Play This Set February 2024 - RetroAchievements/RANews GitHub Wiki

Play This Set is a showcase for our passionate community members to write about the games and achievement sets they love. Whether you're an achievement developer looking to promote your work or a player wanting to spread the word about your favorite hidden gem, we're always looking for new Play This Set submissions. If interested, submit your write-up as a private message to {% rauserpic RANews %}.

Game	Console	Genre
Sonic the Hedgehog	Genesis/Mega Drive	2D Platforming

• Set by: {% rauserpic Scott %}
• Write-up by: {% rauserpic IWDM %}

So I'm sure Sonic the Hedgehog needs no introduction. It's a classic and I'm sure many of you on RA have played through it before. I've been a Sonic fan since 1992 so I always knew I wanted to play this set, but I put it off several times. Finally I made plans to play through this set this month and let me tell you, if you have not played through the achievement set, I implore you to give this one a shot. It is one of my favorite sets on the site and I cannot recommend it more.

Of course you have your general progression achievements and your 100% achievements which are always appreciated. But I love all the extra challenges offered by the other achievements. Trying to route out getting 50 rings in the first 25 seconds of a level or obtaining Speed Shoes, a shield, and invincibility all at once got me thinking about the levels more then I ever have. It really made me respect just how many secrets are hidden throughout these levels and just how many options you have in a standard "Go Right" platformer. I learned about areas I've never seen in dozens of playthroughs and mastered those trippy bonus stages to get all the emeralds. I think my two favorite achievements in the set had to be Lava Speed and Under-achiever. Lava Speed was a lot of fun because for a game series about going fast, it was cool to put my knowledge of Marble Zone Act 1 to the test and shave down my time run after run until I hit the goal. Under-achiever was the most fun I had with this set. The idea is to complete Green Hill Zone Acts 1-3 with no more than 1,000 points. I never realized how may things gave you points in Sonic the Hedgehog, and the idea of making through 3 Acts with out earning a single point was so strange. But man was planning it out and executing it fun. I had maps pulled up of every stage, planning out routes and testing ideas. It was like Sonic had become a puzzle game, I was trying to find the right solution to solve each act. And when I finally pulled it off, that was a great feeling.

Finally, I want to talk about a more practical aspect of this set that I appreciate. I think this is one of the most approachable sets I have played here on RA. If you can beat Sonic the Hedgehog, you can master this set. It may take some time and practice, but everything is very doable and a fun kind of challenging. I was able to master the set in 3 days, which was a blessing for my schedule at the time. I think this is the set I would recommend to my friends who join the site for the first time, and I really think if you haven't yet you should play this set too.

Game	Console	Genre
Earthworm Jim 3D	Nintendo 64	3D Platforming

• Set by: {% rauserpic BoomEX %}
• Write-up by: {% rauserpic Poefred %}

I have so much playtime in this game over the course of the last 21 years it would disturb you to your core. I 100% this game, unlock the hard mode, then 100% it again in that mode just to feel something. The decision to give this game a Banjo-Kazooie structure, (meaning you lose your marbles (notes) on death) is a bit odd considering most of the levels are composed of linear platforming challenges, BUT that makes even rudimentary platforming have some genuinely exciting tension I can't get from many significantly better games. Doubly so for some of the more risky platforming some levels feature, where you'll likely die or almost die from a single missed jump. More platformers really need to have sections where you're climbing a really high tower and at the same time have uncapped fall damage.

There's also a lot of fun ideas that fit right at home with the creative and wacky nature of this franchise. The hub world being Jim's own brain has always been cool to me. The bosses have you riding a pig like a hover board, picking up rockets to blast at the boss. The goal being to collect all 100 marbles to win. Not sure I've seen another collectathon platformer that turns the collectables into the boss fight. Super satisfying to triple tap the boss, marbles spewing everywhere, voice lines spamming over themselves. Love the disco level where you gotta shoot the heads off all zombies in the room but the heads chase you when you shoot them off, with more zombies in each room to up the challenge. The first couple of levels don't make a great first impression, with a lot of slaying copy paste enemies to progress moments...But past that I have a good time. World 3 is especially fun which is great because it has 4 levels as opposed to every other world's 2. Kinda nifty that the extra levels have their entrances inside other levels.

