ZeroRanger Steamrolled. This shmup only has one achievement but it's no joke to get! If you're a fan of the genre I highly recommend checking this one out.

I finally (thanks to a snow day!) finished Space Station Silicon Valley to 100% completion, and this is after having to restart it after losing my save file roughly halfway through about a year ago. It's a rough gem, but a gem none-the-less. Def rec it.

Call me.

The occasional Taargus Army Men series run update: Since starting this madness in October of 2021, I've since played 20 games in the series including one-offs, mainline titles, and each console variant. I'm at the Green Rogues (PS1+2) right now. Kill me.

Yeah I'm not playing Dread Templar. I got this game for free because Shenanigans didn't want his copy, but after two levels I'm out. Do you like the same guitar riff on a 30 second loop? Run at player enemies? Placeholder fonts? Budget UIs? No thanks.

Almost done with Shinobi (PS2). This is an odd one. It's either the easiest game you've ever played or the hardest depending on how well you engage with the "tate" system. You can kill most bosses in one hit! I'm hoping Nightshade is more interesting tho.

In a new qpost wholly unrelated to my last, when was the last time you used an action replay, gameshark, or similar memory address hacker to beat a game? What game was it? How did you feel afterwards? Would you do it again?

I think I have to tap out on Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz (Vita). The game is hard enough as is without the meta challenge of lives and continues. When the threat of failure is simply to waste the player's time, there's only so much I can take.

I play some pretty awful games to completion when doing series runs but I rarely get to the point where I doubt my decision to persevere through a dud. Super Monkey Ball Adventure (PSP) tested me. I beat it... but at what cost? Just the Vita game left.

Still addicted to Super Monkey Ball right now. Also finding that the only proper way to play Banana Mania is as Sonic. I think maybe... Super Monkey Ball was actually always part of the Sonic series instead? Feels right. Not sure why.

My Super Monkey Ball marathon is nearly finished. I've started with Banana Mania but haven't fully finished it though I'll be completing it fully last. Done is Jr., Touch & Roll, Banana Blitz HD, Step & Roll, 3D, and I'm halfway through Banana Splitz.

First game of February down: Super Monkey Ball Jr., which is somehow both an impressive piece of GBA tech that's better than it has any right to be, but still extremely frustrating and generally not all that fun to play with digital movement.

I just tried to buy a game on my Vita. That was a flat out excruciating experience. Thanks Sony.

Just ran through Shinobi (arcade), Shadow Dancer (arcade), and Revenge of Shinobi. OOF. These games are not it. Even with rewind and save states these are huge turds. Maybe it gets better?! On to the rest of them I suppose.

Oh yes the Analogue Pocket finally has a Wonderswan core and it "just works", something every emulator I tried could never get right (rotation and button configs were famously fucked in all of them). I know it's a niche system but whatever, diving in now!

JoyMasher does it again. That's all four of their games making it onto my favorites list. If you haven't checked it out or didn't know, Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is a good time!

Devil May Cry 5 is done and it was... fine! Just fine. Dandy. If you love ruins, subways, sewers, and demonic tubes, you'll love this one! Locales almost never visited in video games! Also I got some hot takes in the comments.

That's 13 games finished. I'll rank them in the comments.

I just wrapped up Blood: Fresh Supply which was great (the Post Mortem ep was my favorite). I was eyeing Blood II but after some research not even your boi Dangus is interested in suffering through that mess. I have standards. Sort of. Occasionally.

First game of the year finished and it's Army Men: World War - Land, Sea, air. So that's how I've decided to set the tone. You're welcome.

Here's to a new year and hopefully finding out how the three seashells work.

Here's the goods. 90 games played this year (list in the comments). As always, my best and worst are not markers of a game's quality, just the ones that resonated with me most, or frustrated me, or didn't live up to my expectations. Not in any order btw.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is the Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days of third-person cover shooters.

Just finished Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, which is the Deadly Premonition of third person cover shooters. That's the best I got. On to the sequel.

Well that's finished. On to the next thing... maybe the Kane & Lynch games?!