Games Beaten 2017

[Exhuminator]

and then eventually Symphony of the Night

You haven't played Symphony yet?!

You are in for a seriously great time.

[Xeogred]

I had a huge itch for classic resident evil and for some reason marathoned 1,2,3 and survivor (first playthrough) backwards... started with survivor then went to 3, 2 and 1. Kinda cool to see a series de-evolve

Survivor was a... interesting experience to say the least. I gave it two playthroughs since is so short and the first one i was thinking "this isn't so bad, it is a bit clunky but all resi games are like that" as long as you use the auto aim with L1 and run away from some enemies youll be great... then there's the final boss... this is the worst part of the game the final tyrant has two forms and the 2nd form is a freaking bullet sponge it survives 18 magnum shots, and about 16 grenade rounds and 8 shotgun shots and i still NEED IT to kill with the regular ass handgun. And thats all the ammo i could get AFTER killing the first form with only the handgun.

Resi 3 still kinda stands as my least favorite in the main series but is still fun. I just really hate nemesis on a clean playthrough since hes so ANNOYING! He's a walking piñata that gives free presents each time you kill it but fighting him is a pain in the ass... maybe because i suck at the dodge thing and i can never get it right.

Resi 2 the first game i saw in the franchise when i was 12 back in 2004 (yes we got consoles very late... and it wasn't even mine it was my cousin's). I watched my cousin play the start of Claire A scenario and get mutilated by zombies after 3 minutes... literally couldn't sleep on the whole night... and now is one of my favorite games ever and can play it at 2 A.M alone. I dont know why that feels good somehow.

Resi 1 just for the sake of it i played through the dualshock version... and the soundtrack really sucks. I though that just the basement music and one or maybe two more tunes were bad but honestly the whole soundtrack of this version is either awful or out of place. There's things like the save room theme that are ok but the rest are either awful, out of place and some would be ok but sound kinda off. Played through Jill's scenario and boy i forgot how easy it was 40 minutes into the game and you're already a walking arsenal, i still remember doing my first playthough with Chris and suffering really bad for it... well at least easy in comparison with Chris.

Nice, yeah I'm getting a little bored of RE3 the more I replay it. It's extremely linear and more action focused, but not the refined RE4 at all. Still has some good music, the Nemesis concept is cool, and the late gen PSX pre-rendered backdrops make it look gorgeous... but yeah it falls flat a bit. The plot is about as pointless as it gets haha.

I have many issues with CV, but it's easy to see how that one is more truly RE3 than RE3 itself, and it did start in development first apparently. Or they started up around the same time.

RE2 is perfection and ages like a dream. I just wish it was longer, it's so easy to knockout in one session thesedays haha. Been awhile since I did Claire's scenario. It's a shame Capcom is doing a remake of this and saying they're going to change the gameplay. REmake is perhaps my favorite game in the entire series now and I wish RE2 would get that treatment... give it a facelift and maybe some new areas, but don't change how it plays.

Yeah dude, that Dualshock version of RE1 is something else... I need to get the original or original Directors Cut sometime haha.

[noiseredux]

wasn't CV supposed to be the third mainline game, but then the two got switched?

[Xeogred]

Here's the wiki reports:

Code: Veronica was developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 in collaboration with Nextech and Sega.[4][5][6] Project supervisor Yoshiki Okamoto officially announced the game for Sega's Dreamcast console on October 6, 1998.[4][7] Although Code: Veronica was described by its developers as the genuine sequel to Resident Evil 2, it is not a numbered entry in the Resident Evil series.[7][8] Okamoto explained this decision with the team's intention to use numbers for games on the PlayStation, and names on other video game systems.[8] Code: Veronica was originally planned to be published in April 1999, but was postponed to the end of the year.[7][9] It was eventually released in Japan on February 3, 2000.[10] The Japanese version of Code: Veronica contained two difficulty settings ("Easy" and "Very Easy") in addition to the default "Normal" setting found in the American and PAL versions of the game. "Very Easy" starts the player off with an unlimited supply of ink ribbons in the inventory and a variety of weaponries plus ammunition in the chests. There were two versions of the original Dreamcast release in Japan: a standard edition and a limited edition. The limited edition came packaged with a red slipcase and features a different title screen, with Wesker's face visible on the background.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_ ... :_Veronica

Lot more notes on RE3's page, but the last bit under Development:

The game was developed in tandem with the Dreamcast version of Resident Evil Code: Veronica and was originally referred to as Biohazard 1.9 due to its setting between the first two Resident Evil games, although the codename Biohazard 1.5 was also used.[7][8][14] Although Code: Veronica takes place after Resident Evil 2, Okamoto explained that Capcom wanted Nemesis to be the third numbered game in the series to keep the titles of the PlayStation games consistent.[7] Development of the game began with a team of 20 people. However, as the game was getting closer to its release date, the development team gradually increased to between 40 and 50 staff members.[15][16] Unlike Resident Evil 2, which features two discs with two different protagonists, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is a single-CD game that centers mainly on Jill Valentine.[7] Capcom chose Jill as the protagonist of the game because she was "the only suitable character remaining", noting that Resident Evil protagonists Claire Redfield and Chris Redfield were previously chosen for Code: Veronica.[9]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_Evil_3:_Nemesis

Pretty funky. It reminds me I'd like to get the DC versions of the games, if I ever decide to play my Dreamcast again.

