Monthend Video Game Wrap-Up: December 2019

~ Game Over ~

Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon (PS4) – So, it’s really weird that the final boss battle (and then the real final boss) had absolutely no fnafare at all. You just walk in the door and then the fight begins. No cutscene, no dialogue, nothing. Very jarring considering how much “story” the rest of the game had. Also, now that the trilogy is over, I think I’m happily done with all things Spyro for the rest of my life. 85% of my enjoyment with these games was watching the scoreboards fill up with 100%s.

Trover Saves the Universe (Switch) – I think I would have liked this more if I had played it in VR, because then it would look really good next to all the shallow mini-games. Like when you find that exceedingly rare mobile game that’s legitimately good. But compared to the other games on my Switch? It’s merely fine. But it’s a great barometer for measuring how long you can stand an unfiltered Justin Roiland. I can go for a little over an hour and a half.

Shovel Knight: King of Cards (Switch) – What an excellent way to close out the Shovel Knight series. King Knight takes a little while to get used to, but once you figure out how he works, it’s so much fun. Couple that with some of the best and most varied stage design in the series, and you’ve got an absolute treasure. It’s just too bad that the Joustus card game is no fun at all.

Nonograms Prophecy (Switch) – Literally unfinishable due to a broken puzzle, overall poor design, and terrible controls. Worst nonogram game I’ve ever played.

Pocky and Rocky (SNES) – A fun little shoot-em-up that’s deceptively hard. You go in looking at this adorable art thinking that it’s going to be pretty breezy, but then it’s like, wow level 2 is rough. And it only gets worse from there. Fortunately the two-player mode makes it a little more manageable.

Pic-A-Pix Pieces (Switch) – Maybe the best non-Jupiter nonogram game on Switch? Or it might just be the sour taste of Nonograms Prophecy that makes this one seem that much better. Still, it’s real good. I’m not too sure where I stand on “colour picross” as a whole, though. It’s more complicated than the monochrome puzzles, but actually ends up being a little easier.

Rogue Legacy (Switch) – Finished it on my 107th run, at level 170 or so. Funny story: I defeated the final boss with a single hit left, and then his second form spawned right on top of me, killing me instantly. Turns out that second form is actually pretty easy, so that was a really stupid way to die. Still, I really liked this game. I might even keep playing through the New Game + mode.

Shovel Knight Showdown (Switch) – I cleared two story modes, that’s enough for me. As much as I adore the Shovel Knight franchise, this Smash Bros-styled spin-off isn’t doing much for me. It’s neat, but I’d rather play one of the platformers instead.

Batman: The Enemy Within (Switch) – While what little gameplay there is has been dumbed down from the first game, I really enjoyed this one. Even moreso than the first. I very much appreciate Telltale’s unique takes on the Batman lore and characters, though I do wonder how much the story’s path can really diverge. It seems like there’s a lot of potential, but it could just be an illusion. I’ll probably never replay it to find out, though.

Fitness Boxing (Switch) – Yeah, I’ve still been playing several times a week, but here’s the reason I’m adding this to the list after so many months: I finally unlocked everything! It took exactly the entire year to do so, and I kind of want to start a new profile to have a digital carrot to chase again in 2020. Just keeping in shape isn’t enough to motivate me!

~ Progress Notes ~

Pixel Puzzle Collection (iOS) – 132.8%

Breath of Fire (SNES) – Got to the village of moles.

Ring Fit Adventure (Switch) – Halfway through World 13

Death Road to Canada (PC) – Just messin’ around

X-COM 2 (PS4) – I have no idea how to gauge progress here.

Pokémon Shield (Switch) – Pokédex at 332/400

Mega Man Legends (PS1) – Entering Lake Jyun sub-gate.

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