August update!

Had a good start, but then had a lot of college exams, had a pause, but then dedicated the rest of my month to finish Elden Ring (Finished only in September). Spent (35h) in 5 games that counted towards challenges.

09-2. A game that received new translations after release – Firewatch - I will always love Firewatch, incredible delivery of an incredible idea!
15. A game that heavily focuses on flight – Exo One - Great concept and fun to play while in the correct mood.
22. A game without any humans – Journey - One of the early indie games that prioritizes experience over gameplay, and it pays off.
36. A game that heavily features either fire or ice - Devil Daggers - From the pits of hell, you are sure to have one hell of a time playing this!
38. A game with a subtitle – Alba: A Wildlife Adventure - Really cute game and fun mechanics.

Here is my current progress, and the games I'm playing/planning to play.

✅️ 01. A new game (released within the past year) – Baldurs Gate 3
❌ 02. An old game (released 10+ years ago) – Darksiders 2 / LIMBO
✅️ 03. A really old game (released 20+ years ago) – Hot Wheels: World Race
✅️ 04. An ancient game (released 30+ years ago) – Mike Tyson’s Punch Out
✅️ 05. A time sink (50+ hours) – WWE 2K23
✅️ 06. A quick completion (less than an hour) – Pineapple on Pizza
❌ 07. A game you got for free – Little Nightmares
✅️ 08. A game you've been wishing and waiting for – Hellblade 2
✅️ 09-1. A remake or remaster of a game – Bioshock 1 Remastered
✅️ 09-2. A game that received new translations after release – Firewatch
✅️ 10. A game with 6+ endings – As Dusk Falls
✅️ 11. A collection of games – SEGA and Mega Drive Collection
✅️ 12. A game recommended to you by someone else – SpiritFarer
✅️ 13. A game whose title could describe your life – Duck Game
✅️ 14-1. A game with an alliterative title – Pico Park
✅️ 14-2. A game whose title contains the name of a color – Sonic and the Black Knight
✅️ 14-3. A game whose title starts with a number - 20 Minutes Till Dawn
✅️ 15. A game that heavily focuses on flight – Exo One
✅️ 16. A game from a genre you don't usually play – Who Pressed Mute On Uncle Marcus?
✅️ 17. A game that is themed around dogs or cats – Stray
✅️ 18-1. A game that features multiple genres – It Takes Two
⏩ 18-2. A visual novel or text-based game – Alone With You
✅️ 19. A game where you play as an antihero or a villain – Suicide Squad: KJL
✅️ 20-1. A game set in a historical time period - Pentiment
❌ 20-2. A game set in the far future – Titanfall 2
❌ 21. A game with a female protagonist - Control
✅️ 22. A game without any humans – Journey
✅️ 23. A game where you play as a robot or an alien – High On Life
✅️ 24. An arcade-style high score game – Pac-Man Championship 2
✅️ 25-1. A game set in a world you would like living in – LEGO 2K Drive
✅️ 25-2. A game whose protagonist you'd want to be friends with - Sea of Stars
✅️ 26. A game where you play as a bug or an aquatic creature – SpongeBob: BFBB Rehydrated
✅️ 27. A game that was adapted from another medium – Beyblade: Metal Fusion
❌ 28. A game you watched someone else play first (partially or in full) – Portal 2?
⏩ 29. Another person’s favorite game – Elden Ring
❌ 30. A game with a diverse cast – Not For Broadcast
❌ 31. A cornerstone to gaming culture – Half Life 2
✅️ 32. A game that starts with the same letter as in your username – Tiny Tina’s: Wonderlands
✅️ 33-1. A “threequel” (third part of a series) – Amnesia: Rebirth
❌ 33-2. A spin-off game – Alan Wake American Nightmare
✅️ 34. A bright and cheerful game – Garfield Lasagna Party
✅️ 35. A game containing a real or fictional religion – Chants of Sennaar
✅️ 36. A game that heavily features either fire or ice - Devil Daggers
✅️ 37. A game that heavily features money – Turnip Boy Robs a Bank
✅️ 38. A game with a subtitle – Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
✅️ 39. A game that surprised you - Lil Gator Game
❌ 40. A post-apocalyptic game - The Last of Us
✅️ 41. A game with a short title (4 letters or less) – Fe
❌ 42. A game that has a red retirement rating on HLTB (10% or higher) - LOVE - A Puzzle Box
❌ 43. A game that one of your favorite artists worked on - Quantum Break
✅️ 44-1. A game you previously retired or put on hold – New Super Mario Bros. Wii
⏩ 44-2. A game that you have beaten before and are replaying – Borderlands 3
❌ 45. A game that is on someone else’s HLTB 2024 Gaming Challenge List - EricTBar (The Invincible)
❌ 46-1. A studio's very first game - Pizza Tower
✅️ 46-2. A studio's most recent game – TOEM
✅️ 47. A game that had its HLTB times on a purple/red/gray background - Drift86
✅️ 48. A HLTB Game of the Month (Jan-2024) – Pony Island
✅️ 49. A game listed on the HLTB stats page – Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
✅️ 50. A game chosen by the HLTB randomizer – Bionic Commando 1987

Bonuses:
- Four games, released in the four quarters of a given year of your choice
- A single game released in the same year as the previous four, but during the same month as your birthday, if you are up to the challenge, try to be as close to the day itself as you can
39/50 Completions
4/9 Alternatives
0/5 Bonuses.

I took a bit long to post my update, since then I have already finished Elden Ring, started Alone With You and re-started Borderlands 3.

I've only done three challenges in August... however, these are the last three of the main challenge I have to do.

I still want to do the bonus challenges, but I am technically done with the 2024 challenge.

Here's my collection: https://www.howlongtobeat.com/user/R2D21999/lists/29881/R2D21999-2024-Challenge

09-1. A remake or remaster of a game - The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (2019) - This is a remake of the Game Boy version.

10. A game with 6+ endings - Vampire Savior: The Lord if Vampire - This is also known outside of Japan as Darkstalkers 3. And if you know anything about fighting games, is that they have multiple characters, and sometimes each one of those characters has their own storyline to go through with their own endings. Especially so with something like Darkstalkers. I think there's 10 characters? So at least 10 endings.

44-2. A game that you have beaten before and are replaying - Lego DC Super-Villains - I beat this in 2019, before joining the site. I beat it again now.

Jan: 14 games
Feb: 5 games
Mar: 13 games
Apr: 7 games
May: 4 games
June: 6 games
July: 6 games
Aug: 3 games

Congratulations on finishing the Gaming Challenge! I think you are the first this year!

I too wish to complete the whole challenge, including the alternatives and the bonus. I hope to have enough time till the year ends!

July update!

Slow month, could've played more, but got addicted to Fifa Pro Clubs... Completed 5 games and spent (35h) in them.

11. A collection of games – SEGA and Mega Drive Collection - Had Golden Axe + Sonics and others, actually quite a good collection.
13. A game whose title could describe your life – Duck Game - My whole internet personality is based on being a dead duck, and the game is really fun.
16. A game from a genre you don't usually play – Who Pressed Mute On Uncle Marcus? - Pretty fun, but needed to be more of an investigation game.
19. A game where you play as an antihero or a villain – Suicide Squad: KJL - Incredible from start to finish, I loved the narrative and characters!
34. A bright and cheerful game – Garfield Lasagna Party - Not a good game, but it's garfield!

Here is my current progress, and the games I'm playing/planning to play.
Collection Link

✅️ 01. A new game (released within the past year) – Baldurs Gate 3
❌ 02. An old game (released 10+ years ago) – Darksiders 2
✅️ 03. A really old game (released 20+ years ago) – Hot Wheels: World Race
✅️ 04. An ancient game (released 30+ years ago) – Mike Tyson’s Punch Out
✅️ 05. A time sink (50+ hours) – WWE 2K23
✅️ 06. A quick completion (less than an hour) – Pineapple on Pizza
❌ 07. A game you got for free – Little Nightmares
✅️ 08. A game you've been wishing and waiting for – Hellblade 2
✅️ 09-1. A remake or remaster of a game – Bioshock 1 Remastered
⏩ 09-2. A game that received new translations after release – Firewatch
✅️ 10. A game with 6+ endings – As Dusk Falls
✅️ 11. A collection of games – SEGA and Mega Drive Collection
✅️ 12. A game recommended to you by someone else – SpiritFarer
✅️ 13. A game whose title could describe your life – Duck Game
✅️ 14-1. A game with an alliterative title – Pico Park
✅️ 14-2. A game whose title contains the name of a color – Sonic and the Black Knight
✅️ 14-3. A game whose title starts with a number - 20 Minutes Till Dawn
⏩ 15. A game that heavily focuses on flight – Exo One
✅️ 16. A game from a genre you don't usually play – Who Pressed Mute On Uncle Marcus?
✅️ 17. A game that is themed around dogs or cats – Stray
✅️ 18-1. A game that features multiple genres – It Takes Two
❌ 18-2. A visual novel or text-based game – Alone With You
✅️ 19. A game where you play as an antihero or a villain – Suicide Squad: KJL
✅️ 20-1. A game set in a historical time period - Pentiment
❌ 20-2. A game set in the far future – Titanfall 2
❌ 21. A game with a female protagonist - Control
⏩ 22. A game without any humans – Journey
✅️ 23. A game where you play as a robot or an alien – High On Life
✅️ 24. An arcade-style high score game – Pac-Man Championship 2
✅️ 25-1. A game set in a world you would like living in – LEGO 2K Drive
✅️ 25-2. A game whose protagonist you'd want to be friends with - Sea of Stars
✅️ 26. A game where you play as a bug or an aquatic creature – SpongeBob: BFBB Rehydrated
✅️ 27. A game that was adapted from another medium – Beyblade: Metal Fusion
❌ 28. A game you watched someone else play first (partially or in full) – Portal 2?
⏩ 29. Another person’s favorite game – Elden Ring
❌ 30. A game with a diverse cast – Not For Broadcast
❌ 31. A cornerstone to gaming culture – Half Life 2
✅️ 32. A game that starts with the same letter as in your username – Tiny Tina’s: Wonderlands
✅️ 33-1. A “threequel” (third part of a series) – Amnesia: Rebirth
❌ 33-2. A spin-off game – Alan Wake American Nightmare
✅️ 34. A bright and cheerful game – Garfield Lasagna Party
✅️ 35. A game containing a real or fictional religion – Chants of Sennaar
❌ 36. A game that heavily features either fire or ice -
✅️ 37. A game that heavily features money – Turnip Boy Robs a Bank
❌ 38. A game with a subtitle – LOVE / Alba
✅️ 39. A game that surprised you - Lil Gator Game
❌ 40. A post-apocalyptic game -
✅️ 41. A game with a short title (4 letters or less) – Fe
❌ 42. A game that has a red retirement rating on HLTB (10% or higher) - LOVE - A Puzzle Box
❌ 43. A game that one of your favorite artists worked on - Quantum Break
✅️ 44-1. A game you previously retired or put on hold – New Super Mario Bros. Wii
❌ 44-2. A game that you have beaten before and are replaying – Neon White / Sayonara Wild Hearts
❌ 45. A game that is on someone else’s HLTB 2024 Gaming Challenge List -
❌ 46-1. A studio's very first game - Pizza Tower
✅️ 46-2. A studio's most recent game – TOEM
✅️ 47. A game that had its HLTB times on a purple/red/gray background - Drift86
✅️ 48. A HLTB Game of the Month (Jan-2024) – Pony Island
✅️ 49. A game listed on the HLTB stats page – Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
✅️ 50. A game chosen by the HLTB randomizer – Bionic Commando 1987

