I spent way more than I was supposed to this year... which is both a good and a bad thing on balance! Makes for a fun blog post at least. Mine will be jam packed with lots of goodies, especially some unmissable games. Well, I guess we can't say they're unmissable, since poor old Tets missed a bunch of them. That fellow seems like he's aging 5 times faster than me, dude must be 70 or so by now! Maybe we can inspire him to finally pick up some gems. Let's get started!
Cars
Tomica delivered a heap of long awaited cars for me this year:
Tomica Premium 06 Ferrari F50
I’d been waiting for this car to get a Premium release basically since I started collecting Tomica. I love playing as this car in Outrun 2 just because it look so good from behind. From all angles really! That said, I can never decide if like the F50 more than the F40. I’ll take both thanks! Unlike the F40’s Tomica, this one doesn’t have an opening gimmick. But that means it’s not floppy to handle. It looks basically perfect - i’d have liked the wheels to have been painted black on the inside, but they’re nice and deep so the shadow is enough. Fabulous!
Tomica 46 Ferrari Daytona SP3
I try and stick to Premium Tomica but I have quite a Ferrari collection going at this point so i figured why not get this regular release too. I’m sure it’ll bite me when they do a Premium version at some point! But really, apart from the standard wheels, it’s as good as you could hope for. The design of this car is a little strange with it’s raised front but I still like it a lot.
Tomica Premium Unlimited 03 Fast & Furious Supra
Talking of Premium versions biting me… finally this came out to replace the decent but topless Dream Tomica version. Not only that, the top comes off so it can be both! It looks great with fantastic details and wheels. The wing is much nicer than the Dream Tomica. The detachable roof can in certain lighting conditions be a bit mismatched with the rest of the car, but it’s mostly fine. Very happy to get this beauty!
Tarara Tomy A.R.T.S Fast & Furious Supra
So enamoured was I, that I decided to throw away some yennies on this Gacha version. At great risk too, cause I really didn’t want it’s gacha-mate, the Dodge Charger. Luck was with me that day though! It’s not the same scale so it can’t really fit with the Tomica versions, but it’s actually rather good for an all plastic piece. Honestly the wing is probably nicer than the Premium Unlimited Version and it has a few extra details like a Toyota badge. It also came with a little F&F standee that is now happily on display!
Tomica Premium Unlimited 12 Initial D RX-7 (Keisuke Takahashi)
Around this time, they announced the MF Ghost 86GT for later in the year. Now, I don’t have much experience with Initial D other than the arcade games. But evidently i can’t get enough RX7 Tomica. It’s very similar to the Detective Conan one from before but… YELLOW! I don’t have many yellow Tomica and i’m weak. It does have a nice frontend with flip up headlights. No regrets!
So weak in fact that I finally bought this Fairlady Z under the weak premise of being able to group a bunch of anime Tomica together! I’d had it on my radar for a while … trying to decide whether to get this darker coloured version, or the older Premium with opening bonnet. I think i prefer non-opening so that things don’t flop about when you’re playing with the car. It’s a really nice shade in person and as a Transformers G1 guy, who doesn’t love a Fairlady?
Tomica Premium 08 Ferrari F355
You may or probably not recall that one of my weak justifications for starting a Tomica collection was to get the Testarossa from Outrun… and the Lancia from Sega Rally. Put one or two cars with my game displays, might look cool i thought. That has changed now to my Tomica collection taking up equal space as my games. So i was actually kind of surprised when they announced the F355, which would have went perfectly with the Dreamcast game - had I not started a full on Ferrari collection instead. Oh well. Turns out though, this release was freaking awesome. I didn’t realise how much I liked the F355’s design. Having all the Ferrari in order of release on my shelf, you can really see the design progressing. But this is a nice looking supercar that also wouldn’t look out of place on the road even now. No standout features or anything but just a beautiful casting!
Tomica 120 Ferrari SF90 Stradale
And the Ferrari love continues. I definitely prefer the older Ferrari designs, but it’s not like this is ugly. For a standard release, it again is almost at Premium level apart from the wheels. All the Ferrari’s certainly look good together so i’m happy to have gotten this.
Takara Tomy A.R.T.S Batmobile
So… so close to a Tomica Premium Unlimited Keatonmobile. Surely this is a sign that it’s on the cards. Out of nowhere this gacha popped up with 3 variants, basically all of them fine since they all had the car and only differed in minor accessories. I love that cause i hate going for 1 gacha out of 5 where I don’t want 4 of them! Having said that I probably got the weakest one that included engine parts I don’t remember from the movie at all… The others had effect parts and a little batman figure which would have been cool. Nevertheless, the model itself is great. It’s all plastic like the Supra I got earlier in the year, but is a nice mattey dark grey. As a temporary stand-in until they do it proper justice, it’s really good!
Tomica Premium Unlimited 04 MF Ghost Toyota 86GT (Kanata Katagiri)
My favourite Tomica is still the Suburu BRZ R&D Sport, and so I was keen to get this one just to have the Toyota variant in a more standard guise. It’s certainly accurate to the anime (which i’ve since watched a little of without understanding a lick of it) - but if i’m being honest, I feel like the 86 painted on the side kind of ruins it. I know if I had a real one i wouldn’t paint a big ass 86 on the side!
Tomica 60 Nissan GT-R Nismo
For someone having sworn off regular Tomica, I sure ended up with a few of them this year didn’t I. Can’t use my Ferrari excuse either. This time it’s the GT-R excuse. I have a white GT-R Nismo 2020 model from a few years back. And I didn’t get the Premium GT-R as I didn’t really like the Ital Design version. So when they announced a chunk of new ones for 2023 … and i saw they had the Nismo model in a slick gunmetal… ehh it’s just a couple bucks. At least i’m not throwing away my money on girly gacha figs like somebody i know! In person it’s beautiful. The gunmetal is nicely reflective and it’s nice to see that the 2023 model has a more traditional Skyline type front end to change things up. The red trim is nice and I can even go along with the red on the wheels. Still, I hope one day they do another Premium … maybe in a racing livery. Please!
