Hi there, it’s been a while since anything happened around here. Did you missed me? Probably not, but here I am anyway! Some big changes in my personal life put my focus away from this writing hobby during this last few months. However, my other hobby, you know, actually playing videogames, was, as always, a constant. Therfore, there’s a lot to catch up to.
Fun fact: When I started writing this post, I noticed I had a version of it about only the months of March and April (as it was originally intened) almost ready, with a nice intro about how I restored a GameBoy Pocket and that’s why you’ll see a lot of games of that system listed here, but I had to scrap it out, as it didn’t made any sense to release it at this moment.
Anyway, here’s everything I’ve been playing since March:
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
RPG / Xbox Series X
I took a long, long time to finish Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Not that it was a bad game, quite the contrary, but it had so many good distractions that it was hard to focus only on the main story. Honorable mentions goes to Dragon Kart, which was essentially Mario Kart in the streets of Japan, and the business management minigame that felt like an entire game on itself. I decided that enough was enough when I unlocked the trophy for playing fifteen minigames! Time well spent.
Super Mario Land
Platformer / Game Boy
This was the first game I played in my “brand-new” Game Boy. It was quite fitting, considering it was one of the launch games of the system back in 1989, and it shows. Super Mario Land isn’t a bad game by any means, but it was largely outclassed by its successor in every aspect.
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Platformer / Game Boy
It’s difficult to think of any other sequel that improved so much within the same technical constrains as its predecessor. Super Mario Land 2 looks and plays like a game from an entirely different system. The sheer variety of locations to explore is impressive. From a garden, an ocean, a gigantic mecha-Mario, even the moon, there is a lot to choose from! As if it wasn’t enough, this game had the honor of introducing Wario, as the main villain.
Earthbound
RPG / SNES
EarthBound, also known as Mother 2 in Japan, is the game that preceded Mother 3 (shocking, right?), my favourite game from all the ones I played last year. It was no surprise that I really wanted to play this game as well, specially because many fans consider it the best of the series. After playing and finishing it, I don’t think it’s superior to Mother 3, but it’s quite special nonetheless. There isn’t really anything like Shigesato Itoi’s games. It’s a damned shame he only made three.
Kirby's Dream Land
Action-adventure / Game Boy
Did you know Masahiro Sakurai was only 22 years old when Kirby’s Dream Land was released? Me neither, until I searched for it. Let me say that his debut as game designer and director was far from a slouch! This first Kirby game is a technical showcase for what Game Boy was able to do in terms of graphics and sound. Its gameplay is also very fluid, defining right from the beggining the core aspects of what a game of everyone’s favourite pink blub could be.
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Action-adventure / Wii
I was eager to complete the Metroid Prime trilogy before the impending release of the long awaited fourth title. Not that it was urgent, since I’m still waiting for the game release, as everyone else. But let’s focus on Prime 3, a game that it has, for better and for worse, a lot of that charming Wii DNA. The pointer controls for shooting and camera control are in fact game changing, but there are also a lot of silly and unnecessary motion controls to, for example, turn levers or click on dashboard buttons. The game itself it’s fine, it’s easier and more linear than its predecessor, and its narative gives some closure to the Phazon and Dark Samus story archs. Curious to see where Nintendo and Retro Studios take it from here.
Donkey Kong ('94)
Puzzle-platformer / Game Boy
Another GameBoy game, I told you there would be a lot of them here. This Donkey Kong starts as the classic arcade one, but after a couple of levels, it makes a bait-and-switch, transforming into an almost entirely different game. From that point onwards, each level is treated sort of as a short self-contained puzzle. A perfect approach for a portable game if you ask me.
Ridge Racer V
Racing / PS2
There was another gaming system beside the GameBoy that made its entry into my personal collection during this last months - the almighty Playstation 2. Despite its enormous library, in terms of quality and mostly quantity, I decided to appropriatedly pick one of its launch titles to play - Ridge Racer V. The fifth main entry in this now forgoten racing series was a deliberate scale down comparing with the expansive (and borderline perfect) Ridge Racer Type 4, featuring only a couple of circuits in a single city, a smaller variety of cars and a more basic career mode. However, there was something that kept me playing it regardless of this shortcomings: the gameplay. More than any other in the series, RRV has a somewhat steep learing curve, but once you get the gist of it, it’s one of the finest driving experiences in a videogame. The feeling of speed and agression (also reflected in its soundtrack) combined with a state of absolute control is unmatched. It’s a shame that this game was completely overshadowed by a endless catalogue of quality racing titles that graced the PS2.
Metroid: Zero Mission
Action-adventure / Game Boy Advance
Continuing on Metroid, I decided to go the series origins, but not quite. Metroid: Zero Mission is a remake of the original Metroid from 1986 with improved graphics, controls and even an entire new section after the original ending. It’s a short game, but a really slick one. I couldn’t reccommend more if you like metroidvanias.
Burnout 3 Takedown
Racing / PS2
Other game that was an immediate buy when I got my PS2 was Burnout 3 Takedown. This title is in my (and many others) opinion the pinnacle of this long forgotten franchise, and with reason. Almost everything here is perfect - the 60fps visuals, the brutal sense of speed, the tight and responsive driving, the unapologetically early 2000’s soundtrack, and who could forget the takedown mechanic, that transforms every road into a battlefield!
