[Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest] Add ranged partner throw ability

When 2025 started I found myself playing Shadow the Hedgehog, both to finally finish it after putting it off for 20 years and to get "up to date" for Sonic 3 which I was going to watch at the end of the week. When I did finish it in time I had a strange idea to finish a game every week and here we are I wanted to review every game I played at a decent length but I sadly wrote over 90k characters and couldn’t cut it all down to fit into the post as I didn’t want to miss the deadline for reviews. So I cut down A LOT here, but kept the longer ones ones (or a link to existing reviews) **5th Jan** \- Shadow the Hedgehog (6.5/10) [I had discussed the game once before on a thread here a year ago. ](https://old.reddit.com/r/patientgamers/comments/1hv2bwb/biweekly_thread_for_general_gaming_discussion/m5ttxit/) **11th Jan** \- **26th Jan** \- games released last year (I was cleaning up some stuff I had started last year) **2nd Feb** \- Ghostrunner 2 (7.5/10) A good game, though frustrating. The bosses are great, the story was cyberpunk dystopia stuff, but it has fun characters and writing. The music is also alright. Overall it’s a solid game in the gameplay department **9th Feb** \- Banjo Kazooie (8/10): Incredibly fun game with a lot of soul, fantastic music, detailed environments, cool levels and brilliant writing. I can easily see how this game became so loved. The only parts that annoyed me were near the end (Rusty Bucket Bay and Click Clock Wood) and how your notes would reset on death. The final boss was also incredibly hard. Regardless, fantastic game and I've yet to play the sequel despite it being on the list **11th Feb** \- Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire (9/10) A superb sequel, Understanding the world and how the systems worked made such a huge difference to my enjoyment, plus the rollover text helped me understand more of the world instead of having to read a novel every time someone spoke like in 1. I loved that this was basically a pirate CRPG (despite Sawyer hating that) exploring islands, finding caves, picking up quests and unique items, and travelling with a full party of companions was great (I liked Serafen and Maia the most) It’s just a shame ship combat was boring and boarding was always faster. The music was fantastic, especially [Queen’s Berth](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnZwSn5Odps&list=PL_W1RHJiZlE_Z_59pRHUK_IsptrUb0F0K&index=11) (still think about that piano drop) and the [boarding theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWESVuhUmi8&list=PL_W1RHJiZlE_Z_59pRHUK_IsptrUb0F0K&index=33) never got old for me. I enjoyed the story and how it tied into the world, and even if it’s not as strong as the first game, the ideas it plays with are interesting I also liked the New Vegas style faction setup with companions tied to different groups and made choices feel a bit more personal. In the end I >!went independent so I could keep everyone and because none of the factions convinced me of their cause for Ukaizo.!< I really hope we get Pillars 3 **17th Feb** \- The Outer Worlds (2/10) I went in expecting “not New Vegas” and somehow got something worse. I couldn’t pin down what I disliked because it was honestly…everything? The gameplay was boring, the guns all felt awful, nothing was satisfying to shoot, weapon/item variety was horrible, the story and writing were terrible. I couldn’t tell if it wanted to be serious or a joke and I didn’t care for the dystopian capitalism angle. The only thing I did like were the companions, Parvarti's quest was actually written well imo. Overall it’s just terrible **18th Feb** \- Devil May Cry 2 (3/10): It was not good, but at least I've finished the whole series now (yes I liked it more than Outer Worlds) **2nd Mar** \- A Short Hike (6/10): I was running out of games to finish that week and needed something quick and a Google search led me to this and glad I did it was pretty decent. It’s a cute little game about running around a small island helping people for feathers. There are tons of small things to do, and exploring feels rewarding and the variety keeps it fun. The world is surprisingly open too. I loved the Animal Crossing-like aesthetic. If it were longer with more to do I’d rate it higher **3rd Mar** \- Zone of the Enders (7/10): I actually really enjoyed it. The concept of a kid being forced into a dangerous situation that could get him killed is a trope I always liked, and pairing him with an emotionless AI was a fun contrast. I honestly liked the story a lot. The gameplay was good, though I wish the controls were a bit different. Having the right stick slowly move Jehuty instead of turning quickly was annoying. The whole control scheme oddly felt like a Dreamcast game to me. There were plenty of moments where I didn’t know where to go or forgot I could change areas after killing everything. The Park fight was especially annoying since you needed the >!Decoy, and Decoy being a weapon instead of a simple powerup meant grinding ammo,!