Games Beaten 2017
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ElkinFencer10
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Re: Games Beaten 2017
I can attest that, at least among high school kids in the South, we were still using AIM.
Exhuminator wrote:Ecchi lords must unite for great justice.
Re: Games Beaten 2017
Previous games:
December:
110) Faussete Amour (DUO) (5.0) (12/4) (3 hours)
111) Ys III: The Wanderer from Ys (DUO) (5.5) (12/7) (~5 hours)
112) Kaze Kiri: Ninja Action (DUO) (6.5) (12/9) (~1.5 hours)
113) Ys Book I & II (Book I) (TCD) (6.0) (12/16) (~5 hours)
114) Shin Megami Tensei: Synchronicity Prologue (8.5) (12/17) (~3 hours)
115) WeaponLord (GEN) (6.5) (12/18) (~40 minutes)
116) Alwa's Awakening (PC) (6.5) (12/20) (~6.5 hours)
117) Ys Book I & II (Book 2) (TCD) (6.5) (12/27) (~5 hours)
118) Cadash (TG16) (8.0) (12/30) (~2 hours)
This could very well be a nostalgia rating, but I've always loved Cadash. It captured my imagination when I saw it in the arcades, and even though it's pretty simple overall, I still find it quite fun. I've beaten the Genesis and arcade versions, so this time, I put the Turbo EverDrive through its paces.
To keep this short, the game is a little bit of Rastan, with actual RPG elements. Unlike the arcade game, you don't have a timer here, so you can grind if necessary. Unlike the Genesis version, you can use all the classes, too; the Ninja and Priest actually made it in. Good thing, too, because the Priest might just be the best character in the game. She has a spell that lets her tank quite a few hits, and a life restorative to boot. Of course, if you're using the barrier, you'll probably never touch the life spell beyond a certain point. She's that good.
The graphics are pretty decent, surviving decently from the arcade. The localization is translated a bit better, but the last boss is... weird. Having this lord of darkness saying he's fleeing to fight another day, and "c'ya!" is just strange. Even stranger is him referring to the teachings of Carl Sagan about how the strong survive? What? So out of place. This is the only version that has that line, too.
At any rate, fun stuff. Very much worth playing.
December:
110) Faussete Amour (DUO) (5.0) (12/4) (3 hours)
111) Ys III: The Wanderer from Ys (DUO) (5.5) (12/7) (~5 hours)
112) Kaze Kiri: Ninja Action (DUO) (6.5) (12/9) (~1.5 hours)
113) Ys Book I & II (Book I) (TCD) (6.0) (12/16) (~5 hours)
114) Shin Megami Tensei: Synchronicity Prologue (8.5) (12/17) (~3 hours)
115) WeaponLord (GEN) (6.5) (12/18) (~40 minutes)
116) Alwa's Awakening (PC) (6.5) (12/20) (~6.5 hours)
117) Ys Book I & II (Book 2) (TCD) (6.5) (12/27) (~5 hours)
118) Cadash (TG16) (8.0) (12/30) (~2 hours)
This could very well be a nostalgia rating, but I've always loved Cadash. It captured my imagination when I saw it in the arcades, and even though it's pretty simple overall, I still find it quite fun. I've beaten the Genesis and arcade versions, so this time, I put the Turbo EverDrive through its paces.
To keep this short, the game is a little bit of Rastan, with actual RPG elements. Unlike the arcade game, you don't have a timer here, so you can grind if necessary. Unlike the Genesis version, you can use all the classes, too; the Ninja and Priest actually made it in. Good thing, too, because the Priest might just be the best character in the game. She has a spell that lets her tank quite a few hits, and a life restorative to boot. Of course, if you're using the barrier, you'll probably never touch the life spell beyond a certain point. She's that good.
The graphics are pretty decent, surviving decently from the arcade. The localization is translated a bit better, but the last boss is... weird. Having this lord of darkness saying he's fleeing to fight another day, and "c'ya!" is just strange. Even stranger is him referring to the teachings of Carl Sagan about how the strong survive? What? So out of place. This is the only version that has that line, too.
At any rate, fun stuff. Very much worth playing.
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alienjesus
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 8775
- Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2009 7:10 pm
- Location: London, UK.
