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Previous Years: 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

1. Void Destroyer - PC
2. Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights - Switch
3. Raging Blasters - Switch
4. Citizen Sleeper - Switch
5. GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon
6. Hands of Necromancy - PC
7. Project Downfall - PC
8. Chasm: The Rift - PC
9. Cultic - PC
10. Kirby Super Star - SNES
11. Kirby's Dream Land 2 - GB
12. Kirby's Dream Land 3 - SNES
13. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards - N64
14. Fire Emblem Engage - Switch
15. Mechwarrior 5: Rise of Rasalhague - PC
16. Kirby's Epic Yarn - Wii
17. Kirby's Return to Dreamland - Wii
18. Mega Man 7 - SNES
19. Mega Man 8 - PS1
20. Conquest: Frontier Wars - PC
21. Theatrhythm Final Bar Line - Switch
22. Octopath Traveler II - Switch
23. Last Call BBS - PC
24. The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure - Switch
25. Dread Templar - PC
26. The Great War: Western Front - PC
27. GrimGrimoire OnceMore - PS5
28. Haegemonia: Legions of Iron - PC
29. Everspace 2 - PC
30. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - PC
31. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Switch
32. Warhammer 40000: Boltgun - PC
33. Diablo 4 - PC

Diablo 4 brings us back to Sanctuary for another go at trying to stem the forces of Hell from conquering humanity. This time the demon Lilith, one of the two creators of Sanctuary alongside the angel Inarius, is your primary antagonist. Her goal is uncertain, but it is clear it won't be good for humanity. Your journey will take you across five areas of the northern part of the eastern continent, shifting to a more open world approach compared to previous titles.

Gameplay-wise, things sit somewhere between D2 and D3. Like D3 there is a setup of both mouse buttons and 1-4, with a button to pop healing potions. This time the potions are more like D2, where you can chug them constantly but only have a limited number. Potions drop pretty regularly from enemies, so it's a bit more like D3 health globes in that respect. Unlike D3, here you have a skill tree again. It's set up where there is a central node that will have multiple active and passive skills available, with the general intent being you take one active per central node and that will correspond with that slot on your bar. So the first node has your resource-free basic attack sills, while the second has your bread and butter resource spender. The ones after are your utility and high cooldown stuff, with an ultimate as the last skill slot and a final node where you pick one defining passive; think of this like a build specialization that encourages you to craft around it. Each active skill has passive associated with it a la D3's rune system. The first is fixed, while the second is a choice between two (except utlimate,s they just have a fixed second). There are other passives attached to those central nodes that buff you in various ways. Additionally, active skills can be ranked up to five times; some really want that power boost while others are one point wonders. Getting to the next central node requires a certain number of points to be spent overall. And while there is a "if you don't know what to do, follow it like this" setup for skills to action slots, you are free to mix and match however you like, as long as you can make it work for your playstyle.

Once you reach level 50 you stop gaining skill points and start gaining paragon points. This is a big board of nodes a la FF12's license grid, and you invest in adjacent ones as you traverse the board. Most are minor stat boosts, but there are some that are more significant and have different values for different builds. Once you reach the terminal node of a board you can attach another board to it; these additional boards have multiple terminal nodes and each has a key node that helps you really refine your build. Thus, your end game progression is working through the paragon boards to tailor your character for how you want to play it.

As mentioned, the game has an open world setup. After doing the prologue you are free to do the first three acts in any order; once you complete all three you move into act four and the quest objectives are a bit more linear (though at times you will have two objectives that can be done in any order). As you explore the world you will discover dungeons and towns (for waypoints and supplies) and encounter events (think the cursed chest stuff from D3). Exploring the world has tangible benefits; you gain exploration points which will unlock benefits not just for the current character, but also for every other character you roll. If you hit all the exploration stuff then a new character will start off with a major stats boost, 5 extra potion slots, and 10 skill points. This really makes rolling alts a lot more fun, as 10 points is enough to get you the bones of a build going from the start. New characters also can skip the campaign if you've already completed it, letting you jump into things right away.

