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ElkinFencer10
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by ElkinFencer10 Mon Jul 25, 2022 9:55 am

Games Beaten in 2021 - 43
* denotes a replay

January (20 Games Beaten)
1. Project MIKHAIL: A Muv-Luv War Story - Steam - January 1
2. Shin Megami Tensei V - Switch - January 9
3. Halo 2600 - Atari 2600 - January 10
4. Cruis'n Blast - Switch - January 13
5. Alan Wake - PlayStation 5 - January 15
6. Alan Wake's American Nightmare - Xbox 360 - January 15
7. Apsulov: End of Gods - Playstation 5 - January 16
8. Captain U - Wii U - January 16
9. Raji: An Ancient Epic - Xbox One - January 17
10. JankBrain - Switch - January 22
11. Would You Like to Run an Idol Café - Switch - January 22
12. Bury Me, My Love - Switch - January 22
13. A Normal Lost Phone - Switch - January 22
14. Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story - Switch - January 22
15. Cthulhu Saves Christmas - Switch - January 23
16. Armed 7 - Dreamcast - January 24
17. Satazius Next - Dreamcast - January 24
18. Wolflame - Dreamcast - January 25
19. Metal Slug 1st Mission - Neo Geo Pocket - January 25
20. Metal Slug 2nd Mission - Neo Geo Pocket - January 26


February (1 Games Beaten)
21. Pokemon Legends: Arceus - Switch - February 5


March (0 Games Beaten)
wow I suck ass lmao


April (3 Games Beaten)
22. The Last of Us Part II - PlayStation 4 - April 9
23. Metro 2033 Redux - PlayStation 4 - April 14
24. Sakura Angels - Switch - April 26


May (3 Games Beaten)
25. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures - Gamecube - May 8
26. Metro Last Light Redux - PlayStation 4 - May 14
27. Metro Exodus - Series X - May 28


June (11 Games Beaten)
28. Cyberpunk 2077 - Series X - June 11
29. Sniper Elite 5 - Series X - June 12
30. The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker - PlayStation 4 - June 15
31. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Xbox One - June 16
32. 007 Legends - Wii U - June 17
33. TimeSplitters 2 - Xbox - June 18
34. TimeSplitters: Future Perfect - Xbox - June 18
35. I Saw Black Clouds - PlayStation 4 - June 19
36. Call of Duty: Black Ops - Declassified - PlayStation Vita - June 20
37. The House of the Dead Remake - Switch - June 24
38. Halo Wars Definitive Edition - Xbox One - June 29*


July (5 Games Beaten)
39. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes - Switch - July 5
40. Halo Reach - Xbox 360 - July 6*
41. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary - Xbox 360 - July 8*
42. Halo 2 Anniversary - Xbox One - July 9*
43. Halo 3: ODST - Xbox 360 - July 10*


43. Halo 3: ODST - Xbox 360 - July 10*

Image

When I first played ODST, I remember being extremely disappointed. I wrote it off as a generic space marine game. "It's not Halo if there's not Master Chief," I said. For well over a decade, I always disparaged the game whenever it came up in conversation. When starting my replay of the Halo series, though, I decided that I'd go into my replay of ODST with an open mind. I've changed a lot as a gamer in the past ten years, I definitely had some anti-Xbox fanboy bias during my first go around. I'm glad I did, too, because lo and behold, I had a great time with the game this time.

Image

Despite having "Halo 3" in the title, ODST takes place during the events of Halo 2. When Master Chief follows the Prophet of Truth into a slipstream jump, there's a battle with the Covenant still being waged on Earth in the African city of Mombasa. That's the setting here; you play as an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST) deployed to Mombasa to combat the Covenant invaders. You play primarily as a rookie ODST piecing together what happened to your team after your drop goes wrong and you all get scattered, but as you find clues during your investigation, you play through as the other members of your team, revealing details into what the rest of your team did during the six hours the rookie was unconscious.

Image

As far as core gameplay goes, ODST is pretty similar to the rest of the Halo series. Controls are pretty much the same, and the visuals look about on par with Halo 3. There are some key differences, though. Since you're not a Spartan, you can't quite take the beating that the Master Chief can. You're still pretty tanky, but it definitely takes less to kill you in this game than when you're actually playing as Master Chief. The biggest gameplay difference is that you've got a lot more freedom to explore than in most Halo games. You have a map of Mombasa, and you've got an objective marker, but you've got a decent bit of leeway to explore on your way and take a few different routes. It's still pretty funneled, but if nothing else, it feels freer.

Image

Halo 3: ODST is not the disappointment that I had made it out to be in my youth. Honestly, it's right up there with Reach and Halo 3 in my book. The story is great, and it's awesome that we finally get a view of non-Spartan humans and their struggle against the Covenant. Also, Nathan Fillion plays your team captain, and that alone is a reason to play. It may not be as amazing as Halo 2 or Combat Evolved, but ODST is absolutely an experience that earns the Halo name.
Exhuminator wrote:Ecchi lords must unite for great justice.

