Finished Games

Here is a run down of all the games I’ve finished in (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023,2024)

These are the games I beat in!

2024

• Star Wars Battlefront II (PC) 👍 – Single player campaign + DLC
  Years ago, I got stuck on this game, but when I fired up my old save file, I discovered I was only 20 minutes from the ending. I finished it and played through the DLC as well. Pretty solid overall. It’s cool to see some of the storylines popping up in the Star Wars shows, too.
• Super Mario Wonder (Switch) 😍
  I’ve played many Mario games, and I was blown away that Nintendo could still make something that feels so fresh. This is platforming at its finest. The exaggerated animation style is fantastic, and Slime Mario? Amazing.
• Grand Theft Auto 5 (PC) 🤯 – 160+ Hours
  After chipping away at this game for years, I finally finished it. Turns out, I was only a few hours away from the ending. Say what you want about GTA V, but I think the way the three storylines intertwine, along with the openness of the quests, is incredibly well done. Sure, the controls are a bit squishy at times, but it’s a massive game that tries to do a lot, so it’s forgivable.
• Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Switch) 🥰 – All Echoes
  As a big Zelda fan, I initially hesitated to get this on day one, but when I read that the map was eight times the size of Link’s Awakening, I changed my mind. This game feels like a perfect evolution of the series. While Link Between Worlds felt like a failed attempt at a less-linear Zelda, this one nails it. The cloning abilities were way more fun than I expected, and I’m so glad they didn’t add full-on crafting to the franchise.
• Final Fantasy VI (SNES) ✊ – Replay(x3)
  I first beat this when it came out, and I’ve replayed it a few times since. It still holds up. The character storylines blend together beautifully, giving it a very Star Wars-esque feel. This time, I played it with my son, and he got really into it, which made the experience even better. I printed out a cheat sheet so we always knew where to go, and I did solo leveling to keep the game fun when we played together.
• Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64 via Switch Online) 🔼 – Replay(x2)
  I beat this when it first came out, and it mostly holds up. The controls and camera are a bit stiff, though—modern games have spoiled us. Save States were a lifesaver; I got stuck in a lot of places where the solution was essentially “play every song you have.” I’ve started Majora’s Mask, but the time mechanics are annoying, and the game opens with what feels like a long list of chores. I can just do that in real life, thanks.

2023

• Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Switch) 😲
  I played the demo years ago and it didn’t grab me but after spending some time with it (100+ hours logged) it grew on me. It’s a lot better than the first Hyrule Warriors and I’m surprised at how cohesive this one feels because the first one was all over the place. I hated the Ubisoft style map quests at the start but eventually 100%’d it.
• Yoshi’s New Island (3DS) 😑
  Surprisingly one of the few 3DS games I like to play with the 3D effect on. I liked the graphics but hated the Yoshi animation when I first started playing but eventually got over it. The game is _okay_ I felt like I had to muscle through it. I compare every Yoshi game to the original Yoshi’s Island (SNES) and they never seem as good so I got to replay the original to see if it’s a nostalgia trick or if it still holds up.
• Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch) 😍
  “It feels like a DLC for the first game” – I don’t see why that is a problem if the first game was great (which it was). Finished every quest, got every piece of armor (didn’t max) and that was enough for me (200+ hours logged no regrets). Looking forward to see where the franchise goes next.
• Celeste (PC) 🤯
  Late to the party but blasted through this in a few days – pretty fuckin’ rad. Wanted to quit a few times but I’m glad I didn’t.
• Terror of Hemasaurus (Switch) 😅
  Played this with my (then) 7 year old son thinking it was a cute homage to Rampage, and it is, but it’s also got a lot of fuckin’ swear words. Weird system slowdown issues playing on Switch but still playable.
• Box Boy & Box Girl (Switch) 🥰– 2 Player Campaign
  Simple and cute as shit (like me). Very enjoyable for a 2 player puzzle platform experience. Will likely do the 1 Player campaign next.

