Games Beaten 2023

Post by **MrPopo** » Mon Jan 01, 2024 12:08 pm

Year in Review

This year I managed to pull off 70 games, which is a number I'm happy with, especially considering the genre breakdown. This was a year of many long games and many genuinely amazing games, including a few that surprised me with how good they were given my expectations. Not only did they exceed the middling expectations I had, they managed to set themselves up as legitimately awesome games.

GB - 1
N64 - 1
PC - 38
PS1 - 1
PS3 - 4
PS5 - 3
SNES - 3
Switch - 17
Wii - 2

This was definitely the year of the Switch for me (PC is always going to be the winner as that's where my non-exclusives are played on). Several solid indies and a few heavy hitting big studio releases kept my focus on the little system that could.

Action - 5
Action Adventure - 5
City Builder - 1
FPS - 19
Metroidvania - 2
Platformer - 10
Puzzle - 1
Rhythm - 1
RPG - 13
RTS - 5
Shmup - 1
Simulation - 3
SRPG - 3
Survival Horror - 1

The usual focus on FPS's and RPGs for me, but this year interestingly was heavy on the platformers. That mostly came from me wanting to get my Kirby on; I blew through everything I hadn't already beaten on the Kirby Collection that was on the Wii, and while I was in the old game mood I finally knocked out Mega Man 7 & 8 from the Anniversary Collection. I also played a surprising number of RTS's, with two of them being newly released this year (though one was a remaster of a PS2 game).

Post by **prfsnl_gmr** » Mon Jan 01, 2024 6:02 pm

First, I’m really happy to see Silent Bomber on AJ’s top 10 list. That game rules, and I’m glad he enjoyed it as much as I did.

Second, I’m not going to list stats like the rest of you, but I’m still totally down for a top ten list! Here are my favorite games from 2023:

10. Mappy - This one was a surprise. I’m not normally a fan of frantic maze platformers from the early 1980s, but as I spent more time with Mappy, I learned to appreciate its unique mechanics and frantic gameplay. Now, I find myself coming back to it whenever I want a little bite of arcade gameplay..

9. Bionic Commando (Gameboy) - This one was also a surprise. Bionic Commando is one of my favorite NES platformers, but I have to admit that the Gameboy version is better.

8. Earthbound - This delightfully weird JRPG isn’t my favorite game in the genre, and the gameplay mechanics aren’t that great. It’s winning personality, excellent graphics, and fantastically strange soundtrack more than make up for what it lacks in gameplay, however, and I’ll probably play the third game in the series sometime next year.

7. Vampire Survivors - Vampire SurvivorS was the weirdest game I played this year, and it is completely deserving of its accolades. What starts out as a series of attempts to last 30 minutes in the face of unrelenting Castlevania-inspired monster, hoards quickly transforms into a “reverse bullet hell” score chaser as you unlock more upgrades and uncover more secrets.

6. King’s Field II - King’s Field II is actually the third game in From Software’s King’s Field series, and if further refines the series’ mechanics. It features a larger map, a smoother difficulty curve, and easier navigation. Still, it retains the series, legendary difficulty and mystery. It also wraps up neatly the story from the previous to games. It’s not for everyone, but it was certainly for me.

5. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon - Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is a delightfully old-fashioned 2D action platformer inspired equally by Castlevania III and Ninja Gaiden II. It looks great, and plays wonderfully. I went through it three times to get all the endings, and I’d happily do it again.

4. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 - Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 is just a lot more Bloodstained: Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. Everything I loved about the first game is here, but there’s just a lot more of it. Also, you can play as a Corgi driving a steampunk mech.

3. Kirby & The Forgotten Land - Kirby’s latest game is Kirby’s best. Just a rock-solid 3D platformer that anyone can beat, but only a steady hand will complete. It looks great, runs great, and I couldn’t put it down until I’d done everything.

2. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - I adored Koji Igarishi’s latest metroidvania. I thought I’d spend maybe 10-12 hours blowing through it, but after 30+ hours I had to stop myself from farming materials, searching for secrets, leveling up my familiars, etc. The game has just so much going on, including a Pokémon-inspired demon shard collecting mechanic - Gotta Catch ‘em All! - and it is delightfully silly. The difficulty curve is perfect, and I loved this game despite its ugly graphics and inexcusable performance issues.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - I poured over 300(!) hours into this delightful game. I thought Nintendo would never top BOTW, but they figured out how to do it!

Post by **Markies** » Tue Jan 02, 2024 12:03 pm

2023 was a prototype of a year. After beating my Backlog in 2022, I changed many things around here as I added new consoles, started replaying games into Completion and rebuilt my Backlog. Many of these were drastic changes while some others were smaller changes. Because of rebuilding my Backlog, my 2022 numbers were quite skewed. So, I was looking forward to 2023 being a real test of all my new rules and changes to my Backlog.

Besides some extra purchases to really fill my Backlog, I am very excited with the changes I have made. I got to play some fantastic games on my new consoles. I rebuilt my Backlog to a comfortable amount while finally purchasing some games that I really wanted. Most Importantly, I Completed more games in 2023 than ever before and my 2nd Highest games Beat/Complete. I hope to take this Momentum into the New Year as my Gaming Resolution for 2024 will be to end the year on a Positive Note.

2023 Best New Games Bought
10. Rogue Galaxy (PS2)
9. Evolution 2: Far Off Promise (SDC)
8. Shadow Hearts: Covenant (PS2)
7. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (GBA)
6. Mana Khemia: Alchemists Of Al-Revis (PS2)
5. Dark Cloud (PS2)
4. Jade Empire: Limited Edition (XBOX)
3. Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn Of Souls (GBA)
2. Skies Of Arcadia Legends (GCN)
1. 3D Dot Game Heroes (PS3)

2023 Best New Games Beat
10. Super Mario Land (GBC)
9. Dragon's Crown (PS3)
8. I Am Setsuna (NSW)
7. Kirby's Dream Land (GBC)
6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (NSW)
5. Resident Evil 4 (Wii)
4. Hyrule Warriors (WiiU)
3. Baten Kaitos Origins (GCN)
2. DuckTales: Remastered (WiiU)
1. Golden Sun (GBA)

2023 Best Games Replayed To Completion
5. Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm (PS2)
4. Dragon Valor (PS1)
3. Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht (PS2)
2. Bully (PS2)
1. Streets Of Rage 4 (NSW)

Post by **Flake** » Tue Jan 02, 2024 12:24 pm

Last update! Just truing up the list since I have fallen behind. 2023 was definitely a year of gaming where I clearly got very nostalgic. A ton of replays but even some of the 'new' clears were either re-releases like Metal Gear Solid and Batman Arkham Asylum or me finally clearing an arcade favorite. I don't think this trend will change in 2024 unless Nintendo does release a new console. More comfort food gaming and arcade titles and I honestly feel okay about that.

Nintendo Switch

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
Kirby's Dreamland
Super Mario Bros (All Stars)
Super Mario Bros 3
Wario Ware, Inc Mega Microgames
Mario Galaxy (3D All Stars)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Hyrule Warriors Deluxe
Pokemon: Let's Go Eevee
Megaman Zero 2
Megaman Zero 3
Megaman Zero 4
Megaman ZX
Star Ocean First Departure R
Layer Section S Tribute
Tetris Effect Connected
Megaman: The Power Battles (Arcade Ver)
Megaman: The Power Fighters (Arcade Ver)
Megaman: The Power Battles (NGPC Ver)
Megaman: The Power Fighters (NGPC Ver)
Super Mario Bros Wonder
SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy
King of Fighters XIII Global Match
King of Fighters 97
Real Bout Fatal Fury
Sisters Royale
Ultra Street Fighter 2: The Final Challengers
R-Type (Dimensions Ver)
Caladius Blaze
Batman Arkham Asylum

