Finished: January 1st. Platform: Dreamcast. Time: 5h:11m:51s. Rating: 6/10

Not bad exactly. Plays quite well, level and boss design is solid, and while I think the music is pretty unremarkable and never warmed to the style of the character sprites, it's really very polished for an indie Dreamcast game. But unfortunately there's a disappointing lack of effort to knit the levels into a cohesive whole. The story is nonexistent, and the dialogue consists of largely unfunny one off gags. And it leads to a game that feels startlingly devoid of heart for a passion project on old hardware. It's competent, but really comes off as little more than a cheap knockoff of Shantae, and is mostly just interesting for the novelty of it being on the Dreamcast. And it's such a shame to say that of such a high effort homebrew title that could have been so much more.

Finished: January 3rd. Platform: Dreamcast. Time: 13h:47m:22s. Rating: 7/10

Do I think this is a great game? Absolutely not. The camera is barely functional (and this was in the Japanese version, which is meant to be better!), and the weapon targeting is total trash. But man if I didn't love it anyway. From the goofy plot to the hugely fun characters and setting and the genuinely funny (both intentionally and not) script, the whole game is like that so-bad-it's-good B-movie that you find yourself rewatching over and over simply because it's so danged fun.

It's also incredibly forgiving for a survival horror, allowing you to purchase unlimited ammo and healing items, so even the frustration tends to be short-lived. Were it not for a pretty weak final third, this would be an absolute cult classic for me. But I still had a great time. Will probably revisit from time to time at Christmas!

Finished: January 10th. Platform: Xbox. Time: 8h:51m:28s. Rating: 9/10

Gunplay here is so satisfying even in the modern era. There's a real snappiness to confrontations, with most fights being over in a matter of seconds when executed well, but even basic enemies still feeling incredibly dangerous if not managed carefully. And while it's hard to tell just how seriously you're supposed to take the story and its overwrought dialogue, I think that's a big part of the charm, and the way that it straddles parody and sincere homage to Hong Kong action movies and film noir is a lot of fun, especially with the cheesy yet totally endearing use of real Remedy staff for the characters. Not the deepest game and does grow a little repetitive by the end, but has a really infectious student film energy to it that I enjoyed a great deal.

Finished: January 11th. Platform: Dreamcast. Time: 17h:18m:14s. Rating: 8/10

Pretty great action RPG that shouldn't be as forgotten as it is. Absolutely gorgeous hand-drawn maps, good music, fun dungeon design, and a pretty cool wee story, even if I think it would've benefitted from more time with its main characters. The basic attack is a little too stubby for my liking, though, and the fact that continuing after losing to a boss respawns you with so little health feels like it creates unnecessary grinding. The 3D boss fights are also very hit and miss. When they work they're kind of fun jank and an interesting way to mix up the gameplay. But a few are obnoxiously spongy, and one in particular is absolute misery and I hated every moment of it. Still, I liked this a whole lot, and it really is quite impressive for a lower budget title.

Finished: January 14th. Platform: Dreamcast. Time: 14h:29m:02s. Rating: 8/10

A really fun ride with enough charm to just about paper over its rough edges. Super cool and delightfully daft setting and story, and feels like a mashup of so many 80s sci-fi classics. And fuses elements of Resident Evil and Metal Gear Solid into something really pretty fun despite some bugs and general jank. Soundtrack is also incredible and lifts the game's cinematic presentation enormously. Some story beats feel really anticlimactic though, and the bike is pure trash and tying progression to it at some points is actual madness. Would be closer to a 7 on PS2 where these sorts of cinematic adventures are much more common. But getting to play something of this scope and ambition on the Dreamcast was really quite special. And I really did have a great time.

Finished: January 21st. Platform: Dreamcast. Time: 22h:09m:13s. Rating: 9/10

For better or worse, this is a very faithful 3D adaptation of the Ecco series. And like the classic games, it's one that I think is polarising, with some very player-hostile level design, and an almost exhaustingly oppressive atmosphere. But if you did enjoy classic Ecco, this is an absolutely beautiful and extremely ambitious sequel, and for me one of the most memorable games on the Dreamcast. Levels are so imaginative, and no two are the same. Graphics are still stunning, and Tim Follin's music is majestic. And while the story is wild even by Ecco standards, I found it completely enchanting and hard to put down. The camera often lets the game down, as do the many clumsy bugs. But I think this is really quite special for all its frustrations, and I won't soon forget it.

Finished: January 25th. Platform: Gamecube. Time: 9h:04m:21s. Rating: 6/10

Astoundingly beautiful for a Gamecube launch title. The Star Wars license is also really well used, combat is solid, and when the missions hit (The Battle of Endor!) they really hit. But if I'm totally honest, I found the bulk of the game frustrating more than fun. Mission objectives are dreadfully explained, game is very tough in a clumsy and frequently unfun way, and I felt there were so many little design decisions that conspired to make the game less of a joy than it ought to have been. While it's not saddled with the wonky motion controls and terrible performance of Lair, I honestly don't think the rest of the game is really much better than that one was. And while I didn't hate Lair, that's not what I expected from such a critically acclaimed title. Very underwhelmed.

