Your 2019 Gaming Diary

[Shorty]

1 hour ago, bob said:

14 hours ago, drahkon said:

Finished Borderlands 3 solo just now.
Incredible game. Pure and simple loot 'n' shoot enjoyment. It evolves and elevates the mechanics that make the Borderlands series awesome to a higher level.  
Can't wait to get back to the coop run with my mate.  

Did you play the first two? How does it compare? Some of the reviews I've seen said it was a bit crap compared to the first two.

I bought Borderlands 3 on PS4 for the split screen and you should know one thing: They removed vertical splitscreen. I really hate this.

They also completely fucked up the frame rate so bad that the game ground to a halt on split-screen whenever you opened your menu. But finally, several months later, they claim to have fixed that.

[Cube]

I've just started my yearly playthrough of Banjo-Kazooie.

[Aperson]

Tried to play more of Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3) but the game crashed... then all of a sudden I was playing as the Joker in a redone version of the opening. Then the Joker killed Batman... apparently I was supposed to use the middle stick to avoid it. Whoops....

[Aperson]

Beaten Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3). I had advance warning over many years that the final boss of this game is terrible... and I see exactly why. What's the point in having a final boss that just stands around there and lets goons fight against you? He doesn't really fight against you aside from doing a few things at the beginning... in fact the only really good boss fights in this game were Killer Croc (which is more of an event than a boss battle) and Poison Ivy (which still suffers from some of the same problems the other bosses do).

 

I booted up F-Zero GX (Gamecube) again in an attempt to make some progress in the Grand Prix mode but even on Novice difficulty it's so hard to complete these tracks let alone win the race! Sand Ocean Lateral Shift is a torture chamber.

[Aperson]

If anyone remembers the N-Europe club from earlier this year when we all did Metroid Prime, I have decided to continue off that in pursuit of finishing the Prime Trilogy on Wii U by replaying Metroid Prime 2. Since I've already played this game though I have decided to do something different with it this time and record my playthrough as a Let's Play.

 

The first episode will be up sometime next year.

[Jonnas]

For my last update of the year... First, I finished Block Stomper. Some frustrating levels and challenges there, but the final ones were super fun. Due to its mobile nature, I'll likely revisit it.

I played The Bridge on Switch, a game I hadn't heard of before finding it on the eShop. It's a puzzle game where we control a frail man through black and white M.C. Escher-like environments, and the main mechanic is that you can rotate the levels (gravity staying the same). The game's structure and presentation remind me a lot of Braid, to an excessive point, I think. There was a demo, which I thought was just ok, but since the game was dirt cheap, I got it anyway... Ended up being a bad decision. Puzzle games are supposed to get better as we get further, but this one is super slow and super unfun to control,meaning it gets worse the longer levels get. The guy moves slowly, the levels rotate slowly, objects fall slowly... You can see the solution, but take 5 minutes to actually complete the level. There's a "rewind time" mechanic, but it doesn't make things much better (I'm sure the mechanic is there because Braid had it). Since the game only got more boring as it went, I ended up dropping it around Level 17 of (probably) 24.

 

My Memory of Us

This one, on the other hand, was a much sweeter experience, and a much better note to leave the year on. Played it on Switch.

It's one of those 2D walking simulators with basic point&click style puzzles (the twist here being that you're controlling two characters at once). More importantly, it's a story about WWII, specifically the occupation of Poland (where the developers are from). It's being told to a young child by an old man (voiced by Patrick Stewart), with some details being changed to make it sound more like a wholesome tale (like the Nazis being represented by heartless robots). It manages to represent many of the hardships of Nazi occupation in an otherwise cutesy package, and I think it pulls that off well.

The black and white aesthetic with red highlights fits the game well, makes puzzles easy to identify, and is a clear reference to Schindler's List, so that's really well done. The music is wonderful, very evocative of WWII dramas. And in the end, there are also some really good collectibles: biographies of real-life people who assisted in Polish resistance throughout the war.

This delightful game gets a clear, heartwarming thumbs-up from me.

---

Now, sorry for the mood whiplash, but...

Overall, 2019 has been a good year, I finally got into a competitive fighting game scene, and I ended getting into a bunch of other fighting games in the process. Unfortunately, I ended not playing many of the single-player physical games I did buy (even if I did clear up a handful of games I had in my backlog, like DQIII, LBW, and Castlevania DoS). So my goal for 2020 will be to clear my physical backlog, for both Switch and 3DS. Hopefully some of the digital, too.