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ElkinFencer10
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by ElkinFencer10 Tue Jul 26, 2022 10:43 am

Games Beaten in 2021 - 44
* denotes a replay

January (20 Games Beaten)
1. Project MIKHAIL: A Muv-Luv War Story - Steam - January 1
2. Shin Megami Tensei V - Switch - January 9
3. Halo 2600 - Atari 2600 - January 10
4. Cruis'n Blast - Switch - January 13
5. Alan Wake - PlayStation 5 - January 15
6. Alan Wake's American Nightmare - Xbox 360 - January 15
7. Apsulov: End of Gods - Playstation 5 - January 16
8. Captain U - Wii U - January 16
9. Raji: An Ancient Epic - Xbox One - January 17
10. JankBrain - Switch - January 22
11. Would You Like to Run an Idol Café - Switch - January 22
12. Bury Me, My Love - Switch - January 22
13. A Normal Lost Phone - Switch - January 22
14. Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story - Switch - January 22
15. Cthulhu Saves Christmas - Switch - January 23
16. Armed 7 - Dreamcast - January 24
17. Satazius Next - Dreamcast - January 24
18. Wolflame - Dreamcast - January 25
19. Metal Slug 1st Mission - Neo Geo Pocket - January 25
20. Metal Slug 2nd Mission - Neo Geo Pocket - January 26


February (1 Games Beaten)
21. Pokemon Legends: Arceus - Switch - February 5


March (0 Games Beaten)
wow I suck ass lmao


April (3 Games Beaten)
22. The Last of Us Part II - PlayStation 4 - April 9
23. Metro 2033 Redux - PlayStation 4 - April 14
24. Sakura Angels - Switch - April 26


May (3 Games Beaten)
25. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures - Gamecube - May 8
26. Metro Last Light Redux - PlayStation 4 - May 14
27. Metro Exodus - Series X - May 28


June (11 Games Beaten)
28. Cyberpunk 2077 - Series X - June 11
29. Sniper Elite 5 - Series X - June 12
30. The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker - PlayStation 4 - June 15
31. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Xbox One - June 16
32. 007 Legends - Wii U - June 17
33. TimeSplitters 2 - Xbox - June 18
34. TimeSplitters: Future Perfect - Xbox - June 18
35. I Saw Black Clouds - PlayStation 4 - June 19
36. Call of Duty: Black Ops - Declassified - PlayStation Vita - June 20
37. The House of the Dead Remake - Switch - June 24
38. Halo Wars Definitive Edition - Xbox One - June 29*


July (6 Games Beaten)
39. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes - Switch - July 5
40. Halo Reach - Xbox 360 - July 6*
41. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary - Xbox 360 - July 8*
42. Halo 2 Anniversary - Xbox One - July 9*
43. Halo 3: ODST - Xbox 360 - July 10*
44. Halo 3 - Xbox 360 - July 10*


44. Halo 3 - Xbox 360 - July 10*

Image

Halo 3 was the series's first foray into HD. As the conclusion to Bungie's Covenant war arc, the slogan for the game was "Finish the fight;" hell, the Master Chief's last line in Halo 2 when asked what he was doing upon getting back to Earth was, "Finishing this fight." This was the Xbox 360's killer app and the reason most of the people I knew growing up bought a 360. I grew up poor and made sure the few consoles my mom was able to afford for me were always Nintendo's latest console, so I never owned Halo 3 until college, but when hanging out with others, I remember being blown away with all of my friends by the game's graphics.

Image

When the game came out in 2007, the graphics absolutely blew my mind. When replaying in 2022, even with the Series X upscaleing the Master Chief Collection version to 2160p, I kept thinking, "...this game kind of shows its age..." That said, graphics don't make or break a game, and while the game's textures may show its age a bit, the gameplay itself is absolutely phenomenal. The Covenant have launched a renewed and much larger invasion of Earth. Unfortunately, due to some of the events of Halo 2, Earth now has not only a Covenant invasion but also a new threat to contend with, one that could result in the glassing of Earth even if the Covenant are defeated.

Image

In a lot of ways, Halo 3's gameplay is "more of the same but now in HD." There aren't a lot of new gameplay mechanics or weapons, but the "Bungie's Halo" foruma has been pretty much perfected by this point. The story is pretty well told and wraps up the war with the Covenant pretty well, and the environments in which you fight are pretty varied from jungle to Forerunner structure to Covenant structure. You get to see some of the awkwardness of the human-Sangheli relations after they split off from the Covenant. World-building is something I always wanted more of in Halo, but Halo 3 does a pretty decent job of it.

Image

Halo 3 doesn't quite live up to Halo 2 in my opinion, but damn is it a good game nonetheless. It was the first game in the series to be made in HD, and while Halo 3 is your typical first entry in HD - it looks way better than the previous entries, but the textures leave a little bit to be desired. It's something we saw a lot with PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and Switch. Still, though, that's not to say the game looks bad, just that it hasn't aged as well as some games on the platform. Almost all Halo fans will have played this game by now, but Halo 3 was really the peak of Halo's popularity, so if by chance you've just gotten into Halo in the last 15 years, make sure you give this one a play (but only after you play Halo and Halo 2 first).
Exhuminator wrote:Ecchi lords must unite for great justice.