Bonuses:
- Four games, released in the four quarters of a given year of your choice
- A single game released in the same year as the previous four, but during the same month as your birthday, if you are up to the challenge, try to be as close to the day itself as you can
35/50 Completions
3/9 Alternatives
0/5 Bonuses.

I'm currently playing Elden Ring... first FromSoft game I'm actually trying to finish, but as I'm slumped with college and work, I don't have any motivation to play a game so hude and vast, might end up only finishing it by the end of the year.

Mine would be the unknown Adventures of Chris, I think there was a beta test phase a bit before the release date, and that is where I found out about it, played the beta and had fun.

Bought the game and had fun again! The gameplay is a bit clunky, but the handdrawn style and the whole lighthearted mood bought me out and made me enjoy my experience, while still being a hard game!

I was going to catalogue my time in "SEGA Mega Drive and Genesis Classics", but I couldn't find it on HL2B, so I created the informations and details of the game which went by "/game/136757", but then I found by accident it actually exists as game/21445, but with the "Wrong name", which is why I didn't find it, but the steam page is correct.

I Guess you can delete my addition, since it is redundant and I'll use the one that already exists.

June update!

Got really sick early on, but then I could enjoy my little break, and went on a gaming spree, spent a total of (75h) in games of the challenge this month.

03. A really old game (released 20+ years ago) – Hot Wheels: World Race - Acceleracers will forever live in my heart.
26. A game where you play as a bug or an aquatic creature – SpongeBob: BFBB Rehydrated - Pretty fun and also funny.
35. A game containing a real or fictional religion – Chants of Sennaar - One of the best puzzle games I've played, really fun and creative mechanics, and lore.

39. A game that surprised you - Lil Gator Game - I was wondering what game would enter in this category all year long, it's so specific but also vague, this was gonna be "Game without humans", I was having fun playing, but then the train hit me by the end, such an important message and a beautiful one too, I was sobbing, somehow it felt like home, like something that could or should've happened in my life, this game found a special place in my heart, it is made with love!

46-2. A studio's most recent game – TOEM - Pretty fun mechanic, and is a great lighthearted puzzly game.
49. A game listed on the HLTB stats page – Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - Somehow EA made a second really good game, fixed stuff and didn't choke, Happy me!

Here is my current progress, and the games I'm playing/planning to play.
Collection Link

✅️ 01. A new game (released within the past year) – Baldurs Gate 3
❌ 02. An old game (released 10+ years ago) – Darksiders 2
✅️ 03. A really old game (released 20+ years ago) – Hot Wheels: World Race
✅️ 04. An ancient game (released 30+ years ago) – Mike Tyson’s Punch Out
✅️ 05. A time sink (50+ hours) – WWE 2K23
✅️ 06. A quick completion (less than an hour) – Pineapple on Pizza
❌ 07. A game you got for free – Little Nightmares
✅️ 08. A game you've been wishing and waiting for – Hellblade 2
✅️ 09-1. A remake or remaster of a game – Bioshock 1 Remastered
❌ 09-2. A game that received new translations sometime after release – Disco Elysium?
✅️ 10. A game with 6+ endings – As Dusk Falls
❌ 11. A collection of games – SEGA and Mega Drive Collection
✅️ 12. A game recommended to you by someone else – SpiritFarer
❌ 13. A game whose title could describe your life – Aces and Adventures
✅️ 14-1. A game with an alliterative title – Pico Park
✅️ 14-2. A game whose title contains the name of a color – Sonic and the Black Knight
✅️ 14-3. A game whose title starts with a number - 20 Minutes Till Dawn
❌ 15. A game that heavily focuses on flight – Exo One
❌ 16. A game from a genre you don't usually play – Case of the Golden Idol
✅️ 17. A game that is themed around dogs or cats – Stray
✅️ 18-1. A game that features multiple genres – It Takes Two
❌ 18-2. A visual novel or text-based game – Alone With You
⏩ 19. A game where you play as an antihero or a villain – Suicide Squad: KJL
✅️ 20-1. A game set in a historical time period - Pentiment
❌ 20-2. A game set in the far future – Titanfall 2
❌ 21. A game with a female protagonist - Control
❌ 22. A game without any humans – Yoku’s Island Express
✅️ 23. A game where you play as a robot or an alien – High On Life
✅️ 24. An arcade-style high score game – Pac-Man Championship 2
✅️ 25-1. A game set in a world you would like living in – LEGO 2K Drive
✅️ 25-2. A game whose protagonist you'd want to be friends with - Sea of Stars
✅️ 26. A game where you play as a bug or an aquatic creature – SpongeBob: BFBB Rehydrated
✅️ 27. A game that was adapted from another medium – Beyblade: Metal Fusion
❌ 28. A game you watched someone else play first (partially or in full) – Portal 2?
❌ 29. Another person’s favorite game – Elden Ring
❌ 30. A game with a diverse cast – Who Pressed Mute On Uncle Marcus?
❌ 31. A cornerstone to gaming culture – Half Life 2
✅️ 32. A game that starts with the same letter as in your username – Tiny Tina’s: Wonderlands
✅️ 33-1. A “threequel” (third part of a series) – Amnesia: Rebirth
❌ 33-2. A spin-off game – Alan Wake American Nightmare
⏩ 34. A bright and cheerful game – Garfield Lasagna Party
✅️ 35. A game containing a real or fictional religion – Chants of Sennaar
❌ 36. A game that heavily features either fire or ice -
✅️ 37. A game that heavily features money – Turnip Boy Robs a Bank
❌ 38. A game with a subtitle – LOVE / Alba
✅️ 39. A game that surprised you - Lil Gator Game
❌ 40. A post-apocalyptic game -
✅️ 41. A game with a short title (4 letters or less) – Fe
❌ 42. A game that had a red retirement rating on HLTB when you started playing it (10% or higher)
❌ 43. A game that one of your favorite artists worked on - Quantum Break
✅️ 44-1. A game you previously retired or put on hold – New Super Mario Bros. Wii
❌ 44-2. A game that you have beaten before and are replaying – Neon White / Sayonara Wild Hearts
❌ 45. A game that is on someone else’s HLTB 2024 Gaming Challenge List -
❌ 46-1. A studio's very first game - Pizza Tower
✅️ 46-2. A studio's most recent game – TOEM
✅️ 47. A game that had its HLTB times on a purple/red/gray background - Drift86
✅️ 48. A HLTB Game of the Month (Jan-2024) – Pony Island
✅️ 49. A game listed on the HLTB stats page – Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
✅️ 50. A game chosen by the HLTB randomizer – Bionic Commando 1987

Bonuses:
- Four games, released in the four quarters of a given year of your choice
- A single game released in the same year as the previous four, but during the same month as your birthday, if you are up to the challenge, try to be as close to the day itself as you can

30/50 Completions
3/9 Alternatives
0/5 Bonuses.

I'm currently playing Suicide Squad and having an absolute blast with it!

Also, I'm very impressed to how I had the time last year to finish all 62 Categories by July, I've just reached 50% of this year and it's been almost the same time.

May update!

Back with the PC, ended up finishing 3 Nintendo Wii games I never had the energy to complete, and then started finishing my pc games again! A total of (88h) that counted towards categories.

08. A game you've been wishing and waiting for – Hellblade 2 - What a fantastic experience, delivers and improves on everything from HellBlade 1, I loved it!
09-1. A remake or remaster of a game – Bioshock 1 Remastered - After 8 years I finally finished it, great story and ambience, but gameplay is outdated.
14-2. A game whose title contains the name of a color – Sonic and the Black Knight - Honestly, way better than I thought it was gonna be.
27. A game that was adapted from another medium – Beyblade: Metal Fusion - More marketing product than game, but its acceptable.
32. A game that starts with the same letter as in your username – Tiny Tina’s: Wonderlands - An improved and creatively-free borderlands game, fantastic!
44-1. A game you previously retired or put on hold – New Super Mario Bros. Wii - One of the hardest games I've played, partially due to Wii's horrible controls too.
48. A HLTB Game of the Month (Jan-2024) – Pony Island - The first showing inside the mind of Daniel Mullin, it's a great game, but could be way better.