Xbox Series

MLB The Show 2023
Megaman Zero
Megaman X
Megaman X2
Megaman X3
Megaman X4
Megaman X5
Megaman X6
Metal Gear Solid V Ground Zeroes
Megaman X8
Megaman: The Power Battles (Arcade Ver)
Megaman: The Power Fighters (Arcade Ver)
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
Metal Gear Solid
Triggerheart Exelica
KOF Sky Stage

Playstation TV

Megaman: Maverick Hunter X

Post by **ElkinFencer10** » Tue Jan 02, 2024 6:08 pm

For the first time in nearly 20 years, I have failed to average one game per week.

Games Beaten in 2023 - 49
* denotes a replay

January (5 Games Beaten)

February (7 Games Beaten)

March (7 Games Beaten)

April (3 Games Beaten)

May (0 Games Beaten)

June (6 Games Beaten)

July (8 Games Beaten)

August (3 Games Beaten)

September (0 Games Beaten)

October (4 Games Beaten)

November (4 Games Beaten)

December (2 Games Beaten)

49. Call of Duty 2: Big Red One - Gamecube - December 31

Back in the days of my youth before we got obsessed with killing brown people in desert countries to steal their oil, Call of Duty was about two things - explosions and Nazi killing. I’m honestly not sure why this has the “Call of Duty 2” title because it’s not Call of Duty 2. Call of Duty 2 released on Xbox 360 and Windows in November 2005; Call of Duty 2: Big Red One released on Xbox, Gamecube, Playstation 2, and PC in October 2005. This isn’t just a last gen release to make it cross gen at the 360’s launch; this is a totally different game. Despite being a side game, it’s every bit the equal of Call of Duty 2.

Big Red One follows the US Army 1st Infantry Division nicknamed “Big Red One” due to the large red 1 on their emblem. Unlike most Call of Duty games, you spend the vast majority of the game playing as one man, Roland Roger. There are a couple levels where you play as a different character in the US Army Air Corps running support missions, but you spend almost the whole game playing as a foot soldier. You play through most of the big moments America’s involvement in Europe - the North African campaign, the invasion of Sicily, Operation Overlord, and the liberation of France and push into Germany. It does focus exclusively on the European front, so if you’re hoping to fight the Japanese, you’ll be disappointed. That does mean, however, you’re looking at like eight hours of non-stop Nazi killing, and that’s always a good thing.

Graphically, the game is pretty impressive for 6th generation hardware. I haven’t personally played the PS2 version, but I’ve played the Xbox and Gamecube versions, and I’ve looked at a lot of visual comparisons. All three consoles look pretty similar, but Xbox is definitely the most visually impressive version, and that makes considering that the Xbox was by far the strongest of the four 6th generation consoles (RIP Dreamcast). I would rank Gamecube as the second best looking version, but I could see some argument between Gamecube and PS2. PS2’s visuals are sharper than Gamecube’s, but the Gamecube version seems to use some anti-aliasing that does give the game a slightly smudged look but hides the intense stair stepping and jagged textures seen on the PS2. At the end of the day, Gamecube vs PS2 is largely a personal preference, but I definitively rank Gamecube above PS2.

Presentation and sound design are top notch in Big Red One and absolutely the equal of the mainline games. Between most chapters, you have some Military Channel clips showing some of the actual World War II footage. I love this for two reasons. First and foremost, these clips make the game an actually pretty solid history lesson. As one who teaches high school history for a living, that’s a huge plus for me. The other advantage, though, is that it gives some narrative context to the battles you’re playing through. It gives a nice, short break between big levels, and I’m a fan of the mental breaks in games that cut scenes provide.

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is a fantastic World War II experience. It may not be as nostalgic for most gamers as Call of Duty: World at War is, and it may not be as visually impressive as Call of Duty: WWII, but it is absolutely a great time. If you’re a fan of first person shooters and World War II games, then you definitely need to play this any way that you can. If you aren’t a fan of World War II games, then I’m going to assume you’re a Nazi sympathizer. If you don’t play this game, you love Nazis. I don’t make the rules.

