Games Beaten 2021

Post by **prfsnl_gmr** » Thu Jul 01, 2021 11:02 pm

PartridgeSenpai wrote:[Verdict: Hesitantly Recommended. Perhaps I went in with my expectations too high based on what other people told me about this game, or perhaps I'm just spoiled for Metroidvanias, but I really didn't enjoy my time with this game terribly much. It isn't a badly made game and it's more than adequately put together for the low price it goes for, but it's just so rough around the edges and overall unmemorable that I have a pretty hard time recommending it. You likely won't dislike your time with this game, and you might even enjoy it quite a bit, but as far as indie Metroidvanias on the Switch go, it is not hard to find a similarly priced and far better game to put your time and money into instead.

All of your criticism is completely fair. :lol:

I still really liked the game, though. I appreciated its rough edges; its mystery; the fact it never told me where to go; and the fact that the platforming was, as you noted, really, really tough.

The sequel, if you’re interested, is a much more traditional metroidvania experience, and it lacks the original’s rough edges and merciless platforming. It’s also really great:

https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/sw ... was_legacy

https://metroidvaniareview.com/2020/06/22/alwas-legacy/

You might enjoy that a bit more.

Markies wrote:Markies' Games Beat List Of 2021!
*Denotes Replay For Completion*

1. Midtown Madness 3 (XBOX)
2. X-Men 2: Clone Wars (GEN)
3. Sonic Adventure 2 (SDC)
4. Mega Man 7 (SNES)
5. Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra (PS2)
6. Bust A Move 4 (PS1)
7. Phantasy Star IV (GEN)
8. Gunbird 2 (SDC)
***9. The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GCN)***
10. Fable: The Lost Chapters (XBOX)
11. Growlanser: Heritage Of War (PS2)
12. Double Dragon (NES)
13. Star Ocean (SNES)
14. Pokemon Snap (N64)
15. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (GCN)
16. Castle Of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (GEN)

I completed Castle Of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse on the Sega Genesis this evening!

Late last year, I was looking for a new game for my Sega Genesis. I was beginning to focus heavily on beating my Backlog, so I didn't want something too long or too hard clogging it up. As I was looking through the games, I kept coming back to the Disney games. I know Disney and Sega had a great relationship during that time, so I wanted to start experiencing those games for myself. I figured those would be perfect games to play as they wouldn't be too long or too challenging. I then decided to start with the first one and I picked up Castle of Illusion for the Sega Genesis. Now, 6 months later, I wanted something light before my next big RPG and Castle of Illusion fitted in perfectly.

Castle Illusion is a slow moving and very competent platformer. Mickey never runs in the game, so you feel like you are taking a breezy stroll through the game. However, besides one annoying part, the speed really doesn't hinder you as the game is a platformer in the truest sense of the word. The game is built around Mickey jumping on enemies with his butt and small little platforms that you can jump on. There are 5 Worlds in the game and each one of them is unique and varied. There is a world based on Candy that look like a sugar induced dream. There is one based on little toys that has the ceiling and floor changing like Gravity Man in Mega Man.

There are some annoying areas in the maps such as a maze that you can get stuck in and an area where you have to outrun some water, which is difficult to do when you have to walk. Also, there are several jumps in the game that are just blind jumps or that enemies will randomly appear just to damage you. Surprisingly, it took me a few tries to beat the game as it can be a bit frustrating, but after a few tries and some learning of the game, it doesn't become a challenge that you cannot overtake.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse. The game is an early Genesis game, so the presentation is still very solid for its time. It's not an amazing game or even a must play game. But, it is a very solid game and one that is enjoyable to play. It's also a perfect game for younger kids when they are ready to graduate to a game with a bit of a challenge to it. I'm now looking forward to trying more games in the Sega Disney partnership that produced so many games!

Great review, Markies! As REPO noted, if you like the original, be sure to check out the remake sometime too. Also, if you can, check out the Game Gear “illusion” games too. Despite the weaker hardware, their actually much better games.

Post by **REPO Man** » Thu Jul 01, 2021 11:09 pm

I can say I've played the 8-bit Illusion games. FYI, all the Game Gear ones have Master System ports, though the Legend of Illusion port was a direct conversion from the GG version that came out in Brazil over three years after the GG version.

God, Brazil loved their Master System.

Post by **Ack** » Thu Jul 01, 2021 11:57 pm

1. Frog Detective 2: The Case of the Invisible Wizard (PC)(Adventure)
2. Revulsion (PC)(FPS)
3. Nonogram - Master's Legacy (PC)(Puzzle)
4. Sekiro (PC)(Action-Adventure)
5. Grim Dawn (PC)(Action RPG)
6. Grim Dawn: Ashes of Malmouth (PC)(Action RPG)
7. Grim Dawn: Forgotten Gods (PC)(Action RPG)
8. Viscera Cleanup Detail: Santa's Rampage (PC)(FPS)
9. Viscera Cleanup Detail: Shadow Warrior (PC)(FPS)
10. Shrine (PC)(FPS)
11. Record of Lodoss War - Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth (PC)(Adventure)
12. Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone (PC)(Action)
13. Red Alliance (PC)(FPS)
14. The Forest (PC)(Horror)
15. Pixel Puzzles: Japan (PC)(Puzzle)
16. 12 is Better Than 6 (PC)(Top Down Shooter)
17. Torchlight II (PC)(RPG)
18. An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire (PC)(RPG)
19. Port of Call (PC)(Walking Sim)
20. NeonCode (PC)(Walking Sim)
21. Carrion (PC)(Adventure)
22. Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist (PC)(Walking Sim)
23. Helltaker (PC)(Puzzle)
24. Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr (PC)(RPG)
25. Castlevania: Bloodlines (Switch)(Platformer)

