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Joob Here for the XP

@joob

Dad, RPG Addict, Trivia guy.

Joob

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1007d Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley

My wife and I have over 1000 hours combined on this. Super chill, lots of little details to discover, nails the "just one more day" game loop.

1589 hours played (Steam)

Lists: Steam Owned, Top 10: Games of the 2010s, Replayable Games, Green Games, Top 10 Relaxing Games, Co-op Recommendations, Restarts, Top 10 Collect-a-Thon, Just One More..., Own It, Multiple Purchases, Favorites

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (@the-legend-of-zelda-a-link-to-the-past)

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1007d The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

One of the best from arguably the best game series of all time. I'll never get tired of replaying this.

Lists: Top 10: Games of the 90's, Replayable Games, YOUR All Star Bundle, 2023 Games Beaten, Top 10 Super Nintendo Games, Top 10 Action/Adventure, In Your Dreams, Tiers of the Kingdom: The Legend of Zelda Top 10, 100%, OST's, Nostalgia, Completed

Joob

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1007d NBA Jam

NBA Jam

I had so much fun playing this on SNES. Seeing arcadey gimmicks like flipping and dunking a flaming basketball to break the backboard was amazing.

Lists: Top 10 Sega Genesis Games, Gaming Decathlon, Top 10 Super Nintendo Games, Top Sports Games

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957d Chrono Trigger

Chrono Trigger

This is one of those games I still vividly remember reading about, trying the demo and subsequently purchasing at Toys 'R Us. This game assembled a JRPG dream team of Hironobu Sakaguchi (creator of Final Fantasy), Yuji Horii (creator of Dragon Quest) and Akira Toriyama (artist for the Dragon Ball series). One of the earliest games to feature multiple endings (who else did new game plus and beat Lavos an hour in?), it had an epic time-traveling story to it and a simple, tight battle system that encouraged swapping your active party members.

Lists: On Pause, Top 10: Games of the 90's, Replayable Games, Top 10 Super Nintendo Games, What are your 3? (FOR PODCAST GUESTS ONLY), Top 10 RPG, OST's, Nostalgia, Mt. Rushmore, Favorites

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (@the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time)

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957d The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

This was my favorite game of all time until Breath of the Wild dethroned it. It brought so much to the series, still plays well today other than the Water Temple, and I'm excited to get my kids into it.

Lists: Top 10: Games of the 90's, Top 10 Nintendo 64 Games, Top 10 Action/Adventure, Tiers of the Kingdom: The Legend of Zelda Top 10, 100%, Past Pre-Orders, Favorites, Completed

Mario Golf: Super Rush (@mario-golf-super-rush)

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955d Mario Golf: Super Rush

Mario Golf: Super Rush

The single-player campaign is enjoyable except for XC golf. Multiplayer is where it's at, but I wish battle golf was more thought out, and would love even more courses.

Lists: Top Sports Games, Own It, Backlog

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955d Hades

Hades

It nails the rogue-like gameplay loop very well, but the way that each death gets woven into the story line really makes it shine. Other rogue-likes I've played always feel like the story resets each run - you still get the same "welcome to the castle!" dialog from that first NPC - but here, your father belittles you for getting killed by Medusas, and it's hysterical.

Lists: Top 10 Nintendo Switch, Challenge Games, OST's, Own It, Recommended

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953d Super Mario Bros.

Super Mario Bros.

I beat this game (my first game) when I was 5 or 6 and immediately called my grandma to tell her I saved the princess. 5/5

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952d Pokémon X and Y

Pokémon X and Y

Pokémon at its finest. All the games in the series succeed at making me want to fill out the Pokédex. This one stands out since it’s new enough that it looks great and the modern amenities like online trading are well realized, but it’s also old enough that the game doesn’t hold your hand every step of the way. I also love the new Pokémon introduced this gen, and the cities were really well designed.

Lists: Favorite Games for Portable Systems, Top 10 Collect-a-Thon, Top 10 RPG

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949d Super Mario 64

Super Mario 64

While future games in the series did it better, I have to give this 5 stars for bringing the series into 3D and creating so many new game mechanics. This is still a very replayable game in 2022. As a kid I loved hunting down all 120 stars, looking for the secret caps, and ultimately finding Yoshi on the roof of the castle was an awesome discovery.

Lists: Top 10 3D Platformers, Top 10 Nintendo 64 Games, Top 10 Mario Games, 100%, Top 10 Collect-a-Thon, Top 10 Platformers, Past Pre-Orders

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949d Mario Kart 64

Mario Kart 64

I only rented the original Mario Kart and this was the first one I owned. It’s the first game I remember playing 4 player with my 2 brothers and whichever friend was over at the time. We had a blast! Every Mario Kart is a great time - we’d play late into the night on Royal Raceway, Wario Stadium, Rainbow Road and the rest of our faves, then mix it up with some battle mode. Wario was my main, I loved that he could bounce everyone around (probably because I was a scrawny 13 year old at the time 😀). This game got a second life for me in college. Even though double dash was already out, my roommates and I all chose this and played endlessly. Not to mention we made drinking games out of it (everyone drinks on a lightning was one rule). I don’t think it holds up as well today so I almost brought it down to 4 stars but couldn’t do it; it’s too near and dear to my heart.

Lists: Top 10: Games of the 90's, Top 10 Nintendo 64 Games, What are your 3? (FOR PODCAST GUESTS ONLY), Top 10 Racing

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (@dragon-quest-xi-echoes-of-an-elusive-age)

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947d Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

DQ11 is a turn-based, character driven JRPG with a story that is light but still has some surprises. I describe the game as "JRPG comfort food". It's oozing with charm, from the memorable characters to the silly and sometimes outrageous enemies. It's not a hard game to beat, but there are some difficulty settings that can be enabled when you first start to make it more interesting (I turned on "stronger monsters", "protagonist death results in game over" and "reduced experience from easy fights" - though "no shopping" and "townsfolk sometimes lie" were very intriguing options). There are 7 characters, only 4 in your party at a time, and they're very well balanced - I rotated them constantly.

There are some great QoL enhancements in this game that I wish earlier games in the series had. For example: you unlock the fast travel spell early on, you can ride horses almost right away making it easy to avoid encounters if you want; skill trees can be respec'd for a small fee; you can play the entire game in 2D with old school graphics if you want (Definitive Edition only). No missable items/bosses/story/anything. And arguably the best QoL feature especially for those of us adults that have little gaming time - every time you load up your save you get a brief reminder of where you're at in the story.

Overall, this is my favorite Dragon Quest of all time, and I love the series. It's a great game to unwind to before bed or play throughout the day. You don't need to be a longtime fan of the series to enjoy it.

Lists: Top 10: Games of the 2010s, Top 10 Nintendo Switch, Top 10 RPG, Own It

Pokémon Red and Blue (@pokemon-red-and-blue)

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947d Pokémon Red and Blue

Pokémon Red and Blue

Don't listen to the bulbasaur haters, it's the best starter! Playing this in the 90's - trading pokemon with my bros, fighting gym leaders, filling the pokedex - was the best. I can probably still name 90% of the gen 1 pokemon from memory because of this game and Pokemon Go.

Lists: Top 10 Game Boy Games, Top 10 Collect-a-Thon

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947d Mega Man 2

Mega Man 2

5 stars for the iconic music alone! It lives rent-free in my head all the time. The gameplay was great too, and expanded well upon the first game.

