seawonderer

a trip down memory lane

tue 26.9.23

(originally posted on cohost)

randomly made a chart of games dear to me (in no particular order) over at topsters ➚
time to mindlessly ramble about my experiences on each game below 😃

super smash bros melee - i sunk a lot of hours into this game back in my primary school days. while i didn't play a lot of multiplayer with other people, i remember really enjoying adventure mode and trying my best to complete all the events. kirby and bowser were my mains.
final fantasy x - where i wanted SSBM with the gamecube, my brother wanted FFX with the PS2, and so first experience with the game was watching my brother play it. when i got around to playing the game myself i did so poorly that i had to restart my playthrough (forever haunted by the evrae boss fight as my characters were too underleveled and i had no way of grinding haha). for the longest time this was the only FF game i played (well... there was FFX-2 too but between the 2 i think it's obvious which one i enjoyed more).
super mario galaxy - i've always had a fondness for mario games as it has a strong presence in my childhood. i suppose galaxy left the biggest impression on me out of the main 3D mario games thanks to its phenomenal soundtrack.
mass effect 2 - did you know i became aware of the mass effect series through a garrus/femshep fan comic? this led to me watching garrus' romance online, then a mass effect 2 let's play, and from watching the suicide mission i decided to check out the games for myself, and at the time the mass effect trilogy was just coming out. clearly that was a sign for me to get into the series. 2 is my personal favourite mainly because i enjoyed the overall game more than 3 (the only good thing about 1 is wrex, that's it).
uncharted 3 - this was my first ps3 game (as well as my bro's). we finished this game in one day. we didn't stop playing until 2:30-3am, we were that into it. bearing in mind that were we mainly playing wii games prior to this so it's not surprising that we were blown away by how the game looked, and we loved the characters and gameplay too. in terms of the 'best' uncharted game i'd say it's between 2 or 4, but i picked 3 here because of my memories associated with this game.

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phoenix wright: ace attorney - ace attorney has always been special to me since it's closely tied to my first online communities - court records ➚ and deviantART (drew quite a bit of fanart back then). who knew playing a game about lawyers could be so fun? i'm very fond of the original trilogy, AA4, TGAA, as well as PL vs AA, not to say the others are bad but... i'm not as attached to them.
ghost trick - i remember when this game first came out, i went to my local JB hi-fi store and only saw 2 copies of the game, and looking back i'm so glad i managed to grab a copy. it is honestly a near-perfect game for me - the story, characters, art style, gameplay, and music are all on point. i hope to see shu takumi create another game that's as special as this.
hotel dusk: room 215 - not sure why it took me so long to play this knowing that so many folks on the court records forums were also big fans of this game. i really liked the art style, music, and how the puzzles really took advantage of the DS. i know having a remaster of this game (and the sequel) will be unlikely but if another code could get one... maybe... just maybe we can see kyle hyde return too one day?
trauma center: under the knife - what i remember most about this game is how i tap the touch screen like an absolute madwoman, going back and forth selecting the right tools and scribbling away on the screen. even when i replayed this last year, i still find this game bloody difficult at times (and i have never completed any of the X missions), and yet somehow, i still really like this game. i would love to see another trauma center game someday... or alternatively if a port of trauma team can be done, that would be nice. trying to play that game has been rather difficult (thanks wii region lock 😒)
warioware: touched - my first warioware game! and i had no idea how much fun and chaotic they can be! touched will always be my personal favourite.