Once you finish the campaign you drop into the post game character building stuff. This consists of a few different systems. The first is Whispers; which is a similar setup to Adventure Mode in D3. You have various areas where you go, accomplish a task, and fill a progress bar. When the bar is full you get a cache reward. The second is Nightmare Dungeons; this is D4's version of Rifts. The first time you do a dungeon in D4 you unlock a legendary essence that allows you to enchant a piece of gear with that special affix (though it will always be the lowest roll on a range, so it's still good to find a legendary in the wild), while the Nightmare variant has you up the level of monsters in the dungeon and give them extra powers in exchange for far better loot drops and the ability to level up portions of your paragon board. There's other activities in the endgame like Helltides, PVP zones, and world bosses, but what I've described are the primary ones you should expect to engage with.

From a general feel perspective, things are a bit closer to D2 than D3. The visual design evokes more of that dread that D2 had, and skill effects are a bit more toned down compared to the light shows of D3. When properly built you will explode large groups at a time, but D2 was the same. The game also has a large number of sidequests to go with the open world feeling; feel free to engage or skip depending on how you're feeling (the game has minimum levels for each act and then will scale up as needed if you level harder). You do run into other people in the world, but at just the right rate that the world feels inhabited without feeling like there's always someone around.

Overall, if you're a Diablo fan you'll enjoy Diablo 4. It doesn't necessary do anything major to the formula, but when the formula is already as good as it is that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Every class has multiple viable builds, and respeccing is that middle ground of not being free but it is attainable enough that you can experiment or shift if you get a particular piece of unique gear that makes you want to try a different setup.

Markies' Games Beat List Of 2023!
***Denotes Replay For Completion***

***1. Dragon Valor (PS1)***
2. Breath Of Fire (GBA)
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (NS)
4. World Of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse And Donald Duck (GEN)
5. XIII (GCN)
6. NES Remix Pack (WiiU)
7. Dr. Mario (GBC)
***8. Bully (PS2)***
9. Dragon's Crown (PS3)
10. Bangai-O (SDC)
11. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)
12. Destruction Derby (PS1)
13. X-Men Legends II: Rise Of Apocalypse (XBOX)
14. Vice: Project Doom (NES)
***15. Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm (PS2)***
16. Terranigma (SNES)
***17. Super Street Fighter II (GEN)***
18. Guitar Hero II (PS2)
19. Kirby's Dream Land (GBC)
***20. Gunbird 2 (SDC)***



I have completed Gunbird 2 on the Sega DreamCast this afternoon!

I used to frequent a Pinball Arcade every other Saturday. Because of my friend and desire, we don't attend as much as we used to. One of the aspects I love is they have several MAME machines that have emulated versions of Arcade and old console games. I have spent many hours up there discovering new games and playing new ones that I had never played before. Because of that, I have discovered many great Shoot'em Ups, which is a genre that I enjoyed, but knew very little of. One night, I discovered Gunbird 2 and loved every moment of it. Thankfully, I came home to find that a fairly faithful DreamCast port was released many years ago. Well, during the beginning of the Pandemic, I decided to treat myself with a copy as they are fairly expensive. After playing through it with one character, I decided to go back and finish the rest of the characters.

Gunbird 2 is an extremely faithful arcade port of a fantastic 2D Shoot'em Up. You have several characters to choose from at the beginning. Each character has its own shot type and sub weapon, so each character feels unique and different. Also, one of the characters is Morrigan from Darkstalkers, so that is a nice Easter Egg for Capcom fans. You then go through eight different levels with a boss at the end of each level. The levels are fairly short with the majority of the time being taken up the boss. That aspect reminds me of Treasure games, where the boss fight is the meat of the game. Each character has their own story that unfolds throughout the game as well, which is all fairly comical. You also have bombs at your disposal and a large charged shot that fills up with each enemy that you kill. Both of those are unique to each character as well, so that is more incentive to replay the game. The game has really great music and some beautiful 2D graphics. It also never really feels cheap, which is great in a Shoot'em Up.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Gunbird 2. The game doesn't have much meat to it outside of beating the game with all of the characters. But, the gameplay and the different characters bring out a great experience overall. Shoot'em Ups that are good for even basic players to play are really hard to find as most of them dive straight into the Deep End. With Gunbird 2, it's a great example of Shoot'Em Up that anybody can pick up and play.