The last Premium Evo was the VI - which came in blue and white (limited release). I couldn’t decide but went with blue, but was kind of disappointed. It can look purple at times and not as cool as the real life colour looks. Then they announced this release would be in silver and red (limited release). At first I was dead set on silver. I have no silver Tomica (apart from BTTF Deloreans) so it seemed like a no-brainer. But then some real photos came out and … dang the red one looks pretty nice. And the silver… it was kind of too metallic fleckery. But I decided to get silver anyway. I still don’t know if i made the right decision. In some lightings, the silver look fantastic. In others… the metal looks too obvious for the size. Another disappointment was the wheels, they looked bright silver in the promo shots but were a darker colour in the end. The Fast & Furious Evo 7 is still the best Tomica Lancer, but I hope they do more in the future. A Tommi Makinen Evo 6 is what I want the most!
Toys
A bit of a light year for toys but what's here is pretty damn good!
Transformers Masterpiece MP56 Trailbreaker
I had him as an honorable mention last year and did do a full review: https://tetstoys.blogspot.com/2023/01/transformers-masterpiece-mp-56.html
But he deserves a paragraph run-down and proper ranking, so here it is! Trailbreaker in the toon isn’t a bad design. But his G1 toy was portly thing with weird thigh socks. Thankfully, the MP is based off the toon which has a pretty good if fairly standard design. When we first got the pictures, it looked like this might not have translated into an actual physical object so well. A bit lanky, a bit of a gut, shoulders a bit far out. Like maybe they should have taken some liberties to make him look cooler. But once again… in hand, those issues just melt away. You realise most of the concessions are in service of fantastic articulation, and in these poses, when you’re not over analysing an A-stance photo, he looks rather natural and cool. He’s painted well and transforms mostly stress free. He has no superfluous accessories, and some of his weapons are integrated into the car which is always nice. The car looks great too, if a little less black than I would have liked. Looking back at it now, all I can think is… why didn’t we get brand new cars during 2023 :( Where is my Jazz!?
Transformers Legacy TL-16 Dead End
The road to Menasor continues and it starts to become apparent that the road is a little bumpy. If not for being a vital appendage i’d be skipping this one. It looks fairly decent but is just kind of seems like an intern designed it. The way the back of the car clips or hardly clips sucks. The square wheel arches? By far the worst offender is his feet. Or rather, his nubs. Just atrocious. Onto the arm you go!
Diaclone DA-94 Warudalegion Vajra
This one kind of came out of nowhere didn’t it. I hadn’t bought anything from the Diaclone reboot since… it started. I loved the Dia Battles, but then they came out with… a bunch of really expensive tiny ass figures. I fell off, occasionally seeing some cooler stuff like the Battle Convoy, but not being too interested mostly because of price. But during the year i’d been starting to think that it kinda sucks that most of my toys spend most of their lives on the shelf. And Transformers can sometimes be kinda cheap feeling. I felt like I needed something with a bit more meat and playability, and caught up on all the Diaclone stuff i’d missed. I didn’t realise it had become quite popular amongst older collectors, mostly for troop building and role play. Despite knowing i’d definitely never buy enough to troop build, and probably never role play, I decided Dia Battles had been lonely for too long once I saw Vajra. Plus, it looked freaking awesome with a lot of playability. It was also reasonably priced! Thus began a new quest to spend more money than I should. When he arrived… well I was blown away. Dia Battles was good but there is a noticeable quality jump to Vajra. Paint is immaculate, tolerances tight. It totally felt worth the money. That day I spent most of the afternoon and the evening going through all his modes, coming up with some myself, and honestly marveling at the engineering of the thing. It’s so bloody clever how flexible it all is, and everything manages to look cool even if it’s not fitting together as ‘flush’ as a Transformer with less modes would. Alas, he soon ended up on the shelf looking awesome next to Dia Battles, to be untouched until i can get off my ass and play with it again. Turns out it’s me that sucks and not the toys!
Transformers Legacy TL-19 Armada Starscream
I love my now ancient Transformers Generations Armada Starscream. I got the far superior Japanese version with awesome bright colours. However, he’s a dinky fellow. I hoped for this design in a voyager size for a long time and was finally rewarded. Kind of. They really didn’t go above and beyond for this new version. He’s missing paint - most obviously on the legs, which really sucks. He’s not much more articulate. It hardly transforms any different and doesn’t have firing missiles. But he does still look good, is more solid and he is certainly bigger. I just know they could have done a lot better and that sucks cause who knows when or if they’ll revisit it again.
Transformers Legacy TL-26 Tarn
When I first saw Tarn, I was thinking damn, that look great! The robot has no kibble and has a very cool design. The alt mode seems fine. I didn’t know where he’d fit in my collection, as I don’t know the character and don’t really have anyone else he belongs with. But i figured i’d deal with that since it looked rather good. It was surprising then that in hand, I didn’t really think much of it. Part of that may be that the first one I got had a warped chest piece QC issue causing it to pop out constantly. Thankfully I got it replaced but maybe I was still sour. He does look cool but… he’s almost too skinny. Too flat from the side. Mah boy needs some kibble! His transformation has some ingenious stuff but doesn’t really feel like it when you get to the other mode. It’s odd, maybe I had too high expectations? His weapons are cool though, I like how they give him a couple different looks. I never really found a place for him but he’s still here… for now.
Transformers Legacy TL-24 Breakdown
The road to Menasor is now full of pot holes. A very weak attempt at re-moulding Wildrider’s Ferrari into a Lamborghini. Missing paint on the wheel arches gives a hint that he didn’t have much budget. Then the spoiler gun… boomerang… thing… confirms it. Short end of the stick our Breakdown has received. 2 proper guns for every Stunticon before him just rubs it in. What could possibly make it worse? Oh that’s right, I folded his foot and it snapped off. Well, is it really snapping when the plastic is so soft? I had to buy this fucker twice and ended up with a Skullgrin I don’t want as my replacement. A couple months later they announced another version in a giftset that rectified some of the paint issues too. Cause they’re just assholes like that.
Transformers Legacy Menasor
And thus, soured, my experience of Menasor kinda was. I guess, if they HAD to do some cost cutting… ultimately, they made the right choices with the limbs, as Menasor himself is pretty much fantastic despite all those issues with the individuals. They could have been better but having a great Menasor… I don’t really care now.