Perhaps this game doesn't hit any super high highs, but I like open ended collectathon platformers, and I like linear obstacle courses. This game is a very volatile combination of the two types that's definitely not for...seemingly most people...But I think it's neat. It controls well, there's decent high stakes platforming, music's quite good, doesn't overstay its welcome. It forces you to get ALL golden udders (stars/jiggies) to open the final boss, so keep that in mind if you ever play this. It's not as genuinely good as the first 2 games in the series, but as far as games that killed their franchise go, I've got a soft spot for it.

Admittedly this game's somewhat of a trainwreck, but it's my trainwreck. The Steam page to this day has screenshots from beta levels and UI not present in the final game in any way, including an entirely different model for Jim in the very first screenshot, so that might give you an idea of how troubled development was. But maybe if you have a high tolerance for early 3D platformers and like me, insist not a single old 3D platformer has a bad camera, you might also think this game is kinda neat. N64 controller is one of the best controllers ever designed and there's nothing wrong with it gang rise up...?

I was really happy with the set {% rauserpic BoomEX %} put together. As I said I already loved to 100% this game, but I also liked to try and have a low step-count as a kid too (yes, this game tracks your step count for some reason). So it was cool to see challenge achievements and leaderboards utilizing that odd statistic. Glad to see the hard mode and bosses got some love too. Props for even putting the set together at all; this game can be a challenge to run on PC even through the official releases, so I'm happy the effort was put in to give this game the set it deserves.

In conclusion: I genuinely like this game more than both Mario Galaxy games, and it's the one and only game published by Rockstar I've ever played. Just a little glimpse into my sick and twisted reality.

Game	Console	Genre
Rocket: Robot on Wheels	Nintendo 64	3D Platforming, Collect-a-thon

• Set by: {% rauserpic ShadwSonic %}
• Write-up by: {% rauserpic FlamingDoom %}

This game is a 3D platformer like many of the games realized in this time period for the N64, taking gameplay mechanics from the popular games from the system like Super Mario 64 or Banjo-Kazooie, so if you like those games you know what to expect here. Developed by Sucker Punch (who later will develop the Sly Cooper games), this game is praised for incorporating many realistic physics elements (like momentum when you are swinging around using a beam ray or torque that can turn back your vehicle if you take the road on a bad angle) when it wasn't common for platforms to include them and it's considered today an underrated game that didn't have the popularity it deserved.

The story takes place in the distant future in an amusement park that soon will be open called Whoopie World, and you take control of a robot called Rocket who is a helper for the owner of the park. Your mission is to rescue the mascot of the park, a walrus named after the park, from a raccoon (the irony) named Jojo who is jealous and wants to rebuild the park after his image.

Gameplay involves traversing the park that serves as the overworld for entering the different levels of the game, collecting tickets and tokens. The tickets are basically the same as the stars for SM64; there are 12 in each level of the overworld, you need to collect a certain number of them to open new sections of the overworld park, and when you have 65 tickets you can go to the final stage. Collecting the tickets involves doing different challenges in each level: exploring the stage, doing challenges on vehicles, delivering items, beating a robot chicken in a game of tic-tac-toe (yes, that happens). The tokens serves as the in-game currency and can be used to purchase those said vehicles to do challenges in the stage and you can also purchase upgrades from a mechanic to equip into your body and get new abilities, from a double jump ability to a freezing ray for walking over water. Each level also contains 7 machine pieces that when you collect them opens a new section of the level (an attraction of the park put inside the level) and you can enter that attraction to get more tokens and tickets.

In conclusion, after collecting enough tickets, you go to the final part of the park properly called Jojo's World (no relation to anime stands), that consists of a long stage of all the other levels mashed together in the same stage. After you beat this the game sort of ends; there is not boss fights at all, and the only thing left to do is collecting all tickets, but that only gives you one extra scene and a credits screen, so it isn't very rewarding. However, if you bypass those negatives points, you have a functional 3D platformer with good controls, and despite not having that many stages or boss fights, each stage is unique and has a gimmick that makes it different from the others: like a stage set in a mine where you have to move by using minecarts, one stage set in Arabia where you fly around using a magic carpet, or even one stage where you can change the environment to get to different points of the map using the water system. So, as long as you don't mind not having the best story or a great ending sequence, this game is worth giving a chance.

Game	Console	Genre
Princess Quest	Intellivision	Action

• Set and write-up by: {% rauserpic ladynadiad %}

Princess Quest is a very short, simple and fun homebrew for Intellivision. The player is a knight who is trying to save a princess from an evil wizard. True, nothing special to the story here, but the story isn't what makes this game a lot of fun. The game is a very nice action game. There are a total of 5 worlds to go through. Each one is a very different sort of setting ranging from a desert, forest, graveyard, caves and then finally the wizard's castle.