2022

• Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Wii U) – 100% 😀
  Awesome. Better than I thought it would be, I thought the game was over after Chapter 1 and then was shocked to see there actually was more.
• Pikmin 2 (Wii)  – 100% 😍
  I was hungry for more Pikmin after finishing the 3rd installment in 2021 and it was was a step down in fidelity (480p 😭) but still enjoyable. If you haven’t played any of the series try the demo for Pikmin 3 on the Switch – there’s nothing else like it.
• Total Party Kill (iOS) – 100% 😍
  I will rarely include mobile games because they are usually pseudo-gambly dogshit designed to bleed money. None of that garbage in this game it’s just a bunch of cool levels and console game-like vibes. It’s Lost Vikings-like but the puzzles are centered around killing your party and using their dead bodies to solve the puzzles. It’s the game I’ve gifted to others the most on Steam.
• Heart Star (iOS) – 100% 😀
  Same dev as Total Party Kill and it’s another great console vibey puzzle platformer with less murder and more cuteness. It’s totally playable on mobile but I’d probably get the Steam version if I wanted to do to another playthrough.
• Kirby Star Allies (Switch) – 100% 😀
  Totally Kirby and totally okay to play with my 5 & 7 year old’s since slow characters get teleported to catch-up. You can tell Smash Bros was started by HAL with the similar chaotic vibes. My only complaint is this game skews too easy and it makes me wonder if they’ll ever crank the difficulty of the puzzles up in a Kirby game because the setup has a lot of potential.
• Starfox 64 (3DS) – 100% – two different playthroughs 😀
  The original was already good but they updated the graphics and added some quality of life fixes so that was great. Starfox Zero gets shit on a lot but I’m interested in giving it a go next.
• Metroid: Samus Returns (3DS) – 100% 😀
  Bought a 3DS just to play this as I was flying high from finishing Metroid Zero mission in 2021. I explored the map pretty thoroughly so by the time I was near the end game I was close to 100% so I went ahead and did it anyway.
• Metroid: Dread (Switch) – 100%  😍
  This plays like a smoother version of Samus Returns and that makes sense since it was the same developers. The lore dumps were good. I liked how cinematic it felt when the camera zoomed out to show scale of things.
• Super Mario 3D Land (3DS) – 100% 😀
  It’s everything you expect from a Mario game – tight platforming and lots of level variety. I felt a bit cramped not being allowed to control the camera but I got used to it. This just made me want to re-play Super Mario 3D Land and my kids are better at gaming now so that should be a fun replay. I’m surprised I 100%’d this.
• New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS) – 100% 😀
  I liked this better than 3D Land – it’s classic Mario platforming with a nice coat of paint. I’m surprised I 100%’d this one too but it’s just too easy to have a 3DS on a nightstand and do a few things every night. I think this game made me develop “Mario Fatigue” because I need to take a break now.
• Pokémon Puzzle League (N64) – 100% 😏
  I never got into the actual Pokémon games but I have fun with the ancillary ones like the puzzle spinoffs. I replayed the single player hard mode to see if I could still beat it (and I can) and just when I started feeling good about my Tetris Attack/Panel de Pon skills I started playing Panel Attack (it’s free!) against others online and got my ass handed to me repeatedly.
• Zelda: Link Between Worlds (3DS) – 100% 🥰
  This was marketed as a sequel to Link to the Past but it seems barely connected. They had a lot of fun with “depth” and even with the 3D disabled some parts get very vertical. I didn’t like the “buy all the tools” thing and I wish it was more of the traditional Zelda/Metroidvania styled with different areas unlocked as you gained abilities but also glad they’re trying new things.