< but once I figured it out it wasn’t too bad. I enjoyed the 1‑on‑1s, though I wish the combat was more nuanced since you could just slash endlessly to win The SOS missions were horrible to 100% because of all the mindless destruction. Even if you tried your hardest not to damage buildings, they all had 1 HP so any stray attack ruined them. I spent ten minutes clearing one mission slowly only for a Halberd stuck on a bridge to fire at me and blow up several buildings, dropping my score to 83%. Those missions were very frustrating to me. **10th Mar** \- A game released this year **21st Mar** \- Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner (6/10) I was a little disappointed with the sequel, mostly because I wanted to play as Leo again but ended up with someone completely different. I didn’t care much for the characters and kept wishing I was playing as Leo again, since a naive kid in a heartless mecha is way more interesting than Dingo’s whole deal. The game was also surprisingly difficult. The >!Vic Viper!< fight took me ages because it felt like you’d die instantly if you slipped up, and a lot of the combat was like a timing puzzle than an action game. **30th Mar** \- No More Heroes (9/10): Didn't expect to like this as much as I did. The gameplay is simple and fun (though has some dodge move I could never do and rolled everywhere). The bosses were half puzzles which was a shame but I’ll never forget spending two hours on Shinobu learning normal swings didn’t work and the whole fight felt like a samurai duel. Still the hardest fight in the series for me The story was entertaining with great characters and writing. Travis standouts, but Shinobu, Sylvia, Henry, Destroyman and Holly were all memorable. At first I took the story at face value and didn’t question the absurdity of “Otaku wants to be number one assassin to have sex”. It wasn’t until reading online that I saw how it was really >!a critique of power fantasies and hero complexes, and how Travis (and the player) uses games/anime as escapism while being losers in reality. The boring jobs were a great contrast too, showing exactly what he’s running from even though that’s what he should actually be focusing on!< The music was incredible and I loved Santa Destroy as a location and riding the Motorcycle. **6th Apr** \- A game released this year **13th Apr** \- No More Heroes 2 (7/10) Honestly, disappointed. The gameplay didn’t feel like an improvement and I couldn’t figure out why. Enemies have too much health, there are way too many gimmicks, and some bosses are just awful to fight. The parking lot fight especially is a complete slog The story felt less interesting with most bosses being forgettable outside of Margaret and Alice. The >!Shinobu sections were cool but dragged because of fights like Destroyman, and having to clear every enemy before moving on got tedious.!< It still has the No More Heroes vibe but I wish it stuck closer to the original. Helping Jeane lose weight was at least fun **16th Apr** \- Link's Awakening DX HD (9/10) The game was fantastic. The world is fun to explore, getting new items to open new areas is fun as hell, and the story has an uneasy feeling to it. Some dungeon ideas are genuinely brilliant too, like >!destroying the pillars in Eagle Tower so you can reach the top!< is such a cool concept for a game this early in the series. The music is great, hearing [Tal Tal Heights](https://youtu.be/vtvtZT-PXGk?list=RDvtvtZT-PXGk) again reminded me why I fell in love with Zelda in the first place and the dungeon themes getting darker as the game goes on really adds to the atmosphere The whole game is just beautiful in a melancholy way. >!When Link plays the Ballad of the Wind Fish and the island disappears at the end it hit me surprisingly hard!< Excellent game, I really wish Nintendo would drop the BOTW formula... **27th Apr** \- Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee (7/10) A fun puzzle game though annoying to perfect, it's rewarding and genuinely fun when it all comes together tho. I was annoyed at how some Mudokons are hidden in places you would never check, like>!the very first screen hiding two below you!