Gameplay is simple, but very well done. The knight can throw various weapons and the player can collect upgrades to them as they progress. There are also treasure chests to find, enemies to defeat and each world ends with a boss. The set itself ranges from basic progression, finding all the chests to some challenges to beat levels without weapon upgrades or limited deaths to further test the player's skill. The game is short and the set definitely helps add some replay value to a solid homebrew.

Now some may be thinking "But I've never played Intellivision, is it hard to set up?" A BIOS is needed, but outside of that it was very easy to work with. It works great with controllers and doesn't require any complex settings. Just toss the BIOS into the right folder, start the game up and play! Overall the setup is easy, the game is fun and completely free. It's a nice and short homebrew that could be very fun to play over an afternoon just to beat or to play enough to master the set. Definitely worth giving it a try!

Game	Console	Genre
Legend of Zelda, The: Majora's Mask	Nintendo 64	Action-Adventure

• Set by: {% rauserpic MoonLegend %}
• Write-up by: {% rauserpic Olafur %}

Come on down to the land of Termina and enter the bustling Clock Town! You'll see many strange and wonderful characters as they go about their daily lives. ...Huh? What's that? I'm getting a report that there is seemingly a gigantic moon above the town that is slowly descending... experts suggest it's gonna crash down in three days and everyone's gonna die... Well, let's not worry about that! We also have the annual Carnival of Time to enjoy in three days! To the south, you'll find the swamp, the mountains to the north, a beautiful coast to the west and a canyon to the east! Even away from the town there's still plenty for you to see!

...Someone should do something about that moon though. I hear some green-clothed kid is in town with mysterious powers... maybe he can help! Why don't you join him in his quest to save the world in under three days? It's gonna be a tough challenge with lots to see and do, but make use of your time wisely. Good luck and be safe!

Game	Console	Genre
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney	Nintendo DS	Visual Novel

• Set by: {% rauserpic SherryBirkin %}
• Write-up by: {% rauserpic wolfman2000 %}

Capcom created more fans when they moved into the Visual Novel space with the Ace Attorney series. They managed to make courtroom scenes worth investing time into. By this point, three full games have been released on the Game Boy Advance, with English releases on the Nintendo DS later on. While the main series eventually went to six games, it is the fourth one, this one, that is perhaps the most controversial.

In Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, you play as newcomer Apollo Justice. He gets roped into the wild, wacky world of Japanifornia where no one knows the difference between burgers and noodles, working with the mafia is common, and concerts go out in a blaze of glory. Of course, there are plenty of mysteries within this game. What happened to Phoenix Wright, the protagonist from the previous games? What is this new power that you have? And does anyone know the difference between ladders and stepladders?

This game may be primarily progression only, but the story is actually decent and can keep you hooked for longer than you realize. Look out cheevo hunters: here comes Justice!

Game	Console	Genre
Pokemon Red Version | Pokemon Blue Version [Subset - Bonus]	Game Boy	Role-Playing Game, Turn-based RPG

• Set by: {% rauserpic ViperZang %}
• Write-up by: {% rauserpic ThePotato4242 %}

Everyone knows the Gen 1 Pokemon games, but a lot of people don’t know how fascinatingly badly these games are programmed. Once you delve into the rabbit hole of Missingno and Mew it's hard to play these games normally again. This set is a great showcase of most of the well known and relatively easy to pull off glitches, and it's a lot of fun to learn new depth about such a popular game. There's something in this set for everyone, whether it be relatively mild ones like using the invisible PC in Celadon City and just beating the game with only Rattata, or manipulating hexadecimal values to force encounters for any Pokemon you want, allowing you to actually catch all 151. This set might seem intimidating but once you know the gist of what to do it really isn't that bad, and there are many guides and maps out there to show exactly what to do to get any Pokemon you want. It definitely takes planning and research, but it ends with an immensely satisfying feeling of completely dominating the game by duping hundreds of Rare Candies and Nuggets and finally catching them all.

Game	Console	Genre
Mortal Kombat: Deception	PlayStation 2	3D Fighting, Adventure, Puzzle

• Set by: {% rauserpic zxmega %}
• Write-up by: {% rauserpic Impferno93 %}

Mortal Kombat as a series has really had its ups and downs. From a kinda rough transition to 3D to a pretty terrible side game, there have been some less than decent games in the series. Deception is not one of those - it's pretty good! This set in particular was really fun. From beating arcade with each character to finishing the Konquest mode, there's lots of achievements to earn here. Konquest has a lot of missable things, but it's fairly short and if you miss something you can just make a new play profile and get it on there.