Here is my current progress, and the games I'm playing/planning to play.
Collection Link

✅️ 01. A new game (released within the past year) – Baldurs Gate 3
❌ 02. An old game (released 10+ years ago) – Darksiders 2
❌ 03. A really old game (released 20+ years ago) – Chrono Trigger
✅️ 04. An ancient game (released 30+ years ago) – Mike Tyson’s Punch Out
✅️ 05. A time sink (50+ hours) – WWE 2K23
✅️ 06. A quick completion (less than an hour) – Pineapple on Pizza
❌ 07. A game you got for free – Little Nightmares
✅️ 08. A game you've been wishing and waiting for – Hellblade 2
✅️ 09-1. A remake or remaster of a game – Bioshock 1 Remastered
❌ 09-2. A game that received new translations sometime after release – Disco Elysium?
✅️ 10. A game with 6+ endings – As Dusk Falls
❌ 11. A collection of games – SEGA and Mega Drive Collection
✅️ 12. A game recommended to you by someone else – SpiritFarer
❌ 13. A game whose title could describe your life – Lost in Random?
✅️ 14-1. A game with an alliterative title – Pico Park
✅️ 14-2. A game whose title contains the name of a color – Sonic and the Black Knight
✅️ 14-3. A game whose title starts with a number - 20 Minutes Till Dawn
❌ 15. A game that heavily focuses on flight – Exo One
❌ 16. A game from a genre you don't usually play – Case of the Golden Idol
✅️ 17. A game that is themed around dogs or cats – Stray
✅️ 18-1. A game that features multiple genres – It Takes Two
❌ 18-2. A visual novel or text-based game – Alone With You
❌ 19. A game where you play as an antihero or a villain – Suicide Squad: KJL
✅️ 20-1. A game set in a historical time period - Pentiment
❌ 20-2. A game set in the far future – Titanfall 2
❌ 21. A game with a female protagonist - Control
❌ 22. A game without any humans -
✅️ 23. A game where you play as a robot or an alien – High On Life
✅️ 24. An arcade-style high score game – Pac-Man Championship 2
✅️ 25-1. A game set in a world you would like living in – LEGO 2K Drive
✅️ 25-2. A game whose protagonist you'd want to be friends with - Sea of Stars
❌ 26. A game where you play as a bug or an aquatic creature – Yoku Island Express
✅️ 27. A game that was adapted from another medium – Beyblade: Metal Fusion
❌ 28. A game you watched someone else play first (partially or in full) – Portal 2?
❌ 29. Another person’s favorite game – Dark Souls 1
❌ 30. A game with a diverse cast – Who Pressed Mute On Uncle Marcus?
❌ 31. A cornerstone to gaming culture – Half Life 2
✅️ 32. A game that starts with the same letter as in your username – Tiny Tina’s: Wonderlands
✅️ 33-1. A “threequel” (third part of a series) – Amnesia: Rebirth
❌ 33-2. A spin-off game – Alan Wake American Nightmare
❌ 34. A bright and cheerful game –
❌ 35. A game containing a real or fictional religion – Chants of Senaar?
❌ 36. A game that heavily features either fire or ice -
✅️ 37. A game that heavily features money – Turnip Boy Robs a Bank
❌ 38. A game with a subtitle – LOVE / Alba
❌ 39. A game that surprised you -
❌ 40. A post-apocalyptic game -
✅️ 41. A game with a short title (4 letters or less) – Fe
❌ 42. A game that had a red retirement rating on HLTB when you started playing it (10% or higher)
❌ 43. A game that one of your favorite artists worked on - Quantum Break
✅️ 44-1. A game you previously retired or put on hold – New Super Mario Bros. Wii
❌ 44-2. A game that you have beaten before and are replaying – Neon White / Sayonara Wild Hearts
❌ 45. A game that is on someone else’s HLTB 2024 Gaming Challenge List
❌ 46-1. A studio's very first game - Pizza Tower
❌ 46-2. A studio's most recent game (at the time when you started playing the game)
✅️ 47. A game that had its HLTB times on a purple/red/gray background - Drift86
✅️ 48. A HLTB Game of the Month (Jan-2024) – Pony Island
⏩ 49. A game listed on the HLTB stats page – Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
✅️ 50. A game chosen by the HLTB randomizer – Bionic Commando 1987

Bonuses:
- Four games, released in the four quarters of a given year of your choice
- A single game released in the same year as the previous four, but during the same month as your birthday, if you are up to the challenge, try to be as close to the day itself as you can

Currently playing Jedi Survivor, but might take a while, I'm kinda mixed in exploring everything or playing the story, so I end up doing nothing lol.

24/50 Completions
3/9 Alternatives
0/5 Bonuses.

Typically with vague categories the solution really is just "up to you". Like if you think you can make an argument to yourself about something that constitutes diversity under any of those topics, go for it, the original ideas weren't to be excessively strict but just prompts to encourage you to play something from your backlog.

I agree some of the worst prompts tend to be prescriptive ones, i.e. you can't know ahead of time if it contains such elements, typically you won't know if a cast is diverse in any way until after you play it. You can choose to define diverse any way you like for the context of the goal. Maybe it is just a cast with couple of characters of different persuasions, or maybe it's a huge cast of varying attributes, doesn't really matter.

My favourite goals are usually the ones like "play a party game" or "a strange game" simply because of the myriad ways you can interpret that. Genre, game title, literally or subversively. It can be fun thinking outside the box on things like that.

Yeah, I go by the same mindset too, just at the top of my mind, when I see/play a game and there is a wide variety of different people that is enough for the category.

Barely think about it, last year I went with Road96, this year I wen't with a FMV with a big cast.

Normally I struggle more in categories which you have to play the game before knowing if it fits (for example 39. A game that surprised you) and other ones in the style, but I don't mind it too much, just makes it harder to plan beforehand haha.

April update!

Guess luck hasn't been on my side recently, same as last year (May 2023) PC Broke again (Motherboard again) college, work... Kinda Ruff... But well, while I still had a PC I finished 3 games that counted (18h).

04. An ancient game (released 30+ years ago) – Mike Tyson’s Punch Out - Incredible classic, actually a great game by todays standards and addicting!
17. A game that is themed around dogs or cats – Stray - One of the most visually astonishing games out there, but lacked on the gameplay.
25-1. A game set in a world you would like living in – LEGO 2K Drive - Good racing and a fun game all around, but ruined by predatory monetization system.

Here is my current progress, and the games I'm playing/planning to play.
Collection Link
My current progress for future planning:

✅️ 01. A new game (released within the past year) – Baldurs Gate 3
❌ 02. An old game (released 10+ years ago) – Darksiders 2
❌ 03. A really old game (released 20+ years ago) – Chrono Trigger
✅️ 04. An ancient game (released 30+ years ago) – Mike Tyson’s Punch Out
✅️ 05. A time sink (50+ hours) – WWE 2K23
✅️ 06. A quick completion (less than an hour) – Pineapple on Pizza
❌ 07. A game you got for free – Little Nightmares
❌ 08. A game you've been wishing and waiting for – Hellblade 2
❌ 09-1. A remake or remaster of a game – Bioshock 1 Remastered
❌ 09-2. A game that received new translations sometime after release – Disco Elysium?
✅️ 10. A game with 6+ endings – As Dusk Falls
❌ 11. A collection of games – SEGA and Mega Drive Collection
✅️ 12. A game recommended to you by someone else – SpiritFarer
❌ 13. A game whose title could describe your life – Lost in Random?
✅️ 14-1. A game with an alliterative title – Pico Park
❌ 14-2. A game whose title contains the name of a color
✅️ 14-3. A game whose title starts with a number - 20 Minutes Till Dawn
❌ 15. A game that heavily focuses on flight – Exo One
❌ 16. A game from a genre you don't usually play – Case of the Golden Idol
✅️ 17. A game that is themed around dogs or cats – Stray
✅️ 18-1. A game that features multiple genres – It Takes Two
❌ 18-2. A visual novel or text-based game – Alone With You
❌ 19. A game where you play as an antihero or a villain – Suicide Squad: KJL
✅️ 20-1. A game set in a historical time period - Pentiment
❌ 20-2. A game set in the far future – Titanfall 2
❌ 21. A game with a female protagonist - Control
❌ 22. A game without any humans -
✅️ 23. A game where you play as a robot or an alien – High On Life
✅️ 24. An arcade-style high score game – Pac-Man Championship 2
✅️ 25-1. A game set in a world you would like living in – LEGO 2K Drive
✅️ 25-2. A game whose protagonist you'd want to be friends with - Sea of Stars
❌ 26. A game where you play as a bug or an aquatic creature – Yoku Island Express
❌ 27. A game that was adapted from another medium (book, movie, etc.) – Castlevania
❌ 28. A game you watched someone else play first (partially or in full) – Portal 2?
❌ 29. Another person’s favorite game – Dark Souls 1
❌ 30. A game with a diverse cast – Who Pressed Mute On Uncle Marcus?
❌ 31. A cornerstone to gaming culture – Half Life 2
❌ 32. A game that starts with the same first letter as in your username – Titanfall 2 / Tiny Tina
✅️ 33-1. A “threequel” (third part of a series) – Amnesia: Rebirth
❌ 33-2. A spin-off game – Alan Wake American Nightmare
❌ 34. A bright and cheerful game –
❌ 35. A game containing a real or fictional religion – Chants of Senaar?
❌ 36. A game that heavily features either fire or ice -
✅️ 37. A game that heavily features money – Turnip Boy Robs a Bank
❌ 38. A game with a subtitle – LOVE / Alba
❌ 39. A game that surprised you -
❌ 40. A post-apocalyptic game -
✅️ 41. A game with a short title (4 letters or less) – Fe
❌ 42. A game that had a red retirement rating on HLTB when you started playing it (10% or higher)
❌ 43. A game that one of your favorite artists worked on - Quantum Break
❌ 44-1. A game you previously retired or put on hold – Bioshock 1 / Cook Food Delicious
❌ 44-2. A game that you have beaten before and are replaying – Neon White / Sayonara Wild Hearts
❌ 45. A game that is on someone else’s HLTB 2024 Gaming Challenge List
❌ 46-1. A studio's very first game - Pizza Tower
❌ 46-2. A studio's most recent game (at the time when you started playing the game)
✅️ 47. A game that had its HLTB times on a purple/red/gray background - Drift86
❌ 48. A HLTB Game of the Month – Pony Island (Jan-2024)
❌ 49. A game listed on the HLTB stats page – One of the Sony PC ports
✅️ 50. A game chosen by the HLTB randomizer – Bionic Commando 1987

Bonuses:
- Four games, released in the four quarters of a given year of your choice
- A single game released in the same year as the previous four, but during the same month as your birthday, if you are up to the challenge, try to be as close to the day itself as you can

Was progressing in Bioshock Remastered, after 8 years of having bought it, I was so close to finishing it, when pc went Kaput... :(

18/50 Completions
1/9 Alternatives
0/5 Bonuses.