Re: Games Beaten 2017
First 50:
51. Gauntlet IV Mega Drive
52. Alex Kidd in Shinobi World Master System
53. Psycho Fox Master System
54. The Ninja Master System
55. R-Type Master System
56. Momotarō Katsugeki PC Engine
57. Overcooked: Special Edition Switch eShop
58. Parasol Stars PC Engine
59. Star Parodier PC Engine
60. Cadash PC Engine
61. Dead or Alive Ultimate Xbox
62. Dead or Alive Ultimate 2 Xbox
63. OutRun 2 Xbox
64. Pop'n Twinbee SNES
65. Wild Guns Reloaded PS4
66. Journey PS4
67. Rez Infinite PS4
68. Caladrius Blaze PS4
69. Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu NES
70. Blue Shadow NES
71. Kickle Cubicle NES
72. Baku Baku Saturn
73. Clockwork Knight Saturn
74. Bust-a-Move 2 Arcade Edition Saturn
75. Thumper Switch eShop *NEW*
76. Pokémon Ultra Moon 3DS *NEW*
77. Cave Story+ Switch *NEW*
78. Gorogoa Switch eShop *NEW*
Replays!:
1. Bare Knuckle III Mega Drive
2. Die Hard Arcade Saturn
3. The World of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck Mega Drive
4. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble 3DS VC
5. Trip World 3DS VC
Finishing up this year’s thread with some mini-reviews of the last few games I beat because I can’t think of much to say about them:
Thumper
Thumper is a rhythm game for Switch where you play as a metallic bug lasting down a tunnel at high speed. The designers describe it as a ‘rhythm violence’ game, and that’s understandable as you will feel beaten after pushing through a stage of this game. The game features pounding industrial music and bright flashes of colour, which combined with the games strict 2 hit deaths and long 30 minute levels (they have checkpoints, thankfully) create a sense of tension and exhaustion to the point where I’ve seen other reviewers describe this as a horror game. I don’t think that’s quite true, but I get the comparison.
Whilst hurtling down the tunnel, you’ll encounter various obstacles – blue dots must be tapped with A, barriers must be hit by holding a as you pass through them. Corners have to be turned into whilst holding A, spikes must be flown over with A and up. A controls everything in this game, but the game is so fast paced, the turns and twists so hard to read, and the music so pounding and hard to track that the game is very difficulty indeed. 2 hits kills you,but you can recover health a few ways – it’s not common to do so though until you reach the next checkpoint, which early on are about 20 seconds apart but can reach up to 2 minutes by the end of the game.
If you want a sample of how tense this game and why it’s called Thumper, enjoy this video, but please note that it really isn't joking about that seizure warning at the start - Thumper is not the game to play if you suffer from epilepsy or similar conditions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xseAwMcco4
For me, Thumper was an interesting game, but one which became frustrating over time as the stages became more and more punishing. There seems to be a harder difficulty where one death is the end of the stage, and I say screw that. I don’t have the patience for it. Thumper is quite an experience, but if you want to try it, I recommend waiting for a sale.
Pokemon Ultra Moon
I went into Ultra Moon having not looked up much about the game. I was hoping to find a ‘sequel’ experience along the lines of Pokemon Black 2 or White 2, but instead this is more like the ‘3rd versions’ of old – Crystal, Emerald, Platinum, where there’s new stuff to find but it’s fundamentally the same game as the original Moon.
For new stuff, there’s some new story elements which build upon the idea of the ultra beasts and travelling through wormholes, plus some changes to the games totem battles, available pokemon and the introduction of move tutors to teach pokemon different attacks as you progress.
Honestly, it’s hard to recommend Ultra Moon if you already own Sun or Moon version as is – it’s quite weak in terms of how much new stuff there is to offer. However, if you haven’t played the original or you’re looking to experience your first game in the series, this is a fantastic entry that’s one of the best places to start.
P.S. to the few of you who play Pokemon games and care, my team was Ribombee, Honchkrow, Jynx, Cradily, Palossand and Togedemaru.
Cave Story+
Cave Story is a game I’ve played before on WiiWare, but only once, so when I got given this version for Christmas I decided to play through in a slightly different way. The first time I played through I grabbed the Machine Gun and Booster 0.8, so this time I deliberately made some different choices – I grabbed the Spur weapon, plus the Booster 2.0 and saved Curly. This meant I got access to a new version of the penultimate dungeon and drastically changed some of my playthrough prior to that too as the Machine Gun had been my weapon of choice before. The Spur was much better for the endgame stuff though, and this run was easier.
That is until I accessed the secret final dungeon, the blood soaked sanctuary. That is a brutal gauntlet of instant death spikes and aggressive enemies and after throwing myself at it fruitlessly for a few hours, I created a save file just before it and went and got the normal ending instead. I’ll have to come back to the final challenge another time.
Anyway, Cave Story is still as good as it’s ever been, which is to say it’s pretty darn good. Playing it on Switch feels like a natural fit, so this is a great version to buy if you don’t own this game 10 times already, or maybe if you do.
Also, because I played this near Christmas, all of my dudes are wearing santa hats, so that's cool.
Gorogoa
Gorogoa is a pretty intriguing puzzle game for Switch and mobile devices where you literally piece together a story out of beautiful artwork, manipulating the perspective in order to solve puzzles and progress the story. The story itself is intriguing but hard to follow, it’s all very artsy and beautiful though.