Lists: Top 10 Capcom Games, Top 10 Platformers, OST's

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945d Star Fox 64

Star Fox 64

The definitive Star Fox experience. I had a blast playing this, especially discovering all the secrets. Only giving this 4 stars because I don’t think it belongs up there with the games I rated 5.

Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (@dragon-quest-ix-sentinels-of-the-starry-skies)

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945d Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies

Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies

I put a couple hundred hours into this one. Like all DQ games it doesn’t stray much from the series’ traditional JRPG format - same enemies, same turn-based battles, a lot of the same abilities - but the formula works. The postgame was endless since you could collect random dungeon maps through the Wi-Fi service that let you fight bosses from previous DQ games, which was a lot of fun.

Lists: Guess the Top 10 Theme, Top 10 RPG

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945d Crazy Taxi

Crazy Taxi

YA YA YA YA YA! I can still hear the Offspring intro. Super fun to play in short bursts. I had this on Dreamcast.

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940d Mega Man X

Mega Man X

Really fun game, great revolution of the Mega Man series. I love collecting all the X upgrades and the secret Hadouken

Lists: Top 10 Capcom Games

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937d Super Metroid

Super Metroid

This is still the definitive Metroid. It’s replayability is off the charts, I play all the way through it every year or two. The ambience is perfect and the way it encourages you to backtrack once you’ve collected new power ups is pure joy.

Lists: Top 10: Games of the 90's, Replayable Games, Top 10 Super Nintendo Games, Top 10 Metroidvanias, 100%, What are your 3? (FOR PODCAST GUESTS ONLY), OST's, Nostalgia, Multiple Purchases, Favorites

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (@mario-and-luigi-bowsers-inside-story)

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936d Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

Hitting stuff inside Bowser’s body to make him do stuff was way more fun than it should have been

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936d Metroid Fusion

Metroid Fusion

The GBA Metroid games were a lot of fun. They took what’s great about Super Metroid and expanded on them, plus this had some horror elements as you were pursued by SA-X!

Lists: Top 10 Metroidvanias, Favorite Games for Portable Systems

Xenoblade Chronicles X (@xenoblade-chronicles-x)

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936d Xenoblade Chronicles X

Xenoblade Chronicles X

I’ve played every Xenoblade game and they all have their own strengths and weaknesses. This one absolutely nailed the open world gameplay. There are 5 major areas from what I recall. Three are in one continent, and two (more difficult) areas are far across the sea. I got lost in so many areas, in a good way. I remember describing to my friend that I somehow found a large spiral tree in the forest area, he knew what I was talking about and gave some advice to “just keep going, it’s worth it”. I was curious early on about the other continent so I just swam over there, which took forever (your supposed to wait until you have the giant mechs called skells that travel much faster) but hey I got to see it! The main weakness in the game is the story in my opinion, it didn’t grab me nearly as much as Xenoblade 1. Battles improved over the first, but Xenoblade 2 improved even more on them. This may be the last major Wii U game that hasn’t been ported to Switch or 3DS so try it if you can find it!

Lists: Own It

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (@the-legend-of-zelda-a-link-between-worlds)

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936d The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

How do you make a better 2D Zelda than a Link to the Past? By making a sequel in the same world! I got really excited going to each area and hearing new versions of the same Link to the Past songs. The freedom to tackle dungeons in any order was a really nice change.

Lists: YOUR All Star Bundle, Tiers of the Kingdom: The Legend of Zelda Top 10, Favorite Games for Portable Systems, 2023 Games Beaten, Completed

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936d Mario Kart DS

Mario Kart DS

A good game, but not a top tier Mario Kart. I did enjoy the missions that were introduced here.

Lists: Top 10 Racing

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936d Sonic Adventure

Sonic Adventure

It took Sonic in a new direction and did so pretty well. I had fun with it.

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932d Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight

My wife teased me when I kept saying this game was gorgeous, but I’m right! The hand-drawn look is amazing! I love the atmosphere they created, it feels creepy, melancholic, tense, and funny at times. The sense of exploration is nearly perfect - I enjoyed getting lost time after time, then somehow managing to find the mapmaker NPC. Combat is challenging and satisfying. I got to about 106% completion (out of 115% or so, due to DLC) but everything beyond that was way too tough for me.

Lists: Top 10: Graphically Impressive Games, Top 10 Nintendo Switch, Top 10 Metroidvanias, Own It, Recommended

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931d Shovel Knight

Shovel Knight

Really nails the feel of an old-school game while adding modern amenities. Loads to do in this and the core gameplay is great

Lists: Top 10 Platformers

Super Mario Galaxy 2 (@super-mario-galaxy-2)

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930d Super Mario Galaxy 2

Super Mario Galaxy 2

The best Mario game of all time! It took the great formula from the first and added much more to it. Replaying as Luigi after finishing with Mario added a lot more enjoyment to the game.

Lists: Top 10 Nintendo Wii Games, Top 10 3D Platformers, Top 10: Games of the 2010s, Top 10 Mario Games, 100%, Top 10 Platformers, Favorites

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930d Quest 64

Quest 64

I was really hyped and subsequently let down.

Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey (@wayne-gretzkys-3d-hockey)

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926d Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey

Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey

Press A and B at the same time in a fight to grab and punch your opponent for maximum damage. That’s the most important thing. To know. Such a fun game

Lists: Top Sports Games

Paper Mario: Color Splash (@paper-mario-color-splash)

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926d Paper Mario: Color Splash

Paper Mario: Color Splash

Very fun and polished game. The writing in this series is top notch, some incredible puns are peppered throughout. I miss the more RPG-like progression of Thousand Year Door though.

Lists: Own It

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926d Final Fantasy IX

Final Fantasy IX

I was glad to be back to crystals, dragons and more traditional fantasy elements after the sci-fi aesthetic of 7 and 8. For some reason I really enjoyed the mini games (Choco hot and cold comes to mind) too. Not the best mainline FF game but probably top 5.

Lists: Top 10: Games of the 2000s, Final Fantasy Rankings

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926d Final Fantasy edited

Final Fantasy

I gave this 4 stars awhile back and since I completed it again recently, I'm adding a writeup. To start, it's still a 4 star game. This game deserves so much praise for launching the Final Fantasy series. So many staple gameplay elements for the series were born here - airships, crystals, classes. Many items, spells, abilities, enemies and bosses the series is known for are first represented here. A plot twist at the end.

This was my 3rd or 4th play through. I didn't play the game on NES, my start with the series was FF2(4) on SNES. I originally played this game on Playstation in the Final Fantasy Origins bundle. Then again in the Dawn of Souls "remaster" on GBA, which is what I used for my most recent playthrough as well, on the Analogue Pocket this time. My party was a fighter, monk, white mage and black mage. This was a little challenging at first since the monk is weak in the early game, but towards the end the upgraded monk was an OP attacking machine. With mages, you have to be strategic in your spell selection. Each spell level has 4 spells available, but you only have 3 slots. Most of the time you have 2-3 spells that stand out, but in some levels it feels like you'd want all 4.