It's also part of the Psikyo Shooting Stars Bravo compilation for the Switch. And iirc all the games from it and the Alpha compilation can be bought individually but their combined cost exceeds each compilation's $40 price iirc.

I am long overdue with posts. Prepare for a dump this week.

Games Beaten in 2023 - 20
* denotes a replay

January (5 Games Beaten)


February (7 Games Beaten)


March (7 Games Beaten)


April (1 Game Beaten)


20. Super Mario Bros - NES - April 10*



Super Mario Bros for the Nintendo Entertainment System is the granddaddy of the 2D platformer. While it certainly shows its nearly 40 years of age these days, its simple charm and iconic visuals and sound effects continue to be brutally addicting. This was the first video game I ever owned and played, so it's got a very special place in my heart, but beyond that, it set the gold standard for what a platformer should be and cemented Nintendo's place as THE home console manufacturer from the mid 80s through the mid 90s.



Anybody who's anybody is familiar with Super Mario bros, and and with a story as thin as a Paris runway model's waistline, there's not a whole lot to say about the context. You play as Mario as he jumps, runs, and stomps his way through 32 levels of the Mushroom Kingdom to save Princess Peach from Bowser. Each of the eight worlds consists of four levels, and the four level in each world is one of Bowser's castles where Bowser awaits you at the end. There are warp pipes throughout the game that let you skip levels - sometimes multiple worlds at once - if you know where to look and how to access them.



With the exceptions of the Nintendo 64 and the Virtual Boy, this game has been playable in some way, shape, or form on pretty much every hardware platform Nintendo has released since 1985. The tight controls, clever level design, and smoothly increasing difficulty curve are what keep Super Mario Bros being fun and playable nearly four decades later, and it's not hard to see how this game made Nintendo a household name. It may be one of an endless sea of 2D platformers today, but every one of those 2D platformers since has at least some element of Super Mario Bros visible in its design and DNA. There's really not much more to say that hasn't been said a thousand times already since Reagan infested the Oval Office; later sequels may have improved upon and perfected the formula that this game established, but it's a classic that remains playable today for a reason.

Markies' Games Beat List Of 2023!
***Denotes Replay For Completion***

***1. Dragon Valor (PS1)***
2. Breath Of Fire (GBA)
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (NS)
4. World Of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse And Donald Duck (GEN)
5. XIII (GCN)
6. NES Remix Pack (WiiU)
7. Dr. Mario (GBC)
***8. Bully (PS2)***
9. Dragon's Crown (PS3)
10. Bangai-O (SDC)
11. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)
12. Destruction Derby (PS1)
13. X-Men Legends II: Rise Of Apocalypse (XBOX)
14. Vice: Project Doom (NES)
***15. Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm (PS2)***
16. Terranigma (SNES)
***17. Super Street Fighter II (GEN)***
18. Guitar Hero II (PS2)
19. Kirby's Dream Land (GBC)
***20. Gunbird 2 (SDC)***
***21. Stella Deus: The Gate Of Eternity (PS2)***



I have completed Stella Deus: The Gate Of Eternity on the Sony Playstation 2 this evening!

Back in 2021, I beat Stella Deus while working on my final games on my Backlog. Stella Deus was one of the last SRPG's I played as I bought it during a time when I heavily played the genre. It used to be a staple of my daily gaming life until I went through most of them and changed the way I play games. Well, while playing the game, I used to spend many Monday nights just grinding levels while watching the Backloggery Live Streams. So, when I beat the game and then my Backlog, I liked the idea of replaying those long SRPG's while on Monday Night. So, I created my Monday Night Beats and after many months, I was finally able to complete Stella Deus.