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MrPopo
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by MrPopo Tue Jul 26, 2022 11:53 pm

Previous Years: 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

1. Underworld Ascendant - PC
2. Castlevania: Harmony of Despair - PS3
3. Ni no Kuni - PS3
4. Operencia: The Stolen Sun - PC
5. RPM Racing - PC
6. Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem - PC
7. Pokemon Legends: Arceus - Switch
8. Ni no Kuni II - PS4
9. Everspace - PC
10. PowerSlave Exhumed - PC
11. Horizon Forbidden West - PS5
12. Elden Ring - PS5
13. Shadow Warrior 3 - PC
14. Ghostrunner: Project_Hel - PC
15. Triangle Strategy - Switch
16. Tiny Tina's Wonderlands - PC
17. Nightmare Reaper - PC
18. Kur - PC
19. Gundam Versus - PS4
20. BIOTA - PC
21. Chantelise - PC
22. Xenoblade Chronicles - Wii
23. Forgive Me Father - PC
24. Xenoblade Chronicles X - Wii U
25. Steel Assault - Switch
26. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Switch
27. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Switch
28. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country - Switch
29. Kirby and the Forgotten Land - Switch
30. Toejam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron - Genesis
31. Postal Brain Damaged - PC
32. Valkyrie Profile Lenneth - PSP
33. Super Cyborg - Switch
34. Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX 2 - Switch
35. Stray - PC
36. Live A Live - Switch
37. Subwar 2050 - PC

Subwar 2050 is a game from the early 3D era. It was made by the devs who would go on to make Independence War, which is notable for being a space sim with Newtonian physics. That interest in interesting physics is something that can be seen in Subwar, though it doesn't really pull it off as well as it wants. Still, it serves as a fairly unique game and that counts for something.

The premise of the game is that in 2050 corporations are now powerful enough that they hire mercenaries to blow up the competition. You are one such mercenary, working for companies looking to exploit the ocean resources. You have a one man sub that handles somewhat like a fighter or space fighter, but there's enough there that is related to being underwater.

Since you're piloting a sub, your primary detection method is sonar. Going slow and keeping it on passive allows you to stealth past enemies, which is critical in some missions. But other missions you need that early detection because you're protecting something and can't let the enemy get too close. The game also models the thermal layers that block sonar and can be used to escape detection. Your arsenal is limited; you have homing torpedoes, dumbfire rockets, noisemaking decoys, and sometimes mission specific items. In general I found the rockets to be far better, as the damage seems to be the same, but rockets can't be spoofed and you get a lot more. The game assigns you one of a variety of subs; mostly you use the all rounded, but sometimes you use a fast one or one configured for going super deep.

The game is divided into four campaigns with 9-11 missions each. The missions tend to be some combination of destroying targets, protecting friendlies, hitting waypoints, and dropping key items. They mostly are quick to get through, though sometimes the scripting can get buggy (a friendly unit can have its health tied to an enemy for some reason, which can fail a mission if it's a key friendly). Also, at times the game relies on some bullshit difficulty of spawning subs on top of you once you trigger a flag, with one notable moment being dropping three subs at once. Your squadmates require you to give them orders to do anything, so it's a very tense several seconds hoping you can avoid taking damage, as you go into a spiral if you get hit (damaged systems don't work as well, so you'll take more hits).

Overall, Subwar 2050 is an interesting experiment that provides a fairly unique experience; while there are other sub games out there, they tend to fall into either hardcore simulator (e.g. 688i) or are space games with a filter (Aquanox). This game tries to stick with its vision, for better and for worse. If your tolerance for early 3D jank is high you might give this a try.
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marurun
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by marurun Wed Jul 27, 2022 11:26 am

  1. Final Fantasy IX (Nintendo Switch)
  2. Megami Tensei: Soul Hackers (Nintendo 3DS)
  3. Streets of Rage 4 (Nintendo Switch)
  4. Pixel Puzzle Collection (iOS)

Pixel Puzzle Collection (iOS)

I did not expect to be writing this review, to be honest. I'm not normally a sucker for any mobile puzzle game type other than match 3, and the few times I've tried to explore nonograms (eg. Picross) I've bounced off them. I also didn't expect to be working on this game for 3 years. But here I am. Pixel Puzzle Collection is a free iOS and Android game from Konami that's been sitting on my phone for ages as I slowly plug away at the puzzles in moments of down time. It's basically Konami Classics Picross. All the images you fill in are classic Konami characters or imagery (including some Hudson content). There are 500 puzzles set to about 8 or so classic Konami tunes from Konami arcade titles.

When this app first came out it was not only free but also ad/promo-free. Konami has since added ads, popups and banners, but who cares? The game itself is still free and great fun. Unlike some nonogram games most of the puzzles seem to be designed that careful counting always gives you a starting point. You don't need to guess the image you're making and can largely approach things through careful marking of both selections and non-selections. Are there some vague places where you will need to guess? Yes. Except there's also a hint button on a timer than will automatically fill in a single row before going dark until the timer elapses again. The game also has 3 active puzzle slots and a BOSS puzzle slot, so you can have as many as 4 games in play at a time. Get stumped? Move to another puzzle until the hint button lights up again. Go back to your stumper, use the hint, and see what doors that opens up for you. Bosses are, like hints, on a timer. Bosses are special puzzles that are typically massive images for which you are only filling in one of 16 squares which will ultimately reveal the full boss image in your collection screen.

If you like Picross I assume you will like this game. I don't like Picross and I really love it. So if Picross isn't necessarily for you, maybe the timed hint structure and the multiple puzzles in play structure will help you out. At the very least I recommend you try this game out. It's a nice thing to have on your phone so if you're out and about and have to wait a bit you can open it up and make a little progress on a puzzle. It's free. And someday, maybe 3 years down the road, you'll discover you've beaten the game by completing all 500 puzzles.