March update!

Ended up finishing only 2 games that fit in categories totalling (217h) although, part of that time wasn't done in march itself, but I guess it counts, have been busy with college and work, but happy to have put the mammoth of games behind me!

01. A new game (released within the past year) – Baldurs Gate 3 - Incredible game in all senses, but too huge, would've enjoyed it more if shorter!
05. A time sink (50+ hours) – WWE 2K23 - Last played WWE11, and was flabbergasted with how incredible the game and the career modes are, had a blast!

Here is my current progress, and the games I'm playing/planning to play.
Collection Link

✅️ 01. A new game (released within the past year) – Baldurs Gate 3
❌ 02. An old game (released 10+ years ago) – Darksiders 2
❌ 03. A really old game (released 20+ years ago) – Chrono Trigger
❌ 04. An ancient game (released 30+ years ago) – Mike Tyson’s Punch Out
✅️ 05. A time sink (50+ hours) – WWE 2K23
✅️ 06. A quick completion (less than an hour) – Pineapple on Pizza
❌ 07. A game you got for free – Little Nightmares
❌ 08. A game you've been wishing and waiting for – Hellblade 2
❌ 09-1. A remake or remaster of a game – Bioshock 1 Remastered
❌ 09-2. A game that received new translations sometime after release – Disco Elysium?
✅️ 10. A game with 6+ endings – As Dusk Falls
❌ 11. A collection of games – SEGA and Mega Drive Collection
✅️ 12. A game recommended to you by someone else – SpiritFarer
❌ 13. A game whose title could describe your life – Lost in Random?
✅️ 14-1. A game with an alliterative title – Pico Park
❌ 14-2. A game whose title contains the name of a color
✅️ 14-3. A game whose title starts with a number - 20 Minutes Till Dawn
❌ 15. A game that heavily focuses on flight – Exo One
❌ 16. A game from a genre you don't usually play – Case of the Golden Idol
❌ 17. A game that is themed around dogs or cats - Stray
✅️ 18-1. A game that features multiple genres – It Takes Two
❌ 18-2. A visual novel or text-based game – Alone With You
❌ 19. A game where you play as an antihero or a villain – Suicide Squad: KJL
✅️ 20-1. A game set in a historical time period - Pentiment
❌ 20-2. A game set in the far future – Titanfall 2
❌ 21. A game with a female protagonist - Control
❌ 22. A game without any humans -
✅️ 23. A game where you play as a robot or an alien – High On Life
✅️ 24. An arcade-style high score game – Pac-Man Championship 2
❌ 25-1. A game set in a world you would like living in -
✅️ 25-2. A game whose protagonist you'd want to be friends with - Sea of Stars
❌ 26. A game where you play as a bug or an aquatic creature – Yoku Island Express
❌ 27. A game that was adapted from another medium (book, movie, etc.) – Castlevania
❌ 28. A game you watched someone else play first (partially or in full) – Portal 2?
❌ 29. Another person’s favorite game – Dark Souls 1
❌ 30. A game with a diverse cast – Who Pressed Mute On Uncle Marcus?
❌ 31. A cornerstone to gaming culture – Half Life 2
❌ 32. A game that starts with the same first letter as in your username – Titanfall 2 / Tiny Tina
✅️ 33-1. A “threequel” (third part of a series) – Amnesia: Rebirth
❌ 33-2. A spin-off game – Alan Wake American Nightmare
❌ 34. A bright and cheerful game –
❌ 35. A game containing a real or fictional religion – Chants of Senaar?
❌ 36. A game that heavily features either fire or ice -
✅️ 37. A game that heavily features money – Turnip Boy Robs a Bank
❌ 38. A game with a subtitle – LOVE / Alba
❌ 39. A game that surprised you -
❌ 40. A post-apocalyptic game -
✅️ 41. A game with a short title (4 letters or less) – Fe
❌ 42. A game that had a red retirement rating on HLTB when you started playing it (10% or higher)
❌ 43. A game that one of your favorite artists worked on - Quantum Break
❌ 44-1. A game you previously retired or put on hold – Bioshock 1 / Cook Food Delicious
❌ 44-2. A game that you have beaten before and are replaying – Neon White / Sayonara Wild Hearts
❌ 45. A game that is on someone else’s HLTB 2024 Gaming Challenge List
❌ 46-1. A studio's very first game - Pizza Tower
❌ 46-2. A studio's most recent game (at the time when you started playing the game)
✅️ 47. A game that had its HLTB times on a purple/red/gray background - Drift86
❌ 48. A HLTB Game of the Month – Pony Island (Jan-2024)
❌ 49. A game listed on the HLTB stats page – One of the Sony PC ports
✅️ 50. A game chosen by the HLTB randomizer – Bionic Commando 1987

Bonuses:
- Four games, released in the four quarters of a given year of your choice
- A single game released in the same year as the previous four, but during the same month as your birthday, if you are up to the challenge, try to be as close to the day itself as you can

Back to playing many games, but still a bit slumped!

15/50 Completions
1/9 Alternatives
0/5 Bonuses.

Febuary update!

Ended up finishing only 4 games that fit in categories totalling (33h) but I have been grinding on Baldur's Gate 3, which is a mammoth of a game to finish and played a lot of Minecraft with friends and in total I played (~141h) this month.

10. A game with 6+ endings - As Dusk Falls - Good story, really bad technical difficulties but ends up being a fun game.
24. An arcade-style high score game - Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 - Great Pac game with new mechanics that keep it fresh.
47. A game that had its HLTB times on a purple/red/gray background - Drift86 - Fun arcade drifting game, but nothing more than that.
50. A game chosen by the HLTB randomizer - Bionic Commando 1987 - Still can't believe this game is about reviving Hitler, it's a really bad and hard but unique.

Here is my current progress, and the games I'm playing/planning to play.
Collection Link

⏩ 01. A new game (released within the past year) – Baldurs Gate 3
❌ 02. An old game (released 10+ years ago) – Darksiders 2
❌ 03. A really old game (released 20+ years ago) – Chrono Trigger
❌ 04. An ancient game (released 30+ years ago) – Mike Tyson’s Punch Out
⏩ 05. A time sink (50+ hours) – WWE 2K23
✅️ 06. A quick completion (less than an hour) – Pineapple on Pizza
❌ 07. A game you got for free – Little Nightmares
❌ 08. A game you've been wishing and waiting for – Hellblade 2
❌ 09-1. A remake or remaster of a game – Bioshock 1 Remastered
❌ 09-2. A game that received new translations sometime after release – Disco Elysium?
✅️ 10. A game with 6+ endings – As Dusk Falls
❌ 11. A collection of games – SEGA and Mega Drive Collection
✅️ 12. A game recommended to you by someone else – SpiritFarer
❌ 13. A game whose title could describe your life – Lost in Random?
✅️ 14-1. A game with an alliterative title – Pico Park
❌ 14-2. A game whose title contains the name of a color
✅️ 14-3. A game whose title starts with a number - 20 Minutes Till Dawn
❌ 15. A game that heavily focuses on flight – Exo One
❌ 16. A game from a genre you don't usually play – Case of the Golden Idol
❌ 17. A game that is themed around dogs or cats - Stray
✅️ 18-1. A game that features multiple genres – It Takes Two
❌ 18-2. A visual novel or text-based game – Alone With You
❌ 19. A game where you play as an antihero or a villain – Suicide Squad: KJL
✅️ 20-1. A game set in a historical time period - Pentiment
❌ 20-2. A game set in the far future – Titanfall 2
❌ 21. A game with a female protagonist - Control
❌ 22. A game without any humans -
✅️ 23. A game where you play as a robot or an alien – High On Life
✅️ 24. An arcade-style high score game – Pac-Man Championship 2
❌ 25-1. A game set in a world you would like living in -
✅️ 25-2. A game whose protagonist you'd want to be friends with - Sea of Stars
❌ 26. A game where you play as a bug or an aquatic creature – Yoku Island Express
❌ 27. A game that was adapted from another medium (book, movie, etc.) – Castlevania
❌ 28. A game you watched someone else play first (partially or in full) – Portal 2?
❌ 29. Another person’s favorite game – Dark Souls 1
❌ 30. A game with a diverse cast – Who Pressed Mute On Uncle Marcus?
❌ 31. A cornerstone to gaming culture – Half Life 2
❌ 32. A game that starts with the same first letter as in your username – Titanfall 2 / Tiny Tina
✅️ 33-1. A “threequel” (third part of a series) – Amnesia: Rebirth
❌ 33-2. A spin-off game – Alan Wake American Nightmare
❌ 34. A bright and cheerful game –
❌ 35. A game containing a real or fictional religion – Chants of Senaar?
❌ 36. A game that heavily features either fire or ice -
✅️ 37. A game that heavily features money – Turnip Boy Robs a Bank
❌ 38. A game with a subtitle – LOVE / Alba
❌ 39. A game that surprised you -
❌ 40. A post-apocalyptic game -
✅️ 41. A game with a short title (4 letters or less) – Fe
❌ 42. A game that had a red retirement rating on HLTB when you started playing it (10% or higher)
❌ 43. A game that one of your favorite artists worked on - Quantum Break
❌ 44-1. A game you previously retired or put on hold – Bioshock 1 / Cook Food Delicious
❌ 44-2. A game that you have beaten before and are replaying – Neon White / Sayonara Wild Hearts
❌ 45. A game that is on someone else’s HLTB 2024 Gaming Challenge List
❌ 46-1. A studio's very first game - Pizza Tower
❌ 46-2. A studio's most recent game (at the time when you started playing the game)
✅️ 47. A game that had its HLTB times on a purple/red/gray background - Drift86
❌ 48. A HLTB Game of the Month – Pony Island (Jan-2024)
❌ 49. A game listed on the HLTB stats page – One of the Sony PC ports
✅️ 50. A game chosen by the HLTB randomizer – Bionic Commando 1987

Bonuses:
- Four games, released in the four quarters of a given year of your choice
- A single game released in the same year as the previous four, but during the same month as your birthday, if you are up to the challenge, try to be as close to the day itself as you can

Slowing down on completion amounts because of BG3 which I'm having fun, but it's so huge that it's hard to finish, but hope to finish it soon enough and get back to playing more games (Kinda miss the wider variety of games played).