In addition there are two fun side modes, Puzzle Kombat and Chess Kombat. Puzzle Kombat plays similarly to Super Puzzle Fighter, even down to the chibi versions of the characters fighting each other as you place multicolored blocks. You then use "breakers" to break the blocks. The more connected to each other when broken, the more blocks you send to your opponent. First to have their playfield fill up loses.

Meanwhile Chess Kombat is exactly what it sounds like. You pick a team of fighters to be your chess pieces, place two traps on your side of the board, and then play chess with them. However instead of just taking the opponent's piece when you move onto their square, you're launched into a fight! How much health you have to work with depends on which piece is in play, plus various bonuses you can get such as being the attacking piece, or having a piece standing on one of the power squares. Winner takes the square. There's also various spells you can cast to turn the tide in your favor, such as blocking a piece from moving, immediately killing a low level opponent piece, and even resurrecting one of your own. Game ends when the King piece is defeated in a match.

Konquest is the story mode and follows Shujinko. It's moreso a tutorial mode that lets you learn each character's moveset, but also has various areas you can explore, and side quests and fighting challenges to do. Though some of the fight challenges are very difficult in theory, the AI can be cheesed pretty easily by getting a character like Kobra or Baraka who has a long combo and just doing that over and over. Some fights will take a few tries, but using that method should help.

In addition, the Premium Pack linked has the original Mortal Kombat arcade game as a bonus, and you will need to at least beat it once and perform a fatality to get mastery of this set.

All in all I highly recommend this set if you love fighting games and definitely if you’re a fan of Mortal Kombat. Beware the Dragon King...

Game	Console	Genre
Mario's Vacation Course	Nintendo 64	3D Platforming, [Vanilla / 30 Stars], Collect-a-thon

• Set by: {% rauserpic MaddieKittyTV %}
• Write-up by: {% rauserpic 1stPrize %}

Super Mario is a one kind of a genre, and has expanded over the years since his grand debut in 1985. What also expanded over the years is his wide movepool, starting from simple jumps inSuper Mario Bros., spinning along the way in Super Mario World, high triple jumps in Super Mario 64, elegant spin attacks in Super Mario Galaxy, throwing caps in Super Mario Odyssey, and so much more. Surely it must be tiring doing these things all the time, especially when Peach gets kidnapped all the time. Now Mario is vacation, on the sandy beach, enjoying a cold lemonade, but Oh No! Mario was chilling for so long, now he forgot how to jump...

Yes, you heard me right, Mario forgets how to jump in this hack! Luckily, collecting power stars will unlock some moves again! Start by diving across tiny isles well up to wallkicking up firey walls! You also get access to the surfboard, which you can use to traverse the multiple isles, ranging from sunny, snowy, and fiery, all in one course. There's 30 stars in total making it a 20-minute casual playthrough, or try restoring Mario's movement as fast as possible in the hidden speedrun mode. The music from Bowser's Fury used here fits well with the beach theme.

As I said, this hack is pretty short and sweet. Anyone with average Super Mario 64 skills should be able to master this. If you like Mario, you will probably have a good time with this one!

Game	Console	Genre
Burnout 2: Point of Impact	PlayStation 2	Racing

• Set by: {% rauserpic Bryan1150 %}
• Write-up by: {% rauserpic AlexC25 %}

The very first Burnout, despite being the birth of a beloved racing franchise, was mostly just a glorified Renderware tech demo, lacking meaningful content, being too short, and having development growing pains, what with its awful balance of difficulty and tedium due to the lengthy races. Burnout 2, however, is what the first game should have been since release.

The best aspects of the first game, namely the car handling and the visual look, are retained, while other areas that were fine or not well implemented like the speed or risk and reward aspect with getting turbo are so much improved even further, and truly awful aspects like the lack of balance in NPC traffic obstacles and badly designed courses with overly long lap counts are fixed entirely, not to mention the little things, like the better music and the introduction of Crash Mode, a staple of the franchise. This already cemented the building blocks of what the franchise was known for and feels more in the spirit of the future entries more than the first game.

Although you can argue that objectively the future entries are better, I don't think fans of the future entries should miss this game. The content feels more meaningful, the races are a lot of fun, sense of speed is on point and completion length feels fair. It's a good way to start the franchise and prepare you for what the future would bring.