Bravo Moot! Gold standard reviewage there. Thoroughly enjoyed that.

I might as well post the year before last's list too then:


1.  The Lucky Dime Caper (Master System)

Still great.  Bobs around the top tier of Master System games, probably just outside the top 10 as some gameplay elements have to be overlooked these days, but it's different enough to be worth a proper look for anyone wanting to check out a lesser-known Sega/Disney effort.  [8]

2.  Rise of the Tomb Raider (Xbox One)

It's easy to see why some folks prefer this to Uncharted.  I don't, but it continues the good work started with the reboot.  Story is weak, cutscenes/dialogue are piss poor when compared to Drake & co., but in the plus column the bow is well used, the climbing is more varied and the puzzles are better if you include the tombs.  I only did three of those, as they're optional, but I bet the rest are good.  I'd probably play a tomb only mode if completing the main game unlocked a the option, but it didn't and I'm not going back in to find them.  Enjoyed it though.  Played on normal, but it probably would've been more enjoyable on hard as the shooting is good (again, better than Uncharted. perhaps thanks to the Bone sticks). [8].  

3. Mad Max - PS4

I struggled with this a bit, because it does a lot of things I don't like in a package that, on the whole, I found irresistible.  There's so much to do, which is a good thing in games like this, I'm all for optional extra for those who want them, but of the few open world games I've played this was the meanest in terms of gated progression.  You can't really make a beeline for the credits, because every three missions or so you'll have to run errands to find/upgrade this or destroy that, which feels a bit like being sent to search for long weights or tartan paint.  Also, it's hard.  I died loads on the road.  The fighting is fairly straightforward (and great - no complaints here - "I'm Batman", said Max), but traversing the world map in your car is surprisingly brutal.  Again, you need to spend hours mopping stuff up for a free ride.  Pressing circle for fire is something I never got used to either.  It really does take ages to collect scrap too, and if you don't, you'll be underpowered before you know it.

That's most of the bad stuff out the way though.  In the plus column, this really is a superbly realised Mad Max game.  It does so much stuff so damn well that I'm surprised it didn't get more coverage at launch.  Metacritic has it at 69, which doesn't sit right with me.  I've tried to play GTAV (twice), I played Assassin's Creed 2.  I thought Crackdown was shit.  I'm quaking at the noise about the size of the new Zelda.  A lot of my problems (or potential problems) with these games stem from the fact that it's just not that interesting to drive around in GTA, or fight in AssCree, or presumably, walk around a lot in Zelda.  It's fun to be Max though, gunning a dirt bucket with a V6 engine, ramming/harpooning cars, sniper rifle in the boot, occasionally jumping out to snap a few limbs or bash up a top dog in a tower (the towers/strongholds are great).  The fighting and driving, which are the meat and potatoes of the experience, are both moreish (something it has over Mordor, where the fighting was more moreish than the rest of it).  The voice acting is good, I didn't skip the cut scenes and chasing down tumbling crates in electrical storms was brilliant.  Plus it looks gorgeous.  

One more minor complaint:
Spoiler:
Enough moaning though.  As mentioned somewhere a few weeks ago I played this for 5 hours straight the other day, which is the longest I've sat in front of any game for many, many years.  I'm giving it an [8], but only because I had second thoughts and deleted the [9] I was originally going for.  A hair's breadth behind Shadow of Mordor.


4. Horizon: Zero Dawn

Credits are rolling.  I'm sure it has plenty to offer a more commited player, but as a straight run through the story missions it was a chore for the most part.  Wonderful visuals, great creature design and decent audio, but the combat was frusting and messy, and I found nothing of interest in the optional missions.  I wouldn't say I hated it, but I came close on numerous occasions.  Good in places, a valiant effort for the most part, but a swing and a miss overall.  Mad Max poops on it, and I wish I hadn't played it as it's made me even more anxious about playing a mahoosive Zelda.  [6]

5. Parappa the Rapper Remastered

Quite enjoyed it despite the penny never really dropping with how to play it. I'd be seething if I'd paid for it though.  A curio for sure, my daughther does an excellent Master Onion impression (and loves the game far more than me), but it veers quite close to terrible imo.  [4].  Would've been a [3], but the Skunk gag got a lol.

6. Super Monkey Ball Jr. (GBA)

A far better conversion than I gave it credit for at the time.  I think an iffy Edge review convinced me it was poor, but playing it now I'm amazed by the conversion.  It's Monkey Ball lite, sans analogue stick, on HW that's supposedly just about 32-bit.  Most of the stages are close replicas and most of the mini games are present and correct.  A fine handheld title.  I've done the beginner and intermediate stages, which is enough for me - seen the credits twice though (interactive, ofc).  [8]

7. Ninja Commando - Neo Geo

Up the screen on foot shooter.  Starts well, gets a bit silly towards the end in terms of difficulty, but don't they all?  Standard fare, but an enjoyable retro experience.  Marking it having not paid £90 for it, or whatever the original price was, I think a [6] is about right.

8. Robo Army - Neo Geo

Simplistic arcade scrolling beat 'em up.  Not much of a moveset, but chunky characters, decent visuals and solid thwack noises take this up a notch or two.  Just about good enough for 1991.  Fun but nothing special [6]

9. Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon - Neo Geo

Another scrolling beat 'em up, but this one does a lot more.  It has Streets of Rage 2 level of moves per scantily clad character.  Aside from a super cheap final boss this is a great example of the genre. [8]

10. Dashin' Desperados - Megadrive

The sort of game time has been incredibly kind to.  It's a split screen race-to-the-goal game with very little depth and not many levels.  What was probably a half decent diversion on release (at £40) is now an excellent little Nidhogg/Runbow/Doriotos Crash Course head-to-head precursor (at £0).  Some of the levels are poor when there's clearly a conscious effort to mix things up, but the straight race stages are a joy.  Almost a 9, much fun was had.[8]

11. Wonderboy in Monsterland - Master System

Still wonderful, you can keep your Dragon's Trap. It's easily one of the best 8-bit games imo, both at the time and as a retro runthrough. Was just about perfect at the time in terms of getting your money's worth (I only finished it once iirc), and it doesn't feel as evil as most games from the era during a cold save state run. Fun to play, loads to do, tactics needed plus a touch of play-your-own-way item choices with armour/special items etc. A very special game. [9].

