Backlog Bingo 2025
The board
Row 1: Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, Last Epoch, Torneko 2, Crash Bandicoot 4, SSX (2012)
Row 2: Unicorn Overlord, Mirror's Edge, Espgaluda II Arrange Mode, Penny's Big Breakaway, Halo: Combat Evolved
Row 3: Animal Well, Armored Core: Master of Arena, CrossCode, Crackdown, VA-11 HA11-A
Row 4: Policenauts, PSO Ep I & II, Fate/hollow ataraxia, Armored Core VI, Megami Ibunroku Persona
Row 5: Final Fantasy (WS), Splatoon 2, Super Mario 3D World, Dragon Quest III (HD2D), Resident Evil
Thoughts on games played
- 12/30: VA-11 HALL-A captures what I love from iyashikei media so much. Worldbuilding, immaculate vibes, and character development are at the forefront, and everything else takes a backseat, just the way I like it. It's a beacon of hope about making the most of living in a flawed but fascinating world.
- 1/1: Last Epoch feels the most like a Diablo 2 sequel of all ARPGs I’ve played. The standout feature is the campaign’s pacing, keeping things as tight and addictive as D2 was. It isn’t bogged down by too many additional systems, and those that are there are approachable and well-explained.
- 1/25: Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred has such an anticlimactic ending that I didn’t realize I was actually beating it. Spiritborn has more interesting customization options, but then the bread and butter combat feels indistinguishable from base game classes. Somewhat disappointed with this one.
- 1/27: Penny's Big Breakaway applies the principles of 2D Sonic level design to a 3D platformer, and would be a no-brainer recommendation had I not also spent a third of the game clipping through the floor. (in true Sonic fashion)
- 4/11: Crash 4 reminded me of a bygone era when 3D platformers still adhered to a design philosophy I agreed with and presented worthwhile challenges to overcome. The final level has sections that have very inconsistent execution and spikes in difficulty, but otherwise the difficulty felt just right.
- 4/17: Halo was one of the most tedious gaming experiences of my life. I cannot believe this somehow got a 97 Metascore when I wanted to abandon it almost every mission in the latter half. What the fuck.
- 4/29: Crackdown was the first ever open world game I wanted to play because of its 500 collectible agility orbs which increase your jump height. It is so fun to scale skyscrapers and traverse the city just by jumping really high or really far, and only Gravity Rush outdoes it.
- 6/7: Animal Well excels at being a short, puzzle-centric search action game with incomparable atmosphere. It's not a good gameplay fit for me, but its length was short enough that it never got grating, and there is far more under the surface for people who DO vibe with it to uncover.
- 6/26: PSO just feels like home. It influenced titles I have put hundreds of hours into, and its aesthetic is absolutely timeless. Ruins is a bit of a slog, and the camera is tragically bad, but I still have a blast every play session.
- 7/6: Super Mario 3D World really underscores how important the 3DS screen was to enjoying 3D Land. The lack of proper depth perception really made me feel like I didn't have control of my jumps and it felt nowhere as good, even if the level design was on point. Backtracking to hit star thresholds also felt like a massive chore.
- 10/25: Have not gamed much on PC or console in the last 3 months, but I did leave Game Pass months ago and have no intent to return, so I should probably mark Mirror’s Edge and SSX (2012) as abandoned. I played a bit of each earlier in the year and was just not feeling either one.
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