Games played in 2026
Heretic + Hexen
In the spirit of Black Fridays, I also got "Heretic + Hexen." It was discounted and I wanted to try the cleric with the shield and I always felt that I didn't play "Hexen" the proper way: always with the god mode on, etc. I was too young to munch through like a pro.
Superliminal
"Superliminal" is a game that can easily be considered a worthy successor to games like "The Stanley Parable," "Antichamber," or "Manifold Garden;" including featureless player character. The action is set in a dream, which goes into another dream, and into another, etc., thus, resembling "Inception." The main characteristic of the puzzles is playing with perspective and scale, but it also has heavy liminal-space vibes. It's short and sweet, and it's probably my favourite type of games.
Strangely enough, it's so short that there will be no weeks-long thread, nor detailed notes. I finished it in 3 gameplays, which could easily be simply 2.
Spoiler: In the end, the doctor, who was leaving us clues as to what is happening and what to do next, tells us that everything was part of planned experience, and the purpose was to show us that, by going outside of the box, we can overcome any obstacle. On paper, that's cheesy in a modern "spiritual" way, and should not work, but it worked for me. I felt better about myself after finishing the game. So, I guess they nailed it.
I might replay it in the future, to find all the Easter eggs and generally, explore more. Now I was more preoccupied with the main plot.
It also makes me thing that I made a huge omission in my gaming live by not playing any "Portal" game. Maybe this year I will fix it.
Tomb Raider
I started playing "Tomb Raider" remaster. I'm not sure it'll be something I play a lot soon, but I wanted to see it.
The Chaos Engine
I've got interested in "The Chaos Engine" recently, having fond memories of the game, from my Amiga 1200. It inspired me to buy "The Difference Engine" by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, as apparently, the plot of the game is roughly inspired by the book. I went to GOG today, and there it was at the price of 2 euros, even less, so, despite the bad reviews, I decided to buy it. I played a little, but I'll try the Mega Drive port on R36S later, too.
Demolition Man
"Demolition Man" is a SNES game from 1996, loosely based on the movie of the same title, starring Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes (for some reason, I remembered it was Dennis Rodman; mayhap due to the hair colour, no clue). It's generally a side-scrolling shooter, with two top-down levels. I found it accidentally while browsing the SNES catalogue on my R36S. I played the first level for a bit, and it fell to my liking, so I returned to it this week.
X2: Wolverine's Revenge
Yesterday, I gave "X2: Wolverine's Revenge" a shot. It's loosely based on the movie but focused on Wolverine; I've seen it in 2003, so I don't remember it that much. There was PC/console game of the same title, but it was fully 3D and all. This one here is a 2D hack'n'slach side-scroller. Pixel art is really good here. I added it to favourites, to return to it later. The funny thing is that back then I wouldn't walk next to it, but now, it's a perfect product to play.
Batman (NES)
Yesterday, I saw NES's "Batman" on YouTube (compared with Game Boy's), and the pixel art was so exquisite that I just had to try it for myself. Musically, it's a bit worse, but the character design, and background design, and all that with a limited palette of colours -- it's just amazing. You can feel it's a late-in-the-lifecycle entry. Gameplay wise, it holds pretty well, as well. And they have cut-scenes, in a form of slightly animated frames.
Van Helsing
"Van Helsing" is a Game Boy Advance game from 2004, and it's based on the movie of the same title, with Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale. As with the Wolverine game last week, there were two different games for GBA and consoles at the time. I gotta say, I had fun with it, but then I read it was a bit of a disappointment at the time, which doesn't really surprise me. But now, it doesn't matter anymore.
Turok: Evolution
I had a quick run with "Turok: Evolution," which, per tradition, has a separate Game Boy Advance version: a side-scroll shooter. Pixel art is beautiful, reminding me heavily of arcade games. The gameplay is very demanding as for a game from early 2000s, because you generally have to make a perfect run. For some, it was a bad thing, but you have infinite number of continues, so if you only have stamina, you'll munch through. I've yet my first level to finish. :D There is a story, but who cares?
Oscar
When we bought Amiga 1200 in 1993, it came with two games in the box, and one of them was "Oscar," and I spend many hours with him.
"Oscar" had many ports: there was one for PC and also SNES version, but the Amiga's was the most definite experience. PC had ulterior graphics, and SNES had content cut out (only 4 worlds instead of 7, and Oscar doesn't change his outfit to match the movie).
Thus, I'm glad I managed to make CD32's version working.
Doom PSX
After making PlayStation Classic play a wider variety of games, I had unlimited options. I could've played anything from the large library of PlayStation One. And I chose Doom. Yep.
And this thread will document my journey.
Furi
"Furi" is a 2016 game that has only boss matches. The creators didn't have enough budget for anything bigger and decided to scale down. As often is, it gave us an interesting product. No-nonsense, I'd say.
I found out about it through its soundtrack, which has all the best of Bandcamp, to just name Carpenter Brut or Waveshaper. It's a solid synthwave set of music that matches closely the neon visuals that the game is soaked in.