2021

• New Super Mario Wii (Wii) 🙂: I beat New Super Mario Bros U DX the year before and enjoyed it so I went back to finish this one. I remember both games being good but my brain can’t separate either of them so I guess they’re pretty consistent. It’s the classic 2D Mario gameplay platforming that doesn’t really age. The tilty motion controlly stuff is there but doesn’t feel bolted on. I played some levels with my son and it was mildly aggravating but still enjoyable depending on the level.
• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD (Wii U) 🙂: I missed this the first time around on the GameCube even though I owned it. Like with Windwaker HD it was nice to finally play it in HD with the quality of life updates. Unlike Windwaker it was a very Zeldaish Zelda game that seemed to play it safe.
• Pikmin 3 (Wii U) 😍: Super fun but too short. There’s nothing else quite like it. A good balance of chill exploration with periods of intense battles. Might be my “game of the year” even though it’s an 8 year old game. If I didn’t have a Wii U I would for sure get this on Switch.
• Super Mario 64 (Switch) 🙂: I’ve beat this game many times. It kind of holds up but the controls feel rickety compared to modern Marios. The first half of the game is burned into my mind however the last half still feels semi-new if enough time passes between plays.
• Super Mario Sunshine (Switch) 🤬: I didn’t beat this when I owned it on GameCube because the game is shit. I finally beat it but it was a slog. It’s fucking horrible. Glad I finally beat it. Fuck this game.
• Super Mario Galaxy (Switch) 😍: I hated this game when I owned it on Wii because I found it disorientating and I still do but I kinda got used to it. There’s a lot of quality platforming and the controls still feel as tight as Mario Odyssey. I got 120 stars and unlocked Luigi but I am doubtful I’ll unlock the full 240 stars for the “good ending”.
• Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) 😍: Enjoyed the first one so much I continued the series. It’s more of the same (in a good way). Didn’t 100% it – not sure if I will.
• Hyrule Warriors (Wii U) 😑: I hadn’t played a Dynasty Warriors game before but since this was Zelda flavoured I gave it a go. It was an okay game but it just made me want to play a regular Zelda game with puzzles etc. I also played the demo for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity and I probably won’t get it unless it’s dirt cheap or something.
• Super Mario 3D World – Bowser’s Fury (Switch) 😍: I beat 3D World before (it’s great) so I got this just for the Bowser’s Fury add-on. Beat it and got all the stars. Open-world Mario (Grand Theft Plassie) works really well and I hope Nintendo does a full-sized game like this.
• Minit (PC) 🙂: Such a neat concept and makes me wish I thought of it. Short but seems like it has to be.
• Paper Mario: Origami King (Switch) 😄: the feeling I got from online buzz was that the fans of the series didn’t like this one. I’ve played a few Mario RPGs but this was the first Paper Mario I completed. I enjoyed it a lot including the puzzle-based combat (Intelligent Systems made the best puzzle game of all time: Tetris Attack/Puzzle League). I will probably work backwards and play Paper Mario: Color Splash next.
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD (Switch) 😄: I started this on Wii and got to the first dungeon and then read the news a remake was coming. I promptly shut it down and waited a couple months until this came out and was glad I did. The Wii game felt like it wanted to look good but was handcuffed by 480p graphics so it really shines on the Switch. There’s a lot of quality dungeons and I ended up liking the “chances” that were taken with the story/lore to set it apart from the more samesy Zelda games.
• Yoshi’s Wooly World (Wii U) 🙂: I beat the snoozefest that was Yoshi’s Crafted World and this was much better (but not as good as the SNES Yoshi’s Island). The game is a lot more forgiving than the New Super Marios so my (at the time) 5 year old son could keep up and have the game still be enjoyable.
• Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Switch) 😑: I gave up on the original Luigi’s Mansion a few times. I started enjoying this one once I could tell myself that it isn’t a platformer and it’s more of a slow/chill point-and-click game with a few fun boss battles. My kids enjoyed watching and it’s a very good looking game even for the “underpowered” Switch.
• Metroid Zero Mission (GBA) 🙂: Always wanted to play the original but this remake has nice graphics and additional content/story and streamlined/removed a lot of the painful parts from the original. It’s shortness (under 4 hours) made me want to play through Super Metroid & Metroid Fusion again. Since I’ve now beat Metroid 1, 3 & 4 I might do Return of Samus before I eventually do Metroid Dread.
• A Short Hike (Switch) 🥰: After hearing from a few different friends that this was good I gave it a go. Can confirm it’s delightful as fuck. It’s got the exploration vibes of Zelda Breath of the Wild but without puzzles or combat. I had to disable the on-purpose blocky graphics but can’t fault the game for it’s stylistic choice. Didn’t 100% the game but do have a slight hankering to go in and explore a bit more.
• The Division 2 (PC) 🙂: Not a big fan of the story no matter how relevant it seems today (deadly virus, toppling governments, etc). It’s got very good looter-shooter mechanics/gamefeel and lots of replayability if you enjoy grindy incremental loot improvement games.

2020

• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild (Switch) 😍 : I wanted to write this game off as pure hype – there were a ton of open world action RPGs so what made this one so special? For starters it feels like it came from outer space. Everything in the game is so playful, exploration based and just plain fun.
• The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening (Switch) 👍: A very nice coat of paint to an already good game. I still remembered most of it from beating the original damn near 30 years ago on Gameboy. I, along with probably everyone, hope that Link to the Past gets the same “coat of paint” treatment.
• Super Mario Odyssey (Switch) 😍: I love Mario 64. I’m not a fan of Sunshine. I hated Galaxy but it’s grown on me. Odyssey, to me, is Mario returning to its more “cube” shaped levels packed with exploration where you can find shines/stars in whatever order you want rather than the linear “track” feeling levels of Galaxy. The game probably the best ending of any Mario game ever.
• New Super Mario Bros. U DX (Switch) 👍 : another game that’s basically a new coat of paint on the old 2D Mario games and that’s not a complaint because I still play them. I’ve been playing New Super Mario Bros. Wii with my son since beating this.
• Yoshi‘s Crafted World (Switch) 😐: If you were a fan of Yoshi’s Island on the SNES (and you should be) this is a drastic change of pace. I still finished it but I would say 80% of the game is an easy snooze fest and only 20% of the stages are actually any good. The boss fights were fun. There are a few post-bigboss levels that are very difficult so that was a neat surprise. I played Wooly World for about 20 minutes but I’m not sure if I’ll finish it or just do another run through Yoshi’s Island.
• Super Mario 3D World (Wii U) 👍 : Sad I missed this the first time around  but happy I eventually got to play it. It almost seems like a better successor to Mario 64 than Sunshine/Galaxy were. Will I buy the remake that’s coming out for Switch for the (probably short) Bowser’s Fury add-on? Probably yeah.
• Zelda Wind Waker HD (Wii U) 👍 : I enjoyed this more than I thought I would because I gave up on GameCube version. The upgraded HD visuals and quality of life updates made me happy I waited. The submarine challenges seem like the precursor to the shrine challenges in BOTW. I was surprised at this game being open-world since I’m playing Twilight Princess right now and it’s more linear despite having come out after.