...Speaking of that, I also started playing Dragon Ball Fighterz a while back. Fun game, but I'm still getting used to its mechanics (it's what I get, leaving the tutorial for later). But I'll likely say more about it in 2020. Happy New Year's, everybody!

  My 2019 log (Hide contents)

Played/Beat/Completed:

-Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land (1994) Completed (January 30th)

-Dr.Mario (1990) Completed, I guess (March 18th)

-Furi (2016) Beat (May 1st)

-Noitu Love 2: Devolution (2008) Beat (May 9th)

-Fairune (2014) Completed (May 12th)

-Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (2003) Julius Mode (May 18th)

-Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (2005) Beat (May 31st)

-Chase: Cold Case Investigations ~Distant Memories~ (2016) Completed (June 6th)

-Adventures of Lolo (1989) Completed (June 8th)

-Severed (2016) Completed (June 24th)

-Crypt of the Necrodancer (2015) Beat (June 27th)

-One Night Stand (2016) Completed (June 28th)

-Fire Emblem: Shadows of Valentia - Rise of the Deliverance (2017) Completed (June 29th)

-Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: World of Light (2018) Completed (August 20th)

-Dragon Quest III (1988) Beat (September 9th)

-Garou: Mark of the Wolves (1999) No Goal (October 2nd)

-Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) Mega Play (October 3rd)

-Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection (2017) No Goal (October 8th)

-Detention (2017) Completed (October 31st)

-Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice (2016) Completed (November 7th)

-Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018) Completed (November 11th)

-Kirby's Dream Land 3 (1997) Completed (November 16th)

-Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (2013) Beat (December 12th)

-Block Stomper (2019) Completed (December 25th)

-My Memory of Us (2018) Completed (December 28th)

 

Currently Playing:

-Dragon Ball Fighterz

 

Dropped/Hiatus

-Tetris 99 (2019) Never won

-Super Mario Bros. DX (1999) Dropped

-Fire Emblem Awakening (2012) Hiatus

-Fire Emblem Heroes (2017) Need a heavy break

-Fire Emblem: Three Houses (2019) Hiatus

-The Bridge (2013) Dropped

Edited December 30, 2019 by Jonnas

[Aperson]

On 2/5/2019 at 12:58 AM, GenericAperson said:

After that there are a range of options:

Finishing Dark Souls

Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna (I still have not played this)

The World Ends with You: Final Remix

Golden Sun: The Lost Age

Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc (I have it on PC but have not played in ages and would have to install the game on my laptop. Yes, 2019 and I'm intending to play a disc based game on PC)

Replaying the Metroid Prime Trilogy, but through the Wii U

 

This is just the immediate available games that interest me right now, quite a few RPGs in there and that's not counting the ones that I put down a while back and never really picked up again. There are games I would need to buy that interest me and these are:

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (I intend to pick this up on Switch when it comes out late April)

Hollow Knight

Celeste

The Messenger

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

 

Many of these games are either standalone or from franchises I've never really played before. Maybe playing something different will help discover something I never knew I wanted to play.

Likewise, I am going to check what I wrote at the start of the year compared to what I actually played.

 

Finishing Dark Souls - Nope. Maybe next year.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Torna - Yep, played that and finished it.

The World Ends with You: Final Remix - Ended up passing. Apparently the controls on Switch are terrible.

Golden Sun: Lost Age - Yeah, played this one.

Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc - My opportunity to play this seemed to have gone a long time ago, it no longer works on modern PCs.

Replaying the Metroid Prime Trilogy - N-Europe Game Club helped with this one for the first game, MP2 is now going to be a Let's Play so this is ongoing and will probably be my gaming until the end of the year.

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age - Got this one Switch when it came out, played and finished.

Hollow Knight - Played through the majority of this game but got stuck when trying to get the true ending and beating the Dream Bosses.

Celeste - As great as I've heard things about this game I surprisingly never found the time to pick it up.

The Messenger - I feel like I haven't heard very much about this game other than it's really good, not sure if I am going to pick this one up now.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - Maybe next year, I really thought I was going to pick this game up this year.

 

I also knew I'd be getting Pokemon Gen 8 this year, indeed I got Pokemon Sword during the year.

 

Now for the games I wasn't expecting to get during the year.

Pokemon Trading Card Game Online - Playing the Pokemon TCG again is something I didn't expect to happen but hey, that happened and I ended up getting the online client.