You have four panels within which you can move different images around. Some images can be zoomed in and out of, or you can shift the perspective through a doorway, or upwards to see what’s out of frame, or whatever. Sometimes you can pull a shape off of one image and overlay it on another – for example, placing new scenery over a door so that when the character exits the door he is suddenly in a new environment. Some panels simply move when you replace them in a different part of the square, whereas some reveal new parts of the image when you move them too. Using images in new ways is the name of the game, with flowers turning into cogs when aligned correctly and more.
The game is big on thinking how something could be something else – for example, at one point in the game your character is on a tram, and you can view the tracks from a top down view. Early on you use a trellis as part of the track by aligning it with another image to move him to a different station. However, later, that same track can be used as part of a ladder to reposition the character in perspective within the environment. It’s all very clever and very satisfying.
Gorogoa is a intriguing, interesting and enjoyable experience, but it is relatively easy and very short, at about 1.5-2 hours long. However, I had a great time playing through it and highly recommend it to anyone who might be interested.
51. Gauntlet IV Mega Drive
52. Alex Kidd in Shinobi World Master System
53. Psycho Fox Master System
54. The Ninja Master System
55. R-Type Master System
56. Momotarō Katsugeki PC Engine
57. Overcooked: Special Edition Switch eShop
58. Parasol Stars PC Engine
59. Star Parodier PC Engine
60. Cadash PC Engine
61. Dead or Alive Ultimate Xbox
62. Dead or Alive Ultimate 2 Xbox
63. OutRun 2 Xbox
64. Pop'n Twinbee SNES
65. Wild Guns Reloaded PS4
66. Journey PS4
67. Rez Infinite PS4
68. Caladrius Blaze PS4
69. Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu NES
70. Blue Shadow NES
71. Kickle Cubicle NES
72. Baku Baku Saturn
73. Clockwork Knight Saturn
74. Bust-a-Move 2 Arcade Edition Saturn
75. Thumper Switch eShop *NEW*
76. Pokémon Ultra Moon 3DS *NEW*
77. Cave Story+ Switch *NEW*
78. Gorogoa Switch eShop *NEW*
Replays!:
1. Bare Knuckle III Mega Drive
2. Die Hard Arcade Saturn
3. The World of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck Mega Drive
4. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble 3DS VC
5. Trip World 3DS VC
Finishing up this year’s thread with some mini-reviews of the last few games I beat because I can’t think of much to say about them:
Thumper
Thumper is a rhythm game for Switch where you play as a metallic bug lasting down a tunnel at high speed. The designers describe it as a ‘rhythm violence’ game, and that’s understandable as you will feel beaten after pushing through a stage of this game. The game features pounding industrial music and bright flashes of colour, which combined with the games strict 2 hit deaths and long 30 minute levels (they have checkpoints, thankfully) create a sense of tension and exhaustion to the point where I’ve seen other reviewers describe this as a horror game. I don’t think that’s quite true, but I get the comparison.
Whilst hurtling down the tunnel, you’ll encounter various obstacles – blue dots must be tapped with A, barriers must be hit by holding a as you pass through them. Corners have to be turned into whilst holding A, spikes must be flown over with A and up. A controls everything in this game, but the game is so fast paced, the turns and twists so hard to read, and the music so pounding and hard to track that the game is very difficulty indeed. 2 hits kills you,but you can recover health a few ways – it’s not common to do so though until you reach the next checkpoint, which early on are about 20 seconds apart but can reach up to 2 minutes by the end of the game.
If you want a sample of how tense this game and why it’s called Thumper, enjoy this video, but please note that it really isn't joking about that seizure warning at the start - Thumper is not the game to play if you suffer from epilepsy or similar conditions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xseAwMcco4
For me, Thumper was an interesting game, but one which became frustrating over time as the stages became more and more punishing. There seems to be a harder difficulty where one death is the end of the stage, and I say screw that. I don’t have the patience for it. Thumper is quite an experience, but if you want to try it, I recommend waiting for a sale.
Pokemon Ultra Moon
I went into Ultra Moon having not looked up much about the game. I was hoping to find a ‘sequel’ experience along the lines of Pokemon Black 2 or White 2, but instead this is more like the ‘3rd versions’ of old – Crystal, Emerald, Platinum, where there’s new stuff to find but it’s fundamentally the same game as the original Moon.
For new stuff, there’s some new story elements which build upon the idea of the ultra beasts and travelling through wormholes, plus some changes to the games totem battles, available pokemon and the introduction of move tutors to teach pokemon different attacks as you progress.
Honestly, it’s hard to recommend Ultra Moon if you already own Sun or Moon version as is – it’s quite weak in terms of how much new stuff there is to offer. However, if you haven’t played the original or you’re looking to experience your first game in the series, this is a fantastic entry that’s one of the best places to start.
P.S. to the few of you who play Pokemon games and care, my team was Ribombee, Honchkrow, Jynx, Cradily, Palossand and Togedemaru.