Stella Deus satisfies that itch and nostalgia for me perfectly for SRPG's. Honestly, it felt like I went back in time and played a long lost SRPG that I had forgotten about. The combat is grid based with an AP bar at the top telling you whose turn it is. Every action and movement costs AP. Each character is predetermined to be in a specific class and they can't deviate from it. There is a 100 Floor Dungeon that you can grind in at any time and you can use alchemy to create new items. I mostly spent my time the last couple of months grinding on that 100 Floor Dungeon, so the rest of the game became a walk in the park in comparison. Everything is exactly what you expect from a PS2 SRPG and it was exactly what I was looking for.

Honestly, the weakest point is the story. It falls into two JRPG tropes about religion for most of the game and then a Dictatorship as well. It didn't tell anything that I hadn't heard 100 times already. And with stilted voice acting, the story was just there and never got me excited. Also, the alchemy system is almost infinite, but the game never gives any direction on it. To do anything, you have to follow a FAQ. Also, the level and clock caps at 99, so the final floors of the 100 Floor Dungeon are a serious pain. I enjoyed the experience, but the payoff was very underwhelming.

Overall, I still really enjoyed playing Stella Deus. I don't think the 100 Floor Dungeon is worth it, but the battle system is fantastic and it was great game to introduce a new tradition of my gaming. This is not something where I will finish many games, but if I could finish a game a year or so, then I would be very content. A very much overlooked SRPG Gem!

1. Northern Journey (PC)(FPS)
2. Hatchpunk (PC)(FPS)
3. Might and Magic IX (PC)(RPG)
4. Star Wars: Empire at War (PC)(RTS)
5. Chasm: The Rift (PC)(FPS)
6. Real Heroes: Firefighter HD (PC)(FPS)
7. CULTIC (PC)(FPS)
8. Consortium (PC)(FPS)
9. Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 (PC)(FPS)
10. Forgive Me, Father (PC)(FPS)
11. Teomim Island (PC)(FPS)
12. Regions of Ruin (PC)(Action RPG)
13. Void Bastards (PC)(FPS)
14. Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad - Single Player (PC)(FPS)
15. Quake: Scourge of Armagon (PC)(FPS)
16. Quake: Dissolution of Eternity (PC)(FPS)
17. Bioshock Infinite (PC)(FPS)
18. Chop Goblins (PC)(FPS)
19. Ravenloft: Stone Prophet (PC)(RPG)
20. Halfway (PC)(Tactical Strategy)
21. Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood (PC)(FPS)
22. Might and Magic X - Legacy (PC)(RPG)
23. Civilization IV (PC)(4X Strategy)
24. Operation Body Count (PC)(FPS)
25. WW2 Rebuilder (PC)(Simulation)
26. Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos (PC)(Action-Adventure)
27. The Ascent: Cyber Heist (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)
28. Bright Memory Infinite (PC)(FPS)
29. Tuin (PC)(Farming Sim)
30. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun (PC)(FPS)
31. Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef (PC)(Run and Gun)
32. Dark Messiah of Might and Magic (PC)(RPG)

I remember when Dark Messiah of Might and Magic first started popping up in game showcases. It was said to feature detailed sword combat and a large world and adventure. Unfortunately, it released in a heavily buggy state and still has problems to this day, with a world not as open as I had hoped but with combat I found fun once I got the hang of it. If I were a caster or an assassin-type, I might have felt differently. But as a tank? Commence the sword fights and world manipulation.

You are a wizard's apprentice. At the start of the game, you are tasked with delivering an item to another wizard, but once you arrive in his city, an army of necromancers attack. You then end up on a quest to stop said army, while also discovering your heritage and choosing to embrace or reject it. The important thing to remember is that you are NOT automatically the good guy, and the war you have ended up involved with is actually a battle between evil and evil. This pleases me.

