Vitality has exquisite atmosphere, but some progression is weird and the early-game balance is overtuned.
Subversion is just Super Metroid 2.
Ascent (top rated hack on metconst) presupposes you have a terminal case of SM brainworms.
2 Likes
Ok, yeah, this is my 2025 itinerary for now. I’m really looking forward to it. I even made space for a nice “Year of Saturn” tribute. I’ll remember to start that part in May to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the American launch.
The Prisoner
Mindwheel
The Fool’s Errand
Maniac Mansion
Faxanadu
Damocles
Final Fantasy Legend II
Ultima Underworld
Ranger X
Saturn Bomberman
Sakura Taisen
Enemy Zero
Soukyu Gurentai
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Flower, Sun, and Rain
Armored Core For Answer
Glittermitten Grove
Getting Over It
Return of the Obra Dinn
The Forgotten City
Immortality
Anthology of the Killer
Crypt Underworld
Alan Wake II
Ooooh, I’m so excited.
13 Likes
what a fucking year you got ahead
3 Likes
I will get around to about half of these:
Tactics Ogre Reborn
Unicorn Overlord
The Silver Case/25th Ward
The Void
Live A Live
Lost Odyssey
Rule Of Rose
Drakengard 2
1 Like
That looks like a list of picks I would make. I haven’t beaten any of them but there are a couple there I assume are alltimers.
Please write about them if you give them a try!
1 Like
okay let’s see.no promises on anything I just want to play them and I haven’t before. ceriums list reminded me of mine in a bunch of ways haha
25th ward
metal slug tactics
dungeon encounters
diablo 2
battle brothers
shining force 3
shining soul 2
layton VS phoenix wright
2 Likes
Sorry about the previous post btw, I didn’t mean to tag you in it but it did anyway and I wanted to delete but my follow up text was too similar and aaaaaaaa
EDIT: I nearly put Shining Force 3 on but they’re on translation patch 25.1 rn and >=26 might be The True Shining Force 3 Experience
1 Like
I can’t keep waiting!! I need to play a shining force I haven’t!!!
Start at V1 and work upwards, two weeks per full playthrough, AGDQ here I come.
1 Like
Cursed Mountain
Cursed Mountain
Cursed Mountain
5 Likes
Following this system is going pretty well so far. I’ve taken up several games that I had been putting off for years. One thing that gets me though is a lack of connection between what I’m playing. I mean, AC For Answer doesn’t segue cleanly into Flower, Sun, and Rain. Of course, once I get to the Saturn release anniversary, that will all change.
So here I am, three months in and I’m already thinking about 2026. How could I choose games that are in dialogue with one another? I imagine this is what it’s like to develop a course syllabus. One idea I have is to take one work and build out from there. Another idea would be to look at small studio work over the decades, teams of fewer than 20 people. What kind of shapes does their work take?
How would you all approach this?
4 Likes
I find two games in the same area can make for a good ‘parallel play’ as long as they’re of comparable length. That way you can play them as a double feature or alternate them some other way over time and see how they develop whatever common element they share over time. I wouldn’t recommend this for really long games though e.g. JRPGs
1 Like
I am going to create the experience of summer break for myself, even though I do not get anything like that at all. Regardless of my progress into the games I am currently playing (Metaphor), I am pumping the breaks and starting up a couple other games. Riven is one I’ve had the mind to play during the year’s hotmonths. But now I am interested in playing something from the Ultima franchise.
I just don’t know yet which one… How should I decide? VI-VIII, Savage Empire, and Underworld interest me the most. I probably won’t go underground for the summer and start Underworld, because brrrr, chilly. And the jungle vibes of Savage Empire calls to me with its breathy hot humidity… But that’s a spin-off, and I’m not sure if I should totally start there, because the differences won’t be so apparent to me without anything to contrast them with.
Any thoughts or suggestions, specifically about Ultima, or how you navigate choices like these?
2 Likes
It’s funny you should ask because I’ve been mulling over an Ultima visit for years. I have played through the original, but my real white whales are all the releases from IV onwards. Personally, I’m drawn to the Ultima Worlds games as toedips into the greater series. They’re supposedly shorter and more self-contained.
1 Like
Yeah the Ultima Worlds games seem interesting. One of them is on my list, Savage Empire. I think I’ll most likely end up there. Its adventure-game style reminds me of a certain kind of flashgame I’d encounter when I was a kid, like Cartoon Network Summer Resort.
1 Like
6 is great but the engine is a bit hard to deal with for an extended period of time. Honestly the worlds of ultima games are pretty light I think you should definitely go with that if that’s what you’re leaning towards. They use 6’s engine but have novel settings and have very little to do with the actual Ultima story besides you being the Avatar. They’re fun! Use them to get accustomed to this style of game. Ultima 4-7 are amazing but it’s a serious undertaking.
Savage empire has amazing caveman mechanics where you make gunpowder out of rocks and shit, it rules. My favorite is Martian dreams though because it reminds me of the ray bradbury book “the Martian chronicles” which I loved as a child
Ultima 8 has its moments but it is widely regarded as the point where they started to lose the magic. It’s a bizarre game and the stupid fucking water drop sound when you fuck up platforming is burned into my mind. Yeah that’s right Pagan has PLATFORMING. The box art is sick though because it has a giant pentagram on it and looks impossible to convince your mom to let you buy.
And honestly I don’t think I would have liked ultima as much if I didn’t play them in order. So yeah, start with the spinoffs and then play Ultima 4-7
4 Likes
Thanks for the rundown! I think we’re in alignment: it’s Worlds of Ultima games for me, and then proceeding in release order. My path is set 
2 Likes
My most lingering feeling about Worlds of Ultima is that I’m genuinely sad they didn’t get to make more. I hope you have fun.
2 Likes