Magic The Gathering Arena - Getting back into card games this year persuaded me to dip my toes in the murky waters of loot box powered video games, but I refuse to put a single penny in the game. Arena really made MTG appealing again after I abandoned it years ago and I like some of the dialogue in the game.

Batman: Arkham Asylum - I ended up picking up this game second hand for free and having played City this seemed like the only other Arkham game worth playing.

Super Mario Maker 2 - In fairness, this game was only announced this year. It was a very welcome announcement though, got me back into Mario Maker.

 

Going into 2020 I am really not sure what games I'll be getting or continuing. I'm in half a mind to add Dragon Quest IX to the pile of games I want to try and finish. I have no idea yet whether I want to get the Final Fantasy VII Remake or not but that seems like the biggest game coming out next year.

[Sheikah]

I've just started my yearly playthrough of Banjo-Kazooie.

I hope that's followed up with a yearly clay pigeon shooting with a Banjo Kazooie N&B disc.

[Jimbob]

Finished up Concrete Genie.  Not a bad game, simple and clean fun.  Very colourful (once the paint is put down).

[Cube]

On 30/12/2019 at 2:18 AM, Sheikah said:

On 19/12/2019 at 7:15 PM, Cube said:

I've just started my yearly playthrough of Banjo-Kazooie.

I hope that's followed up with a yearly clay pigeon shooting with a Banjo Kazooie N&B disc.

I actually replayed that earlier this year. Easily my favourite Xbox 360 exclusive.

[Dcubed]

Ok, let's finish off 2020 then...

 

Contra Rebirth

 

When your first level involves you destroying a space station and battling a giant space worm as you fall through atmospheric re-entry?

You know you're in for a good time

This game is bonkers.  Even by Contra standards, it is just pure BONKERS! A white knuckle thrill ride that takes you from space, to land, to sea, to... giant robotic camels? to an active volcano and to... the moon? Consistency isn't this game's strong point and nobody should care!

 

This game was the second of Konami and M2's "Rebirth" series for Wii Ware and it honest to goodness feels like the original Contra GBA game that we never got (no, really, HOW did we never get a new Contra game for the GBA?) and for my money, it's a better game than Contra 4.

 

While there are only a mere 5 stages this time around, each one is just paced absolutely perfectly and never feels like they outstay their welcome.  It feels like an arcade-length game and as such, it is an absolute blast from start to finish! As far as difficulty goes though? This is actually one of the easiest games in the series I reckon... well, until you try the Nightmare difficulty, which takes its cues from Ikaruga and has enemies firing back at you as soon as you kill them; making the run & gun gameplay suddenly a lot more strategic and methodological!

 

BTW, special shout out to the absolutely insane story on display here.  It is absolutely unintelligable nonsense that involves Bill Rizer coming out of cryogenic stasis, an undercover consipiracy starring an anthropomorphic lizard & one of the robots from Contra Hard Corps, oh and Lance Bean crossdressing as a drag queen to infiltrate a hidden governmental facility for... some reason? Contra doesn't need any sort of story, but this one will at least have you laughing all throughout.

 

And your very own personal helicopter even comes to pick you up from the moon

 

Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth

 

Spoilers: Death's back!

This was the final game in Konami & M2's "Rebirth" series for Wii Ware and it was billed as a remake of the first Castlevania title for the original Game Boy.  In practice? It's really an entirely new game that only draws very loose inspiration from the GB original (much like Super Castlevania 4, Castlevania Chronicles and Castlevania: Dracula X before it).

 

Not only was this the last of the "Rebirth" series, but it was also the final classic styled Castlevania game to ever be made (coming more than 10 years after Castlevania Legends for the original GB!); and it's a pretty solid entry in the series.  It's a well paced, mostly well designed classic Castlevania game, that feels like its own thing; though lacking in polish in some areas (there's some sprite clipping in certain places and some really strange stock sound effect choices that give the impression that the game was rushed out a bit).  Despite some minor quibbles, like the decision to lock certain subweapons behind the "modern" control option (that lets you change your jump direction in mid-air; I'll take the "classic" controls, thank you very much) and some levels that go on a bit too long (I'm looking at YOU Stage 3!), it's a good time.  Fans of the classic Castlevania gameplay will find a lot to love here.

 

Bafflingly enough though... this rearrangement of the main theme from the original GB game actually went unused! WHAT THE HELL!?

