First Quarter 2019 Games Progress

Last year, 2018, I completed 117 video games. As I mentioned in my article about Four in February for this year, I started playing some games with the intent to finish them with my 2018 Four in February. This led to me really thinking about why I own 2,000+ physical games, and that it might be good to try to complete them instead of just playing them for a few minutes. Last year, I did a lot of fighting games; this year I'm hoping to do some longer stuff. Both years have included a few games that I started in the past, sometimes over a decade ago.

Speaking of starting things in the past, I started this article a month ago. I planned to publish it towards the beginning of April, as that would be right after the first quarter of the year. School and job searching caused some setbacks. I also realized that this was a much larger thing to tackle than I had first realized. Anyway, sorry for the delay dear readers.

Here's what I've done in the first quarter of this year with a short review of each:

1. Kileak: The DNA Imperative (PS1) - January 3rd, 2019

This game doesn't get a lot of love, but I enjoyed Kileak quite a bit. It's basically a dark, sci-fi dungeon-crawler as a first-person shooter. The story is interesting, and the gameplay is challenging. Once you figure some of it out, it's not too tough though. I really like the musick.
You can read the full review here.
Rating: Good

2. Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (GB) - January 7th, 2019

Wario Land is an awesome exploration-based platformer about finding hidden treasures to increase Wario’s money supply and get a better ending. It’s way different than the Mario games from that time, the mechanics especially. I’m excited to play the next two games; I completed Wario Land 4 already.
Rating: Good

3. Dark Souls (PS3) - January 10th, 2019

I started Dark Souls not too long after it came out in North America. I had already completed Demon’s Souls and was excited to see what the next game would have in store for me. I stopped playing it after I got into just doing PVP stuff for a while as a Blade of the Darkmoon hunting down bad players. Coming back to Dark Souls took some reacquainting, but it was fun. I like the huge, interconnected world and all of the things to discover about it. It’s not as hard as people, including the marketers, make it out to be; if you are careful and attentive and understand the mechanics of the game, you will be fine. I really enjoyed this one. I did the DLC, Artorias of the Abyss, as well as the main game. The DLC had some pretty spooky stuff. I was surprised by the ending, as I didn’t realize I forgot to do something after defeating the final boss (who had an amazing musical theme). It might have all been for the best really. I have to play the other games soon.
Rating: Good

4. Quest: Brian’s Journey (GBC) - January 12th, 2019

This is the Game Boy Color version of Quest 64, which I have never actually played. Kids talked about it in elementary school but didn’t really say much about it. I own that game now but haven’t got around to it. Quest: Brian’s Journey is not a bad game, and it’s also not a great game. The magic is creative but simple at the same time. Brian is a spellcaster who has statistics for the four elements of air, earth, fire, and water. You can level them up separately. When you use spells, you can combine the different elements to make shields or heal or shoot a tornado at the enemy. Once you figure out a strategy, the game becomes a repetitive turn-key operation. There are no party members or stores, so there are not a lot of variables here. I enjoyed the Celtic world.
Rating: Neutral

5. Fortified Zone (GB) - January 22nd, 2019

Fortified Zone plays like the top-down levels of Super C or, more like, the first Metal Gear. You have two characters to switch between, one with the ability to use special weapons and one with the ability to jump. The game plays out on a map that must be explored to find keys while avoiding traps. Each level has a boss. The game has great graphics and sound. One of the sequels came out in America: Operation Logic Bomb on SNES.
Rating: Good

6. Fish Dude (GB) - January 25th, 2019

You have probably played this game on the internet. Fish Dude is just a Game Boy version of the classic game where big fish eat smaller fish. Each fish eaten makes your fish bigger. This game plays quick, and it’s fun. The controls are a little weird, but they are doable. Graphics and sound are pretty good too.
Rating: Good

7. Guardian’s Crusade (PS1) - February 1st, 2019

Guardian’s Crusade on one of my favorite RPGs. It’s simple but charming. There’s so much humorous dialogue in this game from the fairy Nehani. It’s a story about a boy named Knight and a small, pink creature named Baby journeying to God’s Tower on the behest of a spiritual being. Many challenges and surprises come to our heroes along the way, and Knight must care for Baby and teach him well. You will feel attached to him by the end of the game. The musick is top notch.
Read the full review here.
Rating: Good

8. Sumo Fighter (GB) - February 1st, 2019

This is another weird Game Boy game. Sumo Fighter is a side-scrolling beat ‘em up with some RPG leveling. Your sumo wrestler can do a few different moves to beat all the different enemies. It was fun to figure out how to fight the bosses. There are even hidden bonus levels to do to help push your character closer to leveling up. I really liked this one after I got used to it.
Rating: Good

9. Super Mario Advance (GBA) - February 6th, 2019

This is Super Mario Bros. 2 (the USA one based on Doki Doki Panic) on Game Boy Advance. It has some modifications for this version and the updates from the Super Mario All-Stars version. The graphics and sound are all very nice, even the weird voice-overs. I have never played this game much on NES, but it was one of the first NES games I had. It was fun figuring out the different puzzles involving the keys. There sure are a lot of Birdos in all sorts of colors.
Rating: Good

10. Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein (DC) - February 10th, 2019

Plasma Sword was the first of my Four in February games for this year. It’s a fighting game by Capcom, and a sequel to Star Gladiator. The game has a similar visual style to Star Wars.
You can read my full review here.
Rating: Good

11. Love Love Truck (PS1) - February 13th, 2019

Love Love Truck is a very weird dating sim/action/racing game about two teenagers of the opposite sex controlling a mine cart. The game is either one-player or two-player, and the goal is to please your partner with fruit, sandwiches, and treasure. It’s kind of perverted.
You can read the full review here (coming soon).
Rating: Neutral

12. The Bouncer (PS2) - February 18th, 2019

The Bouncer is the story of Square in a post-Final Fantasy VII world. Weird character designs, overambitious story-telling, unique but flawed mechanics are all here. It’s really not as good as I remember when it came out, though it always seemed kind of silly. This was the second of this year’s Four in February.
You can read the full review here.
Rating: Neutral

13. The Adventures of Cookie & Cream (PS2) - February 27th, 2019

My partner, Kaiti, and I played The Adventures of Cookie & Cream with one controller. I was Cream, and she was Cookie. It’s a platformer that requires a lot of teamwork, and it is a fun game. I wanted to play this game for a long time, seeing it in a magazine when I was younger but never at the store. This was the third Four in February game for 2019.
Read the full review.
Rating: Good

14. Undertale (PC) - February 28th, 2019

The last of the Four in February, Undertale was amazing to finally play. I had downloaded it years ago but never got around to trying it out. Kaiti encouraged me to play it, and I am glad that I did. The musick and graphics are great, and the story is quite a tale.
Check out the full review.
Rating: Good

15. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Arcade) - March 6th, 2019

I played this game at Pinball PA outside of Pittsburgh. It’s the sequel to the famous Star Wars arcade game featuring the Death Star Trench Run. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is a similar game featuring scenes from the second film: the Battle of Hoth and the Millennium Falcon in an asteroid field. It’s a quick-playing game that isn’t too long but loops into higher difficulties. It’s really fun to control the different ships with their vector graphics. The sound is great too!
Rating: Good

16. Silent Scope 2: Dark Silhouette (Arcade) - March 6th, 2019

I also played this while at Pinball PA for my partner’s birthday. Silent Scope 2 is a sequel to the first game and continues the sniper gameplay. I had never played the arcade game with the actual scope to look through. It’s a little disorienting at first, but I got the hang of it. The game gets absurdly hard towards the end, and I only cleared it thanks to the Free Play being set. The story has the same kind of goofiness as Time Crisis.
Rating: Good

17. One Strike (Switch) - March 8th, 2019

One Strike is basically Bushido Blade in 2D. I actually found this game to be very lacking. It’s a 2D fighter where attacks kill with one hit. I like that idea, but the characters seem very unbalanced: some have fast swinging chain weapons and others have slow swords. I was able to clear the game as one of the fast characters, but it didn’t feel very rewarding. This game would be much more fun in multiplayer in a non-competitive setting.
Rating: Neutral

18. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch) - March 17th, 2019

I really like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. I think it does a good job having enough content for both competitive and casual players. The team did a great job with the visual style, adding some nice cartoon/Wind Waker explosions and other effects. The roster of characters, stages, and musick tracks are so vast in number with tons of variety. The World of Light mode is pretty cool but super long. I finished it, and got many of the spirits, but, seriously, this mode took me longer than some RPGs! At 30+ hours, World of Light is longer than Guardian’s Crusade, Dragon Quest, Arc the Lad, Quest: Brian’s Journey, and many more.
Rating: Good

19. Vanguard Bandits (PS1) - March 21st, 2019

Vanguard Bandits is a super anime-influenced game about mechs in a medieval world. The mechs are never really explained. This is a tactical RPG that was published by Working Designs. It’s a little repetitive but good enough. The worst part is the lack of explanation in-game or in-manual for some important stuff in this game. I had to read a guide to learn about abilities and equipment. It’s easy once you learn about it.
Read my full review here.
Rating: Good

20. Mega Man 8 (PS1) - March 22nd, 2019

I started Mega Man 8 a few years ago (I think it was 2017) and had left it hanging for a while at Dr. Wily’s Castle. The end had some tough, at first try, auto-scrolling levels, but I was able to get the hang of them and ace them. The rest wasn’t too bad. The robot masters in this game are pretty cool and have some bizarre dialogue. “Oh, how did you find me? I’m so embarrassed?” moans Astro Man. “I’m Aqua Man, but you can call me Handsome Guy,” says the silly Aqua Man. What a bunch of true weirdos! Colors, sounds, sprites, level designs, and controls are all excellent. Also, Mega Man has a soccer ball power for some reason.
Rating: Good