Transformers Legacy TL-22 Hot Shot
Ahh i remember when we got prototype shots of Henkei Hot Shot, and it looked awesome. It had clear door windows which were scrapped in the final, only to be painted a light blue that didn’t match the windscreen at all. The Hasbro deco sucked but the Henkei one came out a horrible lemon yellow. It did have his missile launchers and chrome, but in hand it was a bust. It was so annoying to play with as everything got in the way of moving him around. I sold it eventually and so I was hopeful a new one would be better. When we go pictures this time, I was initially underwhelmed. The main thing was a missing a paint app on his legs for the circular piece, and what looked like some gappy legs period. But I was all in on an Armada display so I got him anyway, and he turned out pretty good. It’s small, but pretty solid for the size and fun to fiddle with. The colouring is nice and he has a couple cool gimmicks - his visor, and bazooka transforming out of his axle. This version doesn’t come with a minicon but I wasn’t too fussed. The old minicon sucked and including one here probably would have meant a budget cut somewhere else… oh fuck those bastards added the minicon to the powerlinx redeco. Well, I don’t like the powerlinx colours as much so whatever. Not like any of the other Armada remakes they’ve done have minicons (yet) either!
Diaclone DA-96 Dia Fighter/S
Continuing the “Dia Battles is lonely” theme I had going, i decided to pick up this cheap little spaceship to sit alongside the little spaceship that Dia Battles came with. Cheap… didn’t I say i started wishing my Transformers weren’t so cheap? Yet, i want the Diaclone toys to be cheaper. Anyway… it’s not really cheap for what you get, just cheap by Diaclone standards. It is however, pretty cool for what it is. There’s some simple transformation to a kind of tank/train mode thing and it feels quality in hand. It also came with retro stickers that I really love. They have rainbows and really make it look like something from an old Japanese robot anime.
Diaclone TM-13 Tactical Mover Argo Versaulter Voyager Unit
There were about 4 or 5 types of this Tactical Mover series when this one was announced. And since then they’ve made about 4 or 5 more. Basically taking the same robot frame and packaging it with different accessories to give it a rather different look. They all look pretty cool but something about this aquatic variant really appealed to me. I think the colouring and small details they’ve added to make it look a bit sea-creature like is what did it. The scuba look inexplicably reminded me of both a wind up TMNT Donatello, and a Deep Dive Batman toy i used to have as a kid as well! I was hopeful that despite the small size and rather expensive price, it would satisfy an urge i had for a good quality small figure… a bit like some of the better Revenge of the Fallen scouts, which I don’t think they’ve really matched since. Anyway, I got it and yes, it’s rather good. I do love the quality of Diaclone even if it comes at a price. The assortment of accessories and how you can place them is cool. His modes are … a bit gappy. They don’t fit together like a Transformer but then it’s kind of to be expected given he has several modes. It’s quick and fun to play around with and has a good degree of posability. I wouldn’t say it’s perfect, as I think the kibble is a bit large. But i’ve got him on a display stand and it works well there. It’d be cool if wasn’t so lazy and could do up a nice underwater display background for him!
Tele Manga Fanbook 2023 Optimus Prime
That feeling when something is exclusive and you have to have it. That is the feeling I had when I saw that by purchasing a children’s tv magazine I could get me a black and clear red Core Class Optimus Prime! Hunted all over town on my bike til I found a store selling them. He’s not bad for what it is, but it really only made me wish they’d do a high quality miniature Optimus like the old THS series again.
Lego Batman 30653
The day I found the Gacha Batmobile up above, I also found this little set and since he was cheap and Keaton-esque, I could’n’t resist! I just wanted the minifigure really, it comes with a small chunk of a building for him to stand on which gave me a couple minutes enjoyment assembling.
Transformers Legacy TL-47 Armada Megatron
I never had the original Armada Megatron toy… the only version of this character i’ve got is the LG-EX Armada Megatron. It wasn’t an outstanding toy - a bit lanky and gangly, not super posable. But i liked that LG-EX deco (much better than the Hasbro version) quite a bit. To this day I think it’s got my favourite headsculpt on any Transformer too. But, he really doesn’t look much like the toon, so I was super excited to get this new version and it didn’t disappoint. He is chunky to the max and looks the absolute part. I really like Megatron in green, purple and silver - it’s like you’ve got a bit of G1, a bit of G2, and the purple to solidify his Decepticon-ness! The headsculpt isn’t as nice as the old one in isolation, but it fits better for the aesthetic that’s going on here. He has a decent gimmick that brings the canon in front of his body like the toon, which I appreciate cause it’s unique amongst Transformers. I know some complain about his shoulders - they’re immobile, always pointing upwards. Personally, it doesn’t bother me. I’ve had toys with tall shoulders that swing with the arms and i don’t really like how it creates an uneven look. His actual arms (and the rest of him) has good poseability.
Transformers Legacy TL-48 Armada Optimus Prime
It’s not often these days that we get a look at cancelled or scrapped Transformers toys, but way back in 2019 Wonder Festival, Takara Tomy showed off what looked like a holy grail for many collectors - a prototype of an updated Armada Optimus Prime. It looked fantastic and it looked like it would support his super mode as well. Alas… years passed by and there was no sign of it. There was talk of them not being sure what line it would fit (at the time) - to which i say, screw that gimme the toy. And there was later talk about it not being a (transformable?) prototype, despite it clearly being a prototype and one that looked like it transformed too. But then, it was with great relief that something was in motion the whole time, and we found out about Legacy Armada Optimus Prime. Not the same prototype, but a new toy, but clearly with some history behind it. This one a bit closer maybe to the toon than the more stylised original. Both looked great, but it was time to move on. This was the one we were getting. It was that exciting time where we start hoping they don’t fuck it up with a shitty paint job or shitty joints! Thankfully, that was not to be the case. The commander class has proven to be a great price point and size, and it’s obvious that anything less and the toy would have suffered. It’s basically everything I hoped for since first seeing that prototype. A great truck, a great trailer, an about as good as shitty base modes get base, and a freaking incredible super robot, that is fun to transform through all modes. They really knocked it out of the park, solid as a brick and more poseable than a super robot has any right to be. With great plastic colours and paint job to boot. They inexplicably painted the super robot mode eyes yellow instead of red, but this is a quick fix if it’s a bother. And like the others, there is no minicon. I wouldn’t say it’s flawless - the smaller robot chest doesn’t like to stay pegged (due to a questionable design), and a bit more thought could have been put into the super mode’s kibble. But really, this is about as satisfying as a Transformer - nay, any toy, can get!
