Summer is over, and people across the United States are celebrating Labor Day. This must mean it’s time for another set of GotX games.
For those who haven’t encountered it before, GotX (Game of the X) is our shorthand way of describing the 5 games that are active at any one time for members of the community to play through at the same time and speak about in the RH Discord server. It’s sort of like a Book Club but for Retro Games.
GotX is split into 3 categories:
- GotM (Game of the Month): These are three games, each from a separate time period (based on initial release date), which follow a set theme selected by members of the community who have completed prior GotM games. Gamers have a calendar month to log a valid completion.
- GotQ (Game of the Quarter): These are longer games, taking 25 hours or more to complete according to the HowLongToBeat website. Gamers have 3 months to log a valid completion.
- GotW (Game of the Week): These are short games taking 2 hours or less to complete according to the HowLongToBeat website. Gamers have 1 week to log a valid completion.
Completion of each GotM or GotQ game, proved by the posting of the credit screen to the relevant part of the RH Discord, will earn the participant a point; GotW games earn ½ a point. These can be saved up and eventually exchanged for RH Merch, including the RH Messenger Bag, which can only be obtained using RH Points. If a GotQ game is completed and all retro achievements are earned, this will award 2 extra points (making 3 in total).
Games of the Month: Second Chance September
For September, the GotX community decided on the theme of “Second Chance September” for GotM, these are games which have previously been nominated for a GotM theme, but which have not yet won. This is the second time we’ve used this theme in GotM, with the first being my favorite ever GotM month, so I have high expectations.
In an interesting quirk of fate, all of these month’s winners have been either re-released or remastered for both Nintendo Switch and Steam, and a playthrough on either of platform still qualifies under the RH: GotX rules.
Game of the Month (Pre-’96): Disney’s DuckTales
- Console: NES
- Genre: Platformer
- Time to Beat: 2 Hours
DuckTales is one of those games which should not be as good as it is. In theory it should travel the well worn path of uninspiring platform games which use the lead character from a kids’ cartoon show, with the licensed character being the main selling point. DuckTales, however, is a much better game that one might expect from that description, in fact, when Googling “The Best NES Games Ever,” DuckTales usually found towards the top of the list.
The quality of the game is less of a surprise when you consider that the development team for DuckTales were pretty much the same people behind the Mega Man series. For DuckTales, amongst other things, they introduced some novel game mechanics, (such as Scrooge pogo jumping using his cane) and a surprisingly strong game soundtrack. Character platformers tend to be a popular choice in GotM voting, and my favorite GotM months are those with something for everyone and so including such a game, especially one with a relatively short completion time, helps me feel like there’s something for everyone here.
Game of the Month (1996-2001): Moon: Remix RPG Adventure
- Console: PlayStation 1
- Genre: Adventure
- Time to Beat: 15 Hours
The three word I have seen frequently used to describe Moon: Remix RPG Adventure (a game which I’ll just call “Moon” from now on) are “charming,” “strange” & “unique”. In many ways, Moon is the opposite of Earthbound, which was selected for GotM last month. Earthbound uses traditional RPG mechanics but put them in a weird-as-heck setting, which Moon takes a traditional RPG setting and introduces weird-as-heck game mechanics.
In Moon, you play a child who is sucked into the game he has spend all night playing . Instead of violence, your character levels up by collecting as much love as possible. In order to do this you must save the souls of dead creatures, or provide assistance to the living (mainly human but sometimes plant).
Moon remains a beautiful game, due to mixture of pixel art and prerendered backgrounds, and one which, while not perfect due to lack of the Quality-of-Life improvement present in modern games, will be likely to win over the hearts and minds of many of this month’s gamers. It certainly appears unlike any other game I’ve played, and was a big influence on Undertale according to that game’s developer.
Game of the Month (2002 and later): Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice For All
- Console: GBA & DS
- Genre: Visual Novel
- Time to Beat: 18 Hours
Prior to it’s win, Justice for All help the record for the largest number of nominations a game has received without a win. No other game has been nominated 12 times over the years. Justice for All’s win is very much welcomed by fans of the Ace Attorney series, such as myself.
In Justice for All, you play as the defence lawyer Phoenix Wright, who must work his way through 4 increasingly complex cases to prove his client’s innocence. The setting will alternate between courtroom scenes, where Phoenix must find inconsistencies in witness’ testimonies (when playing this on an original DS, these could be highlighted by physically shouting “Objection” into the device’s microphone), and investigation scenes where Phoenix must search locations for clues which may help the accused. Justice for All is the second game in the Ace Attorney series, and many people regard the 4th case in this game as the pinnacle of the whole series.
Game of the Quarter — Dragon Quest 3: Seeds of Salvation
- Console: NES & SNES
- Genre: JRPG
- Time to Beat: 28 Hours
September will be the last chance to complete DQ3 before a new GotQ is selected for October. In a unusual case of GotX correlation, like all 3 GotM games, DQ3 has been remastered for both Nintendo Switch and Steam.
Dragon Quest 3 acts as a prequel to the previous Dragon Quest games. The player takes control of Hero, the cunningly named son or daughter (you can pick) of a legendary warrior, who is recruited to save the world from Baramos, a demon who seemingly caused the death of your father. The quest will require the collection of 6 orbs before the confrontation with Baramos allows secrets to be revealed. Much like many other JRPGs, this game is split between traversing the overworld, walking around villages, talking to NPCs, and fighting through random monster encounters in dungeons.
Dragon Quest 3 acts as a prequel to the previous Dragon Quest games. The player takes control of Hero, the cunningly named son or daughter (you can pick) of a legendary warrior, who is recruited to save the world from Baramos, a demon who seemingly caused the death of your father. The quest will require the collection of 6 orbs before the confrontation with Baramos allows secrets to be revealed. Much like many other JRPGs, this game is split between traversing the overworld, walking around villages, talking to NPCs, and fighting through random monster encounters in dungeons.
Game of the Week, aka RetroBits
If all these games are too long, then each Saturday at 5 pm PST, a new GotW game is announced. Each of these games has a completion time of 2 hours or less, according to the website HowLongtoBeat. While completion of other GotX games will earn a participant a full RH Point, GotW games will only earn half a point. Each GotW game is announced in the GotX channel in the RH Discord.
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