Games Beaten 2025

[ElkinFencer10]

Games Beaten in 2025 - 6
* denotes a replay

January (Not Shit Beaten)

February (Not Shit Beaten)

March (Not Shit Beaten)

April (Not Shit Beaten)

May (Not Shit Beaten)

June (6 Games Beaten)

Doom: The Dark Ages - Series X - June 2
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 - PlayStation 5 - June 16
3. Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour - Switch 2 - June 16
4. Fast Fusion - Switch 2 - June 17
5. Sniper Elite: Resistance - PS5 - June 21
6. Mario Kart World - Switch 2 - June 22

6. Mario Kart World - Switch 2 - June 22

I'm counting this as "beaten" because I've placed 1st through 3rd on every Grand Prix and Knockout Tour and unlocked all 50 characters (still working on costumes but whatever)



Mario Kart World is both the latest entry in Nintendo's wildly popular system-selling party racing franchise as well as the flagship title for the launch of their new Switch 2 console. I think a lot of us were wondering what they could do with Mario Kart after the near-perfect Mario Kart 8 on Wii U and its expanded port to Switch, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. With World, they didn't try to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, but they did go back to the fundamentals of Mario Kart and try something completely new for the series - an explorable open world.



Let me get this out there right up front - I do not like Mario Kart World as much as Mario Kart 8. That said, Mario Kart World blew me away in a lot of ways. The first thing that really impressed me was the character roster. Mario Kart 8 had a huge character roster, and it was made interesting by the inclusion of non-Mario Nintendo character like Link and the Inkling with its DLC packs (included in the base game for 8 Deluxe). World, however, opted to omit the non-Mario characters (with which I'm fine despite my love of the Inkling character) and instead include a plethora of more minor Mario characters. World includes a roster with a whopping 50 characters - 24 "main" characters - the ones whom we've come to expect in Mario sports games - and 26 "creature" characters, like Goomba, Cheep-Cheep, the dolphin, and the weird things from Mario Sunshine. In addition to the 50 unique characters, the main characters all have alternate costumes. Some, like Paulina and Donkey Kong, only have their default costume and one more, while others, like Mario, have a total of ten unlockable costumes. The creature characters and costumes are unlocked by random chance occurrences, too, so there's a lot of incentive to keep playing.



The open "world" in Mario Kart World manifests itself in two ways. You've got your typical game grand prix, battle, etc. game modes, but there are two new ways to play. The first and most obvious way the "World" title is incorporated is in the ability to explore freely the game's interconnected open world. All of the tracks and areas are connected in Mario Kart World, and while your average race feels as contained as any Mario Kart track, the open world exploration lets you go off-road and see how the world is interconnected. I, personally, find the open world to feel rather empty and boring, but a few of my friends really enjoy it, and it's definitely a neat inclusion even if it's a little bare bones at the moment. The other way the game incorporates an interconnected world is with the Knockout Tours. Instead of racing in a circuit on four tracks with three laps each, you do a single long race of six "laps," but these laps aren't what you'd think; each "lap" is really a section of the race, and this race will take you across the game's world and through different areas in a single uninterrupted drive. I may not be a fan of the game's free roam mode, but this Knockout Tour is hands-down my favorite game mode. Knockout Tour online with some friends is absolutely the best way to play. See below the screenshot immortalizing my victory over Flake.



Regarding performance, Mario Kart is a series known for its impressive visuals and solid performance, and Mario Kart World is no different. In handheld, the game runs at 1080p, and docked, it runs at a resolution of 1440p. In both modes, handheld and docked, the game hits a solid 60 fps. I saw rumors that an update to add 120 fps support at lower resolutions is in the works, but you know how the Nintendo rumor mill is - less accurate than a tabloid horoscope. To be sure, I would absolutely love a 120 fps option to be added and would have no problem sacrificing some pixels for it, but I'm perfectly content with 60 fps. My eyes haven't worked right since I was eight, and even aside from the bad eyesight, I'm getting old; old folks' eyes aren't as quick as the younguns'.