Post by **ElkinFencer10** » Tue Jan 02, 2024 6:25 pm

Elkin's (Low Achieving) Year in Review

So this wasn't a great year for my numbers. It's the first time in almost 20 years that I've failed to clear at least one game per week (52 by December 31), and it follows a declining trend from my high score seven or eight years ago of 138 games in one year. I will say, however, that a big part of the reason was that I allowed myself to play more multiplayer with college friends this year. I played a TON of Battlefield 2042; I played a lot of Halo Infinite, Pokemon, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (the horribly named newer games); and I played a bit here and there of Grounded, Animal Crossing, Mario Kart, Sea of Thieves, Exoprimal, and Second Extinction. So while my numbers are lower, I actually had a more satisfying and fulfilling gaming year. Anyway, to the break down by system:

SNES - 2
Gamecube - 1
Wii U - 2
Switch - 13
Game Boy - 1
3DS - 3
PS2 - 1
PS4 - 3
PS5 - 12
Xbox 360 - 3
Xbox One - 2
Xbox Series X - 5
Android - 1

Thanks to my multiplayer gaming, I actually spent a lot more time on my Series X this year than I did on my PS5 despite what the numbers suggest. Over the course of those 49 games, I played for just shy of 1000 hours (not including multiplayer) averaging a little over 20 hours per game. I'm bummed my completion number didn't even break 50, but I'm glad I finally pushed my anxiety over numbers completed aside (what a weird thing to be anxious about, right?) and let myself whatever was fun and I felt like at the time, number be damned.

Wed Jan 03, 2024 3:32 pm

2023 was backlog year for me, the only game I bought for more than 10 euros was Zelda TotK.

Here's my top 20:
1. Dragon's Dogma
2. Demon's Souls
3. MyHouse.wad
4. Immortality
5. Dusk
6. StarCraft II
7. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
8. Rain World
9. Automaton Lung
10. Neon White
11. XCOM 2
12. System Shock 2
13. Untitled Goose Game
14. Gato Roboto
15. Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts
16. ROMGADR
17. Castlevania III
18. Bloody Hell
19. Mr. Platformer
20. Dragon Age Inquisition

2024 will feature even more games I already own. If I beat 50 or so games, I'll have cleared up most of them. This is my penance for having spent too much time reading about games instead of also playing them :oops:

Post by **Ack** » Thu Jan 04, 2024 4:06 pm

Here is my year end roundup for 2023. I beat a total of 62 games this year, not my highest, but a number that was helped immensely by slow work and strikes in my industry that left me with a lot of free time. I'm not exactly pleased about that, but at least I had something to do while things were out of my control. Anyway, onto the breakdown.

Full Game List:

System Stats:
PC: 61
Arcade: 1

I've been gaming on my PC steadily for years now, and this year just further cemented that. While I did play some on my Nintendo Switch, I didn't actually finish anything until just after New Year's for 2024, hence no inclusions on this list.

Genre Stats:
FPS: 33 (including 2 Horror FPS)
RPG: 7
FPS/RPG hybrid: 1
Strategy: 3 (across different styles)
Traditional: 1
Puzzle: 1
Third Person Shooter: 1
Top-Down Shooter: 1
Run and Gun: 1
Fighting: 1
Action: 3 (including 2 Action/Adventure hybrids)
Simulation: 2 (including one Farming Sim)
Adventure: 7 (across different styles)

While I always skew heavily in my FPS because it's my favorite genre, I'm happy that roughly half of what I played came from a wide mix of genres. I combined them for ease, but Horror Adventures, different simulations, different styles of strategy/tactical games, and more formed the mix. This is part of why I play the PC so heavily, because it offers me so much variety. And this is just what I beat, it doesn't reflect the wide variety of titles I played, some of which simply don't have an ending.

