For all the more I've actually managed to keep up with this, I'll slowly be poking through the lists and making adjustments to be in line with the data migration to the new site for whenever that actually happens.

I'll then have to roll through again for new options that aren't currently available and won't update themselves as a result, but that's a bridge to cross when it's built.

A little bit of catchup, I suppose.

Super Mario RPG for Switch was fantastic and is a surprisingly faithful remake of the SNES original. A few things about it bug me, but they're ultimately not anything that took away from my enjoyment of the game. The arranged soundtrack slaps. I would honestly recommend this versus the original for anyone looking to play it for a first-hand experience with the story, not because it is (somewhat) easier but because it is somewhat more refined.

Somewhat for jokes, and somewhat for curiosity, I started off the year by playing Infidelity's SNES ports of Mega Man 2 and Mega Man 4. They are exactly what they say on the tin, with the added bonus of optional MSU-1 enhanced soundtracks. Nothing else is changed, leading to a very familiar experience, for better or worse.

I'm not sure of what direction I take from here. There are plenty of games I want to dig into for the first time this year, especially a number of Mega Man fangames, but also quite a few I've started and didn't finish. Both Wario Land Shake It! and Super Princess Peach have somewhat obnoxious collection requirements to reach the end of the main quest, which lessens my enthusiasm for those. I left Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary at its most infamous point without actually dipping into it, and I walked away from Doom 64 fairly early, after picking up the first major secret. I still want to get that 1CC of Vs. Super Mario Bros. Blaster Master Zero deserves a finished playthrough after I started it four years ago. My partner sent Baldur's Gate 3 my way for my birthday in August and I barely touched it because it seemed overwhelming, and I feel terrible about it, and there are many other games I've been gifted over the years that I never touched that I really should. If I eliminated my entire backlog beyond what I've mentioned here, I would still have dozens of options to pick from.

I'm still poking at Azur Lane daily, and there's plenty left for me to do in Final Fantasy XIV ahead of its next expansion releasing this summer. Some friends have picked up Final Fantasy XI recently, and I'm considering poking at that as well.

Whatever happens, Super Mario Bros. Wonder left me more motivated to play games than I've been in a long time. Hopefully, I slap that B status a lot this year, and actually finish getting all system lists current.

Have a safe 2024!

Super Mario Bros. Wonder was a delight. There's more personality in the first few stages than in the whole of any of the "New" games, the stage design is almost universally excellent, and the gimmicks never get old. Aside from the final-final stage, which is wholly optional unless you're aiming for 100%, this is the most fun I've had playing a 2D platformer -- especially one with Super Mario's name attached to it -- in a long time.

It's the first game in literal decades where I've actively sought to achieve that 100% mark.

The best 2D Super Mario game released to date.