And beating it unlocks Expert mode, which has 35 more puzzles and some new music. So I guess I may be posting about this game again next year, which is another thing I did not expect.
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ElkinFencer10
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by ElkinFencer10 Wed Jul 27, 2022 11:45 am

Games Beaten in 2021 - 45
* denotes a replay

January (20 Games Beaten)
1. Project MIKHAIL: A Muv-Luv War Story - Steam - January 1
2. Shin Megami Tensei V - Switch - January 9
3. Halo 2600 - Atari 2600 - January 10
4. Cruis'n Blast - Switch - January 13
5. Alan Wake - PlayStation 5 - January 15
6. Alan Wake's American Nightmare - Xbox 360 - January 15
7. Apsulov: End of Gods - Playstation 5 - January 16
8. Captain U - Wii U - January 16
9. Raji: An Ancient Epic - Xbox One - January 17
10. JankBrain - Switch - January 22
11. Would You Like to Run an Idol Café - Switch - January 22
12. Bury Me, My Love - Switch - January 22
13. A Normal Lost Phone - Switch - January 22
14. Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story - Switch - January 22
15. Cthulhu Saves Christmas - Switch - January 23
16. Armed 7 - Dreamcast - January 24
17. Satazius Next - Dreamcast - January 24
18. Wolflame - Dreamcast - January 25
19. Metal Slug 1st Mission - Neo Geo Pocket - January 25
20. Metal Slug 2nd Mission - Neo Geo Pocket - January 26


February (1 Games Beaten)
21. Pokemon Legends: Arceus - Switch - February 5


March (0 Games Beaten)
wow I suck ass lmao


April (3 Games Beaten)
22. The Last of Us Part II - PlayStation 4 - April 9
23. Metro 2033 Redux - PlayStation 4 - April 14
24. Sakura Angels - Switch - April 26


May (3 Games Beaten)
25. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures - Gamecube - May 8
26. Metro Last Light Redux - PlayStation 4 - May 14
27. Metro Exodus - Series X - May 28


June (11 Games Beaten)
28. Cyberpunk 2077 - Series X - June 11
29. Sniper Elite 5 - Series X - June 12
30. The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker - PlayStation 4 - June 15
31. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Xbox One - June 16
32. 007 Legends - Wii U - June 17
33. TimeSplitters 2 - Xbox - June 18
34. TimeSplitters: Future Perfect - Xbox - June 18
35. I Saw Black Clouds - PlayStation 4 - June 19
36. Call of Duty: Black Ops - Declassified - PlayStation Vita - June 20
37. The House of the Dead Remake - Switch - June 24
38. Halo Wars Definitive Edition - Xbox One - June 29*


July (7 Games Beaten)
39. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes - Switch - July 5
40. Halo Reach - Xbox 360 - July 6*
41. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary - Xbox 360 - July 8*
42. Halo 2 Anniversary - Xbox One - July 9*
43. Halo 3: ODST - Xbox 360 - July 10*
44. Halo 3 - Xbox 360 - July 10*
45. Halo 4 - Xbox 360 - July 11*


45. Halo 4 - Xbox 360 - July 11*

Image

Halo 4 marked the end of the Bungie-developed Halo games and the beginning of the 343 Industries-developed Halo games. In other words, this is where Halo starts its decline in quality. The Covenant saga is over (although the Covenant are still here in a sense), and the "Reclaimer" saga has begun. You know how, after Goa'uld were defeated in Stargate SG-1, they tried to introduce a new antagonist and story arc to keep it going, but it just kind of sucked? Yeah, that's Halo under 343 prior to Infinite.

Image

Halo 4 was the first game in the series that I was able to play on release because it was the first game that came out when I had an Xbox. To say I was disappointed in the game is an understatement. The game starts with Master Chief being brought out of cryosleep after an accident left him and Cortana adrift in space far from Earth for over four years. He finds himself on Requiem, a Forerunner shield world. Unfortunately, he's not alone; what he awakens to find is an attack by Covenant remnants. This opening part of the game feels right at home - you're Master Chief, kicking Covenant ass like old times. Unfortunately, that's where things get weird. The Covenant remnants aren't your main antagonists here; the Prometheans are, Forerunner-created military AIs (sort of) that are led by Ur-Didact, a Forerunner. Or a Promethean. Or some mix of the two, I don't know; the game isn't super clear on that point.

Image

That's my biggest gripe with the game - the Forerunners. 343 went and retconned established lore; Halo had strongly hinted at it since the original game, but in Halo 3, 343-Guilty Spark outright confirms to Master Chief that the Forerunners were ancient humans. In comes Halo 4, and suddenly, nevermind, they were weird flat-nosed Odo-looking aliens that hated humans. It's not that Forerunners being separate bothers me on its own; it's that it contradicts established lore. Aside from that, the game is okay. The storytelling is pretty bad - there are multiple instances where something happens and the game doesn't explain it well at all - but the gameplay itself it fun enough. The story and storytelling are its biggest flaw; as my buddy Patt put it, "I shouldn't have to read three tie-in books just to understand the story of a video game." To the game's credit, it looks amazing. Like, when this game first came out, I couldn't believe I was looking at an Xbox 360 game. After seven years of the Xbox One and two years of the Xbox Series X, it's not quite so mind-blowing these days, but still, for a game on a console that launched in 2005, this game these visuals are incredible.