<but at least the game does not force you to save all of them. Abe is a cool character and I liked his voice in the cut scenes. The music and atmosphere are great, and some powers are fun too, like controlling slogs to kill other slogs. Cool game **4th May** \- Donkey Kong Country (8/10) If you had asked me what I thought of this game while I was playing it, I would've hated it. I sucked at it so badly and doing it in one sitting didn’t help. What made me appreciate it was playing DKC2 a week later and suddenly understanding how these games actually work It's a brilliant and difficult platformer that rewards skill and adapting to whatever it throws at you. It looks stunning for a SNES game and the OST is incredible. There are issues though. The save system is annoying, lives are limited, and some of the BS enemy placement is…well BS. Still, great game **10th May** \- Gunpoint (6/10) Surprisingly decent stealth puzzle game that kinda feels like Splinter Cell but 2D. The story is nothing special, but the gameplay is good. For one dev, it's impressive. If it were longer or had more going on I would rate it higher **13th May** \- Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (9/10) It takes everything the first game did well and expands on it tenfold. The stages are so varied compared to the first and almost all of them have some interesting gimmick to keep things fresh. Even when they’re annoying I loved the variety. The OST is fantastic again, but I liked this one even more. I still listen to the final boss theme sometimes because it’s just that good. The bosses were great too. The first game’s bosses felt frustrating, but here (aside from King Zing Sting) they were fun and fair. K Rool’s final fight took me 42 attempts, but beating him was so satisfying DKC2 was funny for me because I kept finding little tricks to bypass stuff, and even used a speedrunner tech to skip the bird race. Dixie makes a lot of the game a cakewalk and I’m glad they added her. I do wish there was a ranged option that let you throw your partner at enemies, though. **23rd May** \- Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (6/10) I was disappointed in this game but couldn’t really put my finger on why. It was really easy, which felt like a letdown. A lot of the gimmick stages were way more annoying this time around. Music wasn’t as great as before. Disappointing but still DKC **1st June** \- Earthworm Jim (2/10) Hated this game so much. I hate the whip and how it is used for platforming. The gun was horrible as you cannot use it while jumping, so every fight turns into mashing the dpad and hoping Jim hits something. The races between levels are tedious, and Jim’s propeller makes no sense. The level design is all over the place and it is often impossible to tell where to go without taking a hit. Most puzzles and gimmicks are interesting for a moment, and then become HORRIBLE. Buttvile is terrible from start to finish with slippery platforms, instakill enemies and spikes EVERYWHERE. The animation is great tho **8th June** \- Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice (6.5/10) Hellblade Senuas Sacrifice was fine, I guess. The game looks great, has fantastic sound design and voice acting but I was let down by the gameplay. The long walking sections where you just listen to exposition are meh, and most of the puzzles are unexciting. The combat was pretty simple but decent although relying on the “voices” for dodging can get annoying when they don’t warn you in time. >!The story is mainly about grief and letting go and the idea that holding on forever only haunts you is good advice. I liked the implication that dropping Dillion’s skull shows him returning to the cycle of life and death and Senua moving on!<. Fine game **15th June** \- Valkyria Chronicles 2 (7/10): A decent game but not as good as the original. It still delivers the VC experience pretty well but has a bunch of problems. It’s way too grindy making you replay missions constantly, the drop rate system is awful meaning you don’t get what you want for squad members so they never level up. Side missions lack variety as you do the same objectives in the same maps constantly, Orders also felt useless because I never needed to waste CP to give someone more killing power (meanwhile enemies can spam them constantly). It full of cool ideas that fall flat due to other factors, like having 4 player coop but limited to 2 members per player or a morale system affecting your troops ability that’s always maxed out since it gives it to you so easily The actual story is stupid but entertaining in the usual VC way but I liked Squad G a lot and they really held the game together for me. I did all the Squad missions too since those were great. 6 squad members per mission was such a letdown though. I wish they’d upped the difficulty and let you bring 9 instead. The PSP clearly could handle it since maps often had 15 units anyway. I guess it was meant to keep things challenging, but it just felt lonely I enjoyed the game. It has a lot of problems, most of which could be fixed with some tweaks, but if I’d played this on my PSP back in 2010 it would’ve been a very welcome 50 hour experience **22nd June** \- A game released last year **27th June** \- Donkey Kong 64 (8/10) I liked it honestly, there was always something new to find or do in every stage. The stages and music were great, and it is genuinely fun figuring out which Kong you need for each part and how differently they play. The challenges range from easy fun to annoying as hell, luckily I used the mod that lets you switch Kongs whenever so it wasn't horrible to play. Having to beat the original Donkey Kong