Overall, Mario Kart World is an excellent entry in an excellent series, and it was a brilliant game to have as a day-one launch title for the Switch 2. I may not personally like it as much as Mario Kart 8, but that's like being second or third place at the Olympics; being the second or third best Mario Kart game (I still can't decide if I put World or Double Dash in 2nd place) still ranks it as one of the best racing games of all time in my book. Unfortunately for those not ready, not financially able, or not logistically able (with regards to stock availability) to make the jump to Switch 2, this game isn't available on the original Switch. It actually started development on the Switch, but the scope of the game is just more than the 2017 console's aging hardware could do justice. If you have a Switch 2 and don't have Mario Kart World...what are you even doing? If you don't have a Switch 2 yet, don't distress; this game is going to remain popular the entire generation, mark my words, and you've got one heck of a great racer to look forward to whenever you are able to make the jump to Switch 2.

[pierrot]

11. Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete (PS1)

Lunar: Silver Star Story is a title I missed back when it was released on both the Sega CD and the PS1 remake. My cousins did have a Sega CD around release, so I had a chance to check the system out a bit, but other than a few titles, I wasn't too familiar with the console's library. I also completely missed the remake which was released in 1999 on the PS1. Years later I saw the cover art and magazine ads for the various versions of the release along with Lunar 2 and was instantly intrigued.

Lunar follows the adventure of Alex, a young boy who dreams of seeking adventure and becoming the dragon master. With his friends from his village, Ramus, Luna, and Nall, he sets out to do just that. Lunar is a traditional JPRG, with some interesting quirks to the menu and battle system. In regards to the menu system, each character is only able to hold about six items outside of their equipment for use during battle, so you have to do some planning and keep track of each character's inventory. Your buddy Nall acts as the main inventory and can hold a good amount of items that you'd like to save for later, or any things needed for the plot. The battle system is a bit different than your standard fare, as the characters will walk across the battle area to attack the enemies, and if certain enemies are too far, they'll stop in their tracks. Magic users and long range weapons, such as bows, are exempt from this. However, as characters level up, they're able to move further and even provide an additional attack or two, which is a really nice bonus later in the game.

I believe this is the first Working Designs published/translated game I've played through, so I was curious how the script would be. I've read mixed things about their translations and the adjusted difficulty. In regards to the translation, I can understand why some players would be critical. The WD translation throws in modern (for the time it was released) slang terms and phrases, which seems a bit out of place in a fantasy setting. With that being said, the dialogue is pretty entertaining and I don't think it took away from the plot. Regarding the difficulty, the game is tough in spots, but with some additional grinding in spots, I don't think it's too tough to get through.

In regards to the graphics, I think the sprite work for the characters and the backgrounds are beautiful here. The development team did a great job of updating the look of the game. The character sprites are a bit small, so I could see reviewers hammering the game for not being released as a 3D title a few years into the PS1's lifespan, but I enjoyed the look of 2D PS1 games during that era and still do, so I really like the look of the game. The anime cutscenes are a bit low-resolution but I still think they look good overall and give the game a very unique quality. I'm a bit mixed on the voice acting. Most of the voices for the characters sound pretty good, but I think Nall's voice is so high-pitched, it sounds a bit ridiculous IMO. The soundtrack is also really well done, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The overworld music and dungeon music are especially catchy. This is a soundtrack I can listen to outside of the game.

I also want to take a moment to mention the PS1 release's packaging. This is definitely one of the nicest releases on the console. From the embossed outer box, to the hardcover color manual, the cloth map, and the bonus discs. WD did an incredible job, even my girlfriend stopped to compliment it when she saw it on my entertainment center.

I was hoping to 100% complete the game, but unfortunately I missed an interaction in the first town, which prevented me from acquiring two of the bromides at the end of the adventure. To clarify, the bromides in Lunar are collectible pictures that can be acquired throughout the journey, but it's not required to do so. Missing these two items did annoy me, but I did everything else you could do in the game, including seeing both of the hidden cutscenes. They're a bit risque and I feel like they're a little out of place in the game, which is one of my only nitpicks.