The story is pretty standard fantasy stuff - save the world by saving the princess, and also restoring the crystals. As mentioned, there are fantasy elements like airships, castles, dwarves, monsters, etc. There really isn't any story around the characters, other than they have been deemed the 4 warriors of light sent to save the world. It's the NES, it was difficult to make nuanced character arcs.

Gameplay involved exploring the world, fighting battles, leveling up, visiting towns and upgrading weapons/armor/spells. In the early game, gil (your currency) is in short supply.
I had to grind a lot to purchase new stuff at each town. By end-game, I had maxed out on gil. The random encounters are very prevalent - thankfully the Pixel Remaster allows you to turn them off - but this was common in those days. Finding where to go is very hard at some points. I used a guide this time, but I remember on my first playthrough getting very frustrated using the obtuse clues on where to find the airship for example. It gets kudos for having a non-linear path through the game.

Sound for this game is amazing - Nobuo Uematsu is the renowned Final Fantasy composer who gained popularity after his work on this game.

Graphics are also great, they're what you'd expect for a classic JRPG - lots of colors, creative enemy designs, but very limited due to the hardware.

Overall if you are an RPG fan, this is a must-play since it laid the foundation for the legendary series. My only gripes are the random encounters that I am averse to in this stage of my life, and the confusion around where to go next. The Pixel Remaster as I said fixes the first issue, so I'd recommend that for anyone playing it. I may not replay the Dawn of Souls version again knowing this.

Total playtime around 30 hours.

Lists: 2024 Games Beaten, 2024 Games Started, Final Fantasy Rankings

The Incredible Machine (@the-incredible-machine)

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925d The Incredible Machine

The Incredible Machine

Great memories playing this as a kid. I loved building ridiculous machines

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (@super-mario-world-2-yoshis-island)

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923d Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

I might be taking away a star because of the crying baby noises. Otherwise it’s another incredible Mario game

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923d Earthbound edited

Earthbound

I loved the quirkiness of this game. In the first couple areas you’ll battle dogs, hippies, aliens and policemen. I had the players guide too that includes scratch and sniff cards - I wish game companies would get weird again like that! Fun classic RPG gameplay, great environments, very replayable.

Lists: Top 10: Games of the 90's, Top 10 Super Nintendo Games, Top 10 Relaxing Games, Backlog, Top 10 RPG

Final Fantasy Tactics (@final-fantasy-tactics)

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921d Final Fantasy Tactics

Final Fantasy Tactics

My first tactical RPG. I bought this knowing absolutely nothing about it, I just saw "Final Fantasy" (this was right after FF7 came out) and went for it. In the long run I enjoyed this more than FF7, I've replayed it all the way through at least half a dozen times. There were so many excellent permutations of team makeup - like the calculator with black magic that could cast flare on every enemy standing on ground with elevation of a multiple of 3. The story was deep as well, blew my 7th-grade mind. It was really tough in the beginning but my man Orlandu was OP, we all know the game was waaay easier after he joined. The OST is amazing as well, I still listen to it on occasion.

Lists: Top 10: Games of the 90's, Replayable Games, Final Fantasy Rankings, Top 10 RPG, OST's

Final Fantasy VIII (@final-fantasy-viii)

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917d Final Fantasy VIII

Final Fantasy VIII

It’s not a top tier FF in my opinion but the FF series is so excellent as a whole that this game is absolutely worth playing.

Lists: Final Fantasy Rankings, Past Pre-Orders

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (@animal-crossing-new-horizons)

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911d Animal Crossing: New Horizons edited

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

A fun, stress-free experience. It’s best played socially - obviously had a huge moment in the pandemic- I play most often with my family. Walking around collecting fruit, fishing and catching n bugs is mindless fun. I wish there was more to do in the endgame but I’m starting to enjoy finding random items and seeing how I can use them on the island. The DLC is fun as well, creating dream homes for villagers given certain parameters. This might be a 3 star game if not for the extreme polish Nintendo gave it.

Lists: Green Games, Top 10 Relaxing Games, Top 10 Collect-a-Thon, Own It, Kid Recommendations

Professor Layton and the Curious Village (@professor-layton-and-the-curious-village)

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909d Professor Layton and the Curious Village

Professor Layton and the Curious Village

This is a game with a series of small puzzles (over a hundred) that are woven together with some overarching mysteries that make an excellent story. Very charming game with great characters and plot twists. It used the touch screen very well in the puzzles. Great start to the franchise.

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908d Pikuniku

Pikuniku

It’s got a childlike goofy aesthetic but some adult themes like government corruption. My kids and I loved it.

Lists: Own It, Kid Recommendations

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908d ClayFighter 63⅓ edited

ClayFighter 63⅓

It wasn’t great to play but I did love hearing “DUMB COMBO”

The Legend of Zelda (@the-legend-of-zelda)

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906d The Legend of Zelda edited

The Legend of Zelda

Coming back to add text to my review. This was the first adventure game for myself and many others. I remember struggling to find where to go but loving every second of it. My mom helped draw in the blank squares of the paper map that came with it, which is a fond memory. This game launched my fav series of all time, but I only give it 4 stars because future games not only iterated on the design - they transformed it, making true masterpieces.

Lists: Replayable Games, Tiers of the Kingdom: The Legend of Zelda Top 10, 100%, Completed

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905d Luigi's Mansion

Luigi's Mansion

Perfect type of game for Luigi. I love all the humming and scared noises he makes

Lists: Top 10 GameCube games

Mario Kart: Double Dash (@mario-kart-double-dash)

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904d Mario Kart: Double Dash

Mario Kart: Double Dash

I like that Nintendo swung for the fences with dual riders. It was very different and I enjoyed strategizing on which pairs were the best (the babies with chain chomps were always a favorite). Also, hooking up two GameCubes on two TVs to play 8-player was an amazingly fun time. It doesn’t quite live up to MK8 so I could not grant it 5 stars.

Lists: Top 10 GameCube games, Top 10 Racing

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896d Super Mario World edited

Super Mario World

This game aged like a fine wine. It’s incredibly replayable, and just pure joy to experience. I love all the secrets to find, the variety in levels, the music, graphics, the castles. Everything about it makes this a masterpiece.

Lists: Top 10: Graphically Impressive Games, Top 10: Games of the 90's, Replayable Games, Top 10 Super Nintendo Games, Top 10 Mario Games, 100%, Top 10 Platformers, Nostalgia, Multiple Purchases, Mt. Rushmore

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (@fall-guys-ultimate-knockout)

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896d Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout edited

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

Coming back to write text on my review. The game feels like you're playing through Ninja Warrior or American Gladiator as an especially clumsy bean with toddler-like mobility. Which naturally leads to lot of hilarity. I like that there's a lot of variety in the minigames, from the good (most races, blast balls, hex-a-gone) to the bad (volley fall). It's an excellent game for party night, since it really shines when playing in private groups. The different skins you can get in the shop are enticing enough to keep you interested in the grind. Winning is a real thrill.

Lists: Games Your Children Watch You Play, Kid Recommendations, Party Games for Channel 3, Free to Play

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895d Portal 2

Portal 2

Incredible puzzles and the humor was top notch.

24 hours played (Steam) Started: 9/19/2024

Lists: Steam Owned, Top 10: Games of the 2010s

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (@the-legend-of-zelda-majoras-mask)

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895d The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask edited

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

I love that they went in different directions for this, many of them worked for me but I didn’t enjoy the time mechanic. It’s still a great game, but 4 stars because it’s not in the same tier as BOTW, Link to the Past, Link Between Worlds or OOT.