I look forward to more games across styles in 2024. Hopefully I'll knock out more RPGs, but one in particular proved to be a large time sink in the second half of the year for me, hence why that number is lower.

What am I most proud of? Finishing up the Ravenloft games, which also marked the final game using that particular RPG engine. It's not a big thing, but it's a small chunk of Dungeons & Dragons history that I'm pleased to have experienced.

Oldest Game Beaten:

Operation Body Count (1994)

Post by **Note** » Fri Jan 05, 2024 12:08 pm

For 2023, I was able to finish a few more games than I did the prior year; however, due to an apartment emergency, my gaming setup was packed up for about three months. While this disrupted the games I was playing through at the time, I tried to make the best of the situation by playing a few games I was interested in through emulation.

Also, with my partner moving in halfway through the year, this was a big lifestyle change for me, and I began to dabble in more handheld games, as it's something I can play while we lounge on the couch together. I'll probably continue that trend in the upcoming year.

I realized I didn't play through many RPGs and I also didn't finish any survival horror games. I'd like to change that in 2024!

To break it down, I finished games on the following platforms:

SNES - 5
Genesis - 5
Switch - 4
SAT - 3
PS2 - 3
Game Boy - 3
PS1 - 2
TurboGrafx CD - 2
GBA - 2
N64 - 1
Sega CD - 1
Arcade - 1

I also finished games in the following genres:

Beat ‘Em Up: 10
Platformer: 5
Shmup: 5
Action Adventure: 3
Action RPG / Hack and Slash: 2
Fighting Game: 2
Strategy RPG: 1
Run and Gun: 1
Visual Novel: 1
Action Platformer: 1

It's tough to choose a top five as I finished a lot of great games this year that I really enjoyed. I didn't have much to complain with many of these games!

Honorable mentions:
Way of the Samurai (PS2), Demons of Asteborg (GEN), Illusion of Gaia (SNES), Iridion II (GBA), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (GEN).

5. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES) - DKC2 is a wild ride that kept me engaged throughout. There were some areas where I got stuck and frustrated, but with continued attempts I made it through. I felt that Rare upped the challenge in this game, especially with the levels where you'd only control an animal friend. I'm glad I beat this one!

4. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (PS1) - I finally jumped into the Klonoa games and really loved the titles's setting and atmosphere. Don't let the cute mascot here fool you, the game has a good story, challenging sections, and unique boss fights! Also, there's added replay value with the collection aspect. I'm looking forward to checking out the second game this year.

3. Snatcher (SCD) - Another game I was curious about for years and decided to give a go while my gaming setup was packed away. This was the first visual novel styled adventure game I played through, and I'm glad I did. I'm a sucker for cyberpunk settings and this title gave me that fix. Also, the graphics, animation style, and soundtrack hold up very well.

2. Ys Book I & II (TGCD) - I've heard great things about this game for many years, and while my gaming setup packed away, I figured I'd play something I didn't own or have access to. I was blown away by the cutscenes, voice acting, and soundtrack! The graphics are impressive for the time, and the gameplay is very fun as well. The developers really showed what the CD-ROM technology was capable of here.

1. Shining Force III [Scenario 1] (SAT) - I've gotta give my top spot to Shining Force III. I played the official US release and poured about 95 hours in total into the game. The story was great and I love the battle system in the Shining games. Also, I managed to save all the refugees in the infamous train battle after a few tries, which might be the gaming accomplishment I'm most proud of in 2023!

Post by **marurun** » Fri Jan 05, 2024 12:15 pm

Note wrote:1. Shining Force III [Scenario 1] (SAT) - I've gotta give my top spot to Shining Force III. I played the official US release and poured about 95 hours in total into the game. The story was great and I love the battle system in the Shining games. Also, I managed to save all the refugees in the infamous train battle after a few tries, which might be the gaming accomplishment I'm most proud of in 2023!

I consider that a huge achievement. That's one hard map to "perfect". The thieving maps are also hard, what with split parties. Shining Force III didn't go easy on players in some ways, that's for sure.

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