Image

Halo 4 makes me sad because it's the harbinger of Halo's decline in a lot of ways. It had great multiplayer, and it looked incredible, but the single-player was just disappointing. It was fine - certainly not as bad as what came next - but it just utterly fails to live up to the incredible foundation that Bungie laid for them. It's not a bad game, per se, and I did enjoy playing it, but as someone who plays Halo for the world and the story more than anything else, it was just frustrating and disappointing.
Exhuminator wrote:Ecchi lords must unite for great justice.

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prfsnl_gmr
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by prfsnl_gmr Wed Jul 27, 2022 4:50 pm

marurun wrote:[Pixel Puzzle Collection (iOS)


YES!!!

This game rules. I’m glad someone else finally played through it, and I’m glad you enjoyed it. Great review, @marurun.
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Melek-Ric
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by Melek-Ric Wed Jul 27, 2022 9:03 pm

ElkinFencer10 wrote:Games Beaten in 2021 - 45
* denotes a replay

January (20 Games Beaten)
1. Project MIKHAIL: A Muv-Luv War Story - Steam - January 1
2. Shin Megami Tensei V - Switch - January 9
3. Halo 2600 - Atari 2600 - January 10
4. Cruis'n Blast - Switch - January 13
5. Alan Wake - PlayStation 5 - January 15
6. Alan Wake's American Nightmare - Xbox 360 - January 15
7. Apsulov: End of Gods - Playstation 5 - January 16
8. Captain U - Wii U - January 16
9. Raji: An Ancient Epic - Xbox One - January 17
10. JankBrain - Switch - January 22
11. Would You Like to Run an Idol Café - Switch - January 22
12. Bury Me, My Love - Switch - January 22
13. A Normal Lost Phone - Switch - January 22
14. Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story - Switch - January 22
15. Cthulhu Saves Christmas - Switch - January 23
16. Armed 7 - Dreamcast - January 24
17. Satazius Next - Dreamcast - January 24
18. Wolflame - Dreamcast - January 25
19. Metal Slug 1st Mission - Neo Geo Pocket - January 25
20. Metal Slug 2nd Mission - Neo Geo Pocket - January 26


February (1 Games Beaten)
21. Pokemon Legends: Arceus - Switch - February 5


March (0 Games Beaten)
wow I suck ass lmao


April (3 Games Beaten)
22. The Last of Us Part II - PlayStation 4 - April 9
23. Metro 2033 Redux - PlayStation 4 - April 14
24. Sakura Angels - Switch - April 26


May (3 Games Beaten)
25. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures - Gamecube - May 8
26. Metro Last Light Redux - PlayStation 4 - May 14
27. Metro Exodus - Series X - May 28


June (11 Games Beaten)
28. Cyberpunk 2077 - Series X - June 11
29. Sniper Elite 5 - Series X - June 12
30. The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker - PlayStation 4 - June 15
31. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Xbox One - June 16
32. 007 Legends - Wii U - June 17
33. TimeSplitters 2 - Xbox - June 18
34. TimeSplitters: Future Perfect - Xbox - June 18
35. I Saw Black Clouds - PlayStation 4 - June 19
36. Call of Duty: Black Ops - Declassified - PlayStation Vita - June 20
37. The House of the Dead Remake - Switch - June 24
38. Halo Wars Definitive Edition - Xbox One - June 29*


July (7 Games Beaten)
39. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes - Switch - July 5
40. Halo Reach - Xbox 360 - July 6*
41. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary - Xbox 360 - July 8*
42. Halo 2 Anniversary - Xbox One - July 9*
43. Halo 3: ODST - Xbox 360 - July 10*
44. Halo 3 - Xbox 360 - July 10*
45. Halo 4 - Xbox 360 - July 11*


45. Halo 4 - Xbox 360 - July 11*

Image

Halo 4 marked the end of the Bungie-developed Halo games and the beginning of the 343 Industries-developed Halo games. In other words, this is where Halo starts its decline in quality. The Covenant saga is over (although the Covenant are still here in a sense), and the "Reclaimer" saga has begun. You know how, after Goa'uld were defeated in Stargate SG-1, they tried to introduce a new antagonist and story arc to keep it going, but it just kind of sucked? Yeah, that's Halo under 343 prior to Infinite.

Image

Halo 4 was the first game in the series that I was able to play on release because it was the first game that came out when I had an Xbox. To say I was disappointed in the game is an understatement. The game starts with Master Chief being brought out of cryosleep after an accident left him and Cortana adrift in space far from Earth for over four years. He finds himself on Requiem, a Forerunner shield world. Unfortunately, he's not alone; what he awakens to find is an attack by Covenant remnants. This opening part of the game feels right at home - you're Master Chief, kicking Covenant ass like old times. Unfortunately, that's where things get weird. The Covenant remnants aren't your main antagonists here; the Prometheans are, Forerunner-created military AIs (sort of) that are led by Ur-Didact, a Forerunner. Or a Promethean. Or some mix of the two, I don't know; the game isn't super clear on that point.