12. 3D Ultra Mini Golf Adventures - 3DS

Cheating a bit this one, as I only had one tournament left to finish.  I booted it up again after exhausting the Monkey Golf minigame on GBA.  Basic stuff, it's just learn precicely where to aim and how hard to hit the ball (and hoping you get the swing right), but that's an accurate representation of crazy golf I guess.  Extremely cheap (pricepoint) and a good way to spend 2hrs. [7]

13. Pilotwings Resort (3DS)

My first Pilotwings game.  Thoroughly enjoyed it.  I'm probably done with it now, after 5hrs - got the required 18 star minimum on each section - but it was perfectly suited for my commute this week.  Wasn't overly keen on the jet pack but the rest of the events were fine.  Considered an 8 but I thought it was a touch short, so [7].

14. Little Nightmares - PS4

Had my eye on this for a while, was hoping for a stylish Inside type, which is more or less what I got.  It started well, then became a touch irritating by the second section, so I ended my first sitting feeling a bit disappointed.  All is forgiven for the latter half of the game though; sections three onward were pretty classy.  Some of the camera angles don't suit the 3D movement (why tilt the view awkwardly when the character is traversing a thin platform?  It should be user-friendly to get from A to B, not Monkey Ball), and the long-armed blind enemies were a bit of a swing and a miss for me, but overall I've got no qualms about having paid £15.99 for the disc + soundtrack.  If this were digital only I would've waited for a sale, but releasing it as a retail title too reeled me in, so more of this please.  Bundles of atmosphere and the Delicatessen/Inside/Spirited Away/Tim Burton fever dream mish mash of styles ended up working really well.  [7]

15. Ratchet & Clank - PS4

Haven't really played any of these before.  I had a quick go on the PS3 version but wasn't impressed, although that may be a case of bad timing as this is a pretty much perfect package.  I'm not sure how similar this is to the original (is it a complete reboot?), but it reminded me a little of Furfighters on Dreamcast, only without the dull exploration.  Visually stunning, the weapons are fun and I didn't mind doing the optional bits and pieces.  Even the cutscenes were worth watching.  Came away without any complaints*, it's a tidy, slightly throwback, focused shooter - like how they used to make 'em, but without the MDK2 nastiness, or getting whisked 10 minutes back after dying.  A very strong [8]

*Aside from the fact that starting the new Challenge Mode wiped my save post credits.  It did say it would to be fair, but I didn't realise that meant story save, just assumed the new mode was an arcade shooter bowl or something.  NVM.

16. Batman: The Videogame - Gameboy

Not played many GB games, this one looked and sounded a bit better than I was expecting.  Even did a neat screen flip thing at the start of each stage and had a couple of Batwing bits.  4 levels is a bit short, and you can breeze through most of them, so [6], but good fun.

17. Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition - Xbox One

This year, I have been mostly playing open world games.  What I liked about this one, aside from the Batman combat, was that the focus didn't seem to be on how big the play area is.  It never took long to get anywhere, especially after I started using taxis.  Visually it's shiny enough, nothing special but it looks fine, clearly an update of an outdated game, but fine.  The speedboat sections were amusing though, it's pretty obvious the game's not supposed to move that fast as things were popping in all over the place.  The gunplay was a bit wobbly, and nothing about it felt anywhere near outstanding, but every aspect of the mechanics was bobbing around a 6 or 7 out of 10, which worked as a whole.  Plus the story/cut-scenes were a lot better than I expected/feared.    

I'm pretty sure I managed to get through it in a couple of hours less than I spent on Ratchet & Clank.  Post-credits clock was at 10hrs 31mins.  Not quite an open worldy, but enjoyable stuff and I'm glad I've finally ticked it off the 'maybe one day' list.  [7]

18. Medal of Honor: Infiltrator

This one took me a couple of weeks of DLR sessions.  One or two levels required multiple commutes of concerted effort and silent anguish.  It's easy to forgot how much trickier it was to wade through games like this before there was a checkpoint on every corner.  At least it saves between levels, but if you lose a couple of lives it may not be worth saving.  Hey everyone - I'm proud of myself.

It's a top-down Commando type with a few Operation Wolf style stages chucked in and a touch of Metal Gear sneaking for good measure.  The graphics are good (it's especially crisp on a Micro screen), there's plenty of sampled speech and even a spot of B&W FMV (on a cart!!).  Brilliant little game.  [8]

19. Wario Land 4 - GBA

Got through this in just over a week, enjoying the GB Micro on the the DLR at the mo.  Always fancied this one, had it for years but never got round to it.  It's not quite my cup of tea in terms of platforming (it's light on the peril and heavy on the collectables), but much like the Kirby game I played on 3DS it punches above its weight with imaginative touches and charm.  The way it's set out took a while to get used to - you have to find parts of a gem, and finish the stage holding a key to progress to the boss.  I wouldn't have played it if I'd known, as searching for items doesn't tend to appeal anywhere near as much as jumping over holes, but it never got annoying as it's a very easy game.  The bosses were high quality throughout, which is unusual for Nintendo, and the way coin collecting in mini games could buy weapons to weaken them was a neat twist.  I almost loved it.  [7]

20. Metroid Fusion - GBA

I finished a Metroid!  4hrs 56mins, 49% item collection. In terms of controls I still think it's a bit fiddly, it certainly wouldn't pass as a dedicated run & gun (although for me it's smoother in that department than Super), but in terms of design it's pretty special.  It's also a lot more focused than Super, the helping hand is quite pronounced.  I assume that's why plenty of fans consider the 16-bit game the high water mark, coupled with being miles ahead of its time, but this is the only entry that's managed to grab me completely.  Graphics were excellent throughout, it's a lovely looking game.  Audio was decent, although clearly not as remarkable as SM.  The only ability I didn't quite get the hang of was the spin jump.  It took me longer than it should have done to realise that the timing is on the drop, but even then missing the window occasionally felt like a frameskip fail due to iffy emulation (I played it on the Micro, so it wasn't that - it was either me or the game).      

The gradual progression was well done, no areas stood as as being more of a slog than others, very few suit perks were eyeroll inducing.  Good stuff, a damn fine game.  [8].

21. Mario Golf: Advance Tour - GBA

Got completely sucked into this one, managed to get to the credits in less than a week (clock says 7.5hrs).  I'll probably carry on playing for a few days as there's lots more to do.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but once you've worked out the intricacies it's not a million miles from the 3DS game in terms of golfing, which is the only other entry I've played.  It's presented like an RPG of sorts, so I assume it was the main inspiration for [insert name of the upcoming indie 2D golf RPG].  I can't really fault it for the way it executes what it set out to do, so I'm gonna give it a generous [9].  Putting could be better, but other than that, it's superb, and now officially my favourite sprite-based golfer.

22. Iridion II - GBA

A lovely little vertical shmup that manages to not only look better than most games on the system (it's gorgeous), but also sounds superb - it's full of proper, genuinely memorable pulse-racer shooter tunes.  I only did the whistlestop tour, having played it on easy, but it still took me around 90 mins.  An absolute gem on a system bereft of bangers in the genre. [8]

23. ARMS - Switch

Review pending.  Only did the basics, but the credits rolled.

24. Nex Machina - PS4

See above. [9]

25. Zelda: The Minish Cap - GBA

Finally.  I kick stuff out of my pile of shame all the time, eventually conceding defeat, but this is something I kept on  there since launch.  It's not a masterpiece, but it's a fine effort by Capcom.  The shrinking thing was serviceable rather that special, as was the doppelganger thing, but the kinstone pieces and figurines were a neat (optional) addition.  Much like ALBW, it's too easy for the most part, even though I only found two bottles/a smattering of heart pieces.  The last boss took three attempts to work out, but other than that I don't think I died.  I'd always assumed it was short, maybe 8hrs or so, but I'd say it weighed in closer to 12, and that was without doing much in the way of extras.  None of the dungeon design stood out, but they were all solid.  I think I'll settle on a slightly harsh [7] - good, but not quite up there.

26. Astebreed - PS4

Dirt cheap in a PSN sale, sounded intriguing so I took a punt, glad I did.  It's a short and sweet shmup with extra bits going on, like a close quarters sword attack and a dash, plus it has a smattering of into the screen sections that don't feel out of place.  If this was a Dreamcast game it'd be pretty fondly remembered imo - loads of these indie games on PSN etc have that 'smashing arcade-at-home circa 2001' thing going on.  You wouldn't want to pay £40 for it in this day and age, but it was £3.29.  [8] for the price, but probably a good [7] at its original £11.99.  

27. Shovel Knight - Specter of Torment

5hrs of joy.  This felt a lot more like a game designed around your abilities than Plague Knight, who was a bit like Amy in Sonic Advance, with her silly mallet and non spin jump - functional, but incongruous.  It was too easy, especially the bosses, so it misses a [9], but challenge mode considered, this is highly likely to make it onto my GotY top 5.  [8]

28. Yakuza 0 - PS4

From start to finish, this was wonderful.  I laughed all the way through it, and I'm kicking myself for turning my back on Sega - forgive me old friend, I just assumed these were all shit.  

I've seen this described as an open world game, but that's misuse of an already loose definition imo - the game world is compact, but packed to the rafters with fun.  For me, this is the way it should be done.  During Horizon: Zero Dawn I found myself fighting to stave off the boredom elicited by such a whopping map ("God it's a barren featureless desert out there"), but Yakuza has the activities sausage-packed into a comparatively miniscule area.  Almost everything was fun, including things that usually leave me cold - errands, collectibles, side quests (heart), lengthy cut-scenes, cash grinding, the 35+hr quest - and there's no formula for explaining why it clicked.   As mentioned elsewhere, the slight residue of the previous gen or two worked in its favour for me.  I saw it as the ultimate progression of a Dreamcast game; the sort of fanciful gaming experience I would've dreamed of in 2001, that the industry has now sadly outgrown.  I could sit here and write about this for ages, but I won't as it'll start to make less sense, so I'll re-use one of the words I started with: wonderful. [9]      




29. Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows - 3DS

Got halfway through on jury service, then gave up.  I thought I was out, but Specter of Torment pulled me back in.  I didn't love it, but I didn't end up hating it as much as I did at first.  It's probably the trickiest of the three campaigns, but that's mainly because some of the controls don't quite work.  As a free extra (for OG players at any rate) it's not to be sniffed at.  There's plenty of charm, a healthy dose of the just-one-more-go's, and a smattering of great design, but overall it's a square peg in a round hole and wouldn't stand up as a standalone game.  The challenge mode elevates it to a [6]

30. Twinkle Tale - Megadrive

Really good top down shooter, tough as nails but no match for me with infinite save states.  'Hidden gem'.  [8]

31. Jackie Chan Adventures - NES

One of the best 8-bit platform beat 'em ups.  Considering its age, there's really not much wrong with this at all.  Varied, responsive and fun, a great little game to whizz through to bump up my numbers. [8]

32. Titan Souls - Vita

Nearly an exceptional game.  The idea is terrific - the one shot weapon, one hit kills both ways, boss rush to finale - but the execution is ever so slightly fudged.  It looks and sounds lovely, they do a pretty good job with pattern variety on the guardians given the single shot thing, and it's the perfect length, but I found the frustration veered closer to 'that's unfair!' than 'that was my fault' on more than a few occasions.  You can work on repeating your pattern 20 times, then suddenly have it work without feeling like you improved, just that the game allowed you to win.  In something like Meat Boy, Ori or Hotline Miami, I always felt like I'd nailed whichever section I progressed from.  I'm not completely sure what I'd change about the controls, I just know that they never felt particularly strong, and considering all you can do is walk, roll, run and shoot, that shouldn't be the case.  A faster roll that matches the direction you press precisely might help.  I'm being harsher on this than it deserves, as it's a good game, but it had the potential to be so much more.  

A sequel or a reboot for this would be high up my wishlist, I'd probably even back it on Kickstarter, which would be a first.  [7]

33. Velocity 2X  - Vita

Disclaimer: I'm using what I consider to be a wildcard of sorts, based on the following from the OP:

How do I know when I've completed a game?

Up to you.  It could be completing the game or playing it for 10hrs+.

So I'm having this, based on the 'up to you' bit, because I'm hugely fucked off with it now.  I put 4 hours in though, of 4-5 listed on HLTB, before I hit a wall.  It's the only time I'll pull this; I haven't completed it but I can't face playing it again and I need to be rewarded in some way for my wasted time.  So, Velocity 2X - I loved it for a while, then gradually began to dislike it as it became maze-like and added teleports/map useage, and now I pretty much hate it as it's forcing me to backtrack to accrue XP to unlock the last few levels.  I consider that dirty tactics, and this can sit next to Shantae and the Pirate's Curse as the only game(s) I've ever ditched at the final hurdle in an incosequential protest.  [5]  I would've given it a [4] as I'm so annoyed with wasting my time, but one of the bosses mid-way was very good.  The mechanics are sound, it's not a bad game on paper - the on-foot sections are great - but it's dull after a while, doesn't focus on what I considered its strengths, and the gated progression towards the end is horrible surprise.

34. Thumper - Switch

Outstanding.  There's pretty much nothing I didn't like about it.  As a test of memory/rhythm/reflexes that can be enjoyed in either short bursts or full sessions it's practically peerless, so I'm gonna add a point to the score and award it a perfect [10] as a handheld game, or a [9] in home console/PC guise.  It's tough; I struggled here and there, but in those moments I hated myself more than the game.  It's tricky enough, and enjoyable, to just make it to the credits, but there's huge scope for improvement and score chasing, so it's got the lot - Trials style.  Then there's the Game+ mode, which sounds like serious business with the speed up thing & extra multipliers.  I expected/hoped to like it, but I'm surprised how much I love it.  Best game on the Switch, best game of 2017.  BOSSES.

35. VVVVVV - Vita

Outstanding little game, aside from a slightly weak final stretch I've got nothing but fondness for it.  Doesn't outstay its welcome and the trinket quest is nicely handled in terms of difficulty.  Loved it. [8]

36. Ryse - Xbox One

Was really enjoying this until around midway, but was pleased to see the credits in the end.  It looks superb, I'd never guess it was from the first wave of current gen software.  Okay, so it funnels you in the direction you need to go, so it's smoke & mirrors or whetever, but it does that lovely Bone soft-focus thing Quantum Break nails too.  It's another example of men's faces looking realistic and women's faces looking a generation behind though (see Uncharted 2).  Combat is functional, but fit for purpose.  The parry is fine, the QTE flashes are good, but the roll and attacks are weak, and the focus is game breakingly overpowered so I choose to avoid it.  Overall it's enjoyable, and I'm glad I played it, but it does come apart a bit towards the end.  Decent enough. A low [6]

37. Rime - PS4

The second game I played from start to finish with my daughter, so I have a special fondness for it ('I got a plan daddy!'), but trying to ignore the extra layer of enjoyment:

The way this starts is wonderful.  The unforced exploration and appearance of the character in red robe, brilliant stuff.  It'd be unfair to say it goes downhill afterwards, but it gradually drops from a 9 to an 8.  The linearity of the middle chapters doesn't quite suit it, although it did a good job of making me feel like I could be going the wrong way/making the wrong move when I wasn't - The Last Guardian nailed this too.  In terms of puzzles it's rarely a head scratcher, but almost always rewarding; much like ALBW, puzzles that feel clever without making you feel clever for solving them.  I'm fine with this, a couple had me stumped for a while, which is enough.  It chugs a bit on PS4, so I guess the Switch version may be a bit iffy unless the devs up their game, but overall the stylised look is great.  Sometimes the camera angles frustrate, and it doesn't know which way is up from time to time, but these are minor niggles that don't take much away from one of the best puzzle adventure games for years.  If I've been overly negative I didn't mean to be, and would probably put this just a touch above TLG on a list of similar games.

Loved the ending too, and the music deserves a mention. [8]

38. Aareo - PS4

Frequency meets Rez - rarely great, but a solid effort buoyed by bangin' bass heavy tunes that, when the game nails its pitch, really enhance the not-particularly-good gameplay.  In all honesty, if this looked and sounded shit, two things it most certainly does not, it would be jank, but it doesn't so oddly enough I'm recommending it quite highly.  I paid a fiver on PSN, and if you can grab it at that price (ends Aug 16th) you're laughing.  Well worth a punt for anyone who plays with headphones, was a perfect match for the Sony Golds.  Of its main gameplay parts, the shooting, although fine for the most part (if unremarkable), isn't as good as the rail matching.  The latter is controlled by flicks and circular motions of the stick, and actually works very well as it's often married with the punchiest sections of the music track.  The irritating homing missiles made me consider marking it down a touch, but I would've had fun with this at twice the price, so [7]

39. Oxenfree - PS4

Waited ages for a sale on this, as I was intrigued but not fully convinced I'd like it.  Got it for £3.99 in the end, such bargain.  It nailed almost everything it set out to achieve, which is hugely impressive.  A remarkable experience.  Anyone after deeper insight should check out Tempy's video post-completion, which was bang on the money.  [9]

40. Journey - PS4

Dunno, it's almost impossible to mark.  I liked it less than I did first time, so [5] maybe?  Playing Rime probably had a negative impact on this because tha's also beautiful but a proper game too, whereas this is just a weird, somewhat bland conveyor belt to the end.  Characters with longer scarves occasionally arrived to hammer the 'communicate/do a white bubble' button at me, but is it art?

41. Guacamelee - Vita

With so many quality games to choose from these days, this one has probably slipped a point or two since release.  It's okay, but Cinty was right about the combat and it seemed to frame drop for wall jumps when the screen got busy.  The dimension jump/dash/uppercut/wall hold stuff felt difficult through poor execution rather than well designed trickiness.  Ori it ain't.  [5]

42. Sonic Mania - Switch

Probably the best Sonic experience since Knuckles + 3, and surpasses that in places.  Over the moon with what they've done here - imo it takes the best of Sonic and adds better bosses.  So far I've just played one run to the credits, but I've got nothing but fondness for the experience.  Will be there or thereabouts as my GotY.  [9]

43. 10 Second Ninja X - Vita

Excellent game, exactly what you'd expect given the premise - mop up a small number of enemies within 10 seconds, earning between 1 and 3 stars, instant restarts ahoy.  The lack of cross-save on this one is a bit of a shame, as it turns out I was maybe two stages away from finishing it on PS4 before starting again on Vita.  NVM though, had fun both times.  [8]

44. Ninja Senki DX - Vita

Perfect 8-bit throwback ninja platformer.  I lap stuff like this up as the better ones tend to take the best from their inspiration, and add niceties such as fairness and checkpoints.  I can't really fault this, I got it on PS+, but considering it's only £4.99 as standard on the store I'm gonna go big with a [9].  Very simplistic but very well executed, whoever made it loved their games in the 80s, it even gets the feel of the enemy types right - can easily picture them listed in a Master System instruction manual.  I used to enjoy MS Shinobi, AK in Shinobi World and so on, but side by side this knocks those into a cocked hat.  Last boss was an evil twat too, good show.

45. Three Fourths Home - Vita

An interactive/visual short story.  Enjoyable, but I'm glad I only paid £2.  I've got a soft spot for things like this (I didn't hate Virginia for a start, which can be compared to this at a stretch).  Not gonna rate this one, as I wouldn't know what parameters to judge it on.  Main story was good, epilogue was merely okay, and it was all over bar the shouting within an hour.

46. The Order 1886 - PS4

After all the fuss I enjoyed it.  Gunplay was old hat, the QTE success window was too long, and it couldn't make its mind up which button did what while I was plodding around, but it still satisfied.  Enemies don't sponge shots and bolt action rifles always scratch an itch.  Looks excellent, sounds great through headphones and plays fine.  Even the setting/story landed to an extent.  In the battle of the shallow mine's-better-that-yours lookers, this smashes the butt of a rifle into Ryse's exposed helmet after a short, naked scuffle in front of a fireplace. [7]  Had this launched at a chalice I woud've gone with an [8].  18/86 - looks pert and juicy, jump inside for a spin and it feels all old 'n shit.  Sometimes corridors and old-timey feels are all I want though.

47. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Enjoyed it, but it came too soon after U4 to really tickle my fancy.  The leads are fine, very good in places even, but without the Nate-quips it's harder to forgive the creaky template.  Climbing is still route finding and puzzles are still reasonably interesting.  The distinct lack of shooting made me wonder if the series would've been better retaining more gamey aspects, and whilst I also love the Mysterious Cities of Gold esque clockwork futurepast stuff, nothing was ingenious.  Makes you think how incredible the OG Tomb Raider was in '96.  It lacks the scope of the series proper, but if you want a glorious looking, cut-price cinema simulator* that doesn't outstay its welcome, dive in.  [7]

*Regards to g man.

48. Broken Age - Vita/PS4

This started well, and despite/because of an extended hiatus from the genre I managed to enjoy the feeling of constantly being a bit stuck.  Merriloft and Shellmound were decent environs.  For a few hours it was welcome back point & click adventures, all is forgiven, I'm gonna play loads of these woo.  Then things rapidly went downhill in the second half and by the umpteenth rewiring puzzle the dreaded KILL MEEEE feeling set in.  I'm probably done for another 15 years now.  Not sure I've ever been so glad to see the back of a game, I ended up following a step-by-step guide for the final third and still struggled.  Just about scrapes a [5] as the PS4 version is pretty lush compared to the horribly buggy Vita port, but the handheld effort is a [4].

49. Super Time Force Ultra - Vita

It took me far too long to work out how to play this.  An embarrassingly large chunk of the game.  Once it clicked it jumped up to a very entertaining [7].  It's the Super Meat Boy replay runs + PoP rewinds smashed into a frantic run & gun.  Controls are a touch too sloppy for my liking, but I suppose it suits when you're barrelling though a level with the ability to rewind time.  Art style gets a thumbs up, cut-scenes weren't annoying and there's plenty of punning going on in the story bits.  I liked what it did overall, another solid freebie.

50. Colour Guardians - Vita

Another PS+ freebie, this one's a sort of Simon Says runner - change to the colour of the items you're about to run into to collect them, and reach the end of the stage without getting splatted of falling down a hole.  You've also got three planes to move in and out of, like, um...Guardian Heroes.  Tbh I can't say why I liked this so much, but the more I played it the more it sucked me in, was an excellent game for public transport.  There's an annoying glitch on the Vita version where it freezes intermittently, which can ruin a run, but otherwise it's a very good port (had a quick look at the PS4 version, it's nicer but you're not missing much).  Bosses were fun, difficulty erred on the side of easy, really good fun, but perhaps an acquired taste.  [7]

51. Assault Android Cactus - PS4

I really liked this.  Twin stick shooters are all the rage these days, so they have to be near exceptional to truly stand out - see Nex Machina further up the page.  This isn't exceptional, but at the same time it doesn't really put a foot wrong.  The depleting battery adds tension/panic, and although I never worked out precisely what the requirements were to make fresh one to appear (other than 'you'll get one in the nick of time'), it always felt like it was working.  The initial fear would be that it would often feel like waiting for a certain block in Tetris that never appeared, but if you're quick and efficient you'll recharge, so it is down to the player.  I liked the mix of characters/weapons in this.  I mostly used Starch once he was selectable, but I dabbled with a few others and I can see the appeal for replaying stages.  Bosses were good, although the final guardian was perhaps a smidge too hard for me - even when I beat it I only managed it by tenths of a second.  Graphics are decent, and the speech emitting from the pad helped it become less annoying for some reason.  Some stages felt like they went on too long until I beat them, but that was a good thing in hindsight.  It has working co-op too; I played the first two worlds with @Retroking1981 earlier in the year.  Great little game, well worth the £6ish I paid [8].

52. Golden Axe - Arcade

Breezed through it a few months ago, forgot to add it.  Hasn't aged well, particularly in arcade form as it has less levels than the MD port.  Gets an extra point for the odd fourth wall breaking ending sequence.  Startlingly easy for an arcade game too.  [6]

53. Spy Chameleon - Vita

Nice idea poorly executed.  The difficulty is all over the place - 80% of it is a breeze, half of the penultimate stages are tricky and most of the final set of levels are stupidly easy to beat.  The designers didn't have a clue in this respect.  Sneak mechanics are okay at best, but most of the stuff added for the sake of variety are lame (cardboard boxes - lel - and pushing things).  Glad it's over, if I wasn't tallying these up I would've ditched it ages ago.  [4]

54. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle - Switch

So much better than it had any right to be, and probably even a smidge better than I'd secretly hoped.  It's entrymans XCOM that still packs a wallop.  Everything is in place for you to progress (even down to the ability to reset the skill tree, or gradually collect more coins by replaying stages), yet it maintains a reasonably high level of trickiness throughout.  So it gives you a leg up a rung or two whilst wobbling the ladder with gusto.  Naughty rabbits.  I've never been good at them, but I would say I'm reasonably proficient at the genre, yet still found myself needing a couple of runs at each stage before progressing from chapter 3 onwards.  Also, anyone expecting this to be a simplistic grid tactics affair is likely to be surprised by the depth.  It has a pretty nuanced chain of events thing going on, where with the correct team combinations you can really maximise your turn, but you have to be on the ball to string it all together, and that's without the pesky variables of push/bounce/honey critical hits and so on.  Expect spanners in the works, retirement be damned.  I was especially keen on the way it handles the likelihood of a successful attack - it really is either hit, miss or coin toss, and it tells you which before you fire.  By the end I had a favourite team, but the game didn't really allow me to stick in my comfort zone - both the Luigi's were occasionally useless for certain battles.  Again, the game handles this well and it was nice to a) find myself switching characters regularly and b) that the bench warmers had kept pace with the A-team in terms of usefulness.

Slightly iffy pushblockswitch puzzles aside, this was an absolute joy, and I'm gonna settle on a [9].  In another year it could challenge for top spot on my GotY list, but I'm hoping another Mario game will lay claim to that shortly.  Looks fantastic, sounds even better and offers a shitload of content past the campaign should you be so inclined.  I haven't even tried co-op yet.  A complete package, the real deal, top-tier legit; well played everyone involved.

55. Fez - Vita

There's not much I can add to this that hasn't been said before.  It's an astoundingly good game, probably one of the very best ever made.  Everything works, everything is honed and refined - even the way your character returns to the last solid surface after a fall feels like the perfect way to do it.  I'd settled on a [9] until the final part of the ending sequence, then I thought fuck it, I'll go for a [10].

56. Super Stardust Delta - Vita

Nifty little game.  Not quite Resogun/Nex Machina standard but you can tell Housemarque were busying themselves on a mission to become the team to beat with modern arcadey shmuppers.  A perfect fit for a handheld too. [7]

57. Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins - PSP

One that's always been on my list of games to play through at some point, and unlike Majora's Mask, Metroid Prime and Grim Fandango, I didn't change my mind and cross it off as soon as I had access to it.  It's not what I thought it'd be - straightforward dash to the end boss this ain't.  End screen said 7hrs 24mins, with 23 of 33 golden coins found.  I didn't fare so well with the red chest hunt, so I'll gloss over skip those stats.  Even though it does a few things I generally dislike in games - forced (repeated) replays and click-on-everything searching (the rings could be anywhere, you need 22 to finish - I had 5 the first time I hit the big boss door), it managed to keep my interest by being so fun to play.  It gradually unfolds itself like a dastardly, maniacal flower.  My 7hrs could easily become 12 for those keen on finding all its secrets, I was missing at least one item for each witch by the time I hit the credits, for example.  The levels are short, it's not as much of a cunt as Super G'nG thanks to the infinite continues and energy bar - removed from ultimate mode apparently - and the nods/motifs are plentiful.  Plus once it's all over, you restart with a 20% speed boost, so I'm tempted with one more run through.  

Excellent game, certainly the best in the series for me as the older efforts require varying amounts of nostalgia to appreciate, whereas this one hits a sweet spot between old and new.  [8]. probably a [9] for those who crave a good old treasure hunt.

58. Marvel Land/Talmit's Adventure - Megadrive

I quite enjoyed it, but it's a very basic platformer.  There's not much to hate, but there's not a host of things to love either.  For 1989 I expect this was nifty enough, although Magical Hat Flying Turbo Adventure (1990) is miles better.  It's got a fair few levels for a MD platformer and an interesting way of mixing the stages up, but by the end I was yawning.  I'm just about glad I played it, but it's not as good as I'd been led to believe.  [5] (as with most of my really retro scores, I'm trying to score it based on how good it was and how good it is - if this launched as a new game on XBLA tomorrow it'd barely scrape a [1]).

59. Skyforce Anniversary - Vita

It's a bit grindy (although not as grindy as me, malowner and davy thought), but still pretty enjoyable thanks to the stage tasks.  Visuals are superb, it really is a lovely looking game.  In a bit of a rush at work so just a couple of sentences for this one - great fun though, but personally I would've preferred less backtracking.  [7]

60. Gravity Rush - Vita

Fantastic presentation across the board, it's a glorious looking game from the character design to the game engine to the comic pane cut-scenes.  They've done well to execute the gameplay idea, it mostly works, but when it doesn't - or when it becomes rote, which is more regular occurrence - it's an immensely frustrating experience.  Ground combat is awful and swipe the screen for evade is a NOPE, I so only evaded two or three attacks in the whole game, and only ground kicked a couple of Nevi.  Oddly it allows you to sail through without using either.  Good but not great, the level quality is a mixed bag, glad I played it but wouldn't play the sequel without the portable aspect to bump it up a point. [7]

61. Mario Odyssey - Switch

Text to be placed here

[10]

62. Steamworld Dig - Vita

Thought I'd hate it, turns out I loved it, which seems to be a theme for me this year.  Exploring is kept to a minimum as you're told where to go, but the risk of not resurfacing to bank your shinies keeps you up and down.  Constantly upgrading your bits and pieces makes every session feel worthwhile too and the controls were just about tight enough, although it could've been a bit more balanced (even with half a dozen upgrades the pickaxe was a bit redundant after unlocking the drill).  It's definitely whet my appetite for the sequel, there's a lot more they could do with this - not to knock this game, the simplicity works - but a fleshed out sequel might push on for a [9].  [8]

63. TMNT: Mutants in Manhattan - PS4

Grabbed this for £12 ages ago.  I loooved Turtles as a kid and I've never been fussed with Transformers, so I guess I ended up with the short straw with the Platinum knock 'em ups.  It's not awful, but the brawling is a button mashers delight.  There is a smidge of nuance if you look for it, but I gave up with all that jazz reasonably early on - pounding the buttons saw me through.  I played 3/4 of it in online co-op, which flitted between 'just about okay' and 'I think I'm enjoying this', but did the last three stages solo and couldn't wait for it to end.  Bosses are particularly irksome because you're just whittling down up to 10 layers of good old fashioned energy bar on energy bars.  There's a loadout thing where you level your Turtle up, so I upgraded a few things, but by and large I didn't buy any items in the various sewer shops and breezed through it.  It's not as short as I'd been led to believe, there's maybe 5-6hrs in it to the credits, but it become as chore after 3 anyway.  The graphics look good, which is probably the most noteworthy thing about the game.  They're not, it's clearly quite basic (and straddles generations), yet the cel shaded shine they've given everything coupled with the simple textures on the environs actually work together to pull off something close to stylish.  Turtles design is good and they used some decent enemies from the not-particularly-decent comics.  Leo all the way, btw.  [4].  Knock a point of if you take the original RRP into consideration.

64. Klonoa: Empire of Dreams (GBA)

Got the Micro out again.  Nice to be back on my favourite hardware, but I picked a bit of a duffer.  Looks nice and nothing about the controls is offensive, but it's astoundingly dull.  There's almost no peril to the platforming, and the star search is epicly yawnsome.  The bosses are average too.  Perhaps the music is good, but I was listening to my MP3 player instead.  I'm not even sure it suceeded in being 'charming'.  I played the Wii game, which I believe was a port of a PS2 one, which was nothing special but still far better than this.  Poor.  Even the wafty Yoshi style jump boost felt unsatisfying. [4]

65. TMNT - GBA

Working through the cart backlog, I'd played a bit of this before but started again yesterday.  It's simplistic, but very enjoyable, and helped get rid of the lingering bad taste from that other TMNT game from a few weeks ago *spits*.  In terms of scrolling beat 'em up mechanics, with SOR2 being somewhere near the top end in terms of repertoire, this is probably closer to the original Konami arcade game - there are actually more moves in Turtles in Time.  Still, it really does work as a sort of River City Ransom/Scott Pilgrim level stroll 'n whack 'em up - basic, but fun while it lasts.  It also looks absolutely fantastic for a GBA game.  I'm only gonna give it a [7] because it's all over bar the shouting of Cowabunga within 70mins or so, but as a retro playthrough I'd definitely recommend this.  I reckon it'd sneak in the tail end of my scrolling beat 'em up top 10.

66. Not a Hero - PS4

Dragged my heels a bit with this one, silly me.  It takes all the joy of Hotline Miami and crams it into a side scrolling platform shooter.  I should type more about this really, but I've got the brandy out this evening and I'm struggling.  The cover, slide, merk-a-man mechanic is perfect, the voicework is sublime (loved it) and each character appears to be genuinely worth learning.  Fantastic game, definitely going in my next top 100 update.  Devolver rapidly moving up the ranks on the publisher to watch list. [9]

67.  Mario vs Donkey Kong - GBA

Liked it, then loved it, then the final third was a bit too fiddly and I ended up glad to see the back of it.  A varied platform puzzler that offers more than I thought it did, but gets annoying near the end.  The leap from rope input is hair pullingly shit, and it suddenly gets hard rather than easing the slider up.  Maybe it's just me, but I dreaded stages with the monkey tails.  I liked it enough to play whichever sequel is supposed to be best (bosses were pretty fun in particular) but this ended up being an enjoyable near miss.  [6]

68. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Switch

The bad stuff: Combat is average.  The mechanics need to gut gud, none of this git gud to appreciate them malarkey please. It's not bad, but it's not in step with the leaps and bounds elsewhere.  Coming into the game, my main fears were a) it'd be too big, b) I'd miss proper dungeons and c) the combat wouldn't carry it.  As it turns out the size is fine, I do miss the lack of proper dungeons, but the functional battling only lands a glancing blow to the overall package because there's so much more to it.  

More moaning:

The tilt controls
The Deku Tree's voice (Hey! Listen! You there on the street outside the recording studio!  Busy mate?)
The music isn't Godly enough most of the time.
There's not enough of the old Zelda magic feels.

That's enough of that though.  This game has something quite remarkable going for it.  You can strip it down and analyse it piece by piece, and possibly convince yourself it's merely 'good', but come on now - there's something about the adventuring in this that really nails the initial 'let's take Zelda back to an open world' thing.  You do feel like you're exploring when you head off in whatever direction you fancy, whereas in Horizon or Mad Max I was just thinking about crossing off the next section (or marking it on the map) rather than wondering or caring what it'd be like when I got there.  I'm struggling to describe what I'm on about without it sounding wanky, but there's some top tier pixie dusting going on in this game; the quest, and process of the proceedings, is gripping in a going-through-the-motions way.  The motions are the fun part, even though the inputs are behind many of the other open worlders.  It's closest rivals might have better mechanics, but somehow the motions are what cripple the competition when you put them on repeat, whereas here the repetition remains a delight.  This game doesn't get boring.  I finished it after 54 hours or so (BURN HIM!), but I could've carried on.  That's still the longest I've ever spent playing a story driven game (FFVII aside, or the most recent Fire Emblem if you count the three games as one), so it's absolutely definitely doing something right.  I don't play games for this amount of time, yet I played for 20hrs more than I had to and at no point did I get even a slight feeling of dread about an impending session.  

The graphics are outstanding, I love the way it looks.  I enjoyed the shrines, loved the divine beasts and didn't even mind cooking or weapon degradation.  Even the horsey controls were okay.
Spoiler:
I can see why this is a [10] for some.  I applaud and admire what they've done with it, but I still would've preferred a new old one, so it's merely a [9] from me.  On top of how good this turned out, it's genuinely mind boggling how many foundations have been laid for the ultimate please-all sequel.  The next installment could quite genuinely be the best game ever, to the point where if it isn't I think I'll feel slightly let down.  A spiffing game.

69. Ninja Cop - GBA

Always on the hidden gem lists, the cart is pretty sought after now too. It's a classy Shinobi/Bionic Commando hybrid.  Very tricky and a bit too maze-like for me, but definitely a decent ninja platformer.  According to Google the easy mode I played through today didn't contain all the levels, there are couple more after the initial batch.  I'd played the available stages individually but never together, so I'll stick this in as there was an ending sequence of sorts (it said something like 'THE END.  TO BE CONTINUED....please try normal mode'), and I'm not starting again. [7], but a very solid one.

70. Wade Hixton's Counterpunch - GBA

I didn't mean to play this one, was planning on giving Mario Bros 2/Advance a go as I've never really played it, but my cart didn't work so I fished old faithful out the bag instead.  Brilliant Punch Out! clone, easily the best I've played.  It's short, but almost gives Super PO a run for its money while it lasts.  I probably have an extra level of fondness for it because I first played it before I'd ever tried its inspiration, but either way this is terrific.  It's just pattern learning/anticipation/reflexes, but I love it.  Last boss was just as evil as I remember.  [8]

71. Spiderman: Mysterio's Menace - GBA

A bit fat meh really.  It's a serviceable Spidey game, probably slightly better than the Megadrive game I was quite fond of in 1992, but only marginally, which isn't good enough considering it was released in 2001.  Animation is good, visuals are pretty crisp overall, but the sound is bobbins and dispatching enemies can be annoying if they're on small platforms.  It's not a bad game, but it's so average it's a struggle to type about it.  [5]

72. Battlefield 1 - XboxOne

Rote FPS that can be boiled down to being a bit like most bolt-action riflers from the last couple of generations.  Once or twice I enjoyed my sessions, but mostly it was just a matter of getting through it.  The flying levels were a neat enough diversion, but otherwise it was just 'walk here and press X', 'get to this bit of the map' or 'don't die for 2 minutes'.  Sometimes games aren't gamey enough, but on the flipside rinse/repeat doesn't work as well for me in 3D as it does in 2D.  I hope DOOM grabs me by the lapels and sticks the head in because I just don't seem to enjoy the genre any more.  Playable opening sequence was great, otherwise this could've been an HD Brothers in Arms. [5].

73. Mario Tennis Power Tour GBA
74. Mighty Gunvolt - 3DS
75. What Remains of Edith Finch - PS4

don’t you have a job Moot

Good job m00t.
I think I only ever finish 10 games a year.

I've played loads, but I think there's a spot of Elfish numberwang confusion here.  If only there was some way to compare the amount of time we've spent playing games on our consoles...

Medal of Honor Infiltrator is GBA too, not sure why I omitted the console tags for some of those.

Moot_Geeza wrote:

I've played loads, but I think there's a spot of Elfish numberwang confusion here.  If only there was some way to compare the amount of time we've spent playing games on our consoles...

Hehehe

Blue Swirl wrote:

mrsmr2 wrote:

I don't think I've completed 78 games in my lifetime....

I keep a list on my computer, because I'm sad like that. My lifetime completed games stands at 177.

Wow! When did you start compiling it? I can't remember anything before I was 6

Did you finish Edith Finch Moot?
Top game, one of the better ones this year (last year?)

I did, a strong [8] I just forgot to review it.  Definitely the best game of its type imo.

Ed_Flanders wrote:

Blue Swirl wrote:

mrsmr2 wrote:

I don't think I've completed 78 games in my lifetime....

I keep a list on my computer, because I'm sad like that. My lifetime completed games stands at 177.

Wow! When did you start compiling it? I can't remember anything before I was 6

It helps that until my early teens I only had a Game Gear, and only got to the end of Sonic the Hedgehog. I think I started keeping the list properly just before going off to uni. There may be some holes in it, to be honest, but it's probably 99% accurate.

Lucky for you it's coming out this year, then.

IMO, it's by far the pinnacle of the genre. Story's not a patch on Edith, but the structure and illusion of agency shits all over it.

Shall we have the trailer again? Yes, let's have the trailer again.

Cuphead
Loved it. The passion put into this game is just a cut above, it is perfectly judged. Boss after boss had me on the verge of feeling I couldn’t do it but then when I was just getting to the point of frustration, it’d click and I’d sail through it. 

I struggled with the Robot boss the most, that guy took me ages, hated the bullet hell bit, but again it clicked and it was a breeze. 

King Dice was overwhelming at first, but once you figure out how to play the table it’s actually pretty easy. The devil I found really tough, especially the first stage. 

Really glad I played it to completion, but am I fuck getting any S ranks I’m going to play something a bit more relaxing next!

Hollow Knight

78% completion and 25 undiscovered enemies, which i presume are bosses. I think I've discovered all the various areas.

I may go back and do Grimm Troupe and Collosium of Fools but i dont get enough gaming time and i have other games to play.

Elf etc, did a good job in their write up. Not much to add other than a very enjoyable game with some frustrating bosses and platforming.

9