Games
Not so many games I haven't got around to playing as last year, which is a win in my books!
Donkey Kong Returns Wii
I can’t remember if I played this when it came out. Back then, I was already ignoring my Wii I think but I did try it for a bit eventually, but didn’t get far due to the annoyance of having to shake the Wii remote to roll. They really were stubborn about motion controls not to include a classic controller option. Much later I played the 3DS version since it had normal controls. But it ran at half the frame rate so it really wasn’t that smooth to play. I finished it and sold it because by the end (including secret stages), i’d had enough of the relentless difficulty. I won’t listen to anyone that says these games aren’t trial and error based. You are not getting through most of it first go, and it becomes tiresome restarting, getting a little further and dying over and over. Still, I picked up the Wii version again since it was really cheap, and I figured I could try living with the motion controls again.
Metroid Prime Remastered Switch
I want to say this was a nice surprise but … it was hardly a surprise. Rumoured for years on the back of Metroid Prime 4 being forever in development, it finally showed up! I’ve replayed the original several times on Gamecube and Wii, and it’s always had a spot near the top of my favourite games of all time list regardless of the version. So i’m glad they changed virtually nothing about how it plays again, other than adapting the controls for Switch. That wasn’t without issues I think. My first playthrough, I used the new controls. By taking over the right stick for camera, they were forced to make weapon selection, firing and jumping a bit convoluted. There’s 2 jump and 2 firing buttons! Part of the reason is because you manually rapid fire a lot in this game - and that is not very comfortable on the trigger. So you want to use A… but you can’t, cause your thumb is on the R stick now. It felt like they should have had a hold to autofire separate to the charge perhaps. But, it is really nice having camera control. On my second playthrough, I played with cube controls. Personally I’ve always thought they were fine. The main problem people seem to have is that you can’t move while looking around. But, you don’t really have to either, as they designed the game’s lock-on around this. A few minutes into playing and I forget I can’t look around, and actually feel like the pacing is better if you take a moment to take in the surroundings. There’s plenty of control config tweaks, but strangely no complete remap ability. They seem against that for whatever reason (DKC Tropical Freeze is similar). But anyway, all the schemes are fine after a little bit of time getting used to them. And from there, the game is again one of the best of all time, just this time with the best graphics and performance on Switch! It looks stunning through and through. If they re-release Prime 2 and 3 without this level of visual improvement now, I will be rather upset!
Virtua Fighter eSports + DLC PS4
I had this back in my 2021 recap https://tetstoys.blogspot.com/2021/12/androgynes-2021-games-and-toys-in-review.html but bought it standalone with the DLC, on sale. After a bit of a break I was reminded how awesome it is!
Tekken 5 PS2
An unfortunate trend this year has been me buying PS2 games i can’t play since i’m too cheap to buy a Japanese PS2 to play them on. This is the first, mostly bought cause I wanted to have all the Tekken games lined up nicely. I have a disgusting Platinum PAL release (which I also can’t play since it’s 50hz) … and I have played this a long time ago. I remember it being very good looking at the time! As a bonus, this came with a Tekken 5 Arcade player card that is absolutely useless now but cool nonetheless!
Tekken Tag Tournament PS2
Tekken completionist journey part 2. I have Tag Tournament from the PS3’s Tekken Hybrid pack but I wanted the original too. It has a wicked box art with Kazuya on the front! I remember fondly the days of looking at janky websites comparing Soul Calibur on Dreamcast to Tag on PS2.
Virtua Fighter 4 PS2
100 yennies for a nicer box art than my PAL copy? Yes I think I will. Arguably this version is completely superseded by VF4 Evo, but then it's still unique in some ways. The game itself is worth owning in any form!
Guilty Gear X Dreamcast
A questionable purchase considering i’ve never really got into Guilty Gear, and my Dreamcast still likes to restart itself every now and then. I played this version long ago but it’s nice to have it “officially”. Pirate redeemed!
Power Smash 4 PS3
Finally I found a non best-price version of this! Of course, being very similar to 3 that I purchased previously, and 4 World Tour that i’ve played thoroughly on Vita, I haven’t actually bothered to give this a go. I’m sure it’s good. Now I really just have to be on the lookout for Power Smash 1 and 2 on Dreamcast. There’s a few others .. PSP and Wii I think? But i really just want them originals with all the Tennis players I actually remember instead of the ones i don’t know nowadays!
Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition PS3
Street Fighter mood was starting to take over this year, ahead of 6’s release. This version was really just a collection filler as I already have the Original, Super, Super 3D, Ultra… Can you ever have enough though? It does have a nice box art!
Blaz Blue Centralfiction PS4
200 yennies. I enjoyed the Continum Shift Extend and Chrono Phantasma versions on Vita in the past. Nothing i get too seriously into - I find the systems hard to remember and the animations difficult to follow. But, they had a decent amount of stuff to play around with regardless. These games’ prices drop like a rock when a new version comes out so I have a bunch on PS3 as well, but not this version. It’s hard enough even remembering which version is latest to be honest! I haven’t played it yet but i’m sure it’s best looking on PS4 so I should give it a crack one of these days!