[noiseredux]

interesting stuff. Keeping numbered games on PS seems so arbitrary in hindsight.

[BogusMeatFactory]

1. Captain Toad (WiiU)
2. Lost: Via Domus (PS3)3. Modnation Racers (PS3)
4. Tron: Evolution (PS3)
5. Dead Rising (PC)
6. Fire Emblem Heroes (Android)
7. Yoshi’s Wooly World (Wii U)
8. Stanley Parable (PC)

Yoshi's Wooly World

My wife and I co-oped our way through the entirety of the game and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. The game is filled with charm and the perfect level of difficulty progression. The levels themselves are quite long... roughly around 10-15 minutes and even more if you are thorough in finding the collectibles and secrets. These secrets comprise of stamps you can use in miiverse (which I assure you is filled with yoshi using his tongue to lick the butthole of every creature in the game), flowers to unlock special levels and yarn bundles that unlock new yarn Yoshis. I was Chicken Yoshi... my wife spent the majority of her time as Flower Yoshi and later switched to Avalanche Yoshi....yes, I sound like a crazy person.

What was truly astounding was that when we reached the final world, we were still introduced to new mechanics and level design ideas that really seemed fresh and new. I feel like if a normal game development team made this game, we would experience half the game mechanics in the same length of game and it would be terribly drawn out. They rarely reused design ideas and there was a constant flow of new and exciting things to the very end.

The boss battles were also very fun and unique, offering great self-encapsulated experiences. This can was just a load of fun. I can not stress that enough! My wife and I laughed, cheered and yelled at each other over every blunder we made together as a team. It was a blast.

The Stanley Parable

Madness. Pure Unadulterated madness. What started off as a simple story, turned into insanity as you attempt a very short tale in a variety of ways. I can not really talk about it without spoiling for others who have not played it, but this is an adventure game about choices and the effects of those choices. The narrator is a character in and of himself with great personality. It was good. Got a bunch of endings; some good, some simple, some complete lunacy. I am sure there is a ton more. I barely broke the surface I feel. Two thumbs up.

[Markies]

and then eventually Symphony of the Night

You haven't played Symphony yet?!

You are in for a seriously great time.

That is the light at the end of the tunnel!

The only Castlevania game I grew up with as a kid was the first one, so all of this is very new to me. And since I love to play series' in chronological order, I haven't gotten that far yet.

But, yes, that is the game I am MOST looking forward to playing. That is the game that got me interested in playing through the Castlevania series.

I have fairly high expectations for that game. And I fully believe it will meet them.

[Exhuminator]

I have fairly high expectations for that game. And I fully believe it will meet them.

It will probably exceed them I'll bet.

There may be more Castlevania games than you know, have a look at the right side bar of this link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castlevania#Games

I've beaten almost every 2D Castlevania. Starting at the point past Castlevania III, the ones I recommend most strongly:

Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge (Game Boy)
Super Castlevania IV (SNES)
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS1)
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (GBA)
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (DS)
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia* (DS)

A lot of people swear Castlevania: Rondo of Blood is the best 2D Castlevania. I don't share that opinion, but I do encourage you to check it out. I personally adored all the GBA and DS Castlevanias (except Portrait of Ruin).

You have a tremendous amount of fun ahead of you!


*Of all the "metroidvania" Castlevanias, this one is probably my favorite. Symphony is a more grand experience yes, but Ecclesia is actually challenging, whereas Symphony is not.

[marurun]

The only Castlevania game I grew up with as a kid was the first one, so all of this is very new to me. And since I love to play series' in chronological order, I haven't gotten that far yet.

But, yes, that is the game I am MOST looking forward to playing. That is the game that got me interested in playing through the Castlevania series.

You are going to love Rondo of Blood on the PC Engine, that's for sure. And once you have Castlevania 2 and Rondo of Blood behind you, Symphony of the Night will be even more interesting, because there's so much that comes from those two older games.

[BoneSnapDeez]

1. Chrono Trigger (SNES)
2. Gyromite (NES)
3. Lucy -The Eternity She Wished For- (Steam)
4. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (Famicom)
5. Radical Dreamers (SNES)
6. Video Games 1 (TI-99/4A)
7. Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken (Famicom)
8. Exile (TurboGrafx CD)
9. Exile: Wicked Phenomenon (TurboGrafx CD)
10. Xak (PC Engine CD, Xak I・II)
11. Xak II (PC Engine CD, Xak I・II)
12. Neutopia (TurboGrafx-16)
13. Captain Silver (Sega Master System)
14. Märchen Veil (Famicom Disk System)

I got duped into playing this, I tell ya. See, I have a thing for these old Famicom Disk System RPGs. And websites like GameFAQs told me that Märchen Veil was in fact some sort of (A)RPG. It isn't. It's a three inch crusty magnetic turd.

