KalKeg
BACKER
1998
First GOTM finished for January 2022. There were some neat ideas here, and it looks quite good for a 3D game from its time, but the platforming was unforgiving and the saves were pretty spaced out causing replays of some areas. The voice acting was also pretty poor (save for one well known VA). I would consider this to be a bad game, and I'm not interested in coming back.
First game beat for GOTM December 2021. Thoroughly enjoyed the game, the combat was especially fun to play around with and experience. The backtracking was a little tedious, and the story a little forced, but good nonetheless.
2000
Second game beaten for GOTM December 2021. Just a phenomenal game. The art style ages well, the gameplay is fun, and the writing is hilarious and engaging. Fantastic game!
2000
Only game played for GOTM November 2021. Great looking game, and some fun combat, but boy howdy do I suck at these arcade style games. Had some frustrating fun for sure.
1994
Second GOTM finished for January 2022. Enjoyed quite a bit, especially as a "Zelda-like". The sword swinging felt off, and the story was nonsensical when it was even present, but overall enjoyed my time with it. Music was good.
2001
Third GOTM finished for 2022. I recall attempting to play this one multiple times when I was younger, but it never really caught on with me. After some time learning the Djinni system, the game clicked this time around and I had a blast playing it! The combat was really great and satisfying, and the story was compelling enough, although this is clearly a "Part 1" to a story so left a lot to be desired at the end. Great game!
First GOTM finished for February 2022. A mostly enjoyable Zelda experience. The dungeons and bosses were fun, and the items were neat and fun to use. There is a TON to do in the overworld of this game, so that was fun to spend time wandering and experiencing many things. Most of all, the game is gorgeous, especially the parts where you are mini and the world becomes big around you. Unbelievable pixel beauty with this game. The Kinstone system, while an interesting way to interact with NPCs in the world, is way overused and poorly implemented as a reward system for many challenges and hidden areas. It's a neat idea, but leaves a bad taste in the mouth when used as a chest reward at the end of a mini-dungeon.
1993
Second GOTM finished for February 2022. Got some wicked Gun Slug vibes from this one, scroll right and kill things. The different combinations of weapon orbs are interesting, and give some depth to the game, but one of them is way broken. Deceptively hard game, beat it on Easy and even then was sweating the final boss. Enjoyable, but not likely to ever play again.
Third GOTM finished for February 2022. An enjoyable remaster of a classic! I actually ended up playing both the SNES and DS versions, and found the DS version to be superior in every way. Better sprites, more intuitive controls, better support system, and easier to tell a platform from the background. While I enjoyed the other levels, I hated the Arena. Probably a case of just needing to "git gud", but it nearly soured the overall experience for me. There are many different styles of gameplay to enjoy here, so you're likely to find something that you enjoy. Except the Arena.
2005
First GOTM finished for March 2022. The characters were charming, and the art style and music fun, but the game was pretty middling overall. There were a few great parts, and likewise a few infuriating parts (chapter 4-2...), but for the most part this game was just okay. Still enjoyed playing it, but won't be returning anytime soon.
Second GOTM finished for March 2022. I quite enjoyed my time with this one. It suffers from some clunky platforming and wonky camera angles (as did most of the earlier 3D platformers) but there's plenty of charm and fun to be had with this one. Be warned, it's a dark game, so don't be afraid to turn up the brightness on this one.
1992
Third GOTM finished for March 2022. Great game written and designed by Hideo Kojima of Metal Gear Solid fame. Engaging story, interesting menu-based gameplay, and gorgeous pixel graphics. It was a joy to play this one, even though it's not a style of game I usually play, and would recommend to anyone looking for a mystery/adventure style game.
1990
First GOTW completed for 2022. Had a blast with this one, what a great little game! Only took a couple hours, though area 8 ramps the difficulty up exponentially. Would definitely play again, great game.
1991
Second GOTW finished for 2022. Pretty below average shmup. Played on the GBA, which seems to be the superior version, but still didn't have much fun with this one. I mean, even the creators knew they didn't have much with this one, which is why they put an old man with a banjo on the front to try and stand out.
1990
Third GOTW finished for 2022. What a game! I don't like beat-em-ups, and that came through with this one, but I had a fun time with this game. The difficulty is definitely there, so it took a couple of tries, but it's not very long. It's a wild wacky ride, going from a bmup, to a gallery shooter, to a side-shooter, and back again. Entertaining!