Topic: Games You Recently Beat?

@UpsideDownRowlet Nice mini-review. I recently went back to Galaxy and I agree with pretty much all of your points (esp. the gravity and spring mechanics...I would also expand this to include a lot of the motion control-based minigames). I do disagree about the level structure though. I think the level structure is something that sets it apart from Odyssey and is one thing that the fans particularly appreciate about the game.

@Buizel @UpsideDownRowlet
Yeah, as good as Odyssey’s and Bananza’s structure of “get every collectible in the vicinity until you don’t feel like it anymore” can be, there’s something to be said about a level having a set beginning and end and everything revolving around that. Without that sense of structure that the Galaxy games and 3D World especially has, I don’t think the platforming itself is nearly as good as some of the best levels in those games. It’s telling that the part everybody especially enjoys about Bananza is the part near the end when it stops being about tearing through the level and embraces a more traditional 3D platformer linear setup.

@Buizel @JakedaArbok Don't get me wrong, I love linear 3D platformers. Super Mario 3D World is my favorite Mario game and Kirby and the Forgotten Land is my favorite Switch game. Also, I'm not a big fan of Mario Odyssey, even though so many people love it. I also totally agree that Bananza was at its best when it embraced a more linear setup.

My problem with Super Mario Galaxy's levels is that many levels felt repetitive during early parts of the stage, as most Galaxy's had one area for all 3 levels to start at. Throw in Prankster Comets and Hungry Luma planets, and it feels like I'm needlessly going through the same area over and over again. I may have phrased it wrong by calling what I wanted a 'sandbox', but I think all 3 levels in a Galaxy should have been fused together rather than be distinct levels. Furthermore, the Power Stars should have been more like usual collectibles that don't end the level (something like the collectibles in newer 2D Marios and 3D Land/World). I can't think of a game that's a good analog for what I'm imagining, so sorry if it's difficult to understand.

I recently beat the base game in Ball x Pit. Remarkably addictive and fun rpg city builder breakout mishmash. New Game + doesn't seem super different but I will play it a bit before retiring the game.

I recently beat the base game in Ball x Pit. Remarkably addictive and fun rpg city builder breakout mishmash. New Game + doesn't seem super different but I will play it a bit before retiring the game.

The game crashed a couple times and a couple of the characters and buildings aren't very useful, but mostly a well designed and enjoyable game. Probably a solid 8/10.

Half way through Bomb Chicken, and expect to wrap it up by tomorrow night. Another Indie Classic that desserves your time and Koopaling-coins if you consider yourself a fan of 2D Puzzle Platformers. Soooo good!

Shovel Knight(Late to the party!), Freddy Farmer, Donut Dodo, Curse of the Moon & Tanuki Justice(Playing it on Hard mode is a must) are a handful of other fantastic indie titles i recently plowed through in the last 2-3 months. Still pecking away at my NS1 backlog. With just over 300 games/Compilations in my library, with about 100 more on the Wishlist. Frick. lol

@UpsideDownRowlet
I do agree that Galaxy 1 especially is really weird about having multiple stars that make you play the first half of the level again with virtually no differences.
I guess it was a problem with 64 and Sunshine as well, but it feels worse when there are more levels that you have to backtrack through. Honestly, it might have been better with no boot-out system, like you said.

Well, I already beat another game, this time Hades II on Nintendo Switch 2.

Overall, the game is great, but could have used some more enemy variety (that's only a minor complaint, though). This was my first experience with a roguelike (I haven't even played the original Hades), and while this was a good experience, I can't say this is a genre I expect to obsess over.

Enjoyment Score: 4/5
Execution Score: 5/5

Overall Score: 9/10

Just rolled the credits for Assassin's Creed Unity. I went into this with the critics words in mind but the game is definitely good!

And out of ALL Assassin's Creed games I think this is the one that has the MOST accurate game setting - the city of Paris. The placement and the buildings themselves are so damn accurate to someone who was there to see in real life!

I wonder if Assassin's Creed Syndicate has the same level of accuracy?

This is my 3rd Assassin's Creed game beaten after Origins and Odyssey.

I would give it 8/10.

@Zuljaras not played Unity for comparison but Syndicate is accurate to some extent. The landmarks and major roads are all where they should be, but obviously they’ve scaled things down where possible. Knowing the modern day layout of London I was able to navigate Syndicate’s London with ease.

@Buizel yes they scaled down the streets in Paris as well but the landmarks that are there today are 1:1

If that is the case with Syndicate, as well, I might play that soon

Odin Sphere (PlayStation 2
I love it! I was so often angry and frustrated, because I was underleveled with everyone, except Cornelius. And I still loved this game. This is one of the reasons, why I know, that it is a great experience. The other is, that even after the credits rolled, a part of me wanted to start a new game on hard and level everyone to the max level.

Odin Sphere can be quite repetetive, but playing shorter sessions helped me a lot. The vibes and the music are awesome and the game is very beautiful on a CRT. I liked the ending.

Old games are so much better for me. Quite often, I had this feeling of, "oh yeah, this is it, mmmh". Gaming feels like it used to. It is an experience, not a fomo product.

