Racketboy Summer Games Challenge 2024

[Note]

Glad to see the Summer Games Challenge tradition continue on! I'm just going to go for five games this summer, but if I'm able to clear these out in time, I'll add a few more to my list.

Wild Arms (PS1) - My close friend had this game when we were younger and I have good memories of hanging out at his place playing it during one of our summer vacations, but I never finished it. I've always associated this game with summer, so this would be a good time to revisit it and knock it off my backlog.

Final Fantasy Adventure (GB) - This is actually one of the first video games I ever owned, and I started it up a few times but never finished it. I'd really like to finally beat this one, especially since I consider Secret of Mana to be one of my favorite SNES titles.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX (GBC) - I got this game as a gift around the time of release, and it's another game I started up a couple times but never beat. I've even played a bit of the Switch remake as I gifted it to my partner, but I'd like to go back and beat the original.

Ico (PS2) - I played Shadow of the Colossus a few years ago and have been meaning to give this one a chance too. Will be fun to see what this team came up with before SOTC.

Donkey Kong Country 3 (SNES) - This is another title I received as a Christmas gift, and it was one of the last SNES games I received during the system's lifespan. Over the past few years I finished the first two games in the trilogy, and I'd like to beat the third one.

[SpaceBooger]

Bioshock (PC) Switch
Faxanadu (NES)
Beyond Oasis (GEN)
Metal Gear Solid (PS1)
Fable (oXBOX)
Final Fantasy Legent 2 (GB)

First game down - Bioshock (NSW)
This was the first game of my Summer Challenge, I started early... I originally got this when it first came out on PC and couldn't get into it. I am not usually a fan of FPS, but after playing through Destiny 1 and a lot of 2, the genre is growing on me. I played Fallout earlier this year and loved it. So I was interested in playing through another story based FPS style game. I was not disappointed. I am also not a horror game fan but this game scared the crap out of me at times- and I loved it.

Next up - Fable

[alienjesus]

So many games beaten before we even made it to June! That’s pretty good going!

[Syndicate]

...so I've been giving this a bit of thought and finally came up w/a list games I'd like to tackle this time around.

Rabbids Go Home - Wii
A Link to The Past - Wii U
Steamworld Dig - Wii U
Thunderforce III - Genesis
Batman - Genesis
Toe Jam & Earl - Genesis
Rayman Origins - SX/360
Symphony of the Night - SX/360
Panzer Dragoon Orta - SX/360
Wonder Boy: Dragon's Curse - Switch

...I saw Rabbids Go Home getting a bit of love in the Discord, this one slipped right under my radar. I was able to find a copy locally and looking forward to trying it out. Other than Zelda, SotN, and Wonder Boy, I think everything else shouldn't be too difficult to get through by summers end.

[pierrot]

I'm gonna make a list. Mostly just for fun, because it's very unlikely I finish more than one or two of these (will more than likely get sidetracked by other things, and other games I'd rather play). A number of them I've just been thinking about wanting to play recently, though. So with any luck, I actually do.


1. Dragon Quest IX (NDS) - I started playing this 'in earnest' over two years ago, and I believe I was almost done with the main campaign when I put it down again about a year ago. (Friggin' harvesting items on the world map for alchemy pot recipes is a massive PITA.) I've been mostly steaming through it after picking it up again the other day, so this one feels very achievable.

2. Megami Ibunroku - Persona (PS1) (Persona 1) - I started this one last fall, and made it a fair bit into the game (hunting down Mark). The overworld is a massive drag, though, and while it has a lot of Mega-Ten/SMT-ness to it, It's also different enough in ways I don't care a lot for that I'm not sure the emotional hurdles won't inevitably keep me from booting it up. Still would be nice to just finish it, though.

3. Dragon Quest VII (PS1) - Last year I had a tacit goal of finishing all the main line Dragon Quest games I hadn't yet, and fell way short of it (did actually play a fair amount of DQX and got through the base game and first expansion stories on a free account, though). Considering my circumstances last year, I'm not really surprised by that, but I've already finished DQXI this year, which just leaves IX and VII.