21. Kirby Super Star (SNES) - March 23rd, 2019

Kirby Super Star was one of the first Kirby games that I ever played and one of the first SNES games I played on an emulator before I got my SNES. It’s jam-packed full of various games of varying difficulties. I love that a second player can jump right in whenever they want to. My girlfriend played some of the last levels with me when she saw me playing it. The only real downside is a weird instance of blackface with one of the bosses, which is a real bummer. I believe that they changed the design in the remake, Kirby Super Star Ultra.
Rating: Good

22. Samorost (PC) - March 26th, 2019

Samorost is a short point-and-click adventure game from Czech developer Amanita Design. They’ve made some other great games beyond this trilogy like Chuchel and Machinarium. I like the textural look of many of their games, Samorost being no exception. The game is about a space gnome. You can play it online for free – right here.
Rating: Good

23. A Bird Story (PC) - March 27th, 2019

A Bird Story was another push into completing a few PC games I had sitting around after doing Samorost. I was extremely disappointed by this one, unfortunately. It’s made by the same developers as To the Moon, a game that I have never played but have heard good things about. I don’t know much about To the Moon, but this retains the RPG Maker look without much story. It’s about a boy and a bird. The lack of dialogue and the droning musick make this a sleepy experience. The dream scenes go along with that sleepiness, though they are a step in the right direction.
Rating: Bad

24. samurai_jazz (PC) - March 27th, 2019

Another PC game that was hanging around for a while, samurai_jazz is an early Blaze Epic game. It’s clearly influenced by Cowboy Bebop with a similar color scheme, tone, and name. samurai_jazz is basically an adventure game with some slight action elements. It kind of reminds me of something like Way of the Samurai but not in 3D (also there are no choices to make in the story). It’s a short game, but I loved it. The musick is perfect.
Rating: Good

25. Super Motherload (PC) - March 27th, 2019

I played the majority of Super Motherload when I was at Bradford School around five years ago. I don’t know why I stopped playing it. It didn’t take long to complete it from where I was, and the ending sequences were surprising and exciting. Super Motherload is about mining minerals on Mars using a jet-powered drill vehicle. Controlling the vehicle is fun, though precision is needed. It was cool to see how the world changed as I mined deeper and deeper, seeing all kinds of weird stuff. You can use the money you get to upgrade your vehicle. You’ll need it to finish this one.
Rating: Good

26. A Wolf in Autumn (PC) - March 28th, 2019

A Wolf in Autumn was made by David Szymanski, an indie developer who has made a lot of odd games over the years. The first one I heard of was The Moon Sliver. A Wolf in Autumn is not a long game, intended for one sitting. It’s an adventure game using objects in the environment; no inventory is available. The game has elements of horror to it. Unfortunately, A Wolf in Autumn ran horribly on my computer. I don’t have anything amazing for my setup, but I was surprised at how poorly this ran. I think the lighting effects are the culprit. The sluggish performance made this game a chore. The story was okay but nothing awesome.
Rating: Neutral

27. Escape the Lost Kingdom: The Forgotten Pharaoh (PC) - March 28th, 2019

Escape the Lost Kingdom: The Forgotten Pharaoh is a hidden-object game. I like these types of games for what they are. They helped me relax when I was at Bradford School. This one did not live up to the others I have played. The story doesn’t investigate the pharaoh much at all, so it’s basically just the story of a cookie-cutter family involved in a strange event with a few strange powers.
Rating: Bad

28. Felix the Cat (NES) - March 29th, 2019

I stopped PC gaming for a second to play Felix the Cat on NES. It’s a rare one, and a fun one. It’s also an easy one; I finished this game in one try. Felix the Cat is a platformer with great level design and cool power-ups. I’m surprised that there haven’t been more Felix games. If this had been an earlier NES release, I think it would be a classic now.
Rating: Good

29. Year Walk (PC) - March 29th, 2019

Year Walk is a spooky adventure into Swedish folklore. It has a beautiful art style that will also chill your bones. The puzzles require creative thinking for sure. Year Walk is pretty easy, but I really enjoyed it.
Rating: Good

30. Yu Yu Hakusho 2: Chapter of Fighting (SFC) - March 30th, 2019

I have had this game for a few years but never finished the story mode. Yu Yu Hakusho 2: Chapter of Fighting is a fighting game like Street Fighter 2­. It takes place during the Dark Tournament storyline of the anime. Thankfully, this game does not play out like some of the Dragon Ball Z games with numerous battles against the same characters. I’m not sure that it is the best balanced (it’s also not poorly balanced either), but the characters are all fun to play.
Rating: Good

31. Crimsonland (PC) - March 31st, 2019

Finally, I went back to the PC and completed another Bradford School pastime, Crimsonland. This is basically Doom as a twin-stick shooter. The main mode has a series of interesting challenges. Killing so many monsters gives your character a choice of a new power. Some of these are really good. Some are not so good. Luck and skill both come into play.
Rating: Good

If you made it this far, thanks for reading. I'll tell you about the next quarter of games sometime in July. Stick around for more reviews until then.

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