Lists: Top 10 Nintendo 64 Games, Top 10 Action/Adventure, Tiers of the Kingdom: The Legend of Zelda Top 10, 100%, Completed

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895d Mario Kart Tour

Mario Kart Tour

I still play this nearly every day but I don’t like that I do that lol. Sometimes I’ll catch myself and go play a real game.

Lists: Free to Play, Top 10 Mobile Games , Top 10 Racing, Toilet Games

Ori and the Will of the Wisps (@ori-and-the-will-of-the-wisps)

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895d Ori and the Will of the Wisps edited

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

One of the best if not THE best Metroidvania game. The music is beautifully done, the graphics are impressive, the gameplay mechanics improved on an already great foundation from the original game. Like @elrey and @alden said it’s a must-play game.

Lists: Top 10: Graphically Impressive Games, Green Games, Top 10 Metroidvanias, OST's, Own It, Completed

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (@prince-of-persia-the-sands-of-time)

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892d Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

PARKOUR!

Lists: Top 10 PlayStation 2 Games, Recommended

Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (@warcraft-iii-reign-of-chaos)

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892d Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos

Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos

I played this a ton with my roommates in college. A great RTS game, very replayable and fun with friends.

Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball (@sonic-the-hedgehog-spinball)

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892d Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball

Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball

Fun mashup

Lists: Top 10 Sega Genesis Games

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890d GoldenEye edited

GoldenEye

In 1997 I would have given this a perfect score, unfortunately it doesn’t hold up so well today. Back then there was nothing better than getting together with 3 siblings/friends, ordering a pizza and throwing down in Goldeneye. It’s one of the few FPS games I absolutely loved. I was deadliest at complex with remote mines, but I enjoyed the huge variety of weapon options for multiplayer.

Lists: Gaming Decathlon

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890d Wave Race 64

Wave Race 64

Th graphics seemed incredible when we got this around the launch of the N64. I remember it was hard but a fun game. If I ever decide to get the NSO expansion I’ll be playing this for sure.

Lists: Top 10 Nintendo 64 Games

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890d Mario Party

Mario Party

Fun times though I gravitated towards Smash Bros more at the time. I definitely got a few callouses from spinning the joystick with my palm too aggressively

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882d Super Mario Kart

Super Mario Kart

Great game that launched arguably a top 3 Nintendo franchise.

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872d Trivia edited

Trivia

I'm pretty biased here but this game is great.

Lists: Top 10 Mobile Games , What are your 3? (FOR PODCAST GUESTS ONLY), Challenge Games, Toilet Games

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870d Breath of Fire IV edited

Breath of Fire IV

It's been a while since I've played this, but I remember it being a solid JRPG. The series itself ranks high for me, and this had a lot of different dragons that you could summon (or maybe transform into? it's been awhile). 4 stars.

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863d Secret of Mana

Secret of Mana

I have really fond memories playing this game with my brothers and a friend. Probably the first co-op RPG I played. I remember getting nervous about the first boss so I just grinded in the opening area FOREVER to get to level 7 or so before tackling that boss. The gameplay is fun, the combat system is simple and works well and the world is memorable.

Lists: Top 10 Super Nintendo Games

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863d Super Mario Run edited

Super Mario Run

For a mobile Mario game, this was a good first start. Compared to traditional 2D Mario games, the mechanics of jumping, collecting coins, defeating goombas are all there, but the main differences are that it's an automatic runner with touch controls. The controls are very simple - touch to jump, hold down for a higher/longer jump. You're also encouraged to time your jumps on enemies to string combos for more coins, and to help reach high up places. In the Tour mode, there are a few set worlds with individual levels to play through.
Completing these are usually pretty easy, but the challenge is in collecting the 5 colored coins. First you get the 5 pink coins, which unlocks the purple coins, and finally the black.
The difficulty of getting all 5 black coins in one run is pretty high in most cases, but that's what makes replaying the levels fun. There are some secret paths to find too which brings more variety to these otherwise bite-size, simple levels.

The other main mode is Rally, where you compete against the ghost of another player to collect the most coins in one run. The game offers you 5 different opponents to choose from, each in a different level. The airship is probably my favorite since you can string up big combos jumping on cannonballs. The ghost house has more of a puzzle-solving aspect to it, where you collect keys to get to the next area (and have to do so quickly to get more coins). This mode is also linked to MyNintendo - playing it once a day nets you 10 platinum coins, and 3 victories a week earns even more. That's the main reason I'm still playing this, I'm a junkie for the MyNintendo real world swag you can buy with platinum coins.

Apart from those modes there's also a hub, the mushroom kingdom, which you can build out with the stuff you collect from completing levels, rallies and events. These can include houses for characters, which then unlock those characters to play as.

I'm convincing myself that this is worth 4 stars and I'm bumping up my rating, it really is a good game even if it's not a great Mario game. Yes it may be overpriced for mobile, but it's often on sale for $5 and with no ads, it's a great experience.

Lists: Top 10 Mobile Games

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858d Pac-Man

Pac-Man

It’s a classic and a very important game, only giving 4 stars because I reserve that for masterpieces

Joob

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858d Target

Target

This game is great and with the BOTW maps mixed in it fully deserves 5 stars!

Lists: Gaming Decathlon, Top 10 Mobile Games , Toilet Games

Kirby: Planet Robobot (@kirby-planet-robobot)

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857d Kirby: Planet Robobot

Kirby: Planet Robobot

I think this is the best Kirby game. Lots of variety and great level design, and the 3D effect is well utilized.

Joob

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851d Half-Life 2

Half-Life 2

The gravity gun was incredibly fun to play with, the story and atmosphere were great and some of the sequences matched with the music superbly.

4 hours played (Steam)

Lists: Steam Owned, Top 10: Graphically Impressive Games, Top 10: Games of the 2000s

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851d Diddy Kong Racing

Diddy Kong Racing

Adventure mode was really great though Wizpig needs to be nerfed

Lists: Top 10 Nintendo 64 Games, Top 10 Racing

Super Mario Odyssey (@super-mario-odyssey)

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851d Super Mario Odyssey

Super Mario Odyssey

One of the best games of all time. I love the cappy mechanic

Lists: Top 10 3D Platformers, Top 10: Games of the 2010s, Top 10 Nintendo Switch, Top 10 Mario Games, Top 10 Collect-a-Thon, Top 10 Platformers, Own It, Kid Recommendations

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846d BioShock

BioShock

I’d give the atmosphere 6 stars, it’s such a cool, creepy setting. The story is really engaging and combat gameplay is enjoyable, even for a guy like me who’s not into most FPS games. This is not a game to miss.

29 hours played (Steam)

Lists: Steam Owned

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846d Wii Play

Wii Play

It was mostly an excuse to get another Wii-mote. Some of the mini games were well done but overall a let down.