4. Xenogears (PS1) - I've been thinking a fair amount the last couple months about finally playing this. The PS1 is one of the only consoles at this point where there are still more than a couple JRPGs I haven't actually played that might be considered classics. I've played Xenosaga ep 1 before, and only made it a handful of hours into ep2 before I didn't care any more, so I'm not totally sure if I should be expecting much from Xenogears.

5. Vagrant Story (PS1) - Part of the trend here, but stretches the "classic" bit the most. I've been meaning to play this for so long, and had actually played a couple hours of it once upon a time. I've really wanted to get a couple more of Yasumi Matsuno's games under my belt.


Now for five games in my GOG collection that have been catching my eye lately:

1. The Longest Journey - Really stretching, "classic," but I've wanted to play this for a long time, also.

2. Fallout - Seems like it could maybe be my type of game.

3. Raiden (series) - Just some stuff I could potentially blast through between Raiden Legacy, Raiden III and Raiden IV.

4. Myst Masterpiece Edition - I've played parts of Myst a number of times as a kid, but never actually played through it in its entirety.

5. Shadowgate - I've had the wallpaper pack for this in my rotation of desktop wallpapers for what feels like forever, and it regularly makes me question why I haven't bothered to play this.


I don't feel like any of these outside of DQIX are really all that likely to happen (maybe DQVII), but it will be interesting if I actually follow through on any of the PC ones.

[Key-Glyph]

I'm still over here playing G.I. Joe y'all.

Sorry Ack. Seems like I'm following you home from school every day and hogging your console. Either that or I selfishly asked for your cart back only a day after I returned it. I'm a bad friend. P.S. Ice Cream Soldier is exactly the kind of cool I was talking about.

I'm really excited for these lists in the thread! I'm gonna be learning a lot of new stuff as you all go along, plus watching a bunch of my old favorites being played. What a great mix.

I'm not sure what I'm doing next when I move on, but with two of you playing Faxanadu, I might decide to jump on that train tree as well. I once sang one of its BGM tunes to a giant sequoia. That's my only connection to the game to date.

[Ack]

I had to go out of town for a week for a job, but I'm now back and continuing to work on my challenge.

First, I have started playing Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force. The game starts immediately with a training exercise against the Borg, giving a combination of stealth as well as straightforward gunplay to introduce the game. And once you're through that, you can walk around the Voyager a bit...with full voice acting from the show's cast. That wasn't the initial case, with Jeri Ryan not voicing Seven-of-Nine, but she came back for the expansion, so yeah, it's the actual cast.

The game apparently takes place during the sixth season, and it offers a good mix of enemy types, both property mainstays such as Klingons and original creatures for the game. I was surprised to find a section of the game incorporates alternate universe humans from the original series, complete with goatees on the men. Combine that with touches like menus based on computer input screens from the series, fun weapons testing on the holodeck fighting cowboys, and even options to simply walk around sections of the Voyager as if you were a crew member wandering the halls... it's a proper love letter to the series and the overall Star Trek property. I understand why this game was considered the first truly great Star Trek game.

I also started playing Tactics Ogre: Reborn. Yes, it's an updated version with enhancements to improve the experience (and also make the main character's name not synonymous with blue jeans), but it does give me the feeling of other strategy RPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics or La Pucelle Tactics, taking me back to the late '90s and early 2000s.

I'm now in chapter 2. I appreciate that the game makes me feel like my choices have genuine impact, as I've made a few, and I'm curious how much the story deviates depending on certain major decisions I have had to make. For instance, do I choose to participate in a massacre or go against my leader's wishes and likely be branded a traitor? I have also found that characters may join or quit based on what I do, so I have to accept the consequences of my actions. I like that.

I'm still pretty early into the game, so there are more job classes and monsters to find. I greatly appreciate the uniqueness of classes like the Terror Knight. And I am greatly looking forward to what is coming next and how the story will continue to unfold.

So yeah, that's two in progress. I'm gonna keep on pushing and playing.

Ack's List:

1. Marathon
2. Command & Conquer
3. Rome: Total War
4. Rage
5. Outlast
6. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
7. Thief II
8. Ultima IV
9. Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force - IN PROGRESS
10. Tactics Ogre: Reborn - IN PROGRESS

[pierrot]

I also started playing Tactics Ogre: Reborn [...], but it does give me the feeling of other strategy RPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics[...].