Cave Story+
Cave Story is a game I’ve played before on WiiWare, but only once, so when I got given this version for Christmas I decided to play through in a slightly different way. The first time I played through I grabbed the Machine Gun and Booster 0.8, so this time I deliberately made some different choices – I grabbed the Spur weapon, plus the Booster 2.0 and saved Curly. This meant I got access to a new version of the penultimate dungeon and drastically changed some of my playthrough prior to that too as the Machine Gun had been my weapon of choice before. The Spur was much better for the endgame stuff though, and this run was easier.
That is until I accessed the secret final dungeon, the blood soaked sanctuary. That is a brutal gauntlet of instant death spikes and aggressive enemies and after throwing myself at it fruitlessly for a few hours, I created a save file just before it and went and got the normal ending instead. I’ll have to come back to the final challenge another time.
Anyway, Cave Story is still as good as it’s ever been, which is to say it’s pretty darn good. Playing it on Switch feels like a natural fit, so this is a great version to buy if you don’t own this game 10 times already, or maybe if you do.
Also, because I played this near Christmas, all of my dudes are wearing santa hats, so that's cool.
Gorogoa
Gorogoa is a pretty intriguing puzzle game for Switch and mobile devices where you literally piece together a story out of beautiful artwork, manipulating the perspective in order to solve puzzles and progress the story. The story itself is intriguing but hard to follow, it’s all very artsy and beautiful though.
You have four panels within which you can move different images around. Some images can be zoomed in and out of, or you can shift the perspective through a doorway, or upwards to see what’s out of frame, or whatever. Sometimes you can pull a shape off of one image and overlay it on another – for example, placing new scenery over a door so that when the character exits the door he is suddenly in a new environment. Some panels simply move when you replace them in a different part of the square, whereas some reveal new parts of the image when you move them too. Using images in new ways is the name of the game, with flowers turning into cogs when aligned correctly and more.
The game is big on thinking how something could be something else – for example, at one point in the game your character is on a tram, and you can view the tracks from a top down view. Early on you use a trellis as part of the track by aligning it with another image to move him to a different station. However, later, that same track can be used as part of a ladder to reposition the character in perspective within the environment. It’s all very clever and very satisfying.
Gorogoa is a intriguing, interesting and enjoyable experience, but it is relatively easy and very short, at about 1.5-2 hours long. However, I had a great time playing through it and highly recommend it to anyone who might be interested.
Re: Games Beaten 2017
Thumper in VR is one of the most spiritual experiences I have ever had. Glad to hear some of that translates to the small screen!
Gorogoa is a great game, but I can’t see spending $15 to play it on Switch when you can get it for $5 on mobile. Does the game use any of the Switch’s hardware or features in a compelling way to compensate?
Gorogoa is a great game, but I can’t see spending $15 to play it on Switch when you can get it for $5 on mobile. Does the game use any of the Switch’s hardware or features in a compelling way to compensate?
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alienjesus
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 8775
- Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2009 7:10 pm
- Location: London, UK.
Re: Games Beaten 2017
dsheinem wrote:Thumper in VR is one of the most spiritual experiences I have ever had. Glad to hear some of that translates to the small screen!
Gorogoa is a great game, but I can’t see spending $15 to play it on Switch when you can get it for $5 on mobile. Does the game use any of the Switch’s hardware or features in a compelling way to compensate?
Thumper seems like it would be quite something in VR. My issues with it are mainly based on game mechanics, but I can imagine feeling more forgiving in such an immersive environment. I haven#t had a chance to try PSVR but I hear it's got a slightly blurry resolution . That seems like it could be detrimental to Thumper, did it cause any issues for you?
I'd love to get the PSVR but it seems kinda gimmicky to me for the price. I'll get round to it one day.
Unfortunately, the Switch version of Gorogoa doesn't do anything more interesting than the mobile version mechanically. You can play with the buttons but I think using the touch controls is the better option still. I don't feel very attached to mobile phones and mobile experiences though, so I just sucked it up and paid the extra to have it on something that felt more 'real' to me, as dumb as that may sound.
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alienjesus
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 8775
- Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2009 7:10 pm
- Location: London, UK.
Re: Games Beaten 2017
Sorry for the double post, but it's time for fun stats!
Games I beat this year broken down:
By console:
By generation:
Consoles:
3rd gen (NES, Master System): 9
4th gen (Mega Drive, SNES, PC Engine): 13
5th gen (N64, PS1, Saturn): 10
6th gen (Gamecube, PS2, Xbox): 5
7th gen (Wii, PS3, 360): 2
8th gen (Wii U, Switch, PS4): 16
Handhelds:
GB & GG: 6
GBC, NGPC, WSC: 1
GBA: 2
PSP & DS: 0
3DS & Vita: 13
Physical vs digital:
Physical games: 64
Digital games: 14
Console vs handheld etc:
Console: 46
Handheld: 31
PC: 1
- Note: 9 of my 10 Switch games were beaten in handheld mode, and 1 in console, so I split these that way.