The Jackbox Party Pack 5 (@the-jackbox-party-pack-5)

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846d The Jackbox Party Pack 5

The Jackbox Party Pack 5

Not the best Jackbox bundle but split the room is fantastic

Lists: Party Games for Channel 3, Own It

Joob

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846d Celeste

Celeste

Excellent platforming, music and graphics. It does what it set out to do perfectly but I couldn’t give it a perfect score since I had a more enjoyable platforming experience playing several mainline Mario games

Lists: Top 10 Hardest Games, Top 10 Platformers, Own It

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845d The Oregon Trail

The Oregon Trail

Buffalo hunts were thrilling as was the element of chance around everything. You never knew when your axle would break. It was tough and well made for the time.

10 hours played (Steam)

Lists: Steam Owned, Backlog

Super Smash Bros. 64 (@super-smash-bros-64)

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844d Super Smash Bros. 64

Super Smash Bros. 64

Just pure fun - I played this more than any other smash since I brought it to my dorm freshman year where it quickly became our go-to 4-player game. This is the only smash I can confidently say I’m good at and I’ll accept a challenge from anyone, anytime!

Lists: Top 10 Nintendo 64 Games

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839d Wii Fit

Wii Fit

It did get my wife and I to exercise more, even though some of the games/exercises got stale pretty quickly. I still have the board though and used it to play We Ski and Wii Fit U, so at least it wasn't a one-off peripheral

Lists: Past Pre-Orders

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838d Wii Fit U

Wii Fit U

I want to give this 4 stars for introducing the pedometer. My wife and I used them for years, even replaced the original ones after they went through the wash accidentally. But that was the main draw for us and we didn’t do the exercises nearly as much as we did for the original Wii Fit so I can’t give above 3 stars

Lists: Own It

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages (@the-legend-of-zelda-oracle-of-seasons-and-oracle-of-ages)

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837d The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages

Quality Zelda games with well-crafted puzzles

Lists: Completed

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834d SimCity 2000

SimCity 2000

Spent a lot of time building and destroying cities in this game. Even editing the terrain before creating your perfect city was fun

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (@metal-gear-solid-3-snake-eater)

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831d Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Great story, memorable bosses, incredible stealth and combat gameplay

Lists: Top 10: Games of the 2000s, Top 10 PlayStation 2 Games

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (@paper-mario-the-thousand-year-door)

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831d Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

I concur that this is the best Paper Mario game. I loved the different abilities that helped you reach areas you couldn't before, kinda adding a Metroidvania element to this.

Lists: Top 10 GameCube games, Top 10: Games of the 2000s

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827d Metroid

Metroid

I considered 4 stars since Super Metroid is the better game, but since this created the Metroid world it deserves the full 5 stars

Joob

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823d Final Fantasy VI

Final Fantasy VI

The best Final Fantasy game in my opinion. This solidified my love of JRPGs. I really liked that there's no set protagonist - though one could argue it's Terra - it made the cast feel like more of a group ensemble than other games in the franchise. The steampunk aesthetic, epic story, and the variety in character abilities all make this one of the best games of all time.

Lists: Top 10: Games of the 90's, Top 10 Super Nintendo Games, Final Fantasy Rankings, Top 10 RPG, Favorites

Joob

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813d Katamari Damacy

Katamari Damacy

The quirkiest, most delightful game I’ve ever played. And the soundtrack is amazing.

Lists: Top 10 PlayStation 2 Games, OST's

Joob

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792d Grandia II

Grandia II

Fun RPG, I don’t remember too much of it but the battle system was enjoyable and it was rewarding to level up and learn new skills

Super Mario All-Stars (@super-mario-all-stars)

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789d Super Mario All-Stars edited

Super Mario All-Stars

Good package of some all time classic Mario games. I enjoyed the challenge of the lost levels but pretty sure I never finished it.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (@super-mario-rpg-legend-of-the-seven-stars)

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789d Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

This captures the joy of a Mario game while adding the excellent RPG mechanics Square is known for. Geno is a great character even if Nintendo won’t see it and put him in Smash.

Lists: Top 10 Super Nintendo Games

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (@lego-star-wars-the-complete-saga)

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789d Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga

My first Lego game - come for the humor, stay for the insane amount of collectibles

Joob

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789d Starcraft

Starcraft

I played this for hours upon hours solo, at LAN parties and a bit on battle.net. Super well done RTS mechanics. Zerg rush ftw!

Hugo's House of Horrors (@hugos-house-of-horrors)

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781d Hugo's House of Horrors

Hugo's House of Horrors

I have no idea how we managed to get through games like this back in the day, guessing at what items to interact with and what commands would interact with them.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (@tony-hawks-pro-skater-3)

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781d Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3

This may have been the best THPS game, and it's really sad they killed the plans to remake it like the first two. Carries on the series' tight gameplay and awesome soundtrack. I think this is the one that added reverts for massive combos.

Minecraft Dungeons (@minecraft-dungeons)

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781d Minecraft Dungeons

Minecraft Dungeons

This is a review from my son

Lists: Own It, Backlog

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767d Enhance

Enhance

I love this game, I get my family in on it most days. It rarely happens for me but getting it on the first or second guess is a rush

Lists: Top 10 Mobile Games , Toilet Games

Joob

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766d Yoshi's Story

Yoshi's Story

Short and easy but a fun game

Microsoft Solitaire (@microsoft-solitaire)

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766d Microsoft Solitaire

Microsoft Solitaire

I loved playing this growing up and had a blast revisiting it recently. Solitaire IRL is a favorite of mine too, especially with multiple people

Lists: Challenge Games

The Jackbox Party Pack 3 (@the-jackbox-party-pack-3)

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766d The Jackbox Party Pack 3

The Jackbox Party Pack 3

Trivia Murder Party is great. Overall a solid party pack

4 hours played (Steam)

Lists: Steam Owned, Party Games for Channel 3

Joob

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766d Mario Kart Wii

Mario Kart Wii

Every Kart game is great. This one introduced motion controls which were more of a novelty to me - I played better without them. The online experience was pretty solid for an era where Nintendo was really struggling online (looking at you, Smash Brawl). It’s not the best Kart but well deserving of 4 stars.

Lists: Top 10 Nintendo Wii Games, Top 10 Racing, Past Pre-Orders

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (@crash-bandicoot-2-cortex-strikes-back)

Joob

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763d Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

Crash games were some of the first I played on PlayStation. This fun challenging but fun. And I really enjoyed all the secrets you could find.

Joob

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754d NFL Blitz

NFL Blitz

The most fun football game IMO. I’m all about the arcadey less realistic sports games (like NBA Jam).

Lists: Top Sports Games

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (@the-legend-of-zelda-links-awakening)

Joob

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753d The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

This is an incredible game and even more so at the time. I’m only giving it 4 stars because a few other Zelda titles are better games.

Lists: YOUR All Star Bundle, Top 10 Game Boy Games, Top 10 Action/Adventure, Favorite Games for Portable Systems, 100%, Completed

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736d Kirby Super Star

Kirby Super Star

Top tier Kirby game. This includes a variety of game types from collectathons to boss rush. It’s a casual, fun game to play over and over.

Lists: Replayable Games, Top 10 Super Nintendo Games, Multiple Purchases

Joob

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701d Sonic Dash

Sonic Dash

I enjoyed playing it in today's quest. It brings some Sonic elements to the runner genre in a neat way, but in the end it didn't really grab me.

Lists: Channel 3 Made Me Do It

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688d Pong

Pong

Its historic importance bumps it up to 5 stars. I almost gave it 4 because it’s just not as fun today, but then I remembered the spinny dial controllers and decided alright, it’s a 5.

