RetroAchievements 2024 Achievement of the Week RANKED
Retro video games I've played in 2024 for RetroAchievement's "Achievement of the Week" Competition! I will leave a rank beside each game to reflect my enjoyment level and try to give a quick description/review on most games throughout the year!
Quarter 1 2024
Mother 3 [GBA] - A
(Jan. Achievement of the Month)One of the greatest RPGs to come to the GBA, Mother 3 is a turn-based adventure game with engaging story plots, deep emotional storytelling, and fun gimmicks! Must play!
Mega Man X6 (PS1)- D
I wanted to like this 2D action platforming shoot'em up but it was a bit too challenging for me. Maybe this wasn't the ideal entry game for this series, but I was mostly happy to have reached and completed the Achievement of the Week, and relieved I could stop playing it. At some point I'd like to start with an earlier Mega Man to see if it was just this game that disagreed with me, or if it the Mega Man fast action difficulty in general that defeats my enjoyment.
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow Reprise(Hack)[GBA] - B
I enjoyed this 2D platformer hack more than I expected! Various weapon and amour upgrades as you progress through the levels battling unique bosses at the end of each. This hack played like a deathlesss, causing you to start from the beginning if you perish. It was a challenge but fun, and it intrigued me enough to want to explore more of the Castlevania games in the series!
Outrun (Sega Genisis) - B
Ported to Genesis from an Arcade game, Outrun is a racer that actually surprised me in how much fun
those types of games can be! Try to stay on the road while avoiding cars and obstacles which shifting from high to low gear around those corners! Choose the right fork in the road and make it to the check point before time runs out!
Pokémon FireRed Rocket Edition (GBA) - A
A VERY FUN and creative experience to play Pokémon Yellow from the perspective of someone on Team Rocket! Not all is as it seems in Pallet Town and under Professor Oaks studies... Stealing Pokémon and battling Red amongst the other trainers is a BLAST in this hack of Pokémon FireRed!
God of War Ghost of Sparta (PSP) - B
Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (NDS) - E
Clock Tower 3 (PS2) - D
Super Bomberman (SNES) - C
A decent puzzle game where you get to blow up blocks and enemies trying to kill you. You can grab upgrades which allow you to manipulate the bomb. Level design was good as you work your way to the bosses at the end of each, which were all unique. I'm not typically into these types of games, but for what Bomberman is I think it's good, challenging, and can pass the time.
DBZ Buu's Fury - S
(Feb. AotM swap)
(Feb. AotM swap)
A fantastic game originally released on the GBA covering the Buu Saga of Dragon Ball Z in an action-RPG top-down beat-em up! Very memorable boss battles and character transformations that are "super" nostalgic to the original anime! This is a contender for my favorite game on the GBA! MUST PLAY! (But start with Legacy of Goku 2!)
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 (PS2)- B
A fun skateboarding game with rad music and iconic characters from that era! Not my favorite in the Tony Hawk series but worth checking out if you're into punk rock Tony Hawk games!
Tomato Adventure (GBA) - A
(March AotM)
This game honestly surprised me in the best way possible. It's a very unique game with quirky memorable characters and it's a lot less about vegetables than you might initially think. I don't think I would've sought out this game if not for the RetroAchievements challenge of the month so I'm happy I discovered something unexpectedly fun! If you're a fan of Earthbound/Mother then I think this game fits within that space of style and greatness!
Torneko's Great Adventure (SNES) - B
A difficult mystery dungeon game that's frustratingly fun! The goal is to bring back treasure from the cave to upgrade your shop for the king's community. Each time you die though, you start back to level 1. When you upgrade the shop you can begin to store things in your vault to take with you on your next exploration to make things slightly less challenging. It comes down to leveling up your gear and finding an "Outside" item to preserve it for the next attempt. Good luck making it to floor 99!
Pokemon Trading Card Game (GBC) - C
I ultimately decided to give this game an average C. Do I prefer it over normal Pokémon games? No. But it at least taught me to understand how the card game is played and can now maybe understand the value of real life Pokémon cards.
X-Kaliber (SNES) - F
Took the "L" this week, X-Kaliber is frustrating and hard. Hit boxes and combat overall suck. Only positives about this game are decent designs and music.
I will update this list throughout the year and give my rankings to each of the Retro Achievements of the Week and Achievement of the Month challenges! Let me know your thoughts about these games on the Reddit community, RetroVGs!