Image

That's my biggest gripe with the game - the Forerunners. 343 went and retconned established lore; Halo had strongly hinted at it since the original game, but in Halo 3, 343-Guilty Spark outright confirms to Master Chief that the Forerunners were ancient humans. In comes Halo 4, and suddenly, nevermind, they were weird flat-nosed Odo-looking aliens that hated humans. It's not that Forerunners being separate bothers me on its own; it's that it contradicts established lore. Aside from that, the game is okay. The storytelling is pretty bad - there are multiple instances where something happens and the game doesn't explain it well at all - but the gameplay itself it fun enough. The story and storytelling are its biggest flaw; as my buddy Patt put it, "I shouldn't have to read three tie-in books just to understand the story of a video game." To the game's credit, it looks amazing. Like, when this game first came out, I couldn't believe I was looking at an Xbox 360 game. After seven years of the Xbox One and two years of the Xbox Series X, it's not quite so mind-blowing these days, but still, for a game on a console that launched in 2005, this game these visuals are incredible.

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Halo 4 makes me sad because it's the harbinger of Halo's decline in a lot of ways. It had great multiplayer, and it looked incredible, but the single-player was just disappointing. It was fine - certainly not as bad as what came next - but it just utterly fails to live up to the incredible foundation that Bungie laid for them. It's not a bad game, per se, and I did enjoy playing it, but as someone who plays Halo for the world and the story more than anything else, it was just frustrating and disappointing.


I feel the same way about Halo 4. What I remember from the Campaign (which I've only played thru once) was "Go to terminal, insert Cortana." It was like every level, multiple times. And fighting the Prometheans was not fun, unlike the Covies. Game was graphically impressive in 2012, but not artistically impressive if that makes sense.
"Challenging my unit was both foolish and reckless! You are nothing more than my prey... one that is soon to be retired!"
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by MrPopo Thu Jul 28, 2022 1:23 am

Previous Years: 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

1. Underworld Ascendant - PC
2. Castlevania: Harmony of Despair - PS3
3. Ni no Kuni - PS3
4. Operencia: The Stolen Sun - PC
5. RPM Racing - PC
6. Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem - PC
7. Pokemon Legends: Arceus - Switch
8. Ni no Kuni II - PS4
9. Everspace - PC
10. PowerSlave Exhumed - PC
11. Horizon Forbidden West - PS5
12. Elden Ring - PS5
13. Shadow Warrior 3 - PC
14. Ghostrunner: Project_Hel - PC
15. Triangle Strategy - Switch
16. Tiny Tina's Wonderlands - PC
17. Nightmare Reaper - PC
18. Kur - PC
19. Gundam Versus - PS4
20. BIOTA - PC
21. Chantelise - PC
22. Xenoblade Chronicles - Wii
23. Forgive Me Father - PC
24. Xenoblade Chronicles X - Wii U
25. Steel Assault - Switch
26. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Switch
27. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Switch
28. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country - Switch
29. Kirby and the Forgotten Land - Switch
30. Toejam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron - Genesis
31. Postal Brain Damaged - PC
32. Valkyrie Profile Lenneth - PSP
33. Super Cyborg - Switch
34. Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX 2 - Switch
35. Stray - PC
36. Live A Live - Switch
37. Subwar 2050 - PC
38. Radical Dreamers - Switch

I still have some time to kill before Xenoblade 3 drops, so I was looking for something quick I could knock out before then. And then I remembered that Chrono Cross Remastered included Radical Dreamers. I fired it up and knocked it out in a couple of hours, so exactly what I was looking for. Radical Dreamers is a game that was originally released on the Satelleview peripheral for the SFC, and it is a visual novel adventure game. As you play through you start to realize that it is connected to Chrono Trigger, and it ends up serving as a story prototype for the ideas that would end up in Chrono Cross years later.

The game begins with the titular Radical Dreamers, Serge, Kid, and Magil, seeking to infiltrate Lynx's manor in order to steal the Frozen Flame. This won't be a simple task, however, as you have to deal with locked rooms and traps, as well as random encounters. This occurs through the visual novel interface. You'll get a series of story text, then you'll be given some choices. Between rooms these are simple navigation choices, but inside rooms more interesting things will happen, like deciding how to respond to an NPC. Interestingly, many times these choices have a hidden time limit to execute, with a hidden "no choice" option taken if you don't select in time. This is most evident in combat, which is the one innovation the game makes for the genre. While transitioning between navigation points you can encounter a hostile enemy. You have a non-visible health stat (you get a sense of what it is after combat) that will be reduced if you make bad choices in combats and some other scenes, and you can die from it going too low. The combats are just dialog trees like other events, though some of them are non-deterministic (a given option might have multiple outcomes).

The actual narrative structure is much more on the adventure game end of things. While many visual novels will have some sort of set narrative thread on any given major branch, slowly pushing you forward as you exhaust options, this game consists of a series of rooms you can freely traverse between after a scene. Each room has either a key item or a key encounter that provides information required in another room. Sometimes you need to visit a room more than once; the first to trip a flag and the second after doing an event triggered by that flag to complete the room. The game is straightforward to map, and most of the choices are fairly obvious. The game also is good about letting you retry bad options, though usually they come with some penalty such as damage.

After finishing the game you can replay it; now some additional dialog events will occur, which are the points for you to veer off script and start exploring all the alternate endings, which are generally silly. It's a fun bit of replay, watching the writers get creative with the scenario, and is a nice callback to the alternate endings from Chrono Trigger (speaking off, why do modern games still not provide as entertaining a new game plus experience as Chrono Trigger did?)