Joob

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677d World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft

I played this for a couple months, it was very fun with friends. It’s crafted to be played endlessly though which I think hurts the overall quality of it

Joob

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676d Splatoon 3

Splatoon 3

I'm not a fan of realistic shooters, but throw in some Nintendo weirdness and I'm in! The core mechanics sound ridiculous on paper - shoot paint, the transform into a squid to swim in your ink - but work really well in practice. I've played all 3 but this is the first one that really clicked with me. The single-player campaign is more fleshed out. Multi-player has a great variety of modes. The online scene is very competitive and can be frustrating - you can't just pick up and win like you can with Mario Kart - but with practice you'll start seeing more victories. Highly recommended, and I'm looking forward to the DLC.

Lists: Best of 2024, On Pause, Gaming Decathlon, Backlog, Top 10 Nintendo Switch, Games Your Children Watch You Play, Party Games for Channel 3, Playing, What are your 3? (FOR PODCAST GUESTS ONLY), Just One More..., Own It

Joob

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670d Pac-Man 99

Pac-Man 99

I don’t feel like they have the competitive aspect nailed down, but at its core it is a fun pac-man game with a few new mechanics

Lists: Abandoned

Joob

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667d Candy Crush Saga

Candy Crush Saga

It’s well done as a dopamine trigger kind of game but it’s simple and I lost interest after awhile.

Joob

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664d Donut Dodo

Donut Dodo

This is a really well done classic arcade style game. I’ll come back to this to get those donuts!

Lists: Channel 3 Made Me Do It

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656d Fruit Ninja

Fruit Ninja

Simple, fun, but gets stale quickly.

Joob

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645d Vampire Survivors

Vampire Survivors

Very fun and addicting game. There’s a lot of rogue like elements here, many different ways to level up and eventually become an invincible killing machine. I played on mobile and my only complaint is the touchscreen controls were not as good as using a controller would be.

Started: 11/24/2024

Lists: Playing, 100%, Green Games, Free to Play, Top 10 Mobile Games , Channel 3 Made Me Do It, 2023 Games Beaten, Because of the Cr3w, 2023 Games Started, Just One More...

What Remains of Edith Finch (@what-remains-of-edith-finch)

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622d What Remains of Edith Finch

What Remains of Edith Finch

My wife and I played this from start to finish in one day last week. Visual novels are a strange breed of games to me but this one had some amazingly creative ways of weaving gameplay into its storytelling. The mysteries that Edith unveils are compelling (though I wish we had more answers to them) and the music is beautifully haunting. Lewis’ story is very memorable. It’s a nice game to play in between your other, much larger games.

Lists: 2023 Games Beaten, 2023 Games Started

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610d Temple Run

Temple Run

This was one of the first mobile games I ever played, and in 2023 it just feels like an old, early mobile game. The gameplay loop is ok which is why it’s still kinda popular. But I get tired of it quickly, especially with ads

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607d Super Punch-Out!!

Super Punch-Out!!

I’m slowly playing through this and enjoying it so far. It’s all about pattern recognition. Worth 3 stars but I may bump it up after finishing it

Ori and the Blind Forest (@ori-and-the-blind-forest)

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607d Ori and the Blind Forest

Ori and the Blind Forest

This is one of the best Metroidvanias ever. Gorgeous visuals, incredible music, tight gameplay, emotional story. I’m glad people have discovered this through C3

Lists: Green Games, Top 10 Metroidvanias, OST's, Own It, Completed

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596d Pokémon GO

Pokémon GO

I played this daily for probably 5 years after launch. The first summer it came out was magical, seeing everyone out and about playing. Later when raids came out I made new friends doing raids at lunch time. The core collectathon mechanic is addictive as always. Lots of great updates have come over the years. I only give it 4 stars because it is still a simple mobile game, but it's one of the best. I've been playing a lot less lately but still open it up on my phone here and there.

Lists: Top 10: Games of the 2010s, Free to Play, Top 10 Mobile Games , Favorite Games for Portable Systems, Top 10 Collect-a-Thon

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596d Overwatch

Overwatch

Played it a bit, I can see the appeal and it seems like a polished game but it is not for me. I'm willing to give OW2 another chance at some point and maybe it'll click.

Joob

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596d Crash Bandicoot

Crash Bandicoot

This was a very fun platformer but the view angles made it really difficult. I loved all the hidden stuff in the game.

Joob

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589d Bejeweled Blitz

Bejeweled Blitz

I come back to this every now and then. It’s fun for awhile each time I play, and I like how they have new f2p power ups now. But the ads are horrible.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (@kingdom-hearts-chain-of-memories)

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589d Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories

The card-based battles were surprisingly fun, I was prepared to be disappointed since it wasn’t a traditional Kingdom hearts but it worked. The story is bananas as always, but the core gameplay plus the Disney environments were great

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589d Super Mario Party

Super Mario Party

I played this for a little while with friends and family - it was fun and deserving of 3 stars for continuing the series' enjoyable, frantic variety of minigames. But it seemed very light on content, it was only 4 boards if I remember correctly.

Super Mario 3D World (@super-mario-3d-world)

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587d Super Mario 3D World

Super Mario 3D World

I played through this single player when it initially came out and finished everything except the final bonus level (which bugs me). Just a really solid, fun Mario game with that’s easy to jump into and hard to master the endgame. I would have said 4 stars initially but I’m giving it 5 because of how great it is now to play with my kids.

Lists: Top 10 3D Platformers, Co-op Recommendations, Top 10 Mario Games, Own It

Warcraft: Orcs & Humans (@warcraft-orcs-and-humans)

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587d Warcraft: Orcs & Humans

Warcraft: Orcs & Humans

Like others, this was my first RTS. The sequels were better since they expanded on it so much but this gets 4 stars for breaking ground on the series. Thinking about this is making me nostalgic for the LAN parties of the late 90’s - this, Warcraft 2 and Starcraft were my favorite LAN games of that era.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (@the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom)

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586d The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

I am 70-80 hours in and ready to declare this the best game of all time. BOTW brought fresh open world exploration to the series, and executed it perfectly. Every part of the world had something interesting. Tears of the Kingdom has that same level of quality in the environments and redid a lot of the ground map AND added in the sky and the depths!
Exploring the world is my favorite part of the game but the new abilities are extremely fun and well thought out. I feel like each ability could be a core mechanic for a game on its own, and they have them all here.
As if that wasn’t enough, there’s the crazy zonai building aspect of the game. I haven’t gone too far with this yet but it feels like the possibilities are endless. QoL improvements from BOTW are there, and the story has improved. Puzzles are short and sweet with several ways to solve them in most cases. I’ll be playing this for a long time, and don’t want it to end.

Lists: Top 10: Graphically Impressive Games, Top 10 Nintendo Switch, Games Your Children Watch You Play, 2023 Games Beaten, Top 10 Action/Adventure, Best of 2023, 2023 Games Started, Currently Pre-ordered

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586d Terraria

Terraria

Exploring underground is a blast. My first playthrough was in 2012 I think and there were only 3 bosses at the time. Since then they’ve had a ton of updates, I’m interested to see what’s new some time. It’s pretty easy to get the hang of this game after a little while.