IN PROGRESS

I've wanted to play this one since it first released on the original Xbox, and for a long time it was one of the only titles on the console that appealed to me. While my tastes have diversified a lot since then and I've since become very fond of the console and its surprisingly weird library, I'm still very keen to give it a spin, and don't know why I haven't yet.

I bought this on its European PS2 release many, many years ago, and while I played a lot of it and vaguely enjoyed it, I was in a really bad place at the time and wasn't in the right headspace at the time to really get into it. So I never finished. I'd like to catch up on the Final Fantasy series over the next few years if possible, and this seems like as good a place as any to start given that it's the first one I bought on release and didn't finish.

Have been interested in this since I finished Blue: Legend of Water on PS1 a few years back and went looking for similar stuff. But by the time I actually bought a copy it had all but fallen off my radar. Let's finally give it a go in 2026. By Arika of Street Fighter EX fame, which is pretty interesting given my fond memories of those games.

I finished Air on the Dreamcast in early 2025, and while it was dragged down by quite a lot of filler, I thought it was really haunting and memorable, and still think back on it often. And I have a lot of nostalgia for Key's notable early work thanks to it being everywhere in anime communities in the early 2000s, so I thought I'd try another one in 2026. A lot of folk speak very highly of this one, so let's see. Will be playing on PS2, as Air on a CRT just felt right somehow and I'd like to keep that vibe going.

I bought this right on the back of playing and adoring Moon: Remix RPG Adventure by some of the same folk back in 2014. I've had two playthroughs stall over the years for no real reason, so let's finally finish it in 2026.

This was the first game I rented on PS2 back in the day, and probably one of the first of the generation that I ever played. But because it was only a rental and we still didn't have a memory card at the time, I never made it to the end, and I've never properly gone back to it. I remember quite liking it, and I'm a big fan of both Baldur's Gate and Diablo, which it's essentially a fusion of. So will probably have fun.

I don't really remember why I bought this, but I think I had finished Bully a few years back and was looking into what other lesser known titles Rockstar had worked on. Seems sort of neat, and reviewed well! Suppose I should finally watch the movie as well. Get the full Warriors experience.

I was always too chicken to play this one because I heard it was really hard and I used to be absolutely terrible at 3D action games. But I've played many more in the years since, and feel like I'm maybe up to the challenge now. Seems super-stylish and mechanically quite interesting, and I like the old school Shinobi games a bunch.

I hear the controls in this one have a really steep learning curve. But looks super-cool, and I'm very fond of both Jet Set Radio Future and Panzer Dragoon Orta, so I'm keen to check out the final part of the Smilebit Xbox-exclusive trio.

I bought both this and Covenant when I was midway through the first Shadow Hearts, as I was loving the game so much that I felt sure I wanted to play the whole trilogy back to back. But I didn't wind up enjoying Covenant as much as I hoped, and given that the awkward attempts at humour in it were one of my biggest sticking points and this one is meant to be even sillier, it sort of put me off. Still, disappointment aside, Covenant was undeniably a really solid PS2 RPG, and I'm still quite interested to see what they did with the follow up.

One from my wall of shame - I got it for Christmas one year in the 2000s, played a huge chunk of it over my Christmas holidays, and then never went back to it again. It's a shame, too, as it's a series I like and as far as I remember this one is an easy contender for best game in the series. So it's time to finally clear it.

A friend peer pressured me into buying this one. Seems like a cute if simple RPG with some nice tunes, and I'm always down to play more games on the Dreamcast. I own the sequel too, so might play them back to back if I like this one.

I played a lot of this with my brother on PC back when it was new and thought it was so much fun. But I don't think I ever actually finished, and it's been so long now that it's effectively a new game. Decided to buy a copy of the Xbox port and revisit it that way.

I played and enjoyed Bimini Run on the Mega Drive in early 2024 and found myself really wanting to see a more modern take on a similar formula. And this looks pretty close in many ways! It's also another weird little exclusive for the original Xbox, a platform full of similar weird little exclusives. You love to see it.

The first game in the series was on my list for 2025, and while I thought the combat was incredibly flawed and it was extremely limited in scope, its central gimmick was fantastic, and I thought that visually, musically, and narratively it had a whole lot of charm. So I'm very keen to play the second one, which looks like a bigger adventure with a radically reworked combat system. I'm hopeful it'll fix the bits I didn't like about the first one while building on the bits I did. The sequel also has music by Yasunori Mitsuda, which was what made me interested in playing these games to begin with, as I'm a massive fangirl and will follow Mitsuda wherever he goes. So I'm game just for that.

The developer of this got the gig on the back of Cross Tantei Monogatari, which I played on the Saturn back in about 2015. And while I think it had one extremely nasty plot beat that soured me on the game quite a bit, it was otherwise fantastic, and is still a game I think back to often. So I've been interested in this for a while. And while I've never played a game in the Jinguuji Saburou series before, this one is meant to be good, and seemed like a nice place to start.

This one looks like it has such great vibes. And it's gorgeous and seems super-fun. Don't know why I never bought a copy until now given that it's very affordable and reviewed extremely well at the time. Looking forward to it.

I played Infection in 2022, Mutation in 2023, Outbreak in 2024, and Quarantine in 2025. I may as well keep this most leisurely of series playthroughs going by stepping into the first game in the sequel trilogy in 2026.