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Action-adventure / Nintendo 3DS
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds was my companion game during a trip to Madeira island. Not that this game as anything to do with the island itself, probably Link’s Awakening would be a better fit, but all this just to say that it’s a game perfectly made for a portable system like 3DS. It’s easy to pick up and play, it doesn’t drag itself too much in its history, and it’s quite non-linear, so you can go wherever you want as long as you have the necessary tools. In hindsight, it’s clear thar Nintendo tested a lot of ideas here for the then upcoming Breath of the Wild, but of course, in a much smaller scale.
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
Action-adventure / PS3
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is essentially a 2 hour prologue to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Why was this released as a separate game? I have no idea, but it was a really great vertical slice nontheless. In Ground Zeroes we play as Snake (obviously), who has to rescue two characters from Peace Walker, from a military base. The base is entirely explorable from end to end, so we can approach it entirely as we want. The introduction of open world mechanics was a huge step forward for the Metal Gear series. Unfortunately, as we know today, the series didn’t go too far after it.
RoboCop: Rogue City
First-person shooter / Xbox Series X
It’s funny how I, in my thirty years of existence, never had see a RoboCop movie until recently. After I saw the first one, I went to play RoboCop: Rogue City. A first-person shooter where we play as the titular humanoid, and sure it feels like it. While he moves like a tank, as he should, he’s absurdely powerful, to a point it’s ridiculous as it’s fun. Overall it’s a faithful adaptation of the source material.
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Action-adventure / Game Boy Advance
I’ve played another handheld Zelda game in this last months. However, there’s more to this The Minish Cap, personally speaking. It was the first one in the series I ever played, as a kid. I never got to finish it though, until now. It was a weird feeling, this one of getting to know properly a game I thought I knew so well for all this years. One thing that didn’t changed was my appreciation for its visuals and music. It have a fantastic pixel art and one of my favourite songs in the entire series.
Fire Emblem Engage
Tactical RPG / Nintendo Switch
I got Fire Emblem Engage as the birthday gift from me to myself. As someone who adored its predecessor, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, I went with my expectations maybe a bit too high for Engage. The battles are fine, probably better than Three Houses, the problem is everything else. The graphics aren’t amazing, the art style it’s a bit too over the top, in lack of a better way to describe it, and the narative it’s incredibly basic and childish. I’ll keep playing it for the battles alone, otherwise I would have given up already.
Wipeout Pure
Racing / PSP
Another travel companion game, this time for Côte D’Azur, with my PSP. Wipeout Pure was a PSP launch game, but judging by its visuals alone you wouldn’t tell, as it’s one of the best looking games in the system. It plays great as well, it’s just a shame it has some ocasional, but very distracting, framerate drops.
Death Stranding
Action-adventure / PS4
After playing most of the Metal Gear series, I decided to skip The Phantom Pain for now, and jump right into the more recent series from Hideo Kojima. Right now, I’m not sure exactly what to say regarding Death Stranding other than it’s a Kojima game through and through. Weird, unconventional and overly ambitious. I’ll save my words for a full review, hopefully.
Panzer Dragoon Saga
RPG / Sega Saturn
In The Games Tome spin-off series Backlog Battlers, where we choose each other games to play from each own’s backlogs, I was challenged to play one of those iconic games that I wanted to play for ages, but for some reason it never happened, until now. I already finished it by this point, since it’s a relative short game (for the genere at least), but I’ll save my opinion about it for later. And believe me, I have a lot to say about this authentic gem.
Comix Zone
Beat’em up / Sega Mega Drive
Comix Zone was a game that was on my backlog for ages. A late classic from the iconic Sega Mega Drive, with amazing graphics and sound, and an incredible concept, where the whole game takes place inside a comic book being written. It’s an absurdely short and difficult game, but fortunately I was playing through emulation, so I used save states quite often. Otherwise my opinion of this game would be much more negative.
Mad Skills BMX 2
Racing / Nintendo Switch
Mad Skills BMX 2 is by no means an incredible or memorable game, but it was the first one I had opportunity to play and review for the website sidequest.pt, which has now a partnership with The Games Tome podcast, which I’m part of. You can read my opinion about this game here.
Metal Slug 3
Run and Gun / Neo Geo
I love Metal Slug. I also love Metal Slug 2. For some reason, I’ve never played any other game in the series before. Now that I’ve played Metal Slug 3, I can say I still prefer the first two by a long margin. This third title it’s not a bad game by any means, but I don’t know, it didn’t clicked with me the same way the first two did when I was younger.
Space Adventure Cobra: The Awakening
Action platformer / Nintendo Switch
Another game that came to me through sidequest.pt. Luckily this one is no slouch, I actually had quite a good time with it! You can read my review of it here.
And that’s all! I must admit, writing this wasn’t easy, and as more time passed, more difficult it became. That’s why this will be the last “Played this months” report. It’s just not feasible for me to keep posting this updates regularly while contributing to a podcast and another website. In case you want to keep check of what I’m playing, listen The Games Tome in YouTube, Spotify, or your favourite podcast platform. For gaming news and reviews of the latest releases, check Sidequest.pt, where I have the pleasure of contributing occasionally with a few reviews of my own.
This is not the end of ABXY, just the end of the regular updates - that weren’t even regular anymore. I want to keep this space for occasional opinion pieces that don’t fit in any of my other outlets. Stay tuned. See you next time!
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