Games You Beat in 2026: RIP to our backlogs

[toxicitizen]

Pokémon FireRed

 

I picked it up when they released the port on the eShop earlier this year and got most of the way through it but then something else came out that distracted me from it and I only just got around to finishing it. Except for a difficulty spike at the very end that forced me to spend a few hours grinding, I enjoyed it for the most part. I did what little bit of story there is in the post-game and I'm at the point where all that's left to do is grind some more and fill out the pokédex. And since I don't have anyone to trade with, I'm not going to bother.

 

It was fun to revisit the series after all this time, though. I had only played the first two gens on gb/gbc back in the day, so this version was good for a retro nostalgia trip while still feeling a bit fresh. I definitely want to play more of the series but I'm not sure where to go next. There's rumors that more ports might be coming soon so maybe I'll just wait for those but it's tempting to jump ahead to the more recent gens to see what modern Pokémon games are like.

[MetalCaveman]

Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere (JP)

 

Counting this as a separate game from the US version because they're completely different.

 

This one has a ton of cutscenes (by Production I.G. no less), several characters, multiple endings, a hidden true ending unlocked when you get all the other endings, it's easily one of my favorites in the series.

 

Really liked the UPEO and Cynthia endings, both are fairly bittersweet but still end in a higher note than some of the other paths, then the true ending played out.

 

Spoiler

Oh hey! None of what you saw happened, in fact, all the endings and paths you can take are nothing more than simulations inside a system. 

 

Also, you are not real, just a program, NEMO, created to find a way to destroy Dision, also now you'll be released into the real world, have fun!

 

 

I would love to see a remake of this one, or at least a proper release of this version in English, the series is more popular than back then so maybe there's a chance.  

 

My only issue, as with the US version, is the Electrosphere mission lol, cool concept, but a visual nightmare.

 

Grade: S

[MetalCaveman]

Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies

 

We've made the jump to PS2!  

 

A bunch of changes and improvements, better graphics, special weapons, the ability to buy new aircraft and weapons, lots of cool stuff.

 

Story presentation also changes, the story here is mainly told through the narration of this boy who loses his home and family after an enemy ace, Yellow 13 shoots down a jet that crashes into his house. Pretty different from the previous 3 games, also, your character doesn't really appear in the main story, except for some mentions later on.

 

Spoiler

Also mentioned in the ending, when it turns out the narration so far has been the boy recounting his experience during the war as he writes a letter to Mobius 1.

 

The other part of the story is similar through previous games, mission briefings and result screens tell you how the war is progressing, were your forces are, losses, wins, etc.

 

Fun thing about the story too, this is the first game that presents you as this super pilot, Ace of Aces, living legend, etc.

 

1 and 2 had you as the leader of Scarface squadron, and while your team was famous, this wasn't as big of a deal during the actual game, 3 had some pilots knowledge your skills (pretty funny considering the true ending lol), this one though, is a whole new level.  

 

During missions allies will go all "it's Mobius 1! We're saved!", "Mobius 1 is here! Victory is ours!" while your enemies are all "That's the ribbon fighter! The grim reaper!" It's over the top, it's cheesy, I love it.

 

Last mission took me several tries, even if they're pretty short, four tunnel runs in one mission is too much lol.

 

6 was my first AC, and this one is much closer to it than the previous 3 games, so it was a cool experience.

 

Grade: A+

[danielpholt]

Mortal Shell II

 

Didn't expect anything of this when I heard it was coming out a few months ago. However, after 45 hours with the game, I think I'm officially a fan.

 

It doesn't reinvent the wheel or anything, but it does everything really well, and without any real frustration. I enjoy these games greatly, but often I find there's one little thing that frustrates me no end. That wasn't the case here. Sure, there's the occasional badly designed boss, but for the most part, the rest of the game felt like it was designed to give the player a challenging but incredibly fun time. 

 

4/5 - About as high a score I can give a game without it becoming something I'd consider getting tattooed on my actual human body. 

[MetalCaveman]

Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War

 

"When history witnesses a great change, Razgriz reveals itself..."

 

EXCELLENT \m/ \m/

 

The longest of the AC games I've played so far, sure 3 has more missions but since they're all pretty short and spread out across the different paths/endings, this one is technically the longer one.

 

Some changes from 4 in terms of gameplay and progression. You can no longer buy special weapons, whatever comes with the aircraft is all you get, however, some planes have a kill count bar, the more you use them and the more enemies you shoot down with it the more it fills, once full, you unlock a variant of that aircraft with different weapons and stats.

 

Also, you're now in charge of your squad, that means having to buy multiple of the same aircraft, or different ones, either way, you'll want enough for each member of your squad.

 

There's also squad commands, you can tell them to attack, cover you, disperse or use their special weapon.

 

A simple "conversation" system is also here, sometimes characters will say something or ask basic questions and you can reply with a yes/no. It's pretty basic, but still neat. Some of these will result in your squad changing orders, sometimes they'll go all "the enemy is spread out throughout the operation area, should we split to deal with them?" and you can tell them whether to spread out or not.

 

The story is cool, this time told through CG cutscenes following your squad. As you progress, you get different quotes from a poem from Strangereal, telling the legend of Razgriz, a fictional entity that appears as a demon that brings destruction, dies, then returns as a hero.

 

The poem bits change to reflect the status of your squad as the story advances. The whole Razgriz thing, the legend, poem and how eventually your own squad uses it as its name is imo, the perfect combination of cheese, badass and fun.

 

While I liked it a lot, there were a couple of missions that were a bit annoying, one involves a recon mission where you have no weapons and have to avoid a ridiculous amount of radars, you might as well just lower the landing gear and drive the plane around given how low you have to fly to avoid detection lol. Another one took me a bunch of tries until I ignored all enemy drones and focused on the boss ship.

 

It was not a big deal, but there are also times where you'll be restricted to specific planes, and also some missions will immediately move to the next one, which can be a bit annoying if you've prepared an anti-ground loadout only to find the next mission involves some serious anti-air combat.

 

Overall, it's a pretty fun entry in the series, story is among my favorites, definitively would like to come back to it in the future, now though, it's time for Ace Combat Zero!

 

Grade: A+