Street Fighter 6 PS4
Street Fighter V had left me kind of sour on not just the series but for fighting games in general. I bought my PS4 to play it originally but just found it to be soulless. Not many characters, nothing to really do. Even after they added stuff to do. I didn’t even end up spending all the “free” fight money the game gives you until this year, when i revisited it after trying the SF6 demo. Not only is it still soulless, but i’m still waiting for that shit to load. Anyway, SF6 was catching a bit of my eye but I was still very hesitant. Then, they put out a demo so I could try it. My initial reaction was a bit mixed - It felt a bit slower than i’d like, had some of the same “2.5d quirks” that bothered me in 4 and V. As I played it more though and started to see the depth in its systems, I realised I was actually having a fun I haven’t felt with Street Fighter since playing Alpha 2 way back with my best friend. I must have spent 30h just fighting Lvl 7 Luke in that demo. For once, the CPU is actually engaging to fight, if a bit bullshit still (hence not fighting on Lvl8). Mark my words, i hated that bastard many times but learning his patterns and tells through repetition reminded me that to really enjoy a fighting game, you gotta put in some time. I knew I wanted the full game at this point but the question was - do I want a PS5 to play it on. That damn thing is in stock now (albeit more expensive than launch grr)… but I could just play this on PS4. The demo on PS4 looked more than respectable and loaded fast. Ultimately, i’m a weak mofo and bought a PS5 since I also wanted to play World Tour mode, and that was a crusty 30fps on PS4. And i bought a new 6 button controller. And then later a PSN sub to play online. Damn expensive game all up but i saved 1000 yennies or something going for the PS4 version and free PS5 upgrade, WOOHOO! But that’s all done now. Street Fighter 6 is awesome, perhaps the best SF ever. Certainly, it’s the best it’s ever been for a version 1. Ain’t no-one gonna be complaining about lack of content in this one. The single player bar was considerably raised even compared to past greats like SF Alpha 3 and VF4 Evolution. But let’s go into a bit of detail
First World Tour - it’s rubbish. I think it just goes to show that all they ever needed to do was something… anything, for people to play other than the 1v1, to please most people. At its core, it’s a janky open world game with a Street Fighter skin. I could criticize it no end but at the end of the day I sunk 50 hours grinding away like an idiot. So it must be enjoyable? I’m not sure! I can’t even really pinpoint why i kept playing it. The avatar customization is deep but you look stupid no matter what you do. Making movesets from multiple characters is kinda fun. The story is drivel, the fights are mere shadows of the proper fighting engine. The mini-games are fluff, the world and missions are all basic. I think ultimately it must just be the pleasure of being in a Street Fighter world that engrossed me the most. If this mode WAS the game - no 1v1, and full price, you’d feel rightfully ripped off. But as just an extra mode you can just mess around in when you don’t want to do 1v1? It’s surprisingly satisfying. It obviously had a lot of love and effort put into it, but the sum of its parts kind of don’t add up to anything amazing.
The actual 1v1 fighting is fantastic. Online and offline modes are smooth and fast. It actually feels like an arcade game again thanks to the fast loading times. The characters all have great personality and visuals, and the new ones have really grown on me. There’s lots of stuff to learn whether you’re playing as them or against them, or just practicing. I typically get annoyed playing online (lag, grand masters devoting their lives to kicking your ass), but had countless sets with similarly skilled players that were just a joy to experience, and even when I was losing i wasn’t getting upset. You have a lot of options at your disposal so it doesn’t get old and feels pretty fair. It really reminded me of the old days playing with my mate.
SF6 is so far removed from the soulless SFV that I still can’t believe it to be honest. It’s not just a great fighting game but a great game period, even accounting for the less than stellar world tour mode. There’s plenty of other single player stuff to do and unlock in the training and arcade modes. I played it so much that my hands had pain for months after i had to stop. I still have unfinished business in the single player and online modes though, so i’m thinking when Akuma drops i’ll hop back in and mess up my hands again!
Astro’s Playroom
This game is preinstalled on the PS5 and its fantastic! There’s a lot of creativity on display and everything feels great. It makes good use of the Dual Sense controller’s features and looks stunning. I also really got a kick out of all the PlayStation trinkets it throws at you. My daughter absolutely loved it. Only fault really is that it’s not that long and you’ll wish there was more.
Bloodstained Ritual of the Night PS4
I’m a big fan of the Castlevania games but if i’m being honest. I don’t know if I needed any more of the the SotN style ones. All the GBA and DS ones.. they’re good but they’re really so similar. So that was what kept me from buying this until I saw it for a great price. I’ve only played about 5 hours since getting it and kind of feel the same, that it’s really just another one. It’s perfectly fine, looks decent and is exactly what i should have expected. Just feels completely unremarkable for being the what, 8th game in this style?!
Tekken 6 PS3
I used to have this - bought it twice on XB360 in fact, since there was a cheap limited edition that came with a jumper i wore so much it ground into dust! But I no longer have the 360 or that version, so I picked this one up. Haven’t played since buying but it’s nice to have so I can see how the series progressed over the years.
Donkey Kong 2001 GBC
This is actually a version of the first Donkey Kong Country. Mostly just purchased as a curiosity, i’ve played the original many times since it first came out. Only played a couple levels of this version so far.
Gunbalina PS1
Otherwise known as Point Blank 3, this is actually the 4th game in the series. I still need to track down the 3rd, a spinoff with a haunted house theme. Since getting it I haven’t tried it out as i’m too lazy to setup the gun. I’m sure it’s more of the same which isn’t a bad thing, the shooting gallery gameplay is quite fun!
Quake 2 PS5
YES! I was hoping this would happen and then it did. I only recall playing the first level (maybe a demo?) of it on PC when it first came out, but since Quake took my 2nd spot last year, I was much more motivated to give 2 a crack this time. I decided to get the PS5 version since i was hopeful the Dual Sense gyro might be a bit smoother than with Switch’s Pro Controller (which i find can be a bit flakey at times) and presumably the performance would be as good as it could be too. There were no problems. The game itself is great. I think some people were disappointed in the change of theme from the first game, but I like both. The weapons are cool, the feel of movement and shooting is spot on. The main difference between the two games is the level structure. Quake 2 groups a bunch of levels together and so it can feel like they’re much longer than the original. That can be a bit exhausting and with some backtracking, become tough to remember all of the map. But, that is kind of on me, since you could just play a segment and save - I just chose to finish entire sections at once. There’s similarly great level and puzzle design, enemy interaction. Like the first port, there are a bunch of extra campaigns included too, which I haven’t gotten around to yet, but I will! A fantastic game and port.
Donkey Kong GB: Dinky Kong & Dixie Kong GBC
Another curiosity purchase. This Color version is actually exclusive to Japan for some reason. Just played it for a bit as I ought to finish the original DKC3 on SNES first!
Dr. Mario GB
Had one of those moments where you’re looking at a wall of carts and realise you don’t have that one you thought you had. 200 yennies later and i have a basic version of Dr. Mario on Gameboy. Not my favourite puzzle game but it’s decent.
Game Boy Gallery 2 GB
I think I have one of these already, so I guess with this i’m trying to get them all now. All I really want is Gameboy Gallery 4 since it includes Bomb Sweeper, a game I used to play on what turned out to be a cheap LCD ripoff called Systema Bank Raid!