Overall, Lunar is a great RPG and is highly recommended! With the remaster being released on modern consoles earlier this year, that's the most accessible way to play. However, for fans of the PS1, the collectors version is really nice to have. Definitely check this one out if you can.

I played the Japanese Mega CD version of Lunar Silver Star some years back and found it to be a pretty nice experience. Have you ever played any of the Grandia games before, Note? Was just curious.

I don't remember there being any bromides in the original, and it had a bit of that signature early Sega CD dull colors and low contrast thing going, but it was a snappy way to play it. After finishing, I tried the Saturn Silver Star Story and quit after about an hour because everything felt so ungodly slow in comparison, especially combat. I've kind of wondered if the PS1 version is the same way, but never actually looked into it.

I know a lot of people tend to hate the Working Designs translations these days, but in terms of tone, I don't feel they're really all that inaccurate. The Japanese script for Silver Star is written with most characters sounding like modern (for the time) people, and not as if it were the Middle Ages. The main thing for me is the WD scripts kind of seem like a more referential Sponge Bob or something, which isn't really my thing, but I could see how that would be entertaining at least.

I briefly had a US copy of Eternal Blue for Sega CD that I picked up at a Japanese store called Trader, and that thing had some very snazzy packaging, with one hell of a manual. WD definitely put a lot of resources into their physical products.

Did you have Eternal Blue on deck also? I've been meaning to play it on the Mega CD for a while now, but still haven't managed to get to it.

[Note]

I played the Japanese Mega CD version of Lunar Silver Star some years back and found it to be a pretty nice experience. Have you ever played any of the Grandia games before, Note? Was just curious.

I don't remember there being any bromides in the original, and it had a bit of that signature early Sega CD dull colors and low contrast thing going, but it was a snappy way to play it. After finishing, I tried the Saturn Silver Star Story and quit after about an hour because everything felt so ungodly slow in comparison, especially combat. I've kind of wondered if the PS1 version is the same way, but never actually looked into it.

I know a lot of people tend to hate the Working Designs translations these days, but in terms of tone, I don't feel they're really all that inaccurate. The Japanese script for Silver Star is written with most characters sounding like modern (for the time) people, and not as if it were the Middle Ages. The main thing for me is the WD scripts kind of seem like a more referential Sponge Bob or something, which isn't really my thing, but I could see how that would be entertaining at least.

I briefly had a US copy of Eternal Blue for Sega CD that I picked up at a Japanese store called Trader, and that thing had some very snazzy packaging, with one hell of a manual. WD definitely put a lot of resources into their physical products.

Did you have Eternal Blue on deck also? I've been meaning to play it on the Mega CD for a while now, but still haven't managed to get to it.

It's great to hear your perspective on the original Japanese Sega CD release of the game and the translation. That's interesting the script was initially written with those modern slang phrases, as I assumed that was added by WD. I believe there were some references to pop culture in the game, but they weren't blatant. For example, there was a line of text that mimicked an Austin Powers joke. However, for anyone that's not familiar with the movie, you probably would not have picked up on the reference. I'm sure there are a few others that are slipping my mind now.

Regarding the combat, I do think the PS1 combat is considered a bit slow. After playing Suikoden which has pretty snappy battles, the ones here did feel a bit dragged out at first, but eventually I got used to it. I believe in the remaster they included a fast forward function in the battles to speed them up a bit.

I actually have not played the Grandia games just yet, but I think I would like them based on what I've read about it. I do own the first one on the PS1 and am hoping to get to it perhaps later in the year or early next. Grandia II on the DC is also on my wishlist. And for Lunar 2, I have the PS1 version and plan to play it as well. Looking forward to playing both! They're both higher priority for me.

[pierrot]

That's interesting the script was initially written with those modern slang phrases, as I assumed that was added by WD. I believe there were some references to pop culture in the game, but they weren't blatant. For example, there was a line of text that mimicked an Austin Powers joke. However, for anyone that's not familiar with the movie, you probably would not have picked up on the reference. I'm sure there are a few others that are slipping my mind now.