arcade game to finish the story was an awful decision and took me hours, but at least you do not need to collect everything to beat it. The bosses were really fun and I loved all of them (K Rool took me ages, but the fight was fantastic). I can see why people love DK64 even if it is a hefty beast to complete **2nd July** \- Donkey Kong Country Returns (7/10) Really enjoyable modernization of the formula and it being easier was nice (there are so many 1ups that it is genuinely hard to get a game over lol). The new additions like slamming the ground and blowing air to move objects were fun even if they are basically extra gimmicks. I loved how cartoony everything was.The music was good, especially that drum chanting motif the bad guys use. The gimmick stages were fun, especially the silhouetted ones, and the bosses were surprisingly challenging. It’s not as good as DKC1/2, but a solid modern take on the formula **12th July** \- Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (7.5/10) An improvement over the last game. I liked that each Kong got a chance to be a partner this time, Diddy, Dixie, and Cranky all added something new. The music was a lot better with way more memorable and funky tracks imo and the bosses were challenging again. I still don’t think it’s quite as good 1/2, but it’s a good game nonetheless **18th July** \- Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (7/10) A fun little collectathon that doesn’t outstay its welcome. The game looks nice, sounds nice even if the OST could be better, and the voice acting is surprisingly good. The world is fun to explore, pretty open, and each area has its own vibe. The story is enjoyable, the dialogue is great, and the character designs are cool. It does have some odd issues though, like how you cannot control yourself in midair, the double jump feeling too short and the bosses being forgettable. A a game with some kinks, but I enjoyed it **27th July** \- A game released this year **3rd Aug** \- Jak II (2/10) Such a massive step down from the original that I honestly have no idea what they were thinking. I genuinely do not know why ND felt their perfectly fine platformer needed GTA and Tony Hawk shoved into it instead of just making a better collectathon The whole mission, hub world, mission structure is awful. The hub is miserable to drive through, and driving itself is horrendous since you blow up after hitting anything. The shooting is fine but not something I wanted in this game, and all the combat revolves around it which is so boring. The hoverboard is also useless outside of a grind rail put into a mission to GIVE it use. Most missions suck, and the few good ones have issues like bad checkpoints or not enough health. Dark Jak is basically worthless and giving him invincibility at the end of the game is baffling Funny thing is, everything except the gameplay is good. I like that Jak talks and is hilariously edgy. The racing, story, cutscenes and characters are actually good and you can see how ND made Uncharted and TLOU. Sadly, the gameplay is so horrible that it drags everything else down **7th Aug** \- Beyond Good & Evil (9.5/10) I really enjoyed it and didn't expect it to be a Zelda-like adventure. The exploration, world, gameplay, everything about it was just amazing It's a pretty simple story when you break it down but it's very engaging and has a cool theme of >!being in the middle of what is perceived as "good" and "evil" and looking "beyond" that to find your own truth \*wink wink\*.!< I really enjoyed Jade as a character, HH too, I initially thought of >!him as some comic relief idiot but he's actually the complete opposite and he saves Jade's life multiple times.!< The game looks really nice graphically and I loved the diversity of characters and voices. Music was great when it'd occur, there are the obvious themes people think of but I found it was mostly quiet when doing stuff. Dungeons had their sneaking music and then there's combat, and obviously racing but for the most part you've kinda got the same 10ish themes you're hearing all the time which is a shame because I would've loved to have heard more, even "[Home Sweet Home](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTdcJWDNsao&list=RDjTdcJWDNsao&start_radio=1)" I only heard twice. Finding pearls and animals was a fun side thing to do and it was nice the game gives you a massive 17 pearl buffer and gives you a detector to make it easier so you don't have to worry about it much. Combat was fine for the most part but wasn't that deep, I just found myself mashing and dodging occasionally, it works but I wish it had more going for it. I thought this game was more about sneaking and using your gyrodisc for a while and didn't know it had combat. Enemy variety could've been higher but I felt it was fine. I wasn't bored of fighting things (since combat is kinda sparse in the game when you think about it) but I think two different kinds of Alpha Section soldiers might've helped, especially on >!The Moon!