The end of a year, the start of another. I thought of writing a huge blog again but honestly I'm not using backloggery anymore and I think I prefer backloggd style. I do have a huge attachment to this account so I just put this on hold and maybe update the entire account once a year. It's pretty hard to maintain two accounts like this so I think I'm going to just update constantly on my backlogd.

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Backloggery last update: December 31, 2023.

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Although I didn't play as much as I usually do, I felt the urge to share a little update. In my previous update, I was participating in a game club where we were playing Saturn games, and I ended up finishing two more: Panzer Dragoon Zwei and Saturn Bomberman. Both of them be pleasant surprises.

During this time, some friends embarked on a Final Fantasy marathon, and I decided to join them, planning some titles and in two parts. The first part is already completed, and it involved replaying FFIII, IV, and V. The second part will consist of replaying VI, IX, and X. Since I replayed VII earlier this year, I didn't feel the need to revisit it so soon. This has been a positive development for me because I have a long history with the FF franchise. It used to be my favorite series at one point, but over the past couple of years, my enthusiasm waned as I explored new games like the Souls series, Megami Tensei, and others and also felt that FF was moving in a direction that didn't resonate with me after the departure of Sakaguchi. So, what better way to rekindle my connection with FF than by revisiting the games I loved back then? Beating FFIII reminded me of how much I enjoyed the game, even if it's reminiscent of Dragon Quest. FFIV rekindled my appreciation for its pacing and certain memorable tunes, and FFV... well, FFV remains one of my all-time favorite games. Listening to its theme repeatedly unlocked a cascade of fond memories. Although FF may never be the same for me, it's wonderful to find peace with these games and appreciate their merits without dwelling too much on what I don't like. I'm eagerly looking forward to playing VI, IX, and X, with the goal of completing all three before the end of 2023.

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Additionally, I've wrapped up my cooperative playthrough with my girlfriend of Dark Souls III and had a fantastic time. Interestingly, I've found myself liking the DLCs more and more. I wasn't a big fan of the first one and couldn't stand the second, but my fondness for these DLCs continues to grow. We've also started playing Bloodborne and am nearly halfway through the campaign.

I anticipate that the remaining weeks of the year will be dedicated to playing more FF titles, finishing Bloodborne, and enjoying the new Forza Motorsport at a leisurely pace, although I must admit it has been somewhat underwhelming. I've been pondering whether a modern racing game can truly captivate me. This is looking kinda bleak these days.

Lastly, let's talk about the best for last: Mario Wonder. It's a revelation. It's one of the top three Mario games for me, and that's saying a lot for a 2D entry. It's almost outrageous, isn't it? But it's true. While I still believe Wo Long is my Game of the Year for 2023, it's facing fierce competition from this exceptional Mario game. Mario Wonder made me feel like a kid again, reminiscing about the joy of playing Super Mario World.

That's all for now. It's a somewhat shorter but, in my opinion, necessary update. I believe the next one will be the final update for 2023.

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Two months later, after a refreshing vacation, I return to update my little journal. It has been a productive period in terms of gaming, although I regret to say that I lost some of my in-progress saves for Switch games.

The most significant loss was my Pokémon Violet save, with nearly 15 hours of progress gone. It will take some time to get back to where I was. I also lost my Tokyo Mirage Sessions save, but I've already returned to the game and managed to catch up to the point of my lost save. Additionally, I finally started playing Etrian Odyssey. My first venture is into EO3, as I plan to tackle EO1 and EO2 in their Untold versions on the 3DS after completing EO3.

I successfully completed DQ Heroes, although I must admit the game lost some of its momentum towards the end. However, since I was still vibing with Dragon Quest, I decided to replay DQ3 and had a fantastic time with it. It's astonishing how well-designed this game remains, even after three decades.

Tales of Arise provided another delightful surprise. I didn't expect a Tales Of title to rival Abyss, but now I'm genuinely interested in playing other Tales Of games that I've never finished, such as Vesperia, Xillia, and Berseria. On the JRPG front, Lunar 2 was yet another pleasant surprise, surpassing its predecessor. The 90s were indeed a golden era for JRPGs, offering an endless stream of outstanding games. Even after completing over 100 PS1 games, I still have classics like Valkyrie Profile and Breath of Fire III awaiting their turn.

Unfortunately, I completed Xenosaga and found it to be a significant step down from Xenoblade and Xenogears. While I do plan to eventually play through the entire trilogy, it won't be anytime soon.

I also wrapped up some shorter games during this period. One of them was a FromSoftware title from before the Souls era, a compelling survival horror game called Kuon. The other was a Dragon Ball game on the GBA, featuring cute visuals and enjoyable gameplay.

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Additionally, I embarked on several replays. As is my tradition, I revisited Forbidden Memories, completing it once again, and dabbled in some FromSoftware classics like Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and Elden Ring. Demon's and Dark Souls were enjoyed in full co-op mode with my girlfriend, marking her first experience with these games. It was a lot of fun introducing her to the Souls series. Elden Ring, on the other hand, was tackled solo, and I must say that the second playthrough was even more enjoyable. I dedicated the latter half of my vacation to achieving a 100% completion, exploring every nook and cranny the game had to offer. It was well worth it, as my love for the game only grew stronger.

Another standout replay was Silent Hill. I believe it had been over a decade since my last playthrough, but it was just as fantastic as I remembered – truly an eternal classic.

In total, I managed to reach 52 games completed this year, which has become my annual goal. In the coming months, I plan to dive into some longer games and perhaps revisit a few titles. There's a chance I might continue my progress in games like Etrian Odyssey 3 and Tokyo Mirage Sessions. Occasionally, I even consider starting games like Red Dead Redemption 2.

However, for this particular month, my focus will be on Sega Saturn games, as it aligns with a game club I'm part of. I've already kicked things off with Panzer Dragoon, one of the most iconic games in the Saturn's library. That's all for now, until next time!