118 hours played (Steam)

Lists: Steam Owned, Co-op Recommendations

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573d Paperboy

Paperboy

I think God invented Game Genie because of this game.

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565d ToeJam & Earl

ToeJam & Earl

Such a strange, distinctly-90’s game. From my memory it was a mediocre action adventure with funky music and unique characters.

Lists: Top 10 Sega Genesis Games

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522d Flappy Souls

Flappy Souls

I want to get out the NES Zapper and shoot the bird

Lists: Top 10 Hardest Games

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490d Coffee Golf edited

Coffee Golf

I appreciate quick fun with games without ads. I just can’t justify giving it 4 stars when I think about what incredible games I’ve already given that rating.

Lists: Best of 2023, 2023 Games Started

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp (@animal-crossing-pocket-camp)

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443d Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

I hate that this is such a money maker for Nintendo and hope it isn’t a direction for their future. I love New Horizons. This is ok for what it is but the game doesn’t fit well on mobile. I still play it just to get the platinum coins for Nintendo rewards, that’s about it.

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407d Full Tilt! Pinball edited

Full Tilt! Pinball

Wow seeing this brought me back. I loved playing this on our old PC back in the day. A well done pinball game, several boards if I remember correctly and loads of fun.

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396d Minit

Minit

This is a short, quirky fun game that's like a hybrid Zelda/rogue-like. You play in bursts of 1 minute - after the minute countdown, you die and respawn at your house. You have to collect things to make yourself go further on the next run. I played it start to finish in a day and had a good time, would recommend.

Lists: 2024 Games Started, 2024 Games Beaten

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359d Metroid Prime

Metroid Prime

I had a feeling this would be a 5/5 for me, but since I hadn't played through the original in 15 years or so I waited until completing the remaster to give the rating. I can safely say this is a 5/5. It does a masterful job of pacing, granting new abilities and guiding you back to old places you've visited so you can get to that door that used to be out of reach. The atmosphere is incredible, great music, love the weapons and gameplay. Ridley and the Metroids are haunting as ever.

The only gripe I had was the controls - it was a pain to press the buttons that shoot a super missile while staying locked onto an enemy. Switching weapons in general took some getting used to as well. But those are minor gripes that wouldn't knock this down a star. Highly recommend it!

Lists: Top 10 GameCube games, Top 10: Games of the 2000s, 2024 Games Beaten, 2024 Backlog Beaten, Multiple Purchases, Completed, Own It, 2024 Games Started, Best of 2023, Top 10 Metroidvanias, 100%

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331d Inside

Inside

This game was incredibly well done in terms of visuals, audio and atmosphere. I rolled credits last night and just sat there trying to process what just happened. It was a creepy adventure with some heart racing moments, had solid pacing and was not too long. The only reason I give it 4 stars is that I can’t justify it belongs with the likes of Tears of the Kingdom or Super Mario World, those are on another level. But I’d recommend this game to anyone.

Lists: Because of the Cr3w, 2024 Backlog Beaten, 2024 Games Beaten, Own It

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324d Minesweeper

Minesweeper

It's fun, easy to pick up and play, it's much better than a lot of things I've rated 3 stars but also there's not enough game to give it a 4 I'd say.

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310d Marbles On Stream

Marbles On Stream

Maybe the best passive game ever. It’s simple yet unpredictable. A good host like @dan makes this a really enjoyable experience

Lists: Party Games for Channel 3

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310d Crossy Road

Crossy Road

Decent Frogger clone, but the controls hamper it. It’s fun for short bursts of time.

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241d Tuff E Nuff

Tuff E Nuff

Played for 5 minutes, had a terrible time. It's definitely a skill issue for me but also it felt like a poor man's Street Fighter. The controls were clunky. I give it two stars just because the characters had interesting designs.

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238d Connections (2023)

Connections (2023)

I play every day and love this game. If you like brain teasers, you'll enjoy this. The goal is to identify 4 sets of 4 words/phrases that belong together. A very simple example would be cities, that would occupy the yellow (most direct connection) category most likely. There are tricks they throw at you though - some are not easy to spot, such as "homophones for numbers" (won, too, for, ate in place of 1,2,4,8). Typically there's a red herring as well - maybe 3 words fit a category perfectly, but it's not one of the categories they set up so it's not correct, you have to ignore that connection. Each of these sets vary in difficulty - yellow are generally easiest, purple are hardest. The best part of this is sharing results with people, like Wordle. Perfect for the C3 chat room or a family group text.
Some days they are clever, other days they are obnoxious. You might know a category but can't find a 4th word because it's a very obscure use of that word. So it isn't perfect, and I don't easily give out 5 stars, but it's a very fun daily word game.

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220d Pinball

Pinball

I didn't play this until adulthood. As a kid it might have been great, but I've played several much better pinball games since then. Giving it 3 since it set out what it needed to do for the NES era.

Lists: Channel 3 Made Me Do It

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190d Strands

Strands

I would give this 3.5 stars if I could. It's a fun daily game, I enjoy searching for the words and the theme. They are clever about using letters that form other words, and sometimes almost form words that relate to the clues. Does what it sets out to do well, but not enough depth to deserve 4 stars.

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse (@shantae-and-the-pirates-curse)

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157d Shantae and the Pirate's Curse

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse

I played this on the 3DS, it was my first Shantae game. This game executed the Metroidvania formula very well, even from the beginning there were areas that you couldn't explore with your current abilities. Using Shantae's hair as her main weapon was a fun mechanic at first but I did grow a little tired of it by the end - thankfully I had more abilities by then. The 3D features were well utilized, and there was some well done level design. Not to mention fun quirky characters, good soundtrack, epic boss fights. Absolutely would recommend it. Played for probably 4-5 hours, I did some extras but I don't recall 100%ing it

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78d Boom Blox

Boom Blox

My wife and I played this quite a bit when it came out. You throw blocks at other stacks of blocks usually to knock them down, sometimes for other objectives, and the motion controls worked well from what I remember.

Lists: Top 10 Nintendo Wii Games

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35d Sorry

Tabletop Sorry

This was a favorite of mine growing up, it never got old sending my brothers' pieces back to the start.

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35d Codenames

Tabletop Codenames

Great game, this is my go to for small gatherings. Shout out to @infocynic for introducing me to it during our lunchtime board games years ago

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33d Race for the Galaxy

Tabletop Race for the Galaxy

Another one @infocynic introduced me to, as we played together at lunch everyday for what, 2 years? It took a few tries to learn, then a few more to get the strategy, then a few more to be on even footing with Info. It's an incredibly fun with multiple strategies to secure victory. Theres a lot of expansions too that are well thought out and do a great job of spicing things up. Best with more than 3 players but I think it was passable with 3 (maybe even 2).

Joob

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28d F-ZERO 99

F-ZERO 99

I loved the OG, and this is a fun expansion of it that brings the nostalgia with modern game modes. I almost gave it 4 stars but since I bounced off it pretty quickly, it gets 3.

Lists: 2023 Games Started

Joob

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28d Marble Madness edited

Marble Madness

Lots of fun and the puzzles were clever, but suffered from NES-era punishing difficulty - too hard for anyone not named @bitzdad . You had to move your marble carefully down slopes, over jumps and past obstacles to the end but there was a lot of dying. Nowadays I just enjoy watching videos of it and feeling nostalgic.