Portal Companion Collection Switch
A long time ago I played the first Portal after getting it for free on Steam, and of course actually really enjoyed it. I managed to avoid playing 2 all these years. When I saw this set on sale I figured it was time to rectify that and what a great decision that was! The first Portal is still great. The second one expands on it in many ways and is even better. I loved showing this game to my daughter and seeing the perplexed look on her face as we tried to solve the puzzles together. She wanted a portal gun for real life and was coming up with all manner of cool things we could do if we had one.
F-Zero 99
Oh praise be thy Nintendo Gods. They have graced us with a … “new” F-Zero. Ok i’m actually not salty at all. I will take anything F-Zero after a 20 year hiatus. And, despite the looks, it IS actually damn new, and damn awesome to boot. It’s more approachable and straight up more fun than the original game ever was.
What's interesting about this is that the idea of F-Zero 99 had been floating around for years, but I don't think anyone imagined it would take this form. Most people I think, had the Death Race mode from F-Zero X in mind, which was not multiplayer to begin with, and the track was a loop with no end (the goal being to survive and kill everyone else).
Myself, I was always hoping for straight racing with just 30 players. I'm easy to please! But I know from playing X and GX, straight racing has limited appeal, as the skill gap is just too large. 99 avoids that altogether with it's clever changes and in doing so, delivers the best multiplayer F-Zero we could have hoped for really. I never would have asked for the sheer chaos this game delivers but i'm glad they gave it to me anyway!
Hopefully it’s the stepping stone to a full blown new game with incredible graphics. But when that comes, I will be wanting the 99 player mode back baby! Also, release a physical copy you mofos! They're continuing to add new modes and things, so I'm hopeful it'll come in time. Because my cheap ass wants to play this again but man i freaking hate subscriptions!
Returnal PS5
Throughout the months and years waiting for PS5 to become readily available and ON MA TELLY, this exclusive was one of the games i wished I could play. The aesthetic - similar to Aliens and Metroid, looked really cool I thought. The benefit of waiting so long is now it can be had for cheap too! I wasn’t quite sure how i’d like it though, based on what I knew of the gameplay. When I played it… it hasn’t really grabbed me yet. It certainly looks awesome, and the premise is very sci-fi and very cool. You play through a stage but if you die, you’re sent back and then you realise the world layout has changed. Part of it is randomly generated. It means it’s not so much like Metroid in practice, where you build up this mental picture of the world map, since it’s always changing. You do get to keep some upgrades you find even if you die, but not all pickups. I haven’t got very far yet and will Returnal later and try stick with it a bit further.
Wipeout Saturn
A moment of joy at finding this version finally, quickly turned sour when my Saturn wouldn’t boot up. Damn thing needs to be replaced, but i’m not sure when that will be reluctantly happening just yet.
Super Mario Ball GBA
A lucky pickup this one. I saw it years ago and skipped it cause i’m a cheapskate, and been looking for it ever since. Of course, the week after I bought it, I found another for cheaper. But hey. It’s made by the same people who later made Metroid Prime Pinball, so you’d think it’d be awesome. But it’s kinda just middling. Mario doesn’t make sense as a ball like Samus, Kirby or Sonic does, and the areas are pretty basic and tedious to get around.
Donkey Kong Land 2 GB
I forgot I got this until just now. I scooped up too many old DKC games it would seem. Like 3, I wanna replay 2 on SNES before giving it a crack though.
Dead or Alive 2 PS2
Figured i’d get this for my eventual Japanese PS2 since the otherwise awesome version on Dreamcast is annoying to play on the shitty DC controller, on my shitty restarting by itself Dreamcast.
Desert Strike SFC
Been a while since i picked up a Super Famicom game! I have most of what I want and when I find something i need, the cart tends to be a disgusting shade of brown. This one was nice and clean. I remember Sega-heads loving this series back in the day. I think I played Jungle Strike before? Maybe Desert on PC? I dunno. I love the isometric visuals but they kind of make it hard to point your gun. It seems one would need to devote some time to learning the layouts of the stages before being able to pass any of them as I kept running out of fuel and missiles! Still, nice to have and i’ll probably give it another go in the future.
Judge Eyes PS5
This wasn’t something I was really interested in, but since they make so many Yakuza (or related) series games, they don’t hold their price very well. It was just 1000Y, and when I clicked that it has versions of Virtua Fighter 2, Virtua Fighter 5, and Fighting Vipers (amongst others), I realised it’d be good to have as a backup should I lose access to any of those with failing machines. Once I had it though I was keen to see what all the fuss was about with this series. I have only played a demo of Yakuza… 6 i think? Anyway, I came away a bit confused about why it’s popular. This game has a pretty decent story that I wouldn’t mind watching if it were a movie or TV show, which is probaly it. But the gameplay is rather uninteresting at best or just annoying at worst. Some of the fights are just not very fun at all, with cheap AI and it can be hard to have your guy fscing the right direction half the time. Though the world is impressively detailed, there are still lots of places that you can’t go inside, and since it’s so realistic, that stands out more than it would otherwise. I do want to get back to it to continue the story, and i did like the mini games, especially the Darts Live one.