13/50 Completions
1/9 Alternatives
0/5 Bonuses.

January update!

Ended up finishing 11 games that fit in categories, (161h) played this month, I had a lot of fun with most games, but ended up playing some bad let downs too.

06. A quick completion (less than an hour) – Pineapple on Pizza - Funny and short, but really likeable.
12. A game recommended to you by someone else – SpiritFarer - Great idea, although bad gameplay, thought I'd like it more.
14-1. A game with an alliterative title – Pico Park - Incredible at what it offers, but made me hate my friends hahaha.
14-3. A game whose title starts with a number - 20 Minutes Till Dawn - Really fun bullet hell mobile game, played while I had no energy lol.
18-1. A game that features multiple genres – It Takes Two - Incredible game, especially loved how fresh it kept by adding different styles.
20-1. A game set in a historical time period - Pentiment - Genius game, had an absolute blast playing and exploring everything.
23. A game where you play as a robot or an alien – High On Life - Fun and light FPS story game, had a lot of fun.
25-2. A game whose protagonist you'd want to be friends with - Sea of Stars - Became such a special game to me, loved it, and specially the protagonist.
33-1. A “threequel” (third part of a series) – Amnesia: Rebirth - Had huge expectations, since it's Amnesia Series, but disliked this one so much.
37. A game that heavily features money – Turnip Boy Robs a Bank - I love Turnip Boy and everything the games have been offering!
41. A game with a short title (4 letters or less) – Fe - Incredible idea and visuals, but ATROCIOUS gameplay, was a huge struggle to finish.

Here is my current progress, and the games I'm playing/planning to play.
Collection Link

⏩ 01. A new game (released within the past year) – Baldurs Gate 3
❌ 02. An old game (released 10+ years ago) – Darksiders 2
❌ 03. A really old game (released 20+ years ago) – Chrono Trigger
❌ 04. An ancient game (released 30+ years ago) – Mike Tyson’s Punch Out
⏩ 05. A time sink (50+ hours) – WWE 2K23
✅️ 06. A quick completion (less than an hour) – Pineapple on Pizza
❌ 07. A game you got for free – Little Nightmares
❌ 08. A game you've been wishing and waiting for – Hellblade 2
❌ 09-1. A remake or remaster of a game – Bioshock 1 Remastered
❌ 09-2. A game that received new translations sometime after release – Disco Elysium?
⏩ 10. A game with 6+ endings – As Dusk Falls
❌ 11. A collection of games – SEGA and Mega Drive Collection
✅️ 12. A game recommended to you by someone else – SpiritFarer
❌ 13. A game whose title could describe your life – Lost in Random?
✅️ 14-1. A game with an alliterative title – Pico Park
❌ 14-2. A game whose title contains the name of a color
✅️ 14-3. A game whose title starts with a number - 20 Minutes Till Dawn
❌ 15. A game that heavily focuses on flight – Exo One
❌ 16. A game from a genre you don't usually play – Case of the Golden Idol
❌ 17. A game that is themed around dogs or cats - Stray
✅️ 18-1. A game that features multiple genres – It Takes Two
❌ 18-2. A visual novel or text-based game – Alone With You
❌ 19. A game where you play as an antihero or a villain – Suicide Squad: KJL
✅️ 20-1. A game set in a historical time period - Pentiment
❌ 20-2. A game set in the far future – Titanfall 2
❌ 21. A game with a female protagonist - Control
❌ 22. A game without any humans -
✅️ 23. A game where you play as a robot or an alien – High On Life
⏩ 24. An arcade-style high score game – Pac-Man Championship 2
❌ 25-1. A game set in a world you would like living in -
✅️ 25-2. A game whose protagonist you'd want to be friends with - Sea of Stars
❌ 26. A game where you play as a bug or an aquatic creature – Yoku Island Express
❌ 27. A game that was adapted from another medium (book, movie, etc.) – Castlevania
❌ 28. A game you watched someone else play first (partially or in full) – Portal 2?
❌ 29. Another person’s favorite game – Dark Souls 1
❌ 30. A game with a diverse cast – Who Pressed Mute On Uncle Marcus?
❌ 31. A cornerstone to gaming culture – Half Life 2
❌ 32. A game that starts with the same first letter as in your username – Titanfall 2 / Tiny Tina
✅️ 33-1. A “threequel” (third part of a series) – Amnesia: Rebirth
❌ 33-2. A spin-off game – Alan Wake American Nightmare
❌ 34. A bright and cheerful game –
❌ 35. A game containing a real or fictional religion – Chants of Senaar?
❌ 36. A game that heavily features either fire or ice -
✅️ 37. A game that heavily features money – Turnip Boy Robs a Bank
❌ 38. A game with a subtitle – LOVE / Alba
❌ 39. A game that surprised you -
❌ 40. A post-apocalyptic game -
✅️ 41. A game with a short title (4 letters or less) – Fe
❌ 42. A game that had a red retirement rating on HLTB when you started playing it (10% or higher)
❌ 43. A game that one of your favorite artists worked on - Quantum Break
❌ 44-1. A game you previously retired or put on hold – Bioshock 1 / Cook Food Delicious
❌ 44-2. A game that you have beaten before and are replaying – Neon White / Sayonara Wild Hearts
❌ 45. A game that is on someone else’s HLTB 2024 Gaming Challenge List
❌ 46-1. A studio's very first game - Pizza Tower
❌ 46-2. A studio's most recent game (at the time when you started playing the game)
❌ 47. A game that had its HLTB times on a purple/red/gray background
❌ 48. A HLTB Game of the Month – Pony Island (Jan-2024)
❌ 49. A game listed on the HLTB stats page – One of the Sony PC ports
⏩ 50. A game chosen by the HLTB randomizer – Bionic Commando 1987

Bonuses:
- Four games, released in the four quarters of a given year of your choice
- A single game released in the same year as the previous four, but during the same month as your birthday, if you are up to the challenge, try to be as close to the day itself as you can

I tried to finish #50 before Febuary but I ended up missing the deadline by 10 minutes, so it will go into the next update, even though it's already finished.

10/50 Completions
1/9 Alternatives
0/5 Bonuses.

Heyo folks! I'm currently building my "predicted" list so if any of you need inspiration or even to choose a game for #45, although I'm sure I'll swap a lot of games to fit all categories, also I'm putting the collection link if any want to follow or keep checking my progress

Here is how I'm currently planning to do:

Collection Link On the collection I will update as soon as I complete a game, or find a lock (Game that I won't swap categories)

❌ 01. A new game (released within the past year) – Baldurs Gate 3
❌ 02. An old game (released 10+ years ago) – Darksiders 2
❌ 03. A really old game (released 20+ years ago) – Chrono Trigger
❌ 04. An ancient game (released 30+ years ago) – Mike Tyson’s Punch Out
❌ 05. A time sink (50+ hours) – WWE 2K23
❌ 06. A quick completion (less than an hour) – Pineapple on Pizza
❌ 07. A game you got for free – Little Nightmares
❌ 08. A game you've been wishing and waiting for – Hellblade 2
❌ 09-1. A remake or remaster of a game – Bioshock 1 Remastered
❌ 09-2. A game that received new translations sometime after release -
❌ 10. A game with 6+ endings – As Dusk Falls
❌ 11. A collection of games – SEGA and Mega Drive Collection
❌ 12. A game recommended to you by someone else
❌ 13. A game whose title could describe your life – Lost in Random
❌ 14-1. A game with an alliterative title
❌ 14-2. A game whose title contains the name of a color
✅️ 14-3. A game whose title starts with a number - 20 Minutes Till Dawn
❌ 15. A game that heavily focuses on flight – Exo One
❌ 16. A game from a genre you don't usually play – Case of the Golden Idol
❌ 17. A game that is themed around dogs or cats - Stray
❌ 18-1. A game that features multiple genres, or is a mashup of different genres
❌ 18-2. A visual novel or text-based game – Alone With You
❌ 19. A game where you play as an antihero or a villain – Suicide Squad: KJL
❌ 20-1. A game set in a historical time period
❌ 20-2. A game set in the far future
❌ 21. A game with a female protagonist - Control
❌ 22. A game without any humans
❌ 23. A game where you play as a robot or an alien
❌ 24. An arcade-style high score game – Pac Man DX
❌ 25-1. A game set in a world you would like living in -
❌ 25-2. A game whose protagonist you would want to be friends with - Sea of Stars
❌ 26. A game where you play as a bug or an aquatic creature – Lil Gator (SemiAquatic?)
❌ 27. A game that was adapted from another medium (book, movie, etc.) – Castlevania
❌ 28. A game you watched someone else play first (partially or in full) – Portal 2?
❌ 29. Another person’s favorite game – Dark Souls 1
❌ 30. A game with a diverse cast – Who Pressed Mute On Uncle Marcus?
❌ 31. A cornerstone to gaming culture – Half Life 2
❌ 32. A game that starts with the same first letter as in your username – Titanfall 2 / Tiny Tina
❌ 33-1. A “threequel” (third part of a series) – Amnesia: Rebirth
❌ 33-2. A spin-off game – Alan Wake American Nightmare
❌ 34. A bright and cheerful game
❌ 35. A game containing a real or fictional religion
❌ 36. A game that heavily features either fire or ice - Sea of Stars
❌ 37. A game that heavily features money, gold, or economics
❌ 38. A game with a subtitle – LOVE / Alba
❌ 39. A game that surprised you -
❌ 40. A post-apocalyptic game -
❌ 41. A game with a short title (4 letters or less) – Prey/ECO/Embr
❌ 42. A game that had a red retirement rating on HLTB when you started playing it (10% or higher)
❌ 43. A game that one of your favorite artists worked on - Control / Quantum Break
❌ 44-1. A game you previously retired or put on hold – Bioshock 1
❌ 44-2. A game that you have beaten before and are replaying – Neon White / Sayonara Wild Hearts
❌ 45. A game that is on someone else’s HLTB 2024 Gaming Challenge List
❌ 46-1. A studio's very first game - Pizza Tower
❌ 46-2. A studio's most recent game (at the time when you started playing the game)
❌ 47. A game that had its HLTB times on a purple/red/gray background at the time you started playing it
❌ 48. A HLTB Game of the Month – Pony Island (Jan-2024)
❌ 49. A game listed on the HLTB stats page – One of the Sony PC ports
❌ 50. A game chosen by the HLTB randomizer - Bionic Commando 1987