The game comes to us courtesy of Sunsoft (publisher) and System Sacom (developer). Sacom was pretty prolific back in the day, cranking out a plethora of titles for home consoles and computer systems. Very few games were localized though you may be familiar with "classics" such as Jennifer Capriati Tennis, Mansion of Hidden Souls, Seal of the Pharaoh, and Lunacy.

FDS Märchen Veil, released in 1987, is actually part of a larger series. Märchen Veil I and Märchen Veil II were released for Japanese home computers in 1985 and 1986, respectively. I'm not quite sure where this particular entry fits into the timeline. Some websites tell me it's a port of the first game while others call it an amalgamation of those first two entries à la Adventures of Lolo and Evolution Worlds.

This is a certainly a unique game, that much can be said. It combines two distinct gameplay styles, with alternating visual novel and action scenes. "Visual novel" may be an overly generous misnomer here; there are simply lengthy cutscenes between each stage with lots of text. They're okay I suppose, but look downright amateurish when compared to the likes of something like Ninja Gaiden, which followed just one year later. The plot involves a young prince who has been cursed and transformed into a satyr. He lacks nipples on the box art and in the game which concerns me a bit. Because of his beastly appearance and/or missing nips the prince is shunned by god and human alike. His quest is a desperate attempt to regain normality. The storyline is told in an incredibly depressing manner, really.

Speaking of depressing, the "action" sequences are unmitigated slop. Now, as I claimed earlier, the game appears to be an action-RPG based on screenshots. In actuality it's one of those top-down platforming shmup-ish games in the vein of KiKi KaiKai, Valkyrie no Densetsu, Fray CD: Xak Gaiden, and Märchen Maze (no relation). However, the levels in Märchen Veil are not so straightforward. Progress is usually granted after completing some arbitrary task or collecting specific items.

Almost everything about these stages is horrible. The game feels like it's on the verge of glitching. Movement of hero and foe is accompanied by screen blinking and/or slowdown. Our satyr boy walks like he's knee-deep in quicksand. Enemy AI is dumb, spastic, and haphazard. The primary weapon is a bunch of random geometric shapes emitted from the satyr's body. There are pitfalls everywhere, presented alongside the requisite terrible top-down jumping controls. The graphics are monumentally deficient. Everything is either dull and washed-out or painfully bright. Music and sound effects fare no better: a frothy cacophony of beep-bloop bullshit.

I'm just getting to the real issue, however. Märchen Veil is virtually impossible to complete without a walkthrough. Stage objectives are unclear and capricious. Sometimes exits won't materialize until certain enemies are defeated. Other events are triggered only if a random item is in the satyr's possession. There's no pause/inventory screen and no indication regarding what items "do." To add insult to injury, the developers decided to add some lame semblance of non-linearity by inserting portals in each stage that will lead back to the previous one. There are times when it's necessary to backtrack, grab an item, and then proceed forward, but it's never made clear. Also, wanna guess where the portal in level one leads to? Game Over. Märchen Veil was developed by trolls, clearly.

You get one life and dying returns you to the last save point utilized. So, saving is important. Unfortunately Märchen Veil has a bizarre and incomprehensible save system. I hate to dedicate an entire paragraph to such a blasé topic, but I'm also astounded by how badly the developers fouled this up. Now, as far as I know every FDS game has a save feature of some sort whether it's for progress or just for high scores. More sophisticated games, like Esper Dream, feature actual "save points" the likes of which would later become commonplace in RPGs and, eventually, video games generally speaking. Other games feature a more rudimentary system that you may recognize if you've played The Legend of Zelda on NES. That is, a save is available upon death or a save menu screen will appear if the up and A buttons are pressed simultaneously on controller two. Märchen Veil decided to awkwardly combine elements of the two aforementioned methods. There are a couple of blue portals per stage. These are the save points. You'd expect a "save? yes/no" type menu to emerge when making contact with these but no, instead up and A must be pressed on controller two while standing on a portal. I figured this out on a hunch after playing for about an hour (and being sent back to the game's beginning upon each death). It's completely bizarre. I'm now credited on GameFAQs for making this "discovery." Fantastic.

Conclusion: this is pretty rough game. It's ambitious but wholly uncomfortable to play. Silver linings include the fact that it's short and not particularly difficult with a walkthrough handy, as the satyr is given an ample lifebar and HP-restoring items are plentiful. Still, it's bad. Real bad. I can't hate it though, as bad (retro) games still always manage to amuse me in some way or another. To end on positive note, check out this absolutely killer artwork from the original computer game: