[Event] 2022 Gaming Challenge

[Janp]

September
Okay, I've finished quite a lot of games in September. Since Restless Soul was released right at the start and was fairly short, I beat it in one sitting. It was cool game, but tried way too much to be funny. Like every single dialogue had to be some kind of joke and it got old very fast. Then, I spent some time underground in Arx Fatalis. Despite its age, I had a lot of fun with it. It had unconventional controls and especially magic system was original and fun to use. Some time after beating Arx Fatalis, I also finished Digimon Survive. My first time playing Digimon game and it was great experience. The dialogues at the start were pretty weak, but they got better as the game progressed. I also liked it's scary atmosphere and battle system. At the of the month, I was switching between Thief Gold and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and to be honest, none of them really felt that good. I can see why Thief is considered a cult classic, but it didn't age that well. Bloodstained on the other hand started as interesting Metroidvania, but was so bloated with vthe worst kinds of farming and grinding that I couldn't get into it.

Games beaten this month:
Restless Soul (2022, Bullet Hell, PC, 3.8 h, 7)
Arx Fatalis (2002, Immersive Sim, PC, 13.7 h, 8)
Digimon Survive (2022, Visual Novel/tRPG, Switch, 31.5 h, 8.5)
Thief: Gold (1999, Immersive Sim, PC, 18.4 h, 7)
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (2019, Metroidvania, PC, 12.3 h, 5.5)

[30/25]

As for October, I have few games on a list. Right after finishing Digimon Survive, I've started playing Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. And I love it so much. Some of the humour is cringy, but I'm enjoying it so far (I have only beaten 1st world and about half of the Donkey Kong's DLC). Few days ago, me and my friends decided to do another challenge run on Gothic 1, but it's not really working great on my PC. Since it's spooky season, I want to play some more horror games. So, I decided to play The Beast Inside. I'm curious about it. I heard a lot of mixed things about it, but it seems like something I might enjoy. I'm also considering continuing on with Silent Hill series, but once again, I haven't heard much positive feedback to the games past Silent Hill 4. And I wasn't really a big fan of Silent Hill 4 itself. So, I might just so something else. If Gothic 1 isn't working, I'll have to pick another game for this month's Game-Along theme.

 

[gimmepie]

I'm at 10/15 now. Going to have to up my game (heh) in the coming months.

 

[Cherrim]

Omg I am just not tracking my progress at all....................... I bet I'm probably missing a game here and there.

August to October
- Assassin's Creed Syndicate
- A Building Full of Cats
- Oxenfree
- Costume Quest
- Aperture Desk Job
- Final Fantasy XIV - Patch 6.1 (did this way back in like April but forgot to count it!)
- Final Fantasy XIV - Patch 6.2
- FTL: Faster Than Light

Total: 20/20

With this I have actually completed my goal! I'd bump it up but I frankly have no idea what the rest of my year is gonna look like so I'll just be content in having finished it for now. (Some of the games in this current update are pretty short though so I'm definitely glad I have at least 2 games to replace em with in the standings assuming I complete the last two monthly challenges of the year.)

 

[Janp]

October
October was one of the slower months, since I had to focus on irl work. Gaming-wise, it was okay. Not the best, but certainly not the worst. Silent Hill Origins was great game and return to the form. I wish next Silent Hill games are at least this good. On the other hand, The Beast Inside was a huge letdown. It feels like someone just took stuff from their favourite games and mashed them together without making them work together. Meh experience. In the end, I finally beat Mario + Rabbids. Just in time for the sequel. It was fun game that I enjoyed more than I expected. I will eventually pick the sequel.


Games beaten this month:
Silent Hill Origins (2008, Survival Horror, PS2, 6 h, 8.5)
The Beast Inside (2019, Horror, PC, 7 h, 5)
Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle (2017, Action Adventure, Switch, 26.1 h, 8)

[33/25]

I don't really have big plans for November. I'm currently playing Deathloop and I feel like I'm almost at the end. Not sure what to play next, but I feel like playing some fantasy RPG. I got Super Mario Odyssey and Bayonetta 3 on Switch, so I'll also play these two games. I expect to beat at least one of them this month.

 

[gimmepie]

Finally finished Cyber Sleuth bringing me to 11/15. With Saints Row IV to do for my challenge this month and Scarlet and Violet about to come out with another challenge and plenty of shorter games in my inventory, I think I'll just scrape through my 15 games for the year.

 

[Janp]

November
November was a slow month. Deathloop was fun. I wish it did more with the whole loop thing, but I enjoyed it. The rest of the games I've beaten this month on the other... Bayonetta 3 was disappointing. It had cool battle system, but it barely let you experience it and the whole thing was wrapped in boring and uninteresting story. Pokémon Shield was... actually exactly what I expected it to be. The rock bottom of Pokémon games. It was worse than an asset flip.

Games beaten this month:
Deathloop (2021, FPS, PC, 19.5 h, 7.5)
Bayonetta 3 (2022, Hack, Switch, 12.4 h, 7.5)
Pokémon Shield (2019, JRPG, Switch, 6.9 h, 1)

[36/25]

For December, I have few games to finish. I'm almost done with Pokémon Violet. All I have to do is to beat E4 and do the final path. It's better than Gen VIII games, but still light years behind anything on the market right now. I'm also playing Pentiment, which is unique medieval murder mystery. Finally, I should pick a JRPG for Game-Along. Sadly, I don't know which JRPG I want to play.

 

[Janp]

December
There isn't much to report for December. I finally beat Pokémon Violet. And Pentiment, which was cool detective adventure. Then I finished Final Fantasy I GBA remake, but since it's bundled with the sequel, I won't be counting it until I beat the second game. I also got pretty far in Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order. I think I'm literally standing in front of the final bossroom. Will probably beat it right at the start of the new year.

Games beaten this month:
Pokémon Violet (2022, JRPG, Switch, 22.1 h, 3)
Pentiment (2022, Adventure, PC, 13.8 h, 9)

[38/25]

That's another year done. I'll post my detailed year in review in my journal soon, with some plans for the next year.

 

[Cherrim]

Man I can't wait for the revival of my journal next year so I can actually remember everything that I play. @__@ I completely forgot to include Tales of Hearts (one of my game along challenge games!!!) earlier this year, so I've included it here lol.

November & December

• Tales of Hearts
• Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve
• The Sexy Brutale
• Paper Mario
• Cthulu Saves Christmas
• Frog Detective 1: The Haunted Island
• A Little to the Left
• The Past Within
• Devil's Kiss
• Samsara Room

Total: 30/20

I actually got to 30! Mostly thanks to this big rush of shorter indie games in December but still!

 

[gimmepie]

So... I was thinking I'd failed to reach my goal and then I remembered that we counted things like individual expansions/updates in Final Fantasy XIV as games cleared. So, I think having completed multiple major Archon Quests/nations in Genshin this year I might actually scrape by on a technicality to hit 16/15. I'll take it, but will probably drop to 13 for 2023 lol.