Since the only way to play Radical Dreamers is through the Chrono Cross remaster, it falls into a fairly easy category. It's not worth buying the remaster solely for, but if you do get the remaster you should give it a go, especially if you've played Cross already. It's interesting seeing how the ideas that first showed up in this game are reimagined for the much bigger story of Cross.
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ElkinFencer10
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by ElkinFencer10 Thu Jul 28, 2022 9:45 am

Games Beaten in 2021 - 46
* denotes a replay

January (20 Games Beaten)
1. Project MIKHAIL: A Muv-Luv War Story - Steam - January 1
2. Shin Megami Tensei V - Switch - January 9
3. Halo 2600 - Atari 2600 - January 10
4. Cruis'n Blast - Switch - January 13
5. Alan Wake - PlayStation 5 - January 15
6. Alan Wake's American Nightmare - Xbox 360 - January 15
7. Apsulov: End of Gods - Playstation 5 - January 16
8. Captain U - Wii U - January 16
9. Raji: An Ancient Epic - Xbox One - January 17
10. JankBrain - Switch - January 22
11. Would You Like to Run an Idol Café - Switch - January 22
12. Bury Me, My Love - Switch - January 22
13. A Normal Lost Phone - Switch - January 22
14. Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story - Switch - January 22
15. Cthulhu Saves Christmas - Switch - January 23
16. Armed 7 - Dreamcast - January 24
17. Satazius Next - Dreamcast - January 24
18. Wolflame - Dreamcast - January 25
19. Metal Slug 1st Mission - Neo Geo Pocket - January 25
20. Metal Slug 2nd Mission - Neo Geo Pocket - January 26


February (1 Games Beaten)
21. Pokemon Legends: Arceus - Switch - February 5


March (0 Games Beaten)
wow I suck ass lmao


April (3 Games Beaten)
22. The Last of Us Part II - PlayStation 4 - April 9
23. Metro 2033 Redux - PlayStation 4 - April 14
24. Sakura Angels - Switch - April 26


May (3 Games Beaten)
25. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures - Gamecube - May 8
26. Metro Last Light Redux - PlayStation 4 - May 14
27. Metro Exodus - Series X - May 28


June (11 Games Beaten)
28. Cyberpunk 2077 - Series X - June 11
29. Sniper Elite 5 - Series X - June 12
30. The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker - PlayStation 4 - June 15
31. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Xbox One - June 16
32. 007 Legends - Wii U - June 17
33. TimeSplitters 2 - Xbox - June 18
34. TimeSplitters: Future Perfect - Xbox - June 18
35. I Saw Black Clouds - PlayStation 4 - June 19
36. Call of Duty: Black Ops - Declassified - PlayStation Vita - June 20
37. The House of the Dead Remake - Switch - June 24
38. Halo Wars Definitive Edition - Xbox One - June 29*


July (8 Games Beaten)
39. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes - Switch - July 5
40. Halo Reach - Xbox 360 - July 6*
41. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary - Xbox 360 - July 8*
42. Halo 2 Anniversary - Xbox One - July 9*
43. Halo 3: ODST - Xbox 360 - July 10*
44. Halo 3 - Xbox 360 - July 10*
45. Halo 4 - Xbox 360 - July 11*
46. Halo: Spartan Assault - Xbox One - July 12*


46. Halo: Spartan Assault - Xbox One - July 12*

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Like Halo Wars, Halo: Spartan Assault marks another genre shift for the series. This is a twin-stick shooter; think Robotron but significantly more advanced. While this is definitely a side game and one that most Halo fans probably haven't even played, it does fit canon and fit neatly into the timeline and the lore.

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Halo: Spartan Assault takes place between the events of Halo 3 and Halo 4. It follows a couple of Spartan-IVs - Spartan Palmer and Spartan Davis - who end up being the spearhead of the defense against a surprise attack by Covenant remnant forces on the UNSC colony of Draetheus V and its moon, X50. Technically, the player assumes the role of UNSC marine cadets who are reviewing combat simulations of this battle, but as far as the actual gameplay goes, you're either Spartan Palmer or Davis. The story is fairly forgettable, and the "plot twist" at the end is honestly kind of dumb in my opinion, but despite all that, the story is well told for what it is. The gameplay, as well, is also a lot of fun. It feels almost like it could have been made into an actual Halo arcade game with a little more effort and funding.

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My biggest complaint with the game is how the story is told; it's mostly done through a short intro video before each of the campaigns and through a couple of paragraphs of text that precede each level. It's not ideal - I'd have much preferred actual cut scenes to deliver the story - but that's a fairly minor complaint. For a relatively cheap game - it's only $5 - it looks surprisingly good. Granted, the far zoomed-out camera makes the kind of fine details that are easy to nitpick in textures hard to see, but still, regardless of why, the game is quite pleasing to the eye. Controls are very smooth and intuitive, and while aiming can be a little tough to do precisely due to the nature of twin-stick shooters, it's not a big hindrance at all to one's enjoyment.

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Halo: Spartan Assault is a lot of fun for a $5 budget spin-off. That said, it's still an obviously budget game. It's six campaigns are each five levels long, and each level averages somewhere between five and ten minutes assuming you don't die. This makes for a pretty fair length game for $5, but it's still a fairly short experience, and while the story is enjoyable, the method with which it's delivered makes it feel less engaging than what you'd get in a core Halo game's dialogue and cut scenes. As a total package, it definitely feels like a side game that wasn't given a big budget or a big team, but despite that, it's definitely a worthwhile play for Halo fans.
Exhuminator wrote:Ecchi lords must unite for great justice.

