Games Beaten 2015

[Xeogred]

Can't say I was that impressed at all with Jak 1 honestly. I'm someone who missed out on the big three PS2 platformers and this is... miles deep the worst. The first Ratchet & Clank itself is pretty rough, but the world building, the writing, the humor, and overall the game pretty much destroys this. In comparison, Sly controlled WAY better and I don't recall bad camera angles, which were littered through Jak 1. Was Daxter supposed to be likeable? Everything was utterly subpar at best, a downgrade from the Crash games, a downgrade from the N64 platformers... it was just totally weak and ended up being a chore midway in.

Not looking forward to the others. More gun action, without strafing, with GTA mechanics (wtf?), and a more serious tone? lmao... I'm just going to get back to the Sly series and wrap that up since I know those will be good.

I don't know how a company goes from making the awesome Crash Bandicoot series to those crappy Jak and Daxter games.

The Sly series and R&C series are so much better it's not even funny

Seriously, I feel like I want to backtrack and play the Crash games again, because man... surely it's not just nostalgia, those games were just way better than Jak 1 here.

Jak 1 felt a bit more comparable to N64 platformers, but not a good one.

[Fragems]

Also, the game is two player! If you have a friend, they can help... or hurt you in a whacky way!

Yeah I think that was an awesome element which sadly I didn't get to play with. I wonder how many people were able to talk someone into playing it with them.

[BogusMeatFactory]

Can't say I was that impressed at all with Jak 1 honestly. I'm someone who missed out on the big three PS2 platformers and this is... miles deep the worst. The first Ratchet & Clank itself is pretty rough, but the world building, the writing, the humor, and overall the game pretty much destroys this. In comparison, Sly controlled WAY better and I don't recall bad camera angles, which were littered through Jak 1. Was Daxter supposed to be likeable? Everything was utterly subpar at best, a downgrade from the Crash games, a downgrade from the N64 platformers... it was just totally weak and ended up being a chore midway in.

Not looking forward to the others. More gun action, without strafing, with GTA mechanics (wtf?), and a more serious tone? lmao... I'm just going to get back to the Sly series and wrap that up since I know those will be good.

Yeah, having played Jak & Daxter and Sly Cooper last year and Ratchet & clank this year, I have to say that that generation of platformers were kind of rough, especially in the platforming department. I say this, even about Sly Cooper to be honest. I feel like their jumping and double jumping seemed odd and it was very difficult in all three cases to determine what you could and could not reach with your jumps.

Sly Cooper was interesting in its story and presentation, but I felt its mini-games were really lacking and unfun. With Ratchet & Clank, I felt that the humor and characters were really fun and colorful and relate-able, but the long jump, high jump and hovering changed with the two upgrades in a way that made platforming really difficult to determine what you could and couldn't do.

With Jak & Daxter, I didn't see Daxter as being annoying, but I felt its world and story were really really interesting, but again the platforming and the camera were really its fault. I didn't enjoy how everything was animated and looked though.

All three games looked great even now on the original PS2, but I just felt that they lacked on the platforming aspect.

[Xeogred]

How far did you go with them Bogus? Ratchet 2, Going Commando is still arguably the best game in the series to me. They completely refined everything perfectly and it still probably has the best more open worlds to explore, with some hints of traditional platforming and all. Later on the series gets a bit more simplistic in these areas and focuses more on the guns, which I don't mind, but Going Commando just had this awesome balance between the two. The improvement leaps from the first game though are just enormous.

First game is very rough, but I have nothing but excellent things to say from that point on with the main entries, Going Commando, Up Your Arsenal (introducing the best villain!), Tools of Destruction, Crack in Time, and Into the Nexus. They're definitely different than traditional platformers, but at the same time I don't know what else I'd compare them too, so they are pretty fresh and awesome. I'm actually stoked for the movie and new game heh.

I actually thought Sly's platforming was really good, interestingly enough though I played Infamous first (same devs) and it almost even felt like the same engine to some extent, so the jumping/platforming mechanics were fairly similar. Infamous is definitely one of the better ones when it comes to those sandbox climbing/jumping mechanics to me.

[Sarge]

I really enjoyed the first R&C, but it's been a long time. Pretty much all the sequels are gold. I haven't finished Into the Nexus, All For One, Deadlocked, and Quest for Booty. There's also a sort of tower defense one that I've pretty much ignored. Just stick with the mainline entries and you'll have a blast.

I'm also a huge Sly fan. The second game is still the pinnacle for me, but the last PS3 one was also quite good. The first game is good as a straight platformer, not much open-world shenanigans, but incredibly solid stuff.

I've always been a little conflicted on Jak. I went a long way into Jak 2... actually, scratch that, I beat that one. I hear people talk good things about the first game, but I really haven't put in any time to verify. The discussion here certainly isn't helping my desire to really find out.

On the issue of my beating games, or lack thereof... well, I had three straight weeks of travel, then my Dad just had open heart surgery Monday (four bypasses), so things have been pretty insane. Dad's well, by the way, just a long recovery. My family and I have been incredibly blessed.

[BogusMeatFactory]

How far did you go with them Bogus?.