Genre:
Racing: 2
Shmup: 6
Platformers: 23
Puzzle: 10
Action Adventure: 12
Strategy: 2
Beat 'em up: 5
RPG: 2
Adventure: 1
Stealth: 1
Sports: 1
3rd person shooter: 1
Rail shooter: 2
Run n Gun: 1
Fighting: 2
Typing: 1
Flight sim: 1
Rhythm: 1
Other: 4
Games I beat this year broken down:
By console:
By generation:
Consoles:
3rd gen (NES, Master System): 9
4th gen (Mega Drive, SNES, PC Engine): 13
5th gen (N64, PS1, Saturn): 10
6th gen (Gamecube, PS2, Xbox): 5
7th gen (Wii, PS3, 360): 2
8th gen (Wii U, Switch, PS4): 16
Handhelds:
GB & GG: 6
GBC, NGPC, WSC: 1
GBA: 2
PSP & DS: 0
3DS & Vita: 13
Physical vs digital:
Physical games: 64
Digital games: 14
Console vs handheld etc:
Console: 46
Handheld: 31
PC: 1
- Note: 9 of my 10 Switch games were beaten in handheld mode, and 1 in console, so I split these that way.
Genre:
Racing: 2
Shmup: 6
Platformers: 23
Puzzle: 10
Action Adventure: 12
Strategy: 2
Beat 'em up: 5
RPG: 2
Adventure: 1
Stealth: 1
Sports: 1
3rd person shooter: 1
Rail shooter: 2
Run n Gun: 1
Fighting: 2
Typing: 1
Flight sim: 1
Rhythm: 1
Other: 4
Re: Games Beaten 2017
Games Beaten 2017
Inside - PS4
Street Fighter V - PS4
TIMEframe - PC
Rituals - PC
Mother Russia Bleeds - PC
Horizon: Zero Dawn - PS4
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Switch
Here They Lie - PSVR
Dexed - PSVR
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard - PSVR
Last Voyage - iOS
Ghost Blade HD - PS4
What Happened to Edith Finch - PS4
Fast RMX - Switch
Puyo Puyo Tetris - Switch
Garou: Mark of the Wolf - Arcade/Vita
Star Wars: Republic Commando - PC
Battlefield 1 - PS4
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Switch
Shock Troopers - PC (Arcade)
Shock Troopers 2nd Squad - PC (Arcade)
Gravity Bone -PC
Thirty Flights of Loving - PC
Forza Horizon 3: Hot Wheels - PC/X1
Eve: Valkyrie- PSVR
Farpoint - PSVR
Painkiller: Battle Out of Hell - PC
Ghost Squad - Wii
Monument Valley 2 - iOS
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare - PS4
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 - 360
Tekken Advance - GBA
100ft Robot Golf - PSVR
Final Fantasy XV: A King's Tale - X1
Star Wars Racer Revenge - PS2
Just Cause 3 - PS4
Toadled - PC
Gulity Gear Xrd -Revelator- PS4
Mortal Kombat XL - PC
Destiny 2 - PS4
Dishonored - PS4
Dead Nation: Apocalypse Edition - PS4
Nex Machina - PS4
Dying Light - PS4
Arizona Sunshine- PSVR
Dead Rising 3 - X1
Soul Dimension - PSVR
The Bug Butcher - PS4
Super Mario Odyssey - Switch
King of Fighters XIV - - PS4
Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds - PS4
Alienation - PS4
Forza Horizon 3: Blizzard Mountain - PC/X1
Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris - PS4
Doom VFR - PSVR
Gorogoa - iOS
Devil May Cry 4 Refrain - iOS
Sonic Mania - Switch
Raiden V - PS4
Scanner Sombre - PC
Everything - PC
Luke Sidewalker - PC
The Fidelio Incident - PC
Emily is Away Too - PC
Electric Highways - PC *new*
Total: 65
Electric Highways is a trippy game that is part first person puzzler, part walking simulator, and part platformer. I really dug the work here: the soundtrack matches up to the visuals perfectly to create an unnerving experience and it is an hour or so well spent if you like "experimental" indie fare.
Previously: 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010
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End of Year Totals, Stats, and Thoughts
Since starting to keep track 8 years ago, I have now beaten 700 games!!
Part of me wants to push hard over the next two years to hit 1000 beaten in 10 years, and part of me wants to give it a rest and just move through things at a more leisurely pace. I suppose I will see how I feel about the options in front of me come the New Year...
This was a little bit of a low total for me...it was also the least amount of retro games I have played in any one year since keeping track. I shared some thoughts/numbers about that here. This year only about 14% of what I beat could reasonably be considered "retro".
Some Stats:
Modern: 56 across 7 systems (PS4:20, PC:13, PSVR:9, Switch: 6, X1:4, iOS:4, 360:1)
Retro: 9 across 6 systems (Arcade:3, Retro PC:2, GBA:2, PS2:1, Wii:1)
Genre Breakdown:
Other: 14
FPS: 13
Fighting: 7
Racing/Sports: 6
Puzzle: 4
Twin Stick Shooter: 4
(A)RPG: 3
Platformer: 3
Beat-em-up: 3
Third Person Shooter: 2
Run-n-Gun: 2
Rail Shooter: 2
Shmup: 2
Best game I've finished that was released this year: Horizon: Zero Dawn topped the list, but it was close.
