1991 Video Game Is the Best I've Played This Year | Games | Entertainment

Earlier this year, I decided to finally do something about a long video game backlog dating back to the 1980s. He made a list of about 12 games that I targeted at unfinished and unplayed games. However, as you can see from my thoughts below, I end up playing whatever interests me in the moment. This list includes relatively recent triple-A blockbusters such as Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Jedi Fallen Order. Other modern games that passed me by like Bowser's Fury and Judgment. This includes classic works such as the original “Castlevania'' and “Phantasy Star.'' It's one of the few New Year's resolutions I've ever made in January, and I've already cleared quite a few backlogs of games this year. And most importantly, I really enjoy it.

With the February release of Rebirth in mind, I started the year by playing Final Fantasy 7 Remake on PS5. This was a game I started playing when it first came out, but stopped after arriving at the Sector 7 slums and doing a few sidequests.

At the time, I remember being completely unconvinced by the combat system and being a bit skeptical about how much padding was being added to artificially lengthen the running time.

I played the whole thing from start to finish, so I think there's still a little bit left in the game, but I came away really liking Final Fantasy 7 Remake, including the combat system.

I think the development team did a great job bringing the original locations to life, from the first Mako Reactor to the colorful Wall Market. The music remains a highlight, and I won't give away any spoilers, but I actually quite liked what Square Enix did with the ending.

I got hooked completing all the side quests, maxing out green materia in repeated battles in the Colosseum, and finally unlocking Bahamut after some epic failures. I loved it so much that I didn't want it to end.

I'm tempted to play Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth right now, but I'm saving my plans for the nostalgic Christmas holidays. (Also, for some reason I like playing RPGs in the winter more than at other times of the year.)

With Final Fantasy 7 finished, I decided to move on to something completely different and focus on the original Castlevania.

I've dipped in and out of several Castlevania games over the years, but the only ones I've played all the way through are Samsara of Blood and Symphony of the Night. But this is such an iconic series that I feel like I need to play as many mainline games as possible.

For convenience, I played the version found within the Castlevania Anniversary Collection on the Steam deck, but without state saves in order to get as close to the original NES experience as possible.

It's not a very long game if you know what you need to do, but it takes a lot of trial and error to get there. The floating Medusa head has killed me so many times, and I can't bring myself to get into that jumping hunchback thing.

There was a short section right before the boss fight with Death/Grim Reaper that almost gave me a nervous breakdown, and the final fight with Count Dracula was really bad. It took a hit when I ended up putting him down.

Although it can be frustrating at times, I think the original Castlevania holds up incredibly well. The controls are very precise, the music is top-notch, and the challenging gameplay gives me great satisfaction when I finally reach the end.

With my Castlevania platforming skills at their peak, I crossed it off my list and chose Super Castlevania IV as my next game.

Considered one of the best games in the entire series, Castlevania IV is another absolute masterpiece and probably the best game in my backlog to date. I can happily say that. Not bad for a game released in 1991.

It adds some great new features, including the ability to whip diagonally and swing across gaps. There are also some nice graphical touches, such as a rotating stage made possible thanks to the Super Nintendo's famous Mode 7 feature.

Having completed Super Castlevania IV without too many problems (at least compared to the first game), I decided to take a break from the series, but decided to take a break from Castlevania Chronicles (another remake of the original). I'd like to try Castlevania: Bloodline. I'll probably do it later this year.

Sticking to the 1990s, the next two games on my list were Comix Zone for the SEGA Mega Drive and The Story of Thor 2 for the SEGA Saturn.

Comix Zone is a game I've never had the desire to play, even though I've owned it dozens of times. I've always liked Art's style and manga presentation, but I never played it beyond the first stage.

Despite its reputation as a difficult game, I actually finished Comix Zone relatively quickly. With branching paths and a limited power-up system, part of the challenge is figuring out the easiest routes, where to find items, and when to use them. Once you clear this, some stages will end quickly. It also had a good ending.

I definitely recommend Comix Zone, but The Story of Thor 2 (Legend of Oasis) was a bit of a disappointment.

The original Story of Thor (Beyond Oasis) is one of my favorite Mega Drive games, but even though I'd always wanted to play the sequel since I just bought my Saturn a few years ago. I haven't had a chance to play it yet.

It's not a terrible game or anything, but SoT2 doesn't have the magic of the original. It's a bit clunky, the combat system is very basic and has a lot of backtracking, the story is a bit bland, and the music isn't all that memorable.

It was fun until the end, but I was glad it was over. It can take a while, especially when you're trying to figure out where you're going.

After playing some of the older titles, I then chose one of the newer games on the list. Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order is a game I've come close to playing many times, so it was great to finally get to play it properly.

While I had a lot of fun with Fallen Order and my experience was overall positive, this is another game that can drag on a bit. I think it would have been a much better game if they had shaved a few hours off of that and unleashed their force powers a little earlier.

It also features very grumpy faces and overly serious, rather bland characters and boring cutscenes.

Fortunately, the game itself is fun to play, especially once you unlock the ability to dual wield, double jump, and throw lightsabers at enemies.

I even had the unexpected side effect of rewatching Episodes I-VI for the first time in years.

Despite some of the game's flaws, I like Jedi Fallen Order enough to have Jedi Survivor on my wishlist and believe it to be the better game. Perhaps it will be another event for him in the run up to Christmas 2024.

After a quick (but thorough) playthrough of the excellent Bowser's Fury on the Nintendo Switch, I became a bit obsessed with the Boomer shooter. I've played every episode of Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour, the entire Powerslave Exhumed campaign, and his amazing HROT on PC.

I was initially tempted to play the Saturn version of the Egyptian-themed shooter Exhumed, but ultimately opted for Nightdive Studios' excellent remake in my Steam deck.

This is a game that my friends used to rave about back in the PlayStation/Saturn days, and for good reason. This is a very well-made Metroidvania style shooter game where you can travel to new areas and discover secrets by unlocking abilities such as floating and breathing underwater.

Although the lack of ammo energy can be frustrating at times, it's an interesting game with a unique setting and weapons.

Unsurprisingly, I also really enjoyed Duke Nukem 3D. This is a game I've played many times over the years, but never fully completed. The 20th anniversary version includes new episodes consisting of 7 levels for him (8 when he finds a secret stage) that take place in locations such as London, Paris, and Moscow.

The new levels are a visual treat and some of the most challenging in the game, but should be easy to complete if you've mastered all the OG stages. In boss battles, just keep shooting!

Finally, HROT is a great FPS set in post-nuclear war Czechoslovakia. I usually like colorful games, but HROT's drab brown aesthetic is perfect for this game.

The level design is truly exceptional, the gunplay is meaty and satisfying, and the boss fights are most memorable.

That's pretty much the goal for me as I try to chip away at my video game backlog. There are literally hundreds of games left, but it's been a fun and oddly satisfying journey so far.

Other games on the 2024 backlog list include Pentiment, Pandora's Tower, Shinobi X, Silent Hill Origins, Pandemonium, Phantasy Star, Judgment, and The Last of Us: Part 2.

I also play a newly released game or two, including the highly addictive poker roguelike Balatro (which I played for about 50 hours) and a weird game called WWE 2K24.

I'm definitely going to spend some time playing Hades 2 since it's currently in Early Access. June will drop almost everything for Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion.

In the meantime, I highly recommend creating your own backlog list for the year. We plan to provide an update on our progress in the second half of 2024.

Enjoy the game! Please let me know if you are doing something similar or have any recommendations.