You may already know this, but it's the same writer/director: Yasumi Matsuno.
I played the version on the Saturn, and was blown away by the presentation (art, sounds, voice work), and the story. That sweet sweet Neutral route, like succor from the gods.
I kind of hated the gameplay, though. Fairly rote tactics, and I spent an unhealthy amount of time save scumming just to avoid random battles.
I found my old review post for it: https://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtop ... e#p1075391


I guess I'll update on Dragon Quest IX. I (unsurprisingly) stopped pretty cold on the main story again to just basically doddle while beefing up my party. It's kind of difficult for me to not play this like how I play Dragon Quest X (or other MMOs), and just eschew any main tasks for incremental buffs, and molding my characters into lethal assassins. I've been leveling some classes on metal slimes and metal bros to rake in some low hanging skill points for some of the better skills--and extra MP from the mage classes to allow for all the Gigaslashes/gashes on my main character. At this point, I'm pretty sure I could easily steam roll everything left in the main game, but I'm not finished. The final boss will know my name when I rain cold death upon him!
Anyway, I'm almost set up to efficiently take out hagure metals. So the rest of my side leveling should be done pretty soon.

Really, the only thing that makes me think, 'Should I be getting back to the main task?' is the very 'gyalu' fairy companion mocking my time played vs main quest progress most times I open up the battle record. orz

[prfsnl_gmr]

I guess I'll update on Dragon Quest IX. I (unsurprisingly) stopped pretty cold on the main story again to just basically doddle while beefing up my party. It's kind of difficult for me to not play this like how I play Dragon Quest X (or other MMOs), and just eschew any main tasks for incremental buffs, and molding my characters into lethal assassins. I've been leveling some classes on metal slimes and metal bros to rake in some low hanging skill points for some of the better skills--and extra MP from the mage classes to allow for all the Gigaslashes/gashes on my main character. At this point, I'm pretty sure I could easily steam roll everything left in the main game, but I'm not finished. The final boss will know my name when I rain cold death upon him!
Anyway, I'm almost set up to efficiently take out hagure metals. So the rest of my side leveling should be done pretty soon.

Really, the only thing that makes me think, 'Should I be getting back to the main task?' is the very 'gyalu' fairy companion mocking my time played vs main quest progress most times I open up the battle record. orz

You may want to go ahead and steamroll to the end. A lot of stuff opens up after you complete the main quest, and the game does not really get hard until you start trying to tackle “legacy” bosses. That’s when you’ll need those buffs and when you’ll start to see how effectively you’ve upgraded your party. (In DQIX, I spent about 55 hours on the main quest, and 70 hours on the post-game content!)

[pierrot]

You may want to go ahead and steamroll to the end. A lot of stuff opens up after you complete the main quest, and the game does not really get hard until you start trying to tackle “legacy” bosses. That’s when you’ll need those buffs and when you’ll start to see how effectively you’ve upgraded your party. (In DQIX, I spent about 55 hours on the main quest, and 70 hours on the post-game content!)

Dang.
Yeah, I don't doubt there's a bunch of post-game stuff, but I don't care too terribly much about what's happening in the main plot anyway, which makes it kind of easy to just dink around getting stronger. Aside from that, and probably more importantly, it's just more fun for me to unlock all sorts of utility skills and more damaging 'fuck off' abilities, even though in the short term it trivializes all the encounters.

Also, from what I understand of the post-game bosses, they're essentially a bunch of the coin bosses from Dragon Quest X. Granted, there are a number of mechanical differences in the combat, and a whole lot more perpetual stat upgrades in DQX from class skill lines (between the greater number of classes, and skill lines up to 200 points). On the other hand, class abilities being usable on all classes once unlocked in DQIX is kind of broken, and stat seeds can be stolen. One of the main things I'm working on at the moment is just getting a bard (? guessing at what the class is called in English) to level 40 with 100 points in fan skill for the ultra support abilities on a stronger class.

I'm not actually sure how much I ultimately care about the post-game stuff, either, though. I have to figure out if there's a way I can get the tradable maps and such for the Japanese version at this point. I haven't bothered to look into whether the fan servers are actually region agnostic or not.