< It's a game where I can understand people wanting a sequel and calling it a favourite. **17th Aug** \- Jak 3 (3/10) A slight improvement. Getting around the city isn’t annoying anymore, checkpoints are more generous and vehicles have health bars. Shooting is the same but the new weapon mods are great and give combat some options. The game still has nothing to do between missions and driving from A to B is boring and still awful. Cutscenes, characters, and story are great again and I enjoyed all of them. **24th Aug** \- Superhot (6/10) Superhot is fun, got a good gameplay loop of time only moving when you do and everything dying in one hit, so it can be a challenging puzzle game. Graphically it's simple, the lack of sound beyond gunshots and 'SUPER. HOT.' was a tad disappointing but I enjoyed the vibe. There's really not much else to say about it. SUPERHOT is the most innovative shooter I've played in years **31st Aug** \- God of War (6/10) God of War feels like a game built around its story, world, and characters first, with the hack and slash gameplay coming second. Enemies take far too long to kill even with fully upgraded weapons and attacks often feel sluggish with long windups you can’t dodge out of. It makes regular encounters drag on and most of the game ends up being “spam magic to win” while hoping you don’t get more waves of enemies every encounter. Surprisingly, the combat shines in 1v1 encounters The story >!(while a basic revenge plot)!< is handled well. The acting is strong, the characters are memorable, and the Greek mythology setting is a great backdrop. Interacting with figures like >!Zeus, Athena, and Ares!< is cool. Kratos (while a bit too cruel for me to fully sympathise with) is mostly a brooding angry man shouting and killing everything but has some >!sweet moments like protecting his family in the final boss fight!<. The environments look fantastic for a PS2 game. They’re colourful, large, and surprisingly varied. The puzzles range from decent >!(like freezing the Minotaur)!< to outright awful (everything else) I have no idea who thought pushing boxes and pulling cranks should make up most of the puzzles but I hope they’re in Hades The gameplay is frustrating and often annoying, but everything surrounding it is genuinely impressive. The game clearly wants to be a massive spectacle more than a hack and slash, and in that sense it succeeds. **7th Sept** \- God of War II (6.5/10) I thought it was better than the first, the combat still leans toward spectacle but it’s more fun overall. The puzzles are still the weakest part and got tedious fast enough that I started looking up solutions after a while. Combat encounters became very annoying near the end. Enemies take too long to kill as well. The story is good and I loved the boss fights with each mythological figure. Seeking>!the Sisters of Fate and returning to God of War 1 to fight ON the sword!< were fantastic **13th Sept** \- God of War: Chains of Olympus (7/10) I kinda liked this one more than the first two. It’s short, doesn’t overstay its welcome, and doesn’t constantly stop you with egregious block pushing/crank pulling. The PSP limits it since it’s very linear, but it’s a quick 4 hour romp that isn’t bloated. I really liked the story again. It feels more personal to Kratos and>! his choice to abandon his daughter to save her made him much more likable!<. Also I laughed at the >!sex qte and abandon daughter qte!< **21st Sept** \- God of War III - (8.5/10) I did not think God of War III would improve in anyway but I was incredibly shocked. The combat was just so much BETTER due to the sheer number of small improvements making it genuinely fun. Apollo’s Bow having its own little recharging bar is such a smart addition since it lets me interrupt enemies, tag foes just out of reach and keep my combo going without feeling like I am wasting resources. The new L1+Circle grab is honestly incredible too. I always felt the series needed some kind of distance closing move and this basically fills that role perfectly. It is so good that I was spamming it nonstop with zero consequences. Even the silly stuff works for me, like Kratos randomly grabbing a guy and sprinting around with him. Visually the game looks fantastic and emulation perfectly. I had no issues with this game. Puzzles are no longer a slog since Kratos actually moves faster dragging boxes than he does walking. Dodging feels tighter and more responsive, switching weapons on the fly with L1+X is so nice, parrying is easier to do thanks to the clear visuals. Enemies blocking less is a blessing. Boss fights are easily the best in the series they're so exciting and consistently entertaining. Everything is better I felt the story was once again great, and exploring all those locations the game had to offer was great too. >!Meeting so many Greek mythological figures makes the world feel so much more alive than the earlier games and seeing the world be slowly destroyed by Kratos as he goes through the game was cool!