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ElkinFencer10
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by ElkinFencer10 Fri Jul 29, 2022 11:49 am

Games Beaten in 2021 - 47
* denotes a replay

January (20 Games Beaten)
1. Project MIKHAIL: A Muv-Luv War Story - Steam - January 1
2. Shin Megami Tensei V - Switch - January 9
3. Halo 2600 - Atari 2600 - January 10
4. Cruis'n Blast - Switch - January 13
5. Alan Wake - PlayStation 5 - January 15
6. Alan Wake's American Nightmare - Xbox 360 - January 15
7. Apsulov: End of Gods - Playstation 5 - January 16
8. Captain U - Wii U - January 16
9. Raji: An Ancient Epic - Xbox One - January 17
10. JankBrain - Switch - January 22
11. Would You Like to Run an Idol Café - Switch - January 22
12. Bury Me, My Love - Switch - January 22
13. A Normal Lost Phone - Switch - January 22
14. Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story - Switch - January 22
15. Cthulhu Saves Christmas - Switch - January 23
16. Armed 7 - Dreamcast - January 24
17. Satazius Next - Dreamcast - January 24
18. Wolflame - Dreamcast - January 25
19. Metal Slug 1st Mission - Neo Geo Pocket - January 25
20. Metal Slug 2nd Mission - Neo Geo Pocket - January 26


February (1 Games Beaten)
21. Pokemon Legends: Arceus - Switch - February 5


March (0 Games Beaten)
wow I suck ass lmao


April (3 Games Beaten)
22. The Last of Us Part II - PlayStation 4 - April 9
23. Metro 2033 Redux - PlayStation 4 - April 14
24. Sakura Angels - Switch - April 26


May (3 Games Beaten)
25. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures - Gamecube - May 8
26. Metro Last Light Redux - PlayStation 4 - May 14
27. Metro Exodus - Series X - May 28


June (11 Games Beaten)
28. Cyberpunk 2077 - Series X - June 11
29. Sniper Elite 5 - Series X - June 12
30. The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker - PlayStation 4 - June 15
31. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Xbox One - June 16
32. 007 Legends - Wii U - June 17
33. TimeSplitters 2 - Xbox - June 18
34. TimeSplitters: Future Perfect - Xbox - June 18
35. I Saw Black Clouds - PlayStation 4 - June 19
36. Call of Duty: Black Ops - Declassified - PlayStation Vita - June 20
37. The House of the Dead Remake - Switch - June 24
38. Halo Wars Definitive Edition - Xbox One - June 29*


July (9 Games Beaten)
39. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes - Switch - July 5
40. Halo Reach - Xbox 360 - July 6*
41. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary - Xbox 360 - July 8*
42. Halo 2 Anniversary - Xbox One - July 9*
43. Halo 3: ODST - Xbox 360 - July 10*
44. Halo 3 - Xbox 360 - July 10*
45. Halo 4 - Xbox 360 - July 11*
46. Halo: Spartan Assault - Xbox One - July 12*
47. Space Jam: A New Legacy - The Game - Xbox One - July 12


47. Space Jam: A New Legacy - The Game - Xbox One - July 12

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To most millennials, Space Jam: A New Legacy is heresy. Space Jam needs no legacy beyond what it already had, and replacing a living basketball god like Michael Jordan with an admittedly talented but no #23-god like LeBron James? Blasphemy. I do love me a good video game, though, and since I already had Game Pass Ultimate, I figured why not? I'll give it a shot.

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Space Jam: A New Legacy - The Game is a pretty basic beat 'em up. You get to play as either Bugs Bunny, Lola Bunny (who I'm convinced is why so many milennials are furries), or LeBron James. They all feel pretty much the same, but while I'm pretty sure this was just the placebo effect, it did feel like LeBron was a little stronger than Bugs or Lola. The game looks okay. It's a pixel art game that mimics a 16-bit art style, and while I'm beyond sick of pixel art games since they're a dime a dozen in the indie scene, but it looks fine. In addition to your player character, you get to choose another character as a card to determine your especial ability. Tweetie gives you extra strength, Taz gives you the Rampage ability, the old granny whose name I always forget makes food drop to restore health, etc. Each level you beat unlocks a new character card.

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Speaking of those levels, there are only four. Each level is capped off by a boss, but none of these bosses are particularly difficult. I completed the entire game start to finish in 32 minutes. That's way too short. Granted, the game is free and just a marketing gimmick, so you can only expect so much, but still, it's pretty disappointing that you can start and beat this game faster than you can watch an episode of Star Trek without commercials. It wouldn't be so bad if the game were really good, but it's not. It's the most painful mediocre beat 'em up I've ever played. It's perfectly functional, and it supports three player co-op, but there are a TON of co-op beat 'em ups. Outside of "OMG I LOVE SPACE JAM," there's absolutely no reason to pick this one.

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For a product given away for free, Space Jam: A New Legacy - The Game is fine. I mean, my personal rule is that you've got to really try to make something free pan out to outright "bad." As a game judged on its own merits aside from the $0.00 price tag, though, this game is bad. It controls okay, it supports co-op, and you can play as everyone's favorite rabbit waifu, but honestly, it's kind of boring. If you want to play a beat 'em up, play TMNT. Play Sailor Moon. Play River City Girls. Play Double Dragon. They're all better than Space Jam.
Exhuminator wrote:Ecchi lords must unite for great justice.

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