I had played Bloodlines previously a few times but never got into it. This changed when I finally bothered to switch characters. Bloodlines offers up the choice of the heavy "main" character who wields a whip, John, as well as the spear-wielding friend, Eric, who is considerably more mobile. John never quite clicked with me, so I would never get beyond a few levels. But Eric? Exactly how I wanted to play.

Castlevania: Bloodlines was the one series release for the Sega Genesis, and while I prefer the audio in Castlevania IV, the Genesis music is still an impressive soundtrack. More importantly, the game is gorgeous and controls well, which again helps with that mobility that I prefer. With the three button Genesis controller in mind, there are dedicated buttons for attack, jump, and special weapon, and you also can do directional attacks at upper angles as well as an alternate take on the super weapons performed by holding up when you use them. It's easy to use, and there is a lot of versatility available in how you fight.

Level design combines unique industrial takes as well as the classical gothic castles and magnificent halls found throughout the series. One level set in the Leaning Tower of Pisa has you leaping up the swaying tower, and while it isn't exactly Mode 7, it's an impressive show piece. Another castle in France features a magnificent fountain that turns to blood as you walk by. There are also branching paths which enable the player to go different ways depending on the character's mobility, and while these alternate methods aren't always immediately obvious, they're executed in ways that I appreciate.

If there is any area where I feel the game falters, it's the boss fights...which is the game's own fault, because it has some really awesome mini bosses. As a result, the mini bosses are usually more interesting and memorable, with the notable exception of a woman who tears apart to reveal itself as a giant moth. Hell, Death consists of a boss rush of a few previous bosses and then a fairly simple pattern once you get to the Death fight proper.

Still, it's worth considering that I find the bosses disappointing because I like everything else so much. Castlevania: Bloodlines is a fun and beautiful game. While I still prefer my SNES, Bloodlines is a fantastic offshoot from the Sega competition. I recommend it to any fans of the series.

Post by **PartridgeSenpai** » Fri Jul 02, 2021 3:19 am

prfsnl_gmr wrote:
PartridgeSenpai wrote:[Verdict: Hesitantly Recommended. Perhaps I went in with my expectations too high based on what other people told me about this game, or perhaps I'm just spoiled for Metroidvanias, but I really didn't enjoy my time with this game terribly much. It isn't a badly made game and it's more than adequately put together for the low price it goes for, but it's just so rough around the edges and overall unmemorable that I have a pretty hard time recommending it. You likely won't dislike your time with this game, and you might even enjoy it quite a bit, but as far as indie Metroidvanias on the Switch go, it is not hard to find a similarly priced and far better game to put your time and money into instead.

All of your criticism is completely fair. I still really liked the game, though. I appreciated its rough edges; its mystery; the fact it never told me where to go; and the fact that the platforming was, as you noted, really, really tough.

The sequel, if you’re interested, is a much more traditional metroidvania experience, and it lacks the original’s rough edges and merciless platforming.

Thanks ^w^

The sequel is still totally on my radar. While I heard good things about Awakening, I've heard even better things about Legacy. Awakening may be rough, but all of the pieces for something much better are there, so it's not hard for me to believe the follow up manages to make things a lot better. And at the end of the day, even an alright Metroidvania is still something I'm usually at least glad I gave a chance.

Post by **PartridgeSenpai** » Fri Jul 02, 2021 3:45 am

Partridge Senpai's 2021 Beaten Games:
Previously: 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
* indicates a repeat

Games 1~51

52. Wai Wai World 2 (Famicom)
53. Tiny Toon Adventures (Famicom)
54. King Kong 2: Ikari No Megaton Punch (Famicom)
55. Yume Pengin Monogatari (Famicom)
56. Rock Man & Forte (SFC)
57. Rock Man X2 (Switch)
58. Rock Man X3 (Switch)
59. Rock Man X4 (Switch)
60. Rock Man X5 (Switch)
61. Rock Man X6 (Switch)
62. Rock Man X7 (Switch)
63. Rock Man X8 (Switch)
64. Mega Man: Powered Up (PSP)
65. Magical Taruruuto Kun: FANTASTIC WORLD!! (Famicom)
66. Maken Shao (PS2)
67. Getsu Fuuma Den (Famicom)
68. Rock Man D.A.S.H (PSP)
69. Brave Fencer Musashi (PS1)
70. Joe & Mac (SFC) *
71. Atelier Lilie: The Alchemist of Salburg 3 (PS2)
72. Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link (Famicom)
73. The Bouncer (PS2)
74. Rapid Angel (PS1)
75. Atelier Totori: The Alchemist of Arland 2 (PS3)
76. Drakengard 3 (PS3)
77. Alwa's Awakening (Switch)

