Dark Souls 2, again. I’m helping a new player and the really bad co-op mechanics might be enough to push me to try out some mods like seamless co-op and the lighting engine which looks gorgeous.
Dome Keeper. I didn’t realize it was made in Godot which is neat and encouraging to see. I really like the gameplay loop and graphics and look forward to unlocking more things to shake it up.
New Super Lucky’s Tale. The burrow mechanic was pretty fun. While the game wasn’t very challenging it was still a good playthrough and visually strong. The best part was the bonus world at the end where you really get to let the abilities rip, especially in combat. I wish there were more enemies around in the rest of the game because the way you can chain together attacks and create a “flow” was fun and seriously under-utilized.
It absolutely brought me back to the late 90s shooters I grew up with. Lots of fun, but there were also a lot of parts I got stuck on, too. I will need some time before I play again / consider the BM version - maybe after HL2. Thanks for the additional info.
It’s easily The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
It has everything I could ask for in a game: Sword fighting. Magic. Secrets. Dungeon crawling. An alternate dimension. Side quests. Different tools and items. There’s enough content that it feels fulfilling to complete it. Peak art. Peak music. NPCs don’t talk too much, and there are just enough of them to make the world feel alive. Bosses.
There is definitely a nostalgia factor, and I was into playing the TCG with the actual cards too, so that helps. It’s been a long time so I’m not sure if it would still hold up.
From the main games I have played Red/Blue/Yellow, Gold/Silver, and Emerald. I think they are all pretty close in terms of favourite, but I’ll say Blue because it was my first and had a huge impact. I remember battling other people using a link cable at school.
I think those games all have the same problem. The battle system is too slow by today’s standards. Random encounters can get annoying (thanks, ZUBAT!). It’s not just exclusive to Pokemon. Other series of the time haven’t aged as well for the same reasons. Back then it didn’t matter though.
Pokemon Stadium deserves an honourable mention. Seeing the Pokemon animated in 3D was amazing at the time. The mini-games and the gameboy pack that connected to the N64 controller were great too.
Pokemon Snap - meh. It was the type of game you play at the demo booth while waiting for your parents to finish shopping.
Pokemon Trading Card Game - the gameboy game and the physical card game were both peak. I feel like the gameboy game was slept on by many, but I loved it.