Bonuses:
- Four games, released in the four quarters of a given year of your choice
- A single game released in the same year as the previous four, but during the same month as your birthday, if you are up to the challenge, try to be as close to the day itself as you can

Challenges (50/50)
Bonus (5/5)
Alternatives (7/7)

Games beaten in December:
✅ [Alternative] 1080° Snowboarding 38-1. A sports game
✅ Doom 18. A cornerstone to gaming culture
✅ [Alternative] Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition 07-2. A Golden Joystick award winner (any year)
✅ [Alternative] Happy Game 42-2. A dark, gritty, or violent game
✅ We Were Here 33. A game that includes a co-op mode
✅ Noitu Love 30. A game developed by a single person
✅ I Have Low Stats But My Class Is "Leader" So I Recruited Everyone I Know To Fight The Dark Lord 19. A game with a long title (has 8+ words or a word containing 13+ letters)

Horray! Challenge complete! I hope everybody had fun with the challenge this year.

The 2024 challenge is nearly ready, I just need two more challenge categories to put in then it should be ready tonight.

Congrats on finishing the Challenge! I'm already stoked for the 2024 one too!

The list is challenge filled out, and I've updated the first post in the thread to reflect it. You can start putting together your lists if you'd like.

Thank you so much for organizing the event!!

Bright and cheerful is a perfectly good way to put it, so I think that descriptor for it is fine. I feel like the 15+ year one could either just say "a dead franchise" to give more leeway to people, although looking it up there's more 15+ year entries than I thought. Or maybe say "hasn't had a main installment" in case of games with like one random spinoff mobile game or w/e the past 15 years? Or maybe just not count mobile games, since a lot of dead franchises have random mobile games (IE Wild Arms hasn't had a new game since 2007...except for Wild Arms: Million Memories, a random mobile game that didn't even last two years and never left Japan).

I like the idea of Speedrun as an alternate category to something, but I don't know what. I kinda like the idea of birthday month as a main challenge (maybe over time travel?) but if not it being the fifth bonus works. Is there a way to search HLTB for retirement rates? If so then that over Metascore can work.

I agree with everything said!!

A Dead Franchise is a great way of giving freedom on the choice. And I also do like the birthday challenge enough to see it being on the main 50, although I understand that it fits perfectly as the 5th bonus.

And about the retirement rates, I got the idea from a HLTB post on twitter which showed the highest rates for 2023.

Hi! A bit of a progress update, as the list is nearly filled out. There’s 5 spots remaining for challenges, and we currently have 9 alternatives. Last year had 7 alternatives, and I’d like to keep alts at a cap of 10.

Here are a selection of challenges that’ve been suggested:
- A game with 4 or more difficulty options
- Beat a game with a metascore below 70
- A game from a series that hasn’t recieved a new installment in 15+ years
- A game featuring time travel
- A game that explores mental health themes
- A game with a perfect score from a major reviewer (The selection is 148 compared to Game of the Month’s 156, so I think it’s a managable number to pick from)

Also I put the “light and fluffy” suggestion down as “bright and cheerful” as I thought the latter was a more clear descriptor, I can use the former if people want that one.

Finally we also need to establish bonuses. The running idea is “four games from the four quarters of a chosen year” (Example: Q1 2011, Q2 2011, Q3 2011, Q4 2011) as well as a fifth bonus related somehow to your birthday. Maybe “a game released in your chosen year in the same month as your birthday” and it can be said that if you’re up to it, try the same week or the exact day.

I like the 5 bonuses, I feel that they are definitely fun and way different from last year, look forward to seeing what games fit in it.

From the challenges that you showed, I think the time travel one shouldn't get in just to keep things fresh, try to differ from 2023.

And by curiosity, the "game from a series that hasnt recieved a new one in 15+ years". Are there that many games to choose from? There are some obvious ones, but 15 years might restrict the options a bit too much and lead to repetitions in entries. Although there probably are many obscure franchises I do not know about.

As a recommendation, if we are considering to play a "bad game", a metascore below 70, maybe we could use the retirement stat from HLTB such like:
* A game with a Red Retirement Rate on HLTB (Above 10%). / A game with a Very High or above retirement rate on HLTB (above 15%)

And also something that might be fun is a category (or alternative) envolving a speedrun attempt, not many people catalog speedruns here and it be fun to see the game of choice on the lists of something like:
* A Speedrun attempt on any game

I think it's fun because in my mind each person would choose a game they are good at and know how to finish it quickly, but I also understand how a person would not want to do it, so maybe it can be the last alternative, thrown as a 44-3 alternative? It fits the pattern.

Really liking how the list is growing, but one category I didn't really like in the 2022 challenge because it felt too restrictive was

33-1. A “threequel” (third part of a series)

Maybe we could substitute the third part of a series for "A game from a series / franchise", Maybe worded differently hahaha but I think that this can incentivize a person to discover a game series and maybe like it or not, or even continue playing one that ended up being retired, instead of playing specifically the third one.

And some suggestions:
* A game that explores mental health themes

* A game with a player-driven economy or trading system

And I really liked the idea of "a game from the same birthday (day and month)", or atleast close to the date.

Thank you for taking the lead in organizing our challenge for 2024! These are some categories that could be fun!

* A game from a genre you don't usually play (I liked how this challenge made me reflect on my most played genres)

* A game where you don't play as the story protagonist (Might not be a wide range of games this happens)

* A Live Action game

For now I only came up with these, but I'm thinking about more suggestions.

Well done for finishing the challenge! Didn't think anyone does :)

Thank you! When I started, I definitely thought I'd take way more time or even not finish, but I got extra motivated by the challenge hahaha

July update! Gaming Challenge 2023 Completed!

I guess the challenge is over for me... Did all the categories, alternatives and even the 5 bonuses. Spent a total of 180h in games from the challenge this month and completed a total of 8 games that count!

14-1. A Sequel that is a different genre than the original - Sonic Adventure DX - The transition to 3D platforming that didn't go as smoothly.
31. A tabletop or card videogame – Neon White - One of the best games I've ever played, love every aspect and will replay it a lot!
38-1. A sports game – Fifa 23 - It's FIFA, the same trash as always, but free trash is welcome, completed all single player modes.
44. A game with a character creator – Dream Daddy - Only played it because of another person's challenge, but was actually a lot of fun!
Bonus #2. Minecraft – Sweden - Never will know how much time I actually spent playing Minecraft, so I made a run to see how fast I'd do it.
Bonus #3. Impasto - United States - An incredible student project, could be more refined but has artistic vision!
Bonus #4. Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery – Australia - Loved every single aspect of the trilogy, one of the best "simple" games.
Bonus #5. Monster Prom - Spain - More of an arcade point game than a dating sim, was not as fun.

Here is my current progress, and I've also added the games I plan to play for most categories.
Master List