<. The game just feels like a massive step up and I am honestly impressed with how much more fun it is **28th Sept** \- God of War: Ascension (4/10) God of War Ascension felt like a strange step back after 3, and I was really disappointed. Everything was perfect in 3 and they messed it all up here. The controls changing after 4 games is idiotic, the parry was wrong, the grab was wrong, the weapon selection was worse, climbing was worse. Everything was just awful. The puzzles tried with the decay/heal mechanic but they still weren’t very fun. Story was alright though **4th Oct** \- God of War: Ghost of Sparta (6.5/10) Better than CoO but still had some problems, fight still dragged on forever, magic was pretty weak and parries felt *too* easy. Story was solid and I liked >!fighting alongside Spartans, The final boss alongside your brother was genuinely cool though!< and gave me DMC3 vibes which I didn’t expect **11th Oct** \- No Straight Roads (7.5/10) Really cool rhythm beat em up that oozes charm everywhere. Mayday is a cute, energetic MC, and Zuke is a great chill counterpart who gets way more development than I expected. The story is fun and the whole thing has this chaotic cartoon energy that works. I love the world and city you can explore as well. The music is absolute fire too and I still listen to some of the tracks The gameplay sadly disappointed me. It starts off giving Hi‑Fi Rush vibes, only for you to realise it’s more about dodging to the beat than attacking on it, I really think the rhythm mechanics should’ve been more central. The parry feels perfect, and I wish the game leaned into that more. The boss fights are also odd. There’s a lot of waiting around for the game to decide you’re allowed to hit them, so it becomes “avoid the beat” instead of “fight to the beat.” Still, I appreciate that every boss is distinct and changes up the gameplay. A decent rhythm beat em up that feels very indie **14th Oct** \- Rain World (10/10): Rain World was a game that I had known about for probably around 6 years. I knew nothing else about it beyond having an incredibly alive ecosystem and people rating it highly, I thought "this shouldn't take too long" and 55 hours later I had finished my favourite game this year Rain World is a harsh and brutal survival platformer with tons and tons of emphasis on exploration, difficulty and working things out by yourself. You play as Slugcat, a white blobby creature separated from its family and has to fight its way out of a hostile environment where you're right in the middle of the food chain. Death isn't the end, as you'll wake up again and again every cycle constantly looking for a way out The average gameplay loop is waking up in a shelter, venturing outside to find food and keep moving in hopes of finding a new shelter so you can search for an escape from this harsh world. Fighting or avoiding other creatures along the way that are trying to kill you or killing creatures to use them for food yourself. All of this needs to be done before the **rain comes** at the end of the day The beauty of the game comes from how you'll interact with the world. It's a truly primal game that'll awaken that instinct your ancestors passed down to you that never left. You need to think fast, you need to pick your battles carefully, you need to figure everything out along the way. Everything you come across either wants to kill you, eat you, run from you, all three, neither or something else entirely. You have to watch, study, learn and be ready for anything. Most of the time, however, you won't be The reason people usually give up on the game is due to the harsh difficulty it poses. It's a game where you'll spent most of your time redoing the same location again and again and again because something completely out of your control screwed you over. The game will not hold your hand, you're in here by yourself and you need to find a way out using your own skill and intelligence Everything about it feels so meticulously crafted and perfect. The way Slugcat controls is hard to understand at first but once you get it it's incredible, the enemies you come across may seem scary but once you start to improve how you play they become things for you to conquer rather than run from. Once you get into the groove of the game, it's not that bad at all Looking away from the gameplay for a moment. The pixel art is unbelievable and really makes the game looks fantastic. Sound design is also top notch, you can understand so much by just standing still and listening to your surroundings. Not to mention the INCREDIBLE OST that pops up from time to time. You'll mostly be listening to nothing but the sounds of your movements, atmosphere and creature cries but the second a [threat theme](https://youtu.be/KWOVyT2oq4U?list=RDKWOVyT2oq4U) pops up or the game decides that *now* is the time for you to hear [The Captain](https://youtu.be/NkXsbkakSmQ?list=PLysDEbJjdAUMWi8RDibJYxRGUpb6JW6Pa) chills