Ridge Racers 2 PSP
You wouldn’t think it’d be so hard to find this damn game but it took years for it to show up in a store. This was a great version with a lot of content, even if it does look a bit dull and grey by original Ridge Racer standards.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe + Booster Course Pack Switch
Ahh how long have I resisted this? Unlike I guess most people, I bought the Wii U and Mario Kart 8 when it first came out. And I also bought the first load of DLC they did, which was an excellent addition for a great price. And I played it to death. I still play it sometimes, even online (for free still!). When they announced it for Switch, i just had no interest at all since it hardly added anything. From memory, at the beginning, all it had over the Wii U version was some slightly better visuals, a slight tuning to gameplay and a better battle mode. Since I don’t play battle mode i didn’t really care so it wasn’t about to make me rush out and buy a switch like … the 57 million people who’ve bought it now. But time has passed and I have a Switch now for other reasons. And they went and added an enormous amount of tracks - new/old/remixed, again for a great price. However you look at it, it’s once again an excellent purchase with an insane value for money. This version I got has booster packs 1-5 on the cart as well (6 is a download) which is a nice space saver. It’s great to have the definitive version but at the same time, man this game has hung around for a long time now! I am itching for a brand new Mario Kart that seriously shakes it up, since it’s been very similar for the past 3 entries. The only regret with this purchase is the original box art was defaced with a huge DLC badge. I know that sometime in the far future I will be out of pocket to replace it, but such is the life of a box art fan.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder Switch
Well well, a new 2D Mario out of nowhere, what a nice surprise! Admittedly though, I was skeptical. See, like a lot of people I think, 2D Mario had grown stale for me. The last 4 games - the New Super Mario Bros. series, were all good-to-great but, ultimately so similar to each other that they started to feel formulaic. When I first saw the trailer for Wonder, i remained skeptical. The visuals had changed - some people seemed to think it was an entirely new art style, which i didn’t really agree with. There were clear similarities with the NSMB aesthetic despite the obviously much better looking and animated character models. It seems silly really, to be at all concerned with the aesthetic. Mario has always been about gameplay for me, and I would probably bend over for a 5th NSMB game too. Hell NSMBU did look pretty good in places already. But it wasn’t just the visuals - the music had worn out it’s welcome too. The structure of the game, the way the levels were designed, the feel of controlling Mario was all the same. I found myself thinking that maybe the also recently announced Sonic Superstars would be a better buy for me. Luckily I came to my senses as more was shown of Wonder, before eventually I stopped looking at it all, for fear of spoiling what increasingly looked like something really special.
When I got it, that was confirmed about 2 seconds after first jumping across the screen. Mario feels better than he’s ever done thanks to adjusted physics and the new animations and sounds. The visuals are lively and beautiful in a way the NSMB games can only dream about. I was absolutely wrong about the art style. The similarities are there, no doubt, but there is just another level of personality on display throughout the entire game. The music too, is perfectly matched to the visuals with not a grating repeated tune in sight (in sound?). The world map is structured differently to any previous Mario and feels fresh. While it pulls some of the best bits from others, it feels new and not like it’s just retreading the past games. The levels are no longer formulaic easy-medium-hard bits everyone has grown accustomed to. They’re fun, creative jaunts with just the right amount of challenge.
That is a sticking point as some have said the game is too easy. It is easier than some past games but… was Mario ever hard? Yeah, a couple times he was. But it was mostly about being fun, and that’s what this game gets more than ever. Mario is IMO at his worst when it’s too hard; it’s too restrictive about how you play. You want hard, go play some brutal Mario Maker levels! Note: There are actually some legit hard levels in the game. So few that they’re actually enjoyable too. You get power-ups a plenty and a wide variety of abilities from the badge system - which allows you to regulate the difficulty as you see fit.
The wonder effects in the levels are some of the funnest moments i’ve had in a game for a long time. It’s like they took the most memorable aspect of Yoshi’s Island - the Touch Fuzzy Get Dizzy level, and made an entire game around the concept. I hate to say it because it’s what people say but - there is simply never a dull moment. They don’t outstay their welcome, and even a segment that appears in just one level for a couple of minutes, plays better than some entire other games. Even the game’s credits accomplish this feat! I’m normally an emotionless lump when playing (unless cursing oe throwinf a controller), but there were multiple times during the game where I had actual physical movement of my face. I think it’s called a smile? I was honestly shocked.
Jumping back a bit, after i first played a couple levels, i actually turned it off. I was so taken aback that I immediately felt like I didn’t want this game to finish. That and, it was so special I wanted to experience it for the first time with my daughter. Once we played together it was even more apparent how great it is. She usually has a bit of trouble with Mario, but not here. The game is very forgiving for new players and when that means I can enjoy it with her, that’s a great thing. Not only that, her skill has improved from playing it. Now, she is better at the older Mario games.
Talking of which - since finishing Wonder, I’ve been consumed by thoughts of platformers. The consideration that perhaps - this may be the best platform game of all time. I went back… to the lot of them, all the 2D Marios. Some DKCs, some Sonic, Wario. I’m still going actually. Eventually i need to play every platformer ever, apparently. I think even, that Wonder is so good, that I now appreciate the NSMB series more than I did. It somehow rejuvenated those games, making it clear again what it is that they offer that is different to Wonder and the Mario games before them. They just made 3 too many of them!
Is Wonder the best platform game ever then? It is very, very hard to be objective when so many of the older games have the added weight of nostalgia. But… yeah, it damn well could be. I wish it had more secret exits. Some of the badge challenge levels aren’t really full levels but they are nice changes of pace. I just think that since they put them on equal footing with full levels on the map screen, you expect more from them.
Yoshi’s Crafted World Switch
A present for my daughters birthday since she recently really took a liking to co-op mode with her Mama in Yoshi’s Woolly World. This one is overflowing with creativity as well. It seems like it would have taken an eternity to come up with all the cool visuals! I’ve just watched them play it so far. I noticed the pace is a bit slower than Woolly World and the co-op a bit more frustrating (you jump on the other player’s back by accident too much). The levels seem great though so I can’t wait to see more.
The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Switch
Normally a new Zelda (Breath of the Wild) would have been enough to make me buy a new console. Several of them are amongst my favourites of all time, but after Skyward Sword and A Link Between Worlds, I felt like the 2D ones were more to my tastes. Tighter, faster, more straightforward. Though I knew Breath of the Wild avoided a lot of the things i disliked about Skyward Sword, it also expanded the world which seemed like it’d make progression even slower. I really have to be in the right mood to tackle enormous games so I just held off and off and off. So long that its sequel came out. I finally cracked when for some reason Tears was selling for half price used. I must be one of the only people who have played Tears before Breath? So I should be doubly blown away right? Well so far it hasn’t shocked and awed me but I am enjoying it quite a bit. The massive world doesn’t seem as intimidating as I thought it would. The weapon degradation is teetering on the annoying but I think it’s winnng me over with the fusing ability. Just being able to wander all over does make me want to explore and the hand powers you have are really unique and good fun. I can’t pass proper judgement on this till i’m finished though, so I’ll probably include it again in next years list.
Syphon Filter PS1
I must admit I don’t really know much about this game. Just that it’s well regarded and maybe a bit like Metal Gear? I haven’t played it just yet though. I want to give it a proper go.
Tomb Raider III Adventures of Lara Croft PS1
A completioniat purchase, now I have all 3 from this generation, albeit 1 is on Saturn. Anyways, I’ve given the games a few chances over the years but the slow, deliberate movement makes it hard for them to sustain my attention. One day I’ll get through them all!