78. Hermina & Culus (PS2)

It may not seem it at first, but the subtitle (not on the spine, so I figured I wouldn't include it here :b) of "Atelier Lilie - One More Story" makes it pretty clear that this is a spin-off of the Atelier series. This is a visual novel that's a spin-off (and, at least I'd argue, an ultimately non-canon one) of the third Atelier game, Atelier Lilie. It's also one of the very very few games in the Atelier series that is both a spin-off and not a remake that's also on a home console and not a handheld console. I enjoyed Atelier Lilie quite a lot, and so the opportunity to spend a bit more time in that world in a bit of an unfamiliar genre seemed right up my alley. As luck would have it, there was actually a copy of this in my city (although I had to drive all the way across town to get it XP), so it wasn't a difficult choice to spend the 800 yen to pick this up. I had heard it was fairly short, which proved true when I completed it in just around 5 or so hours, but it was time I ultimately found very worthwhile. (I will be getting into some spoilers in this review, fair warning)

As the title heavily implies, this game is about Hermina and Culus. Hermina is one of the two young (like 10 years old) proteges of the titular alchemist in Atelier Lilie, and she's the more mischievous and slightly less straight laced of the two. Also along for the ride is a totally new character, Culus, who is a homonculus that Hermina has created in secret to help her with her alchemy. Culus is also you in the story, and it's overall the story of Hermina and Culus growing closer over the period of his rather short life.

Hermina created Culus in secret, so she's unaware that homonculi only live a few weeks. Gust's usual good character writing really has a chance to not just breathe but thrive in this little novella that starts out about a simple slice of life between a child and her unconventional new best friend, and it ends up turning into a really touching story about death, loss, and acceptance of those things. Part of it may be because it just caught me off guard, but DAMN did this game hit me good. As anyone familiar with my reviews may well know, I'm no stranger to having games and media make me cry. That said, I'm not sure any piece of media has ever brought me to tears as much as this game did. It's just such a sweet, touching, human story that it really gut-punched me in the final act, but that's nothing if not a mark of just how well this game brings its world to life for the brief time you get to hang around in it.

Hermina & Culus isn't a kinetic novel. That's to say for all you (like me) non-visual novel connoisseurs, that this isn't just a story you watch to its end. It has branching paths and different things that can happen, although there isn't a huuuge amount of choice. The main gameplay is choosing where to go among the handful of locations in the city and talking to the characters that are there. Very often you'll have one or more "events" you can go watch, which are actual unique happenings in the story and not just canned dialogue like the non-event encounters are. While most of these are just little quick slices of life in the city that you're observing, you'll also very often learn new words from these. Hermina isn't just your creator and friend, she's also your teacher (your relationship is very difficult to define in a single word, but it's also a very sweet one).

You have a certain amount of time most nights to talk to her about words you've learned and learn their meanings from her. Now this isn't a language learning game, but Culus has only just come to life, so his language skills are still quite limited, and Hermina teaching him the basics of speaking are all a part of learning to be a good alchemist's assistant. Once you've learned words, you can "think" about them, putting two words together and asking about that concept (such as "alchemy" and "synthesis"), and this will often also earn you new words. However, walking around the city drains your energy, and thinking also drains energy. On top of that, you only have an hour of in-game time per night to ask about things, so you must use your time and energy wisely. This is all because all the talking and learning you do increases an affection meter with Hermina, and the status of that meter as well as certain events you can see or things you can "think" about will be what determines which if the game's 5 endings you get (I got ending C, myself).

The presentation is very polished, but it also reuses a lot of assets from Atelier Lilie. However, this game also has a ton of new drawn CGs of Culus interacting in different events, as well as a very well animated Hermina during your sessions talking with her every night. It also has a lot of reused music, but a fair bit of new tracks as well, and these tracks are very good as Gust is always so reliable to provide.

Verdict: Highly Recommended. This is one of my new favorite games, full stop. I wasn't a super duper fan of Atelier Lilie (I quite liked it, but it's not my favorite in the series by any margin), and that's what generated my initial interest in this game, but by the end of it I was sure that it stands on its own very well. It's a really sweet and well written story about the pains of growing up, and it's definitely earned a treasured place on my shelf. My only difficulty in recommending it is that it's never been translated in any way shape or form, so while it's not a terribly difficult game to get a hold of (uncommon, but cheap), the barrier to entry in terms of language barrier will likely be too high for most people reading this review. However, if you do have the ability (or if this game ever does get fan translated), this is absolutely a story worth checking out, even if you have no prior interest or experience with the Atelier series.

Post by **Ninjamaster** » Fri Jul 02, 2021 7:39 am

During this year (2021) I finished:

1