✅️ 01. Released within past year - The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
✅️ 02. An old game (released 10+ years ago) – Crash Mind Over Mutant
✅️ 03. A really old game (released 20+ years ago) – Half Life
✅️ 04. An ancient game (released 30+ years ago) – Super Mario Bros 3
✅️ 05. A time sink (50+ hours) - OlliOlli World
✅️ 06. A quick completion (Under 1 hour) - Florence
✅️ 07-1. An IGF award winning game (any year) – Dear Esther
✅️ 07-2. A Golden Joystick award winner (any year) – Metal Hellsinger
✅️ 07-3. A Steam Awards nominee (any year) – A Plague Tale: Requiem
✅️ 08. A game made during a game jam – Eroctonosis: Put Yourself Together
✅️ 09. A crowdfunded game – SuperHot
✅️ 10. A game you got for free – Don’t Make Love
✅️ 11. A game you watched someone else play first – Superliminal
✅️ 12. An open world game – Hogwarts Legacy
✅️ 13. A game that went through development hell – Alan Wake
✅️ 14-1. A Sequel that is a different genre than the original - Sonic Adventure DX
✅️ 14-2. A "threequel" - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
✅️ 15. A spin-off game – The Murder of Sonic The Hedgehog
✅️ 16. A game without humans – The Last Campfire
✅️ 17. A game with 6+ endings – Bad End Theater
✅️ 18. A cornerstone to gaming culture – Grim Fandango
✅️ 19. A game with a long title - Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk
✅️ 20. A game with a short title (4 letters or less) - HUE
✅️ 21. A game with a strange title – He Fucked the Girl out of Me
✅️ 22. A tie-in to a licensed movie or TV show - LEGO Star Wars: Skywalker Saga
✅️ 23. A game with no dialogue – A Bird Story
✅️ 24. A game themed around or heavily inspired by music - Sayonara Wild Hearts
✅️ 25. A game that's scary – Outlast 2
✅️ 26. A parody game (parodying a specific game, genre, or games in general) – The Looker
✅️ 27. A game featuring time travel - Timelie
✅️ 28. A post-apocalyptic game - Death Stranding: Director’s Cut
✅️ 29. A game with a diverse cast – Road 96
✅️ 30. A game developed by a single person – The Stillness of Wind
✅️ 31. A tabletop or card videogame – Neon White
✅️ 32. A collection of games – Spyro Reignited Trilogy
✅️ 33. A game that includes a co-op mode - Escape Memoirs: Mini Stories
✅️ 34. A game whose title could describe your life – Never Alone
✅️ 35. A cel-shaded game – Untitled Goose Game
✅️ 36. A game that takes place in a dystopia or utopia – Doom Eternal
✅️ 37. A party game – Pummel Party
✅️ 38-1. A sports game – Fifa 23
✅️ 38-2. A racing game - Burnout Paradise
✅️ 39. A game where you play as an antihero or a villain – Destroy All Humans
✅️ 40. A game you've been wishing and waiting for – Ravenlok
✅️ 41. A game from a genre you rarely play - Handshakes
✅️ 42-1. A relaxing 'feel-good' game - Donut County
✅️ 42-2. A dark, gritty, or violent game – Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
✅️ 43. A game recommended to you by someone else - Undertale
✅️ 44. A game with a character creator – Dream Daddy
✅️ 45-1. A game made in RPG Maker – Finding Paradise
✅️ 45-2. A game made in Unreal Engine – Hi-Fi Rush
✅️ 46. A game where you play as a robot or an alien - Greetings
✅️ 47. A visual novel - Milk outside a bag of milk outside a bag of milk
✅️ 48. A game that was not originally in your native language – Songs For a Hero
✅️ 49-1. A game from one of your favorite developers/companies – Red Dead Redemption 2
✅️ 49-2. A game from a developer/company you haven't played a game from before - To the Moon
✅️ 50. A game chosen by the HLTB randomizer - Kraven Manor

✅️ Bonus #1. Impostor Factory – Canada
✅️ Bonus #2. Minecraft – Sweden
✅️ Bonus #3. Impasto - United States
✅️ Bonus #4. Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery – Australia
✅️ Bonus #5. Monster Prom - Spain

50/50 Completions
7/7 Alternatives
5/5 Bonuses.

There are many categories which I had 3+ games in mind, many of which I probably would have taken a long time to try if not for the categories. So much games I only found out because of the other lists while in search for specific categories!

I actually miss having a "reason" to play a game, I kinda got used to playing X games because of Y reason, it helped a lot to navigate through my over inflated Steam Library, but I'll still continue working on playing all of them.

Had a lot of fun and am anxiously waiting for Gaming Challenge 2024! :)

June update!

Everything is back on track, I've come back to finishing games, just rebuilt my pc again, and hyped to play the higher-end games, even with difficulty I managed to finish a bunch of games. I played for a total of (96h) this month.
In total I have completed 10 games in June that apply to Categories, I'm now closing the list and filling the Bonus.

03. A really old game (released 20+ years ago) – Half Life - An absolute classic, very fun to play a "story cs game".
07-1. An IGF award winning game (any year) – Dear Esther - A short, yet intriguing story and experience.
09. A crowdfunded game – SuperHot - A game that could've fallen into the cornerstone category, an innovative success.
13. A game that went through development hell – Alan Wake - Absolute masterpiece of a narrative mixed with creative gameplay.
17. A game with 6+ endings – Bad End Theater - One of the most unique games I've played, incredible in every aspect.
20. A game with a short title (4 letters or less) - HUE - A great mixture between a puzzle and plataformer with a good story.
29. A game with a diverse cast – Road 96 - Could've been way better, but still a really story focused game.
37. A party game – Pummel Party - Really fun party game to play with friends.
38-2. A racing game - Burnout Paradise - Made me fall in love with racing games again, brought me back to when they were good.
48. A game that was not originally in your native language – Songs For a Hero - Brazilian masterclass, really fun to play and clearly made with love!

Here is my current progress, and I've also added the games I plan to play for most categories.
Master List

✅️ 01. Released within past year - The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
✅️ 02. An old game (released 10+ years ago) – Crash Mind Over Mutant
✅️ 03. A really old game (released 20+ years ago) – Half Life
✅️ 04. An ancient game (released 30+ years ago) – Super Mario Bros 3
✅️ 05. A time sink (50+ hours) - OlliOlli World
✅️ 06. A quick completion (Under 1 hour) - Florence
✅️ 07-1. An IGF award winning game (any year) – Dear Esther
✅️ 07-2. A Golden Joystick award winner (any year) – Metal Hellsinger
✅️ 07-3. A Steam Awards nominee (any year) – A Plague Tale: Requiem
✅️ 08. A game made during a game jam – Eroctonosis: Put Yourself Together
✅️ 09. A crowdfunded game – SuperHot
✅️ 10. A game you got for free – Don’t Make Love
✅️ 11. A game you watched someone else play first – Superliminal
✅️ 12. An open world game – Hogwarts Legacy
✅️ 13. A game that went through development hell – Alan Wake
❌ 14-1. A Sequel that is a different genre than the original - Sonic Adventure
✅️ 14-2. A "threequel" - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
✅️ 15. A spin-off game – The Murder of Sonic The Hedgehog
✅️ 16. A game without humans – The Last Campfire
✅️ 17. A game with 6+ endings – Bad End Theater
✅️ 18. A cornerstone to gaming culture – Grim Fandango
✅️ 19. A game with a long title - Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk
✅️ 20. A game with a short title (4 letters or less) - HUE
✅️ 21. A game with a strange title – He Fucked the Girl out of Me
✅️ 22. A tie-in to a licensed movie or TV show - LEGO Star Wars: Skywalker Saga
✅️ 23. A game with no dialogue – A Bird Story
✅️ 24. A game themed around or heavily inspired by music - Sayonara Wild Hearts
✅️ 25. A game that's scary – Outlast 2
✅️ 26. A parody game (parodying a specific game, genre, or games in general) – The Looker
✅️ 27. A game featuring time travel - Timelie
✅️ 28. A post-apocalyptic game - Death Stranding: Director’s Cut
✅️ 29. A game with a diverse cast – Road 96
✅️ 30. A game developed by a single person – The Stillness of Wind
❌ 31. A tabletop or card videogame – Neon White
✅️ 32. A collection of games – Spyro Reignited Trilogy
✅️ 33. A game that includes a co-op mode - Escape Memoirs: Mini Stories
✅️ 34. A game whose title could describe your life – Never Alone
✅️ 35. A cel-shaded game – Untitled Goose Game
✅️ 36. A game that takes place in a dystopia or utopia – Doom Eternal
✅️ 37. A party game – Pummel Party
❌ 38-1. A sports game – Fifa 23 (All career trophies)
✅️ 38-2. A racing game - Burnout Paradise
✅️ 39. A game where you play as an antihero or a villain – Destroy All Humans
✅️ 40. A game you've been wishing and waiting for – Ravenlok
✅️ 41. A game from a genre you rarely play - Handshakes
✅️ 42-1. A relaxing 'feel-good' game - Donut County
✅️ 42-2. A dark, gritty, or violent game – Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
✅️ 43. A game recommended to you by someone else - Undertale
❌ 44. A game with a character creator – Dream Daddy
✅️ 45-1. A game made in RPG Maker – Finding Paradise
✅️ 45-2. A game made in Unreal Engine – Hi-Fi Rush
✅️ 46. A game where you play as a robot or an alien - Greetings
✅️ 47. A visual novel - Milk outside a bag of milk outside a bag of milk
✅️ 48. A game that was not originally in your native language – Songs For a Hero
✅️ 49-1. A game from one of your favorite developers/companies – Red Dead Redemption 2
✅️ 49-2. A game from a developer/company you haven't played a game from before - To the Moon
✅️ 50. A game chosen by the HLTB randomizer - Kraven Manor

✅️Bonus #1. Impostor Factory - Canada

I'm completely addicted to Neon White right now, I understand it is not a Traditional Card game, but I've decided to count it, since one of the core mechanics revolve around card playing/management.

48/50 Completions
5/7 Alternatives
1/5 Bonuses.

May update!

Everything went wrong this month :(, some personal life issues, house issues, my pc broke (sent to warranty and soon will have the replacement), and College stuff got a hold of my free time, I played for a total of (43h) this month, almost 3 times less than April.
In total I have completed 5 games in May that apply to Categories, and had to change off 4 games (Possibly a fifth) from my original list because they wont launch this year...

04. An ancient game (released 30+ years ago) – Super Mario Bros 3 - Classical legend, yet has levels that would be criticized nowadays.
07-3. A Steam Awards nominee (any year) – A Plague Tale: Requiem - A literal masterpiece, narrative excellence and a memorable experience.
11. A game you watched someone else play first – Superliminal - A good puzzler, that gets boring because of the poetic attempt.
40. A game you've been wishing and waiting for – Ravenlok - Had high hopes because of Echo Generation, disappointed but a good game.
45-2. A game made in Unreal Engine – Hi-Fi Rush - One of the best games I've played, everything is PERFECT.