WILL be sent down your spine as you experience such a breathtaking track in an equally breathtaking game. The game even some magnificent lore and backstory if you're the type to try and find it all yourself Each area is unique and distinct from one another and has different types of creatures and enemies to find. One moment you might be enjoying a simple flat grounded industrial area only to pop out in a water logged shoreline and no matter what you *need* to keep moving I will say though, while I've been glazing the game for being fantastic it does suffer from problems that really nag you after a while. The brutal difficulty can get on your nerves when you're trying to go through a location for the 20th time and died due to some outside force. So much of your survival is based off luck, you could start the day with 4 minutes on the clock and no way to survive the day The game doesn't tell you where to go and you have to infer it from what your yellow worm friend tells you but sometimes he just won't appear leaving you clueless. The game CAN be finished without a guide (as I didn't use one) but it can take a very long time and my 55 hours should show you that I spent a long time on my playthrough trying to figure out what exactly I should do to move forward and usually explored areas I had explored previously and wasted hours on them looking for a way forward On that note of heading forward, I haven't talked about the Karma Gates or the idea of Karma in general. Karma is a mechanic in the game that goes up or down depending on your survival or death. When you survive it goes up and when you die it goes down. The problem arises from the Karma Gates which block you from going to other locations until your Karma is high enough. You could have constant bad runs where you're on the lowest karma and cannot bring it up for the life of you leading you to be stuck in areas for hours. It's a very frustrating experience that you can only break out of through skill and luck Rain World is a truly brilliant game. Everything about it is such a special experience from the stunningly crafted world oozing with mystery, a unique ecosystem and distinct creatures you'll come across during your journey doing their own thing according to their nature. There's so much this game has to offer. It's a game where the player needs to adapt and grow to beat it **25th Oct** \- Citizen Sleeper (8/10) Surprisingly well written game with a great atmosphere for something that's just a VN. You can really feel how your actions affect people. The world and lore are simple but really effective. It’s basically a step above a cyberpunk space dystopia, yet somehow comforting. I picked the ending >!where you help Lem and Mina leave the ship and went with them because their story hit me the hardest. The ending was sad though and left me wondering whether I actually helped them or just made things harder!< **02nd Nov** \- Metal Hellsinger (7/10) A pretty cool first person rhythm shooter where you play as The Unknown with her skull companion Paz narrating as you tear through hell. The fights get hectic fast and really keep you on your toes as you try to stay on beat and avoid getting hit. Once you slip into the groove it becomes genuinely fun. The story is a simple revenge trip through hell and doesn’t do anything special. The music is fine but not really my thing. I’m not huge on metal. A cool game and I’m glad it exists **07th Nov** \- Card Shark (7/10) Interesting and unique cheating game where you play a mute orphan learning how to hustle people in 1700s France. You're handed a deck, fixing it so the right cards end up on top and dealing them out to your mentor. The hardest part is how stressful it is learning, remembering and counting. It’s a fiddly game that expects you to hit specific button combinations under a time limit while also doing mental maths on the fly to deal cards. The story is decent and the characters are fun. It’s a fun and clever game **15th Nov** \- Metroid Prime Hunters (6.5/10) It’s basically a handheld Metroid Prime with most of the scale trimmed, which works well enough. The other hunters you run into are fun at first, but once you’re fighting them every few rooms the novelty wears off. Boss fights aren’t great though since the game just reuses the same 2 bosses 4 times. The music is great and I liked a lot of the [hunter themes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrbFTNHNlMc&list=PLA1FFCDCBB230F81C&index=8). It’s a watered down Metroid Prime, but still a good time **19th Nov** \- Splinter Cell (7.5/10) I went into this expecting something closer to Metal Gear but with the Enhanced Mod and trying to keep a perfect 100% score it basically turned into a puzzle game for me which I loved and hated. The story is the usual Tom Clancy stuff I expected, but the writing is genuinely enjoyable. Sam is a fantastic character with tons of great lines, and the supporting cast gives him plenty to work with. It’s just a solid and enjoyable game **30th Nov** \- Tales of Vesperia (8/10) I honestly can't say much about this game, I played it sporadically over 3 months. The characters were fun the environments looked great, the story was good. It was just a Tales games that I expected and enjoyed **4th Dec** \- Metroid: Other M (5/10) I don’t even know where to begin with this. It’s just problems after problem at every moment. Why does Samus talk? Why is Adam horrible? Why so linear? Why care so much about the Baby? Why are the controls bad? Why is there no health drops? Why did Samus >!have a breakdown seeing Ridley!