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animal crossing: new leaf - my first animal crossing game, i can't remember who convinced me to try this game out, perhaps it was because a lot of people loved the games? skye will forever be my favourite villager because she was the first to say hi to my character and is just the absolute sweetest. it's a shame that my town now is more or less in shambles since i left it alone for years... and most of my original or favourites villagers have left (including skye 😭).
ouendan 2 - the ouendan games plus elite beat agents are still probably my favourite rhythm games of all time, i love them so much.
rhythm heaven - did you know i like rhythm games? rhythm heaven is also great fun (as long as you don't stress yourself over getting perfects, cause then it's no longer fun, that's just torture).
professor layton and the unwound future - so i spoiled myself with a certain cutscene with layton and claire back when it was still only out in japan, simply because i wanted to see layton without his hat on, i was not expecting to cry from that scene. fast forward to playing the game myself, watching that scene again with full context, and crying way harder. part of why this game was my favourite out of the trilogy is because of claire, i really liked claire.
bravely second: end layer - initially i didn't plan on getting this game because of my experience with bravely default (great start, crappy repetitive middle section, great ending), but after playing the demo i eventually gave this a go, and i enjoyed it more than the first game. i will forever have a soft spot for the three cavaliers.

(have you realised the above 10 games are all DS/3DS games? do you see why my favourite console is still the DS/3DS?)

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fire emblem: blazing blade - while sacred stones was my 1st FE game (and i love it a lot too), blazing blade really got me into the series. i really liked the characters, i was getting better at the gameplay (though i'll never finish hard mode, i'm not that good), and the sprites in the gba fe games are very charming, not to mention how satisfying it is to get critical attack animations as well.
metal gear rising: revengence - i got into MGRR and the metal gear series in general thanks to chip's let's plays ➚. i love his LP's for not only being entertaining but also informative. whenever i think about this game i think back to a comment a friend said about me - "i never knew you had a bloodthirsty side" 😂 but i mainly love this game for how over the top it is, and that it's still fun even through multiple playthroughs.
nier: automata - how does one game destroy my emotions so much? another games from platinumgames that has drawn me in. i knew people had a lot of praise for the nier series but this was my first one, and it was quite the experience.
yakuza 0 - my first yakuza game and still my favourite out of the whole series. to be honest i relate the game to the anime gintama (which happens to be my favourite anime). both can be incredibly goofy yet fun but when it wants to be serious or make you cry, it does that well too. so i was never fazed by the clash between a serious crime drama and silly or heartfelt substories.
judgment - my copy of ps4 judgment came in on my birthday, and then i proceeded to finish the main story on new years day (basically in a week), i was addicted. it filled my craving for another RGG game (at the time i was still waiting on the remasters for yakuza 3-5) as well as ace attorney (TGAA was only announced later in the year). this game is also dear to me as i got more involved in twitch thanks to greg's judgment streams ➚, and got to know many wonderful people in his community.

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undertale - playing this game when it just came out and seeing everyone enjoying it was a special time. i wish i could forget everything and replay this game blind to re-experience it all. also my friend will never let me forget the fact that i killed toriel (not intentionally! the last hit did more damage than i expected) in my very first playthrough and i felt so guilty i restarted 🤣
a short hike - i had this game from an itch.io bundle and never expected to enjoy it so much. it's simple yet so comforting to play. i adore the art style and its music.
the wonderful 101 - another game that i got into thanks to chip, and my main reason for getting a wii u console. this game was a wild ride to witness in his let's play, and he made the game look so easy. meanwhile i struggled playing this game even on normal (or perhaps i felt too much guilt getting bronze/silvers all the time haha). i found the gameplay to be rather unique and i love how the action continues to ramp up with every chapter. i don't find it the easiest game to play but i still enjoyed it a lot.
hades - i'm pretty sure this was my first roguelike game? and i decided to pick it up thanks to tie ➚ (another streamer who i really enjoy). it felt a little daunting at first, dying constantly but over time you get better and better, and the next thing you know you can't stop playing. i do like that i can always revisit the game to play a quick round or 2 easily as well.
astral chain - the newest addition here but certainly a welcomed one. dang platinumgames winning me over once again with their fun, over the top action games. what is there for me to say other than i really enjoyed the game, and i'm currently addicted to its soundtrack.

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of course i could have added more games to this list as well, games like persona 3 portable, paper mario: the origami king, and there's probably others that i've forgotten as well... 😅

all in all, man, video games are pretty great hey?

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