@Jhena I've never quite beaten any version of Odin Sphere, but I agree it's great.

I highly recommend the Vita/PSTV version of Odin Sphere if you have a way to play it. It's vastly improved in many ways.

I've been tracking which games I've beaten for the last two years. Might as well post here in 2026 I guess. Let's see, trying to remember the only game I've beaten so far this year…

Oh yeah, I think it's Party House in UFO 50. It's a uh push-your-luck deck-building game. To "beat" the game, you need to win the five pre-made setups that the game has, but you can also play random setups.

It was good! Pretty easy for someone who's played several thousand games of Dominion. It's not my favorite game so far in UFO 50, but it's far from my least favorite. (Block Koala and Caramel Caramel can die in a fire.) As a standalone game (which of course it isn't), I'd give it an 8/10. It's very well-executed, but doesn't have a ton of content, which is mostly par for the course in UFO 50.

UFO 50 as a whole is easily a 10/10 package, though. I've only played the first 25 games and already gotten more fun out of it than most AAA games.

@LastFootnote
Thank you for the recommendation! I do not own any PlayStation handheld, but this could change anytime.

Another day, another game beaten (this pace can't go on forever, right?). I just finished playing Metroid Prime 4: Beyond on Nintendo Switch 2.

Prior to this, the only other game in the Metroid series I've played was Metroid Prime Remastered on Switch. This game definitely carries over a lot of elements from the original Metroid Prime, but also includes some novel elements which could have been good if the devs actually committed to anything. Retro wanted to do an open area, but didn't want to put anything worthwhile in it, making the journeys between regions of the game, which was once a short elevator ride in the original Metroid Prime, a mundane slog through an ugly desert. Retro also seemed to want to have a stronger narrative element with the emphasis on the G.F. troopers, but the game simply gives me no reason to care about those characters, or even its primary antagonist, Sylux. There was an attempt to give Tokabi some backstory, but it didn't really lead anywhere. Overall the G.F. troopers were forgettable at best and obnoxious at worst. Regarding Sylux, I really don't like how every fight with him before the final boss is just a mimic of him, as it throws away the chance to give him any character at all. With his one true encounter, he just seems like edgelord Boba Fett. Furthermore, Samus' silence throughout the game comes off as awkward and prevents any sort of bond from being made between her and the troopers. The failure of Retro to commit to these novel ideas of an open game design or a narrative focus leaves MP4 riddled with many sections that detract from the core Metroidvania gameplay to no benefit to the story or gameplay. Even so, much of what made the first Metroid Prime excellent remains strong in this entry when allowed to exist. In addition to the subpar aspects of the game, the short length of the game, which was already padded out through seemingly Green Energy Crystal collecting and Sol Valley journeys makes the $60-70 price tag exceedingly difficult to recommend to anyone.

Also, the final boss theme slaps.

Enjoyment Score: 3/5
Execution Score: 2/5

Overall Score: 5/10

Finished Still Wakes the Deep (PS5) over the weekend. Nice and short horror game set on an oil rig in the 1970s. Especially good voice acting and a decent story. It's essentially a walking sim with some light platforming and stealth sections - it's very linear - but I really enjoyed it. Also nice to hear a decent Scottish accent in a game, although from my experience working offshore there are usually more accents from the North East of England than there are from the North East of Scotland!

Today I beat Quake 1 for the first time. The 4th act/land was really frustrating and difficult.

I am glad that I finished this legendary game and I can see myself playing it again!

2026 is starting strong!

Just beat Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1+ after roughly 40 hours, which will be my final PS4 game for the time being.

Wow. Just wow. What an experience. Yes, the visuals aren't up to modern standards. Yes, the balancing is kind of wack. Yes, it is rather grindy. But it is just so freaking fun. The character interactions were almost always funny, and I laughed out loud quite a bit during the reading sections 🤣. Also, it not being censored and being the exact same thing as the Japanese version of the game is a plus. Since my PS4 is going to go on hiatus for a bit, I am asking for the Switch 1 version of the whole Re;Birth trilogy for my birthday present in a few months. It's already been ordered on Playasia.

But back to Re;Birth1. I'm not kidding when I say it's my new favorite video game, it's just that good. After a long reign of almost three years, Pokémon Violet has been ousted to second place. Now it's back to playing a lot more on Switch for me, until I finally get enough money saved up for a Switch 2.

Score: 10/10

I'm not sure if this counts as "beating" a game, but I did finally finish Season 1 DLC "Search and Recover" in Snowrunner (Switch 2). Man, this one was beast. So much deep snow with really thin ice that you'd easily stuck in at the worst of times! I have a pretty good fleet of various vehicles but there were plenty of times nature handed me my @ss on a plate. In the end this game in general can be very absorbing for endless hours. I intend to take a break from this game so I can focus on what current "main" game(s) because this game tends to easily take over precious gaming time. We'll see though because I'm already casually looking at the other Seasons to see what out there. LOL I said the same thing after I completed Season 7 so I wouldn't be surprised if I give in and start another season sooner than I planned.