Joob

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253d Sea of Stars edited

Sea of Stars

Back from completing the game, getting the true ending and a secret beyond that, and I'm ready to write a proper review for this masterpiece. Props to @dennis for posting a review that gave me the nudge to finish this.

40 hours played 5/12/2024 - 9/25/2024

Lists: Anticipated, 2024 Games Beaten, 2024 Purchases, 2024 Games Started, What are your 3? (FOR PODCAST GUESTS ONLY)

Sea of Stars Review

This game is still 5 stars for so many reasons. As a huge Chrono Trigger fan this game appealed to me right from the first trailer, and its homage to the game is present throughout. I took screenshots and videos along the journey of moments that were either loosely inspired or directly lifted from Chrono Trigger....I might need to make another post showing these comparisons. Let's get into it.

Nice little homage to Chrono Trigger

GAMEPLAY - 5 stars

This is a traditional, turn-based JRPG by and large. You'll explore various islands while on the hunt for the bad guys, level up your characters through battle (more on combat later). If you've played Chrono Trigger, you can see the obvious inspirations all over, but thankfully it feels like an homage, not a clone of it.

Open this gate in the name of the solstice!

Modern amenities are included, for example there are relics you can purchase to streamline your experience. I tried to avoid these, especially those that reduced damage, but at one point I caved and bought the relic that reduces the price of items at all shops. This took away any grinding for money and allowed me to stay focused on the main story. You can set up camp from the overworld or any campfire, where you can speak with your party members to catch up recent story points and craft food to heal your party. That's a nice feature when you play in small bursts and can't keep track of the story on your own. These campfires are always set up right before boss fights - losing progress after a difficult battle is never an issue.

Traversing the world is just fun. You'll walk over tightropes, dive off waterfalls, spin through underwater currents, collect cooking ingredients, jump across pillars, push large objects and control night and day. This variety of mechanics makes exploration much more interesting.

COMBAT - 4 stars

Boss battle

Sea of Stars combat system is the one area that could use improvement. Like Chrono Trigger, you'll use 3 party members at a time in turn-based battles. There is a timed attack mechanic, much like Mario RPG, where pushing a button at the right time makes it a critical attack, heal, or block of an enemy attack. Some of the moves like Valere's moonarang involve repeated button pushing to do more damage and strike more enemies. Unfortunately, each character only has 4 special and 1 ultimate move. There are team attacks with 2-3 characters that change the flow of combat (and give a much needed boost) but overall I ended up spamming the same moves over and over. There should have been more special moves, or some other mechanic to add more dimension to the combat system. I'd also add that the game is easy; there is one relic that can increase the difficulty, but I think Sabotage could have made this a harder game (or at least offered post-game optional tough dungeons and battles) apart from just requiring more grinding.

GRAPHICS - 5 stars

Sea of Stars is beautiful. It's full of rich, vibrant environments and the style is reminiscient of its 16-bit inspirations with modern polish. Charming animated cut scenes sprinkled throughout the game make this feel like a Saturday morning cartoon adventure. They aren't doing anything new here, but I came for a nostalgia trip and that's what I got.

Cut scene with Captain Kleeshaë

STORY - 5 stars

It starts out with two teenagers, Zale and Valere, growing up with their friend Garl while training to be the Solstice Warriors they were destined to be. You guessed it, they have to save the world from an evil being. A few hours later the story unfolds, the overworld opens up and plot twists come your way. Each party member has their own narrative, and none seem forced. Zale and Valere are solid lead characters, though personality-wise they are a little bland compared to Serai (the Portal Assassin!) and Garl (the Warrior Cook!) especially.

Cooking with Garl

There's a good pace to the story (and the gameplay in general) - only one area felt like a slog to me, and Sabotage went ahead and cut that area shorter in a recent patch! The ending is satisfying, but the TRUE ending (which requires completing a handful of sidequests) is divine. If you're on the fence about putting in the extra time for this ending...just do it, believe me.

MUSIC - 5 stars

The soundtrack is excellent. Sabotage's music maestro Eric Brown put composed a couple hundred tracks that match the environments and emotions being conveyed. Lots of chiptune and arcade-like sounds elevate the uptempo songs. But the secret sauce are the handful of tracks by guest composer Yasinori Mitsuda, the mastermind behind the Chrono Trigger and Xeno series soundtracks. Hearing a '90s Mitsuda town theme in the 2020's is really special, check out the the town of Mirth's song:

Town of Mirth

Hiring Mitsuda nails their goal of paying homage to Chrono Trigger. Not only did he compose songs, but he had a hand in the sounds of the game - which do seem straight out of an SNES RPG. The beeps and boops of the menus, clashing battle noises and more transport me back to the classics of my youth.

Finally, in each town you'll find a merry band of pirates in the inn. They play new, for lack of a better word "piratey" versions of songs from the game. At first it's a small sample of tracks, but their library grows as you collect more sheet music hidden throughout the world.

THE MINIGAME - 5 stars

Wheels is the main minigame here. In it, you have two figurines with different abilities, and your goal is to attack your opponent until their health reaches zero. You roll "wheels" similar to dice to charge up attacks, build up defences, and gain XP to level up the figurines. I went from hating it to loving it within the span of a few games. I think a lot of people lose these initially, but once you start figuring out the strategy it's a very engaging and winnable game.

In closing, while I am clearly the demographic for this game (a massive 90's JRPG fan), it's a polished experience that has something for everyone. Even better, there's more to come with Throes of the Watchmaker free DLC coming next year! I'm looking forward to that, but in the meantime I'll join my son in his playthrough now that 3 player local co-op has been added.

Joob

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121d Bowling 3D

Bowling 3D

If there's a way to pull of a good bowling game on mobile, this isn't it.

10/7/2024 - 10/7/2024

Joob

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108d Speed Tapping

Speed Tapping

That's a no from me dawg

10/20/2024 - 10/20/2024

Fire Emblem: Three Houses (@fire-emblem-three-houses)

Joob

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7d Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Yep, you're mathing correctly - it took me over two years to beat this. I'm notoriously slow at beating long RPGs. In May 2023 my gaming got railroaded by the release of TOTK, which ate up the next 6 months. I took a detour to a few other games before picking this back up.

For anyone unfamiliar with the series, the core elements of Fire Emblem are the tactical RPG battles and permadeath for your party members. If the main character Byleth dies (or your house leader, it's game over, try again. This is my second FE game after Awakening, battles require just as much strategy as usual though seem to have more depth in this than the rock-paper-scissors formula of Awakening. I loved the variety of battles, not to mention all the options for character classes. Some modern amenities like rewind in battle and casual mode make this easier....I was turned off by it at first but when gaming time is scarce, it's nice to rewind a bad move instead of burning 10-20 minutes restarting the battle.

Inbetween battle segments you explore the monastery, a great break from the action. Talk to characters to learn story bits and improve your relationships, participate in activities to improve skills and give temp stat boosts, of course there's a fishing minigame. The back stories of each character and their development throughout the game really pays off at the end. The overarching story involves gods and battles over lands, and it's done well.

Replayability is definitely a thing with 3 different routes to play. I may only make time for the one, but I appreciate that it has all 3. Definitely recommend this game!

72 hours played 1/1/2023 - 1/22/2025

Lists: 2025 Games Completed, Completed, Own It