Here is my current progress, and I've also added the games I plan to play for most categories.
Master List

✅️ 01. Released within past year - The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
✅️ 02. An old game (released 10+ years ago) – Crash Mind Over Mutant
❌ 03. A really old game (released 20+ years ago) – Half Life
✅️ 04. An ancient game (released 30+ years ago) – Super Mario Bros 3
✅️ 05. A time sink (50+ hours) - OlliOlli World
✅️ 06. A quick completion (Under 1 hour) - Florence
✅️ 07-1. An IGF award winning game (any year) – Dear Esther
✅️ 07-2. A Golden Joystick award winner (any year) – Metal Hellsinger
✅️ 07-3. A Steam Awards nominee (any year) – A Plague Tale: Requiem
✅️ 08. A game made during a game jam – Eroctonosis: Put Yourself Together
❌ 09. A crowdfunded game – Enigma of Fear
✅️ 10. A game you got for free – Don’t Make Love
✅️ 11. A game you watched someone else play first – Superliminal
✅️ 12. An open world game – Hogwarts Legacy
❌ 13. A game that went through development hell – Alan Wake
❌ 14-1. A Sequel that is a different genre than the original - Sonic Adventure
✅️ 14-2. A "threequel" - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
✅️ 15. A spin-off game – The Murder of Sonic The Hedgehog
✅️ 16. A game without humans – The Last Campfire
❌ 17. A game with 6+ endings – Bad End Theater
✅️ 18. A cornerstone to gaming culture – Grim Fandango
✅️ 19. A game with a long title - Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk
❌ 20. A game with a short title (4 letters or less) - HUE
✅️ 21. A game with a strange title – He Fucked the Girl out of Me
✅️ 22. A tie-in to a licensed movie or TV show - LEGO Star Wars: Skywalker Saga
✅️ 23. A game with no dialogue – A Bird Story
✅️ 24. A game themed around or heavily inspired by music - Sayonara Wild Hearts
✅️ 25. A game that's scary – Outlast 2
✅️ 26. A parody game (parodying a specific game, genre, or games in general) – The Looker
✅️ 27. A game featuring time travel - Timelie
✅️ 28. A post-apocalyptic game - Death Stranding: Director’s Cut
❌ 29. A game with a diverse cast – Road 96
✅️ 30. A game developed by a single person – The Stillness of Wind
❌ 31. A tabletop or card videogame – Dicey Dungeons? Neon White?
✅️ 32. A collection of games – Spyro Reignited Trilogy
✅️ 33. A game that includes a co-op mode - Escape Memoirs: Mini Stories
✅️ 34. A game whose title could describe your life – Never Alone
✅️ 35. A cel-shaded game – Untitled Goose Game
✅️ 36. A game that takes place in a dystopia or utopia – Doom Eternal
❌ 37. A party game – Mario Party Superstars / Pummel Party
❌ 38-1. A sports game – Fifa 23 (All career trophies)
❌ 38-2. A racing game - Mario Kart: Double Dash / Burnout Paradise
✅️ 39. A game where you play as an antihero or a villain – Destroy All Humans
✅️ 40. A game you've been wishing and waiting for – Ravenlok
✅️ 41. A game from a genre you rarely play - Handshakes
✅️ 42-1. A relaxing 'feel-good' game - Donut County
✅️ 42-2. A dark, gritty, or violent game – Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
✅️ 43. A game recommended to you by someone else - Undertale
❌ 44. A game with a character creator – Cyberpunk 2077 (DLC) / Spore?? / Barnyard??
✅️ 45-1. A game made in RPG Maker – Finding Paradise
✅️ 45-2. A game made in Unreal Engine – Hi-Fi Rush
✅️ 46. A game where you play as a robot or an alien - Greetings
✅️ 47. A visual novel - Milk outside a bag of milk outside a bag of milk
❌ 48. A game that was not originally in your native language – Songs For a Hero
✅️ 49-1. A game from one of your favorite developers/companies – Red Dead Redemption 2
✅️ 49-2. A game from a developer/company you haven't played a game from before - To the Moon
✅️ 50. A game chosen by the HLTB randomizer - Kraven Manor

✅️Bonus #1. Impostor Factory - Canada

I'm progressing on 38-1 and 29, even though I played way less games, I'm still happy that I absolutely loved two of them (Requiem and HiFi) as I was really hopeful of them being good.

39/50 Completions
5/7 Alternatives
1/5 Bonuses.

April update!

I didn't expect to complete so many games this month, as I was grinding two long games and just enjoying them, I spent (151h) on the Gaming Challenge, and that is my monthly record.
In total I have completed 11 games in April that apply to Categories, I'm getting pretty close, just gotta hope Silksong actually launches...

07-2. A Golden Joystick award winner – Metal Hellsinger - One of the best Rhythm games ever.
10. A game you got for free – Don’t Make Love - Failed attempt to make a poetic game.
15. A spin-off game – The Murder of Sonic The Hedgehog - The best Sonic game I've ever played.
16. A game without humans – The Last Campfire - An incredible story that connects perfectly with the puzzles.
34. A game whose title could describe your life – Never Alone - Great use of a game to show a culture, but a really bad game.
36. A game that takes place in a dystopia – Doom Eternal - The best story + gameplay of all Dooms.
39. A game where you play as an antihero or a villain – Destroy All Humans - Didn't expect it being so good!
41. A game from a genre you rarely play - Handshakes - Really fun true puzzler game.
42-2. A dark, gritty, or violent game – Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks - Nostalgia is a big factor, but it (barely) stands the test of time.
43. A game recommended to you by someone else - Undertale - A really great story jointed with a creative idea!
49-1. A game from one of your favorite companies – Red Dead Redemption 2 - A huge and incredible game, yet still not better than GTA V lol

Here is my current progress, and I've also added the games I plan to play for most categories.
Master List

✅️ 01. Released within past year - The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
✅️ 02. An old game (released 10+ years ago) – Crash Mind Over Mutant
❌ 03. A really old game (released 20+ years ago) – Half Life
❌ 04. An ancient game (released 30+ years ago) – Super Mario Bros 3
✅️ 05. A time sink (50+ hours) - OlliOlli World
✅️ 06. A quick completion (Under 1 hour) - Florence
❌ 07-1. An IGF award winning game (any year) – Night in The Woods
✅️ 07-2. A Golden Joystick award winner (any year) – Metal Hellsinger
❌ 07-3. A Steam Awards nominee (any year) – A Plague Tale: Requiem
✅️ 08. A game made during a game jam – Eroctonosis: Put Yourself Together
❌ 09. A crowdfunded game – Enigma of Fear
✅️ 10. A game you got for free – Don’t Make Love
❌ 11. A game you watched someone else play first – Punch Out
✅️ 12. An open world game – Hogwarts Legacy
❌ 13. A game that went through development hell – Alan Wake
❌ 14-1. A Sequel that is a different genre than the original - Sonic Adventure
✅️ 14-2. A "threequel" - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
✅️ 15. A spin-off game – The Murder of Sonic The Hedgehog
✅️ 16. A game without humans – The Last Campfire
❌ 17. A game with 6+ endings – Bad End Theater
✅️ 18. A cornerstone to gaming culture – Grim Fandango
✅️ 19. A game with a long title - Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk
❌ 20. A game with a short title (4 letters or less) - FEZ
✅️ 21. A game with a strange title – He Fucked the Girl out of Me
✅️ 22. A tie-in to a licensed movie or TV show - LEGO Star Wars: Skywalker Saga
✅️ 23. A game with no dialogue – A Bird Story
✅️ 24. A game themed around or heavily inspired by music - Sayonara Wild Hearts
✅️ 25. A game that's scary – Outlast 2
✅️ 26. A parody game (parodying a specific game, genre, or games in general) – The Looker
✅️ 27. A game featuring time travel - Timelie
✅️ 28. A post-apocalyptic game - Death Stranding: Director’s Cut
❌ 29. A game with a diverse cast – Road 96
✅️ 30. A game developed by a single person – The Stillness of Wind
❌ 31. A tabletop or card videogame – Dicey Dungeons? Neon White?
✅️ 32. A collection of games – Spyro Reignited Trilogy
✅️ 33. A game that includes a co-op mode - Escape Memoirs: Mini Stories
✅️ 34. A game whose title could describe your life – Never Alone
✅️ 35. A cel-shaded game – Untitled Goose Game
✅️ 36. A game that takes place in a dystopia or utopia – Doom Eternal
❌ 37. A party game – Mario Party Superstars / Pummel Party
❌ 38-1. A sports game – Fifa 23 / Mario Strikers: Battle League
❌ 38-2. A racing game - Mario Kart: Double Dash
✅️ 39. A game where you play as an antihero or a villain – Destroy All Humans
❌ 40. A game you've been wishing and waiting for – Hollow Knight: Silksong
✅️ 41. A game from a genre you rarely play - Handshakes
✅️ 42-1. A relaxing 'feel-good' game - Donut County
✅️ 42-2. A dark, gritty, or violent game – Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
✅️ 43. A game recommended to you by someone else - Undertale
❌ 44. A game with a character creator – Cyberpunk 2077 (DLC)
✅️ 45-1. A game made in RPG Maker – Finding Paradise
❌ 45-2. A game made in Unreal Engine – Hi-Fi Rush
✅️ 46. A game where you play as a robot or an alien - Greetings
✅️ 47. A visual novel - Milk outside a bag of milk outside a bag of milk
❌ 48. A game that was not originally in your native language – Songs For a Hero
✅️ 49-1. A game from one of your favorite developers/companies – Red Dead Redemption 2
✅️ 49-2. A game from a developer/company you haven't played a game from before - To the Moon
✅️ 50. A game chosen by the HLTB randomizer - Kraven Manor

✅️Bonus #1. Impostor Factory - Canada

I ended up deciding to complete the alternatives too, because games I was sure to play fit the same mother category, I'm currently progressing on #07-2, #29 and #45-2.

36/50 Completions
2/7 Alternatives
1/5 Bonuses.

Hey folks! I've been planning on the remainder of my list, and I'm really curious about one category.

14-1. A Sequel that is a different genre than the original

Do any of you have any recommendation list or any suggestion? I find it really hard to fit a game into this category, because most of them would be called "Spin-off games"

I wanted to play Jak X for this one, but analyzing further it kinda is a spin-off.