Oh, that stuff is definitely WD taking creative license with the translation. I just meant that the original script in Japanese still sounds a bit more like Saturday morning cartoons rather than Lord of the Rings, in terms of tone. There are probably a number of lines in Japanese that reference Japanese pop culture at the time, though (I wouldn't normally be able to pick up on a whole lot of that).

I actually have not played the Grandia games just yet, but I think I would like them based on what I've read about it. I do own the first one on the PS1 and am hoping to get to it perhaps later in the year or early next. Grandia II on the DC is also on my wishlist. And for Lunar 2, I have the PS1 version and plan to play it as well. Looking forward to playing both! They're both higher priority for me.

Cool, so you're mostly set. My intro to the Game Arts RPGs was Grandia II on the Dreamcast in high school, and after finishing it I remember having this wild swing from, 'I can't believe it's over--,' to, 'I need a Grandia III yesterday!' I haven't played it since, and I think a number of things about it wouldn't interest me much as an adult, but I almost never hear about people playing it for the first time, it feels like. Part of me craves the vicarious hit. I enjoyed the first ~1/3 of Grandia a fair amount, but after that I got pretty bitter about how dragged out it felt. They're both considerably lengthy games, though.

[Note]

Oh, that stuff is definitely WD taking creative license with the translation. I just meant that the original script in Japanese still sounds a bit more like Saturday morning cartoons rather than Lord of the Rings, in terms of tone. There are probably a number of lines in Japanese that reference Japanese pop culture at the time, though (I wouldn't normally be able to pick up on a whole lot of that).

Ohh, got'cha about the tone. Now I'm curious, does the Grandia script have any similarities in tone to Lunar?

Cool, so you're mostly set. My intro to the Game Arts RPGs was Grandia II on the Dreamcast in high school, and after finishing it I remember having this wild swing from, 'I can't believe it's over--,' to, 'I need a Grandia III yesterday!' I haven't played it since, and I think a number of things about it wouldn't interest me much as an adult, but I almost never hear about people playing it for the first time, it feels like. Part of me craves the vicarious hit. I enjoyed the first ~1/3 of Grandia a fair amount, but after that I got pretty bitter about how dragged out it felt. They're both considerably lengthy games, though.

I'll definitely post about my experience here whenever I start playing it. I'm going to look out for Grandia II on the DC this summer. With the VMU Pro coming out in the fall, I won't have to worry about save space anymore, so I think I'll pick up a few DC titles I've been meaning to get. Did you ever get around to playing Grandia III? I haven't heard much about the series after the first two titles.

[pierrot]

Now I'm curious, does the Grandia script have any similarities in tone to Lunar?

Maybe? Kind of? I think they probably do share a bit in common in terms of having fairly dramatic scenarios and scenes with a bunch of comedic interactions and some slapstick moments for levity. I'd probably say the main differences are that I think Grandia works a bit more at trying to develop the main cast, and also builds up the overall plot as more of a massive epic. Also Grandia's drama is probably more dramatic while also having more overtly comedic moments.

I personally much prefer Lunar: Silver Star to Grandia overall, though.

Did you ever get around to playing Grandia III? I haven't heard much about the series after the first two titles.

lol, nope--.
It's weird. For some reason by the time it actually released, I had lost interest. I think I might have rented Grandia Xtreme at one point, been kind of lukewarm about it, and never really felt like checking back into the series until I started playing Grandia on the Saturn some years ago. I have Grandia III now, but yeah, I don't think Xtreme or III are all that well regarded. Theoretically, I like the idea of the sky pilot motif with III, anyway.

[Note]

Maybe? Kind of? I think they probably do share a bit in common in terms of having fairly dramatic scenarios and scenes with a bunch of comedic interactions and some slapstick moments for levity. I'd probably say the main differences are that I think Grandia works a bit more at trying to develop the main cast, and also builds up the overall plot as more of a massive epic. Also Grandia's drama is probably more dramatic while also having more overtly comedic moments.