I have only played the first in each of the series, but I want to stress that my critique has not ruined continuing with each series. Far from it! I know that htose were the initial releases of each series and that there is a bit of growing pains for developers during that generation. Things are all just a little off and it takes some adjustment to compensate for the control issues. I am definitely going into sequels for all the games and making judgements accordingly, but each initial game in the series aren't bad, just flawed.

I can't wait to play more though!

[Xeogred]

I'll agree to that, now I'm feeling more optimistic again about checking out Jak 2. I just had to get out my rage there about Jak 1 haha. Still, it's going to suck majorly with a supposed heavier emphasis on guns, but no strafing... which Ratchet brought in with the second game. I still predict this series being my least favorite of these three, but maybe there's some solid stuff in 2-3.

[BogusMeatFactory]

I'll agree to that, now I'm feeling more optimistic again about checking out Jak 2. I just had to get out my rage there about Jak 1 haha. Still, it's going to suck majorly with a supposed heavier emphasis on guns, but no strafing... which Ratchet brought in with the second game. I still predict this series being my least favorite of these three, but maybe there's some solid stuff in 2-3.

Don't forget Jak X: Combat Racing!!!!

[Gamerforlife]

Jak 2 is basically Grand Theft Jak and Daxter

Imagine GTA III, with a much higher spike in difficulty

Jak is a completely different character too, basically he went into a marketing meeting and come out the other side a different character...dark and edgy to appeal to all the teens

[Key-Glyph]

1. Pokémon SoulSilver (DS)
2. Sushi Academy (DS)
3. Alcahest (SFC)
4. Comix Zone (GEN)
5. Lost Vikings (GEN)
6. Beautiful Katamari (360)
7. Toejam & Earl (GEN)*
8. Final Fantasy Legend III (GB)
9. Toejam & Earl [2-player] (GEN)*
10. Mass Effect 1 (360)*
11. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (N64)
12. Pokémon Diamond (DS)
13. Donkey Kong Country (SNES) -- Summer Games Challenge!
14. Earthworm Jim (GEN) - Summer Games Challenge!


15. Phantasy Star III (GEN) - Summer Games Challenge!

So, I loved this game.

I've only played a handful of RPGs, so while Phantasy Star-esque settings in video games might be old hat to a lot of you, they're brand new to me in this medium. I'm used to the "medievalish fantasy world steeped in magic" concept, and also the "monsters meet steampunky airships" sort of thing. By contrast, Phantasy Star reminded me of the Dragonriders of Pern book series by Anne McCaffrey -- the focus is on a medieval culture that has almost completely forgotten the (very) advanced technological roots of its ancestors. They know such roots existed, and they even still use some legacy hardware, like hand-me-down cyborgs... but few are aware of how deep those roots really go.

I love that type of setting, and I hadn't expected Phantasy Star to go as far in that direction as it did. It was awesome.

I drew maps. I filled a dozen notebook pages with cryptic NPC conversations. I took pictures of Major Plot Reveals and e-mailed them to my best friend. I danced to Wren's theme. I hummed the opening tune for weeks. Basically, I had a blast.

Sure, the dialog is stilted, the walking speed is aggravating, the backtracking is a pain, and the game's reliance on invisible passageways that can't be flushed out unless you walk on one specific square is borderline infuriating. But to see this epic tale play out over three generations, with the children you beget (based on pivotal in-game choices) being individuals not only in physical appearance, but in story and worldmap accessibility as well... what an experience. I'm already intending to play another full campaign, start to finish, and to see through the ending scenarios that remain by being efficient with my saves.

I will definitely be playing Phantasy Star IV in the future.

16. Super Mario Bros. (NES) - Summer Games Challenge!

Ah, this game. Classic Gaming 101, right? But just when you thought everybody and their mother knew all the tricks and 1-ups and beanstalks and warp zones by now, here comes Key. She's never beaten it. It's one of her gaming shames. And this summer she's ticked off enough to finally see it through.

I honestly don't have many happy childhood memories with this particular Mario title. In fact, my nicest memory is only tangentially related to it: we had the How to Win at Super Mario Bros. guide almost as soon as we had our NES, and I remember leafing through it before I could read. The hand-drawn level maps fascinated me, as did the very different interpretation of Princess Toadstool. That original guidebook of mine went missing ten years ago, but my husband gave me a new copy a few Christmases back; ever since then I'd had it in the corner of my mind that I would finally bite the bullet and finish the game for real, with the thought being that reading through the guidebook in the process might keep me in a happy place.

The results on that experiment were mixed, but I still did succeed. I can say that I beat each stage individually, never warping past worlds I hadn't beaten fair and square, but I was not going to attempt a full runthrough without the double warp. I just didn't have it in me.

And speaking of mothers: When I shocked myself by clearing the final Hammer Brother and the hammer-throwing Real Bowser(tm) as little Mario on my first attempt, I called my mom. She has similarly wretched memories of this game because she didn't like seeing how much it upset my brother back in the day, who was the household's primary gamer at that time. With victory music in the background I left a message on her answering machine telling her that I'd finally put our old nemesis to rest and we would never have to deal with it again.

This is how she responded (and she's only half kidding):

"I'm so proud of you finishing up Super Mario Brothers!!!! You don't know HOW proud!!!!!! You are a STAR CHILD!!!!! You are AMAZING!!! Where did I EVER get you from????!!!!"

It was worth it.

* = replay