isn't really important, creating such rich characters that you want to hear from again and again was probably quite the arduous task, but man, the final product that we get to experience just makes it seem like the writers were coming up with lines so fast and so easily. I know that the voice acting for this was exhausting, but damn did they knock it out of the park. We had a female villain quote contest within the past year or two, and GLaDOS had like 10% of the field. I think Wheatley and Cave Johnson did extremely well in Johnbobb's Best Character from X Year contest, so I know the majority agrees.

While Portal 2 adds a lot more to experience, including a separate co-op campaign, I do slightly prefer the original because it was one of the more perfectly succinct gaming experiences that I've had.

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

#41 Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (PS2, 2005)


Unlike the vast majority of the board, I am not much of a fan of JRPGs. It's not like I hate them and have played dozens in my lifetime, but that was mostly back when I was a kid in the 2000s. These days, I have a lower tolerance for experiences that require me to put in a lot of time but give back just mild entertainment. It also doesn't help that they tend to have a higher emphasis on plot only for it to be inane in a bad way full of weak writing regurgitating the same banal themes with thin characters pretending to be deeper than they are. Now that I have everyone hating my gaming opinions more than usual, it probably comes as a surprise that my highest ranked RPG is a JRPG, that it landed as high as this, and that it is DQ VIII.

It helps that series' signature charm that is always on full display. It may seem weird, but with its iconic enemy varities and their goofy appearances, I actually enjoyed the basic battle system. The story is also an enjoyable one. While there are some serious moments, it never felt too melodramtic, cringy, or more importantly undermine the overall tone of the game of a majestic adventure. The beautiful world full of awe-struck features (Empyrea's shadow in particular stuck out with me) may suck you in like it did me, but nearly everywhere you go, you will be in store for some silly puns and a lighthearted sense of humor that doesn't feel like they are trying too hard.

This lengthy journey unfortunately doesn't have great XP distribution, and the stats of enemies really ramps up as the game goes on, so I have to bring up the dreadful concept of grinding. 95% of the time, I find it an irredeemable flaw with the game, but I have never truly minded it in Dragon Quest, only because the hunt for the infamous Metal Slimes is actually kind of fun. In the 3DS version of the game, you can see the monsters on the map, so you don't have to blindly get into battles hoping to get one.

Developer Level 5 had a great showing for the PS2, but DQ VIII was head and shoulders above the rest.

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Monthly Progress
GRIS - Metal, Ark, KCF
Horizon
Ys II

Nominations
Abacus - Quantum Conundrum
Ark - Fallout, One Step Eden
Cody - Spyro 2, Jedi Fallen Order
Crispy - Omori
darkx - Yoshi's Woolly World
KCF - GNOG, Sayonara Wild Hearts, A Case of Distrust
JONA - VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action
Metal - Halo CE, Carto

Supports
Abacus - Eden
Ark - Omori
KCF - Carto, Quantum
Metal - Sayonara

Drawing probably on Wednesday

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

I will support Carto since I have had it downloaded on my XB1 for months.

I will also support Quantum Conundrum since Abacus bought it for me, and I feel like every time they get on GameFAQs each day, they head straight for the GotM topics hoping to find me supporting it. They find out that I haven't so they quietly sob to themselves, ruining the rest of their day.

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Given Wentz's age, no

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

davidponte posted...

I was a close second in spirit

Why not shoot for 1st lol

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Xeno Crisis

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Bump

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Xeno Crisis

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Bump

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Win probability

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

#42 Linelight (PS4, 2017)


Unlike most of my efforts at endorsing and influencing people to get a certain game, I've actually had some success with Linelight, though I think foolmo backing me up played a large role. Linelight comes in as my fifth favorite puzzle game, but from pure puzzle design and mechanics, it might be the most impeccably-made puzzle game that I have played.

You are a line of white light that follows a faded path of light while solving puzzles using simplistic mechanics like permanent button presses and avoiding dangerous, moving lines of light. Each puzzle encompasses one screen and leads directly to the next puzzle on another screen (though there are a few optional puzzles on hidden paths). The mechanics might be simple, but they are numerous and seemingly exhaust all possible combinations of the types, which is quite the accomplishment on its own. The learning curve of this game is one of the best that I've seen in a game. They gradually introduce new mechanics and expand on them and, as mentioned previously, combine them with others so seemlessly that you are mentally prepared for everything the game throws at you.

The core of the game is excellent, but what makes this one of the more memorable video game experiences that I have had is how they made this ethereal experience. There's no plot or anything, but it the audio-visual presentation made me feel like I was on an important journey. The space setting with all the hues of blue, red, and green, the use of sporadically-placed stars, the effortlessly-looping, calming soundtrack, the animation of puzzles forming as you progress, and the touches at the end of each world/constellation to let you know that you are at its end are just something else.

I can't really do this game much justice in writing, but I'm also trying to hold back (though still hyping it up quite a bit) because this is a game that you should go in blind like I did. I really emplore anyone who enjoys puzzle games or at least can appreciate one to try it out.

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

A pumpkin

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

I've put in about 30 hours, and I am level 37. I've pretty much exhaused all of my side quests, I am saving the hunting challenges for post-game, and I have just one cauldron and bandit camp left, and I am thinking about waiting to do Frozen Wilds until post-game. I wish that I cared about the main story more, but I just don't have much interest. I think that I am on the 15th or 16th story mission.

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

#43 Super Mario Bros. (SNES, 1993)


There really isn't much to say about this masterpiece since nearly all of us have played it and know why it is timeless. What gets to me is not only are the jumping physics fantastic but just how superior they were to other games at the time and for many years after. I can understand why rivals with their own games or companies that tried to imitate SMB failed to live up to standards set by the technical achievements with this game, but I am baffled that Nintendo, with many of their games containing platforming elements, never came particularly close to matching what would become their flagship series. I am also curious about the development process and the overlap of projects at the time because how can they come out with a game like this but months earlier come out with a game with such awkward jumping and movement like Ice Climbers?

I am singling out the SNES version from Super Mario All-Stars because it is the version that I first played (it was the first game I played on the SNES as one of the two games I received with my SNES I mentioned with the Plok writeup) and also because it might still get my vote as the best video game remake ever. They somehow made the platforming even better, and the graphics and backdrops are absolutely gorgeous. Without Super Mario All-Stars, there's a great chance that Super Mario never becomes my favorite video game series.

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Well, you still have over a month to change your mind!

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu

Steiner posted...

every time you post this i think it's going to be a contest of what is the best project on b8

There's no need, it is clearly this.

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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
If you smell what the rock is cooking he's cooking crap - ertyu