I personally much prefer Lunar: Silver Star to Grandia overall, though.

Appreciate your insight on the differences regarding the two games. Lunar is pretty awesome, I really had a great time with it. Not certain Grandia would be able to surpass it for me, but I've heard great things about Grandia so I'm looking forward to giving it a go later on. The battle system seems unique too, so I'm interested in trying it out.

lol, nope--.
It's weird. For some reason by the time it actually released, I had lost interest. I think I might have rented Grandia Xtreme at one point, been kind of lukewarm about it, and never really felt like checking back into the series until I started playing Grandia on the Saturn some years ago. I have Grandia III now, but yeah, I don't think Xtreme or III are all that well regarded. Theoretically, I like the idea of the sky pilot motif with III, anyway.

That's totally understandable in regard to losing interest in the later games once you had a mediocre experience. Well, if you decide to pick up Grandia III down the line, definitely keep us posted on your thoughts. I'm genuinely curious, as it seems to be a title that's just not talked about much these days.

[MrPopo]

Previous Years: 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

1. Tomb Raider II Remastered - PC
2. Tomb Raider III Remastered - PC
3. Blade Chimera - Switch
4. Cyber Shadow - Switch
5. Signalis - Switch
6. Ender Magnolia - Switch
7. SimCity 2000 Special Edition - PC
8. Ghost Song - Switch
9. Citizen Sleeper 2 - Switch
10. Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider - Switch
11. The Last Faith - Switch
12. Anger Foot - PC
13. Avowed - PC
14. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night: Classic Mode - Switch
15. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night: Classic II: Dominque's Curse - Switch
16. The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II - PS5
17. Pacific Drive - PC
18. Mekkablood: Quarry Assault - PC
19. Tempest Rising - PC
20. Astalon: Tears of the Earth - Switch
21. Voidwrought - Switch
22. Death's Gambit: Afterlife - Switch
23. Mechwarrior 5: Ghost Bear: Flash Storm - PC
24. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - PS5
25. Doom: The Dark Ages - PC
26. Haiku the Robot - Switch
27. Alwa's Awakening - Switch
28. Warhammer 40000: Boltgun: Words of Vengeance - PC
29. Alwa's Legacy - Switch
30. Wizordum - PC
31. Project Warlock II - PC
32. Exophobia - PC
33. Haunted Castle Revisited - Switch
34. Mario Kart World - Switch 2
35. Rebel Transmute - Switch
36. Guns of Fury - Switch
37. Street Fighter Alpha 3 - Dreamcast
38. Street Fighter III 3rd Strike - Dreamcast
39. Vampire Chronicle for Matching Service - Dreamcast
40. Record of Lodoss War - Dreamcast

Record of Lodoss War is an action RPG for the Dreamcast, patterned after Diablo. You control one character with a sword and a bit of magic and need to bash your way through hordes of enemies as you traverse dungeons. It's surprisingly good; the game controls well and doesn't get in over its head with options.

The game begins with the player character being brought back to life without his memory by a wizard from the original Record of Lodoss War stories. An evil bishop is planning on resurrecting an evil goddess, and you need to stop her revival. You'll run into most of the main characters from the Record of Lodoss War series, as this is set a few years after the original OVA. It's just enough for the game to not just be generic fantasy, but they don't overshadow the player character.

The basic flow will be familiar to veterans of Diablo. You can wield one and two handed weapons, a shield, a helm, and armor, as well as a variety of accessories like rings, amulets, capes, and boots. You'll gain access to magic; you can have one spell readied at a time for quick casting, with many of them being targeted. You press the magic button once to pull up the targeting cursor, then hit it again to cast. Magic ends up only being supplementary, as you never have enough resources to go the full caster route.