Best retro game I finished for the first time: Painkiller: Battle Out of Hell
Inside - PS4
Street Fighter V - PS4
TIMEframe - PC
Rituals - PC
Mother Russia Bleeds - PC
Horizon: Zero Dawn - PS4
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Switch
Here They Lie - PSVR
Dexed - PSVR
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard - PSVR
Last Voyage - iOS
Ghost Blade HD - PS4
What Happened to Edith Finch - PS4
Fast RMX - Switch
Puyo Puyo Tetris - Switch
Garou: Mark of the Wolf - Arcade/Vita
Star Wars: Republic Commando - PC
Battlefield 1 - PS4
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Switch
Shock Troopers - PC (Arcade)
Shock Troopers 2nd Squad - PC (Arcade)
Gravity Bone -PC
Thirty Flights of Loving - PC
Forza Horizon 3: Hot Wheels - PC/X1
Eve: Valkyrie- PSVR
Farpoint - PSVR
Painkiller: Battle Out of Hell - PC
Ghost Squad - Wii
Monument Valley 2 - iOS
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare - PS4
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 - 360
Tekken Advance - GBA
100ft Robot Golf - PSVR
Final Fantasy XV: A King's Tale - X1
Star Wars Racer Revenge - PS2
Just Cause 3 - PS4
Toadled - PC
Gulity Gear Xrd -Revelator- PS4
Mortal Kombat XL - PC
Destiny 2 - PS4
Dishonored - PS4
Dead Nation: Apocalypse Edition - PS4
Nex Machina - PS4
Dying Light - PS4
Arizona Sunshine- PSVR
Dead Rising 3 - X1
Soul Dimension - PSVR
The Bug Butcher - PS4
Super Mario Odyssey - Switch
King of Fighters XIV - - PS4
Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds - PS4
Alienation - PS4
Forza Horizon 3: Blizzard Mountain - PC/X1
Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris - PS4
Doom VFR - PSVR
Gorogoa - iOS
Devil May Cry 4 Refrain - iOS
Sonic Mania - Switch
Raiden V - PS4
Scanner Sombre - PC
Everything - PC
Luke Sidewalker - PC
The Fidelio Incident - PC
Emily is Away Too - PC
Electric Highways - PC *new*
Total: 65
Electric Highways is a trippy game that is part first person puzzler, part walking simulator, and part platformer. I really dug the work here: the soundtrack matches up to the visuals perfectly to create an unnerving experience and it is an hour or so well spent if you like "experimental" indie fare.
Previously: 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010
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End of Year Totals, Stats, and Thoughts
Since starting to keep track 8 years ago, I have now beaten 700 games!!
Part of me wants to push hard over the next two years to hit 1000 beaten in 10 years, and part of me wants to give it a rest and just move through things at a more leisurely pace. I suppose I will see how I feel about the options in front of me come the New Year...
This was a little bit of a low total for me...it was also the least amount of retro games I have played in any one year since keeping track. I shared some thoughts/numbers about that here. This year only about 14% of what I beat could reasonably be considered "retro".
Some Stats:
Modern: 56 across 7 systems (PS4:20, PC:13, PSVR:9, Switch: 6, X1:4, iOS:4, 360:1)
Retro: 9 across 6 systems (Arcade:3, Retro PC:2, GBA:2, PS2:1, Wii:1)
Genre Breakdown:
Other: 14
FPS: 13
Fighting: 7
Racing/Sports: 6
Puzzle: 4
Twin Stick Shooter: 4
(A)RPG: 3
Platformer: 3
Beat-em-up: 3
Third Person Shooter: 2
Run-n-Gun: 2
Rail Shooter: 2
Shmup: 2
Best game I've finished that was released this year: Horizon: Zero Dawn topped the list, but it was close.
Best retro game I finished for the first time: Painkiller: Battle Out of Hell
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optmusprimenumber
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Re: Games Beaten 2017
Finally played the original Splinter Cell on PC plus the bonus missions. For someone who has enjoyed Chaos Theory and up I'm surprised it took that long. Admittedly it's better on PC than oXBox what with quick saves and all. Now if only I could get Pandora Tomorrow to work properly (even with the lighting fix, all projected lights are red 
)
)Re: Games Beaten 2017
First 50:
51. Oniken - PC
52. Strife Veteran Edition - PC
53. The Mummy Demastered - Switch
54. Super Mario Odyssey - Switch
55. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus - PC
56. Etrian Odyssey V - 3DS
57. The Legend of Zelda Four Swords Anniversary - 3DS
58. Vectorman - Genesis
59. Human Resources Machine - PC
60. The Legend of Legacy - 3DS
61. Dynamite Headdy - Genesis
62. Romancing SaGa 2 - PC
63. Shining in the Darkness - Genesis
Last game of 2017. Shining in the Darkness is the very first game in the Shining series. Unlike its more famous cousins the Force games, SitD is a first person dungeon crawler. However, you still have a ton of familiar elements, including the four command UI, the aesthetics of items, and the inhabitants of the world. It's very clear this is made by the same people and set in the same universe as the other Shining games. The ties just aren't as strong narratively, due to the fact it came first and I don't think they expected to make a universe out of it.