But then there is the combat. You could cast spells or try sneaking up and stabbing folks in the back...or you could rush in, shield at the ready, kick one guy off a cliff, grab a crate and hurl it at another, then execute him as he writhes stunned on the ground. Your shield may break from use, so grab another off the ground, kill some enemies with traps you set off, and then trade blows with the one poor sap still standing by baiting him into hitting your shield and countering with a power thrust. I even think I saw some foes begin buddy bashing over ill-timed strikes. Good.

The world is primarily linear in that you can do some backtracking but there is always only one true path forward. Certain situations have multiple ways of resolving them (by which I chose violence). And while you do sometimes revisit previous areas, only a few times do they actually show the result of your immediate passage. Usually it's been too long, and plot stuff has reshaped the locale. But it's an interesting world, and you find some tools that really make things interesting, like a bow that shoots rope arrows you can climb. It gives a real Thief vibe when using that.

Unfortunately, it's still buggy. Like hard crash, cannot proceed unless I change video settings. I fell through floors, had enemies do the same, and saw some general weirdness that kept me making sure I had quick saved just in case. But the game is still playable and bearable if you can put up with a couple of headaches along the way.

At this point, I've played a few spin-offs of the Might and Magic games, and Dark Messiah had a lot going for it that I enjoyed. It isn't perfect, but I have certainty played worse even within the context of solely Might and Magic. Plus, I kicked a goblin down a flight of stairs. Cool.

I picked up the Xbox 360 port of Dark Messiah recently and I was horrified to find that, as far as I can tell, there's no way to invert the "look" thumb-stick. This renders it functionally unplayable for me

Games Beaten in 2023 - 21
* denotes a replay

January (5 Games Beaten)


February (7 Games Beaten)


March (7 Games Beaten)


April (2 Games Beaten)


21. Super Mario Bros 3 - NES - April 11*



Super Mario Bros was the game that put Nintendo on the map in 1985, but the sequel plan got a little murky after that. Japan got the exceptionally good but exceptionally difficult Super Mario Bros 2 (which we in the West know as Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels), and in the West, we got a reskin of Doki Doki Panic released as Super Mario Bros 2 (which Japan knows as Super Mario Bros 2 USA). Nintendo of Japan and Nintendo of America finally got their plans straight for the third game, though, and released Super Mario Bros 3 across all regions (with a few regional tweaks) to universal acclaim. This might actually be the greatest game in the entire NES library, and I'm not exaggerating.



Super Mario Bros 3 set a lot of standards for Mario. We got a look at more recognizable versions of some of the Mario characters, we got a proper overworld, we got power-ups that could be held in storage, and we got a whole host of themed worlds and interesting new abilities. Like with the original games, you can skip through levels - through the use of warp whistles this time instead of warp pipes - and if you know where to look, you can skip from partway through World 1 all the way to World 8. Of course, you're missing almost all of the game if you do that, but hey, it's speedrunner friendly.



One of the most impressive things to me is the visuals of the game. It looks NOTHING like the original Super Mario Bros. Despite running on the exact same console hardware, Super Mario Bros and Super Mario Bros 3 look IMMENSELY different, and they certainly look like their releases were separated by more than three years (in Japan, anyway). The leap in graphics is practically generational in its extent; I think the jump from Super Mario Bros to Super Mario Bros 3 looks more dramatic visually than the jump from Super Mario Bros 3 on NES to Super Mario World on SNES, although I fully admit that there's likely a bit of NES nostalgia talking there.



Super Mario Bros 3 is pretty much just as legendary as Super Mario Bros, so talking too much about it is basically beating a dead horse. The dead horse may be Princess Celestia, but still. It is a testament to its greatness, though, that the film The Wizard is basically just an excuse to advertise Super Mario Bros 3 to Americans in theaters, and god bless them for doing it. I firmly believe that this is the best game the NES has to offer, and while I won't go as far as to say that it's the best 2D Mario game, it is my favorite 2D Mario game. I can only actually beat it every now and then when I'm really on my A game these days, but I'll never tiring of revisiting Super Mario Bros 3 for twenty or thirty minutes now and then for some nostalgic comfort food. It is truly a perfect 8-bit game.