New Super Mario Bros. DS
A bonkers purchase purely for the fact this Japanese version comes in a nice yellow case and has better art than my PAL copy. It’s funny playing this now after so many since. Somehow, it still feels kinda fresh knowing it was the first of the New series. It actually does have quite a bit of “New” which you tend to forget after playing all the others. It’s still pretty fun to play through, even if it has some dud moments with Mega Mario, some annoying moments with requiring Mini or Shell Mario when none is available in the level you need it in.
Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS
Another nice yellow case! I've played the original on Wii U a lot and think it's fantastic. I only wish I had more time and creativity! I don’t have a JP 3DS to play this version, but it was crazy cheap and I’ve heard the 100 levels made by Nintendo in this one are worth playing so… one day. I kinda need that Switch version now don't I...
F-Zero X N64
You know you’re nuts when you’re buying a second copy of a game so you don’t have to risk getting a crease or mark on your pristine boxed version when you want to play. But then again. Look at that freaking box art. Look at it! THE. BEST. EVAR. Its funny, I remember when this first came out and it was a budget title! $59 AUD when most games were $89. And i played the ever living shit out of it too. Beat all the courses/cups/difficulties with all the cars. And all for nothing, no reward at all! But I didn’t care, in fact i kept playing! It’s an amazing game that still holds up now. Accept no emulated substitutes, play on original controller!
Tactics Ogre The Knight of Lodis GBA
After becoming enamored with Tactics Ogre last year, it was on my radar to find a copy of this. I kinda wanted a boxed version as I have all the other Ogre games complete and again... Look at that box! But the cart will do me for now. It’s all in Japanese so I’m not going to be able to play very far but will give it a good go next year!
In conclusion
Wow what an absolutely fantastic year! There's almost no duds. The closest I guess would be those last 2 menasor limbs but even then, for Menasor they were worth it. Let's start with the easiest ones
Cars of the year 2023
I would have thought the Fast & Furious Supra would have won this year, but I can't go past the Ferrari models. I would have also expected the F50 to take it out, but i'm giving to the F355 as it surprised me in how much i like it.
1. Tomica Premium 08 Ferrari F355
2. Tomica Premium 06 Ferrari F50
3. Tomica Premium Unlimited 03 Fast & Furious Supra
Toys of the year 2023
This was a pretty easy pick in the end. I'd waited for what seems like an eternity for Armada Optimus Prime and he delivered in spades. 2nd and 3rd was a bit tougher to pick, but I've given the edge to Diaclone Vajra. Armada Megatron is a great toy but Vajra just offers a whole lot more. By the way, i haven't considered the combined Menasor for this but if I did, he'd probably take number 2!
1. Transformers Legacy TL-48 Armada Optimus Prime
2. Diaclone DA-94 Warudalegion Vajra
3. Transformers Legacy TL-47 Armada Megatron
Games of the year 2023
Now this was a tough pick. Even now i'm not sure what i'll give it to! If we're looking at hours played, Street Fighter 6 comes out on top. Especially for a fighting game, which in my older years have generally not been able to hold my interest for long, I was surprised by how addicted I was to playing, and just how much fun it was. But if we're talking about near-flawless games, it's hard to look past Metroid Prime Remastered. It is after all one of my top games of all time, and so good that I played it through again straight after beating it. But... it is just a remaster. It may not be deserving in that sense. And if we're talking about sheer joy, Super Mario Wonder has to come out on top. But, do i consider that the whole experience was done and dusted in a week? I will play it for years to come but the overall playtime was short compared to the others. And tagging along is Quake 2, an insane package for the price, that is fantastic to play. Maybe it's somehow less impressive to me after the first Quake remaster though. I can't forget F-Zero 99 either, but it is kind of a small package compared to the others. Then there's Zelda which if i'd have got earlier and played more, would maybe be at the top. Alright, time to decide!
1. Super Mario Wonder
2. Street Fighter 6
3. Metroid Prime Remastered
This order could change any minute so i'll try solidify it. Super Mario Wonder is just the most pure fun gameplay i've had with any game in a long time. That's really all it comes down to!
Looking ahead to 2024
I must say, this year's games were so good that I am majorly pumped for next year's offerings. Already I'm psyched to pick up some early releases, like Tekken 8 and Prince of Persia The Lost Crown. I'm interested to try the System Shock Remake when that hits console too. We're edging ever closer to Metroid Prime 4 as well. When will it show up? On Switch 2? What form will Switch 2 even take. The safe bet is iterative, but man, I know Nintendo and they don't play it safe! I'm excited to see what they come up with for the hardware and any new games. I really want a new Mario Kart already!
On top of that, I missed a bunch of stuff this year for being a cheapskate and waiting for sales, like the Resident Evil 4 Remake, Dodonpachi DaiOuJou, as well as games from years before like Elden Ring. I would have bought that by now if not for a pile of Souls games I still need to play! Like a Dragon Gaiden is also on my cheapskate radar, albeit mostly for the included Model 3 Daytona 2 and Fighting Vipers 2. And then there will be Like a Dragon 8 with Virtua Fighter 3tb. I can't wait to play it with a decent controller (and on a system that doesn't reset all the time!). It seems like an eternity of waiting but maybe, just maybe, we will finally get some Virtua Fighter 6 news next year as well. Along those lines, Aleste Branch is probably gonna come out as well, finally!
For toys - goddamn, I have already preordered a shitload and blown my budget. We've got Masterpiece Rhinox, which i'm looking forward to as it's been a while since the last beastie, and my main cast will be looking sweet with his arrival! There's the Mini-Action Vehicle Voltron that looks great and will fill a void left by the aborted Super Robot Chogokin line. The Commander Class Ultra Magnus is bound to be another home run. And then the Titan Class Tidal Wave comes to send my wallet into complete submission.
Best not to forget the Missing Link Optimus Prime too. The joys of preordering 9 months in advance. Will they make more updated G1 figures? I hope so but I also hope they take their time with them! In fact, I think they can safely delay Masterpiece Jazz for another year as well. Now that i've said that, the bastards will release it won't they...
Tomica too will be off to a quick start with some new collabs with Tamiya, some more Initial D, and a rumoured Super GT NSX model that I am super excited for. Gimme them racing tampos baby!
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