SitD is one of the more approachable dungeon crawlers out there. The game does a good job of easing you into things; you start with your single warrior and learn to play things safe and not get in over your head. Once you've geared up and fought the first boss you get access to your other two party members: a cleric and a mage. This gives you access to spellcasting and the idea that you now need to pay attention to how you target things; while your warrior could one shot everything your casters cannot. The whole game consists of nine floors of 32x32 dungeons. The first five of them consist of the ground floor and four attached dungeons. Once you beat those four attached dungeons you get access to floors two through five of the primary dungeon. Here things get trickier, both in terms of enemy abilities (you see a lot more enemies with magic and instant death), and due to the fact that the game doesn't have the greatest system for fast travelling. When you unlock the main floors and get to floor three you get access to an item that can be used to warp in the dungeon; however, the warp points are at the end of each floor, and it involves dropping a unique item in a square at the end of the floor. If you want to move it you need to pick it up and take it to the next floor's point. This generally means you'll need to do each floor a minimum of twice; once to beat it and ensure you are leveled and geared up enough, and then once to put down the warp point.
The combat is fairly standard for the genre. The small number of party members reduces some of the strategy a bit, and most of it comes down to how you gear (do you get the higher damage single target or lower damage multi target weapons for your casters) and when to use magic for damage vs. healing after battle. It really ends up being about threat assessment; which monster packs can wreck your shit if you don't kill them before they get a turn.
My biggest complaint is that the in game auto map, which is only accessible through a spell or an item not worth the cost (as it's single use), is awful. You only can see a limited amount of the floor, it only maps squares you step on, and it does so by marking a tile with a border. So you have no idea what else might be connected to that square. You're better off either making your own map or using an online map.
Next year I suspect I'll make some time for Shining the Holy Ark, the other dungeon crawler in the series.
51. Oniken - PC
52. Strife Veteran Edition - PC
53. The Mummy Demastered - Switch
54. Super Mario Odyssey - Switch
55. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus - PC
56. Etrian Odyssey V - 3DS
57. The Legend of Zelda Four Swords Anniversary - 3DS
58. Vectorman - Genesis
59. Human Resources Machine - PC
60. The Legend of Legacy - 3DS
61. Dynamite Headdy - Genesis
62. Romancing SaGa 2 - PC
63. Shining in the Darkness - Genesis
Last game of 2017. Shining in the Darkness is the very first game in the Shining series. Unlike its more famous cousins the Force games, SitD is a first person dungeon crawler. However, you still have a ton of familiar elements, including the four command UI, the aesthetics of items, and the inhabitants of the world. It's very clear this is made by the same people and set in the same universe as the other Shining games. The ties just aren't as strong narratively, due to the fact it came first and I don't think they expected to make a universe out of it.
SitD is one of the more approachable dungeon crawlers out there. The game does a good job of easing you into things; you start with your single warrior and learn to play things safe and not get in over your head. Once you've geared up and fought the first boss you get access to your other two party members: a cleric and a mage. This gives you access to spellcasting and the idea that you now need to pay attention to how you target things; while your warrior could one shot everything your casters cannot. The whole game consists of nine floors of 32x32 dungeons. The first five of them consist of the ground floor and four attached dungeons. Once you beat those four attached dungeons you get access to floors two through five of the primary dungeon. Here things get trickier, both in terms of enemy abilities (you see a lot more enemies with magic and instant death), and due to the fact that the game doesn't have the greatest system for fast travelling. When you unlock the main floors and get to floor three you get access to an item that can be used to warp in the dungeon; however, the warp points are at the end of each floor, and it involves dropping a unique item in a square at the end of the floor. If you want to move it you need to pick it up and take it to the next floor's point. This generally means you'll need to do each floor a minimum of twice; once to beat it and ensure you are leveled and geared up enough, and then once to put down the warp point.
The combat is fairly standard for the genre. The small number of party members reduces some of the strategy a bit, and most of it comes down to how you gear (do you get the higher damage single target or lower damage multi target weapons for your casters) and when to use magic for damage vs. healing after battle. It really ends up being about threat assessment; which monster packs can wreck your shit if you don't kill them before they get a turn.
My biggest complaint is that the in game auto map, which is only accessible through a spell or an item not worth the cost (as it's single use), is awful. You only can see a limited amount of the floor, it only maps squares you step on, and it does so by marking a tile with a border. So you have no idea what else might be connected to that square. You're better off either making your own map or using an online map.