 

Sadly that's all I managed to actually finish before 2019 came to a close.  I am currently playing both Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr's Journey and Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia and am right at the end of both games, but I haven't been able to finish them in time... Likewise, I am also currently playing Pokemon Sword and Yooka Laylee & The Impossible Lair, but haven't finished either of them... So expect these to appear in the 2020 Diary Thread soon enough.

 

I have also been setting up some fun randomisers since I got my Super NT, but @Glen-i ended up having first dibs on them and I backseat gamed him while playing it; so expect impressions from him shortly! (spoilers: It was amazing and a huge laugh for all involved  )

 

And with that? Here's my tally at the close of 2019...

 

Spoiler

Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions

Resident Evil 2 Remake

New Super Luigi U

Yoshi’s Crafted World

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

Super Mario Maker 2 (Story Mode)

Castlevania Bloodlines

Sonic The Hedgehog 2

Contra Hard Corps

Link’s Awakening Switch

Luigi’s Mansion 3

Contra Rebirth

Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth

 

[Hero-of-Time]

I finished the year off strong, with me getting through a bunch of games in December. My final list is...

Spoiler

• 8^th Jan – Moss (PS4)
• 11^th Jan – Alone Together (PS4)
• 12^th Jan – Zone of the Enders: The 2^nd Runner (PS4)
• 13^th Jan – No Heroes Allowed! VR (PS4)
• 13^th Jan – Accounting+ (PS4)
• 16^th Jan – Batman: Arkham VR (PS4)
• 19^th Jan  - Onimusha (PS4)
• 23^rd Jan – New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (Switch)
• 29^th Jan – Resident Evil 2 (PS4)

 

• 1^st Feb – Two Crude Dudes (Switch)
• 5^th Feb – Kingdom Hearts 3 (PS4)
• 8^th Feb – Caveman Ninja (Switch)
• 9^th Feb – New Super Luigi U Deluxe (Switch)
• 10^th Feb – Rise of the Tomb Raider (PS4)
• 15^th Feb – The Playroom VR (PS4)
• 18^th Feb – Shadow of the Tomb Raider (PS4)
• 27^th Feb –Luigi’s Mansion (3DS)

 

• 1^st Mar – Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove (Switch)
• 3^rd Mar – Batman: Enemy Within (PS4)
• 8^th Mar – Devil May Cry V (PS4)
• 12^th Mar – Dragon Ball FighterZ (PS4)
• 15^th Mar – Captain Toad DLC (Switch)
• 16^th Mar – Albedo: Eyes From Outer Space (PS4)
• 17^th Mar – Burly Men At Sea (PS4)
• 17^th Mar – Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn (3DS)
• 21^st Mar – Shining the Holy Ark (Saturn)
• 23^rd Mar – Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (Switch)
• 23^rd Mar - Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove (PS4)
• 24^th Mar – Blaster Master Zero 2 (Switch)
• 24^th Mar – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (PS4)
• 26^th Mar – Yoshi’s Crafted World (Switch)
• 27^th Mar – The Walking Dead: Final Season (PS4)

 

• 1^st Apr – The Mummy Demastered (Switch)
• 13^th Apr – Assassin’s Creed Freedom Cry (PS4)
• 19^th Apr – Assassins Creed II (PS4)
• 24th Apr – Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood (PS4)
• 29^th Apr – SteamWorld Quest (Switch)
• 30^th Apr – Katana Zero (Switch)

 

• 3^rd May – Venture Kid (Switch)
• 4^th May – Days Gone (PS4)
• 9^th May - Overcooked! (PS4)
• 11^th May – Pokemon Ultra Moon (3DS)
• 18^th May – Ghost Giant (PS4)
• 19^th May – Team Sonic Racing (Switch)
• 24^th May – Zelda II: Adventure of Link (Switch/NES)
• 24^th May – Super Mario Bros. 2 (Switch/NES)
• 27^th May – Dragon Quest IV: The Chapters of the Chosen (DS/3DS)
• 28^th May – Adventures of Lolo (Switch/NES)

 

• 2^nd June - Gato Roboto (Switch)
• 6^th June - Dragon Quest V (DS/3DS)
• 13^th June – Cadence of Hyrule (Switch)
• 21^st June – Dragon Quest VI (DS/3DS)
• 22^nd June – Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (PS4)
• 28^th June – Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (GBA/Wii U)
• 29^th June – Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (PS4)
• 30^th June – Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS4)