They key differentiator for the game is the equipment upgrading system. Your weapon and armor can have magic words inscribed on them, which provide various bonuses like +2 strength or +5 armor. But the real fun comes when you spend currency to imbue the inscribed word into the gear. This makes the bonus permanent, and you can repeatedly do it for a given word (each has a different max cap). You'll use this to significantly buff your gear to some hilarious levels. There are also some special words that cannot be imbued but have special effects to make up for it (e.g. double your max MP). And the best part is that there's no risk to the player; once you find a given piece of gear you can always transmute gear of the same class into it. So start buffing your early equipment and then transmute into the late game equipment, carrying over all your imbuements.

My main complaint with the game is the level design; the overworld tends to be made of a ton of switchbacks, artificially lengthening traversal, and the dungeons can be overly complicated. I recommend looking up maps so you don't spend a ton of time going down blind alleys (especially as the game has infinite respawns, unlike Diablo).

Overall, it's a solid action RPG for consoles, and definitely worth a pickup if you have a Dreamcast.

[pierrot]

I played a fair amount of Record of Lodoss War on the Dreamcast in high school, but never really got all that far, I don't think. I always found it kind of weird; I never watched Lodoss War, but the game felt like it didn't actually belong to the property when I started playing it. I also kind of vaguely remember struggling for a while until I found some weapon or something that started ripping through stuff a lot more easily.

I feel like firing up my old save to see what it actually looks like. I remember very little of it, and it's always bugged me a little that I never finished the game.

[Ack]

1. Growing My Grandpa! (Point-and-Click Adventure)(PC)
2. The Black Masses (Action RPG)(PC)
3. Dead Estate (Action)(PC)
4. Call of Cthulhu (Horror RPG)(PC)
5. 100 Asian Cats (Puzzle)(PC)
6. Blade Chimera (Action)(PC)
7. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (Action)(PC)
8. 7 Days to Die (Action)(PC)
9. An Arcade Full of Cats (Puzzle)(PC)
10. Excive A-1000 (FPS)(PC)
11. Only Lead Can Stop Them (FPS)(PC)
12. Home Safety Hotline (Horror)(PC)
13. Viewfinder (Puzzle)(PC)
14. Star Wars: Dark Forces Remastered (FPS)(PC)
15. Wanted: Dead (Action)(PC)
16. Crime Scene Cleaner (Action)(PC)
17. Beyond Citadel (FPS)(PC)
18. Turbo Overkill (FPS)(PC)
19. Project Warlock 2 (FPS)(PC)

While still going through Summer Challenge games, I also took a moment to check out Project Warlock 2. I greatly enjoyed the original Project Warlock, so I expected a lot from the sequel; it's a mixed bag, plagued with some bugs that are still getting worked out and some interesting choices in design philosophy, but overall, I enjoyed it.

PW2 is a direct sequel, with the player now taking on the roles of the three apprentices to the warlock of the first game, who is now too powerful and too far gone. You have to play the characters in order initially, though once you have beaten the game, you can take each character back through the other's levels, making for an interesting change as you adapt the divergent gameplay styles. The first episode is more Hexen-flavored, with medieval castles, while the second is the Wild West. The third is outer space, with significantly shorter levels that are much closer to the original game in length. A lot of complaints focus on how short the levels of that last section are, but in truth, I liked them a lot more than the Wild West levels. They tended to feel faster paced with better action.

The real meat though is the upgrade system: over the course of an episode, you gain levels for stats, unlockable skills, weapon upgrades, and more to vastly reshape how you approach each section. A specific weapon choice may vastly change how you fight, and it was fun for me to learn all the different ways I could eventually become a beast of a killer, from freezing hordes of enemies to melee-focused void builds that draw foes to you to sharpshooting explosive builds with crystal projectiles. Play and develop how you want, and dictate how you want to develop your style.

Unfortunately, the game does still have bugs. This ranges from problematic level geometry to broken achievements, but the dev is aware and continues to work to fix it. The game dropped in May, and already there have been patches for fixes based on community feedback. I hope to revisit in a little while to see how all of it has gone, because I still liked the game even after falling through a couple of levels.

Project Warlock 2 needs a little more time to bake, but it's proving to be a worthy successor for me. I recommend it for FPS fans who love the last decade of boomer shooters.