1. Kirby's Dream Land (GB)
2. River City Girls (Switch)
3. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES)
4. The Simpsons (Arcade)
5. Illusion of Gaia (SNES)
6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (Switch)
7. Shining Force III [Scenario 1] (SAT)
8. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (SNES)
9. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (PS1)



10. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (GEN)

[Posted my initial thoughts in the Summer Games Challenge thread, but wanted to expand on it here!]

I received Sonic the Hedgehog 3 as a Christmas gift, back in December of 1994. I really enjoyed the opening sequence, which had a pseudo 3D effect and the first level, but I was a bit thrown off by the new sprite for Sonic. After a bit of time though, this game grew on me quite a bit. I really enjoyed the upgrade in graphics and the soundtrack. When I was young, I made it through most of the game, as it's shorter, but I didn't realize that I had got through most of it until years later. Unfortunately, I traded in a lot of my Genesis games in the summer of 1996 for some extra cash before the N64 release, which I regretted shortly after. I ended up purchasing Sonic 3 again around 2014 after spotting it at a local game shop. After all this time, I finally sat down with the intent of finishing it and seeing the credits roll.

Gameplay wise, Sonic 3 is similar to its predecessors; however, there are some improvements to what was done in the prior games in the series. For staters, the game automatically saves between zones, which is a really nice touch that I appreciate. Also, each shield found in the game has an additional ability or two. For example, the Lightning Shield will also attract and grab nearby rings around the level, and gives you the ability to perform a double jump, the Water Shield lets Sonic stay under water without the need to track down air bubbles and gives you the ability to perform a bounce attack on enemies, and the Flame Shield gives Sonic an invulnerability to any fire based attacks as well as the ability to perform a fireball dash attack in the air. Even without a shield, you also have the ability to do a double jump, which provides a short window of invulnerability, which I found to be really useful during certain sequences and boss fights later in the game. You also have the opportunity to choose between Sonic or Tails, giving the player the chance to have a different playthrough, depending on their character of choice. With Tails's ability to fly, this gives the player a chance to explore different areas throughout the game they wouldn't be able to reach as Sonic. I wasn't able to collect all seven emeralds as I had initially intended. However, with a cleared save file on the cart, I'm able to go back and revisit the areas containing giant rings that warp to you the special stage, so I may go back and try to get all seven before attempting to tackle the originally envisioned long version of the game Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

Graphics wise, I think Sonic 3 is a noticeable improvement over the previous titles on the Genesis. The character sprites are more detailed and the backgrounds of each level has have a lot more going on than in the previous games, the levels are also more expansive. Both the bonus levels consisting of being inside a gum ball type of machine, and the special stages where you have the chance to earn an emerald look sharp as well. The music in Sonic 3 is another impressive feature. Many of the tracks here are quite catchy, with my favorites being that of the Ice Cap Zone and in second, probably the tune for the Hydrocity Zone. The compositions that appear in the original cartridge release of the game was supposedly had involvement by Michael Jackson and his camp of producers, including Brad Buxer who is credited in the game. It's my understanding that the recent re-releases of the game on various collections does not contain the music Michael Jackson's production team worked on and a version of the prototype music from Sega's team has been inserted. I'm not too familiar with Sega's original prototype music, so I'd like to take some time to listen through it and check out the various takes on the tunes for the levels.

Another interesting feature related to the original cartridge release is the use of a FRAM chip to save your adventure. I believe this was quite uncommon at the time. In fact, I'm wondering if this is the only cartridge on the Genesis to feature this type of chip as opposed to a save battery. I've been trying to look into this, but haven't been able to find much info about any other 16-bit carts featuring this. If anyone knows, please share!

It was great to finally go through Sonic 3 in it's original form. Although on the shorter side, I think Sega released a great platformer and it's up there with the other greats in the genre of this era. Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Sonic 3 and I'm looking forward to trying to finish S3&K later in the year! If you haven't played this one before, definitely check it out!

First game I ever bought with my own money. God, I miss being a kid in the '90s.