Next year I suspect I'll make some time for Shining the Holy Ark, the other dungeon crawler in the series.
Blizzard Entertainment Software Developer - All comments and views are my own and not representative of the company.
Re: Games Beaten 2017
And time for the analysis!
First off, I didn't beat nearly as many games as the last two years. I blame this on a few factors:
1. Several longass RPGs back to back to back that burned me out on video games
2. Got into blacksmithing, which took up a lot of evening and weekend time when I had classes
3. Took a new job which moved me out of state; basically the last three months have been pretty unproductive because I was focused on the move. My recent activity has been due to everything being done at the old house to make it ready for sale and being off for a week from work
Games beaten this year: 63
Games beaten last year: 91
Now for the breakdowns. First, games by platform:
3DS - 7
GB - 1
GCN - 1
Genesis - 4
NES - 1
PC - 31
PC - 1
PS3 - 2
PS4 - 3
PSP - 1
Sega CD - 2
SNES - 1
Switch - 6
TG-16 - 1
Xbox One - 1
As always, PC massively takes the lead. Everything elsee is onsies and twosies. The exceptions are the 3DS, Genesis, and Switch. The first two are because I've spent a lot of time outside my normal game room; that leaves me with my portables to keep me company. The reasons the Genesis is portable is because it's my CDX, which is great for travelling. Unfortunately, it seems to be dying on me and likes to randomly restart at unpredictable times. I'm hoping it's something like it just needs a recap, but I'm going to need to find someone to work on it (no way in hell I'm going to try and open it myself; the damn thing is crazy inside). If it gives up the ghost it's not a huge deal, since I got it dirt cheap at an eBay auction many years ago because it was listed as nonfunctional; it would turn on but the spindle wouldn't spin. Some compressed air fixed that. The other stand out is the Switch. Now, I didn't bring it with me while I'm in temporary housing because the only game I own for it I haven't already beat is Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and I need to play the first two games first. This one I basically leaped on every game as they came out, probably due to novelty factor for the non Zelda and Mario games.
Now for genres:
Action - 4
Adventure - 3
Fighting - 1
FPS - 9
Metroidvania - 5
Platformer - 8
Puzzle - 2
RPG - 20
RTS - 2
Shmup - 3
Simulator - 2
Strategy - 4
As you can see, a third of the games I played were RPGs. And that's a much bigger ratio than last year, when I beat 27 RPGs over a total of 91 games. And I suspect the RPGs I played this year averaged to be longer compared to last year.
First off, I didn't beat nearly as many games as the last two years. I blame this on a few factors:
1. Several longass RPGs back to back to back that burned me out on video games
2. Got into blacksmithing, which took up a lot of evening and weekend time when I had classes
3. Took a new job which moved me out of state; basically the last three months have been pretty unproductive because I was focused on the move. My recent activity has been due to everything being done at the old house to make it ready for sale and being off for a week from work
Games beaten this year: 63
Games beaten last year: 91
Now for the breakdowns. First, games by platform:
3DS - 7
GB - 1
GCN - 1
Genesis - 4
NES - 1
PC - 31
PC - 1
PS3 - 2
PS4 - 3
PSP - 1
Sega CD - 2
SNES - 1
Switch - 6
TG-16 - 1
Xbox One - 1
As always, PC massively takes the lead. Everything elsee is onsies and twosies. The exceptions are the 3DS, Genesis, and Switch. The first two are because I've spent a lot of time outside my normal game room; that leaves me with my portables to keep me company. The reasons the Genesis is portable is because it's my CDX, which is great for travelling. Unfortunately, it seems to be dying on me and likes to randomly restart at unpredictable times. I'm hoping it's something like it just needs a recap, but I'm going to need to find someone to work on it (no way in hell I'm going to try and open it myself; the damn thing is crazy inside). If it gives up the ghost it's not a huge deal, since I got it dirt cheap at an eBay auction many years ago because it was listed as nonfunctional; it would turn on but the spindle wouldn't spin. Some compressed air fixed that. The other stand out is the Switch. Now, I didn't bring it with me while I'm in temporary housing because the only game I own for it I haven't already beat is Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and I need to play the first two games first. This one I basically leaped on every game as they came out, probably due to novelty factor for the non Zelda and Mario games.
Now for genres:
Action - 4
Adventure - 3
Fighting - 1
FPS - 9
Metroidvania - 5
Platformer - 8
Puzzle - 2
RPG - 20
RTS - 2
Shmup - 3
Simulator - 2
Strategy - 4
As you can see, a third of the games I played were RPGs. And that's a much bigger ratio than last year, when I beat 27 RPGs over a total of 91 games. And I suspect the RPGs I played this year averaged to be longer compared to last year.
Blizzard Entertainment Software Developer - All comments and views are my own and not representative of the company.