 

• 2^nd July – Dragon Quest Swords (Wii/Wii U)
• 4^th July – Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (GBA/Wii U)
• 5^th July – Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (GBA/Wii U)
• 6^th July – A Plague Tale: Innocence (PS4)
• 7^th July - Detective Pikachu (3DS)
• 12^th July – Donut County (PS4)
• 13^TH July – Tacoma (PS4)
• 14^th July – Blackwood Crossing (PS4)
• 19^th July – Dragon Quest Builders 2 (PS4)
• 21^st July – Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 (Switch)
• 27^th July – Fire Emblem Echoes (3DS)
• 28^th July – Timespinner (PS4)
• 28^th July - Mutant Mudd Deluxe (Switch)

 

• 3^rd Aug – Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Switch)
• 11^th Aug  - I Am Setsuna (PS4)
• 14^th Aug – Wario Land: Shake Dimension (Wii/WiiU)
• 25^th Aug – Control (PS4)
• 26^th Aug – Tales of Beseria (PS4)
• 30^th Aug – Gears of War Ultimate (Xbox One)
• 31^st Aug – Gears of War 2 (Xbox One)
• 31^th Aug– Super Lucky’s Tale (Xbox One)

 

• 1^st Sept – Gears of War 3 (Xbox One)
• 2^nd Sept – Gears of War 4 (Xbox One)
• 6^th Sept – Gears of War 5 (Xbox One)
• 8^th Sept – Final Fantasy VIII Remastered (PS4)
• 10^th Sept – Star Wing (SNES/Switch)
• 10^th Sept – Super Mario Kart (SNES/Switch)
• 15^th Sept – Super Mario World (SNES/Switch)
• 15^th Sept – Super Kirby Clash (Switch)
• 22^nd Sept – Gear of War: Judgment (Xbox One)
• 22^nd Sept – The Gardens Between (Xbox One)
• 21^st Sept – Earth Defence Force (SNES/Switch)
• 22^nd Sept – The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES/Switch)
• 24^th Sept – Brawl Brothers (SNES/Switch)
• 29^th Sept – Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure (Xbox One)
• 29^th Sept – Dragon Quest (Switch)
• 29^th Sept – Abzu (Xbox One)

 

• 1^st Oct –Riverbond (Xbox One)
• 5^th Oct – Ghostbusters Remastered (PS4)
• 7^th Oct – Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair (PS4)
• 7^th Oct – Dragon Quest II (Switch)
• 8^th Oct – Wulverblade (Switch)
• 8^th Oct – Concrete Genie (PS4)
• 9^th Oct – Moss DLC (PS4)
• 9^th Oct – Super Mario Maker 2 (Switch)
• 10^th Oct – Link’s Awakening (Switch)
• 11^th Oct – Blood & Truth (PS4)
• 12^th Oct – Labo Robot Kit (Switch)
• 14^th Oct – Ni No Kuni  Remastered (PS4)
• 19^th Oct – Soul Calibur VI (PS4)
• 20^th Oct – Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight (PS4)
• 26^th Oct – MediEvil Remastered (PS4)
• 29^th Oct – Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom (PS4)

 

• 1^st Nov – Disney Collection: Aladdin & Lion King (PS4)
• 3^rd Nov - Destiny Connect: Tick Tock Travellers (PS4)
• 3^rd Nov – Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Switch)
• 17^th Nov – Pokemon Sword (Switch)
• 18^th Nov – Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order (PS4)

 

• 9^th Dec – Death Stranding (PS4)
• 12^th Dec - Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight (PS4)
• 14^th Dec – Far Cry: New Dawn (PS4)
• 16^th Dec - Indivisible (PS4)
• 21^st Dec - Code Vein (PS4)
• 23^rd Dec – Terminator Resistance (PS4)
• 23^rd Dec – Vice: Project Doom (Switch/NES)
• 23^rd Dec – Journey to Silius (Switch/NES)
• 25^th Dec – Life is Strange 2 (PS4)
• 25^th Dec – Call of Duty Modern Warfare (PS4)
• 31^st Dec – Castlevania Adventure (Switch/GameBoy)
• 31^st Dec – Castlevania Adventure 2 (Switch/GameBoy)

I removed a bunch of trophy hunting games from the list as they aren't worth mentioning and would have just inflated the number of games I played. It was a cracking year for games and I imagine this year will continue that trend.

Edited January 14, 2020 by Hero-of-Time