<? Why is there no music? etc. The only stuff I did like was surprisingly most of the story with >!MB!<, Ashley, a few boss fights (like >!Ridley) and“Any Objections, Adam?”!<. I think there are some nuggets of good design in the game but it just falls flat and isn’t fun to play **7th Dec** \- A game released this year **11th Dec** \- Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (7.5/10) Pretty much as good as the first Splinter Cell. Sam is still his witty self and the supporting characters you run into (like Ingrid) are fun, Sadono is a great antagonist and actually feels threatening. I still went for 100% stealth without knockouts or alerts, and it was just as fun as it was stressful. Some sections get incredibly difficult, but pulling them off feels amazing. A worthy sequel **21st Dec** \- The Silver Case (6.5/10) I honestly have no idea what I felt about this game. I felt I was just too stupid to truly appreciate it despite somewhat enjoying it. **25th Dec** \- Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (8.5/10) Fantastic game that honestly might be the peak of the stealth genre now that I think about it. All the new gameplay additions were great. I loved that the pistol could disable electronics without shooting them, and the upgraded goggles were a nice touch, especially being able to see enemies through doors with Thermal The writing and dialogue were genuinely funny, with Fisher firing off great lines constantly. The >!Reagan “win one for the gipper” joke was hilarious especially when Grim had no idea WHAT he was talking about!<. The story itself is good, with hints of a bigger idea about starting >!a war to reset everything!< though it never fully explores it The standout mission for me was the Bank. I didn’t even realise it >!was a heist until I was rappelling into the lobby surrounded by lasers. Sneaking around while funky heist music played was just perfect!<. The game also throws you around the world a lot, which keeps things fresh. The >!Japan!< missions in particular had some really cool concepts and were fun to work through. I hated >!defusing the bombs though!<, first time I ever had to kill guards in the series and it annoyed me **30th Dec** \- Rayman (6/10) Hard to pin down how I feel about Rayman. It’s a gorgeous game with tons of personality, beautiful environments and a brilliant OST, but actually playing it was miserable. Limited lives, a continue system, a weak jump, mandatory 100% completion, levels you have to replay, power ups drip fed, random enemy spawns, a jerky camera. It’s truly horrible. So much of it would be fine if even half of these frustrations were toned down On the other hand, the music is fantastic, the levels are amazing with worlds themed around music and art supplies that are incredibly creative. Even when they were driving me up the wall, they were still wonderful to look at. The presentation is full of charm. Rayman’s idle animations give him personality, the stages are packed with moving details, and even the level select screen has Mr Dark spying on you through binoculars. The game is overflowing with soul, and I get why people loved it despite everything Overall, I’m don't know how to feel. It’s a competent platformer with great animation, characters, music and ideas, but it’s simply too difficult to be enjoyable. Even if you’re skilled enough to beat it without the continues cheat, the 100% requirement drags it down. It’s brilliant in every way except actually playing it \- Thanks for reading this whole post and seeing every game I reviewed and cut down. I’ll end this post with my opinions on the challenge I wouldn’t do something like this again due to the immense stress it had on me. It became a very strange year of thinking “ah crap I need to finish X before the week is out” and then finding new games to play after. You can see why so many series were tackled this year as it’s very easy to start a game and finish the whole series. It also meant that gaming time became something that I was calculating to make sure I’d be done before the week was out (20 hour game, 4 days left, 5 hours a day) It was pretty nice to be able to go back and finish games that I said I would years ago and having to find short indie games I never would’ve played otherwise was a nice touch to this year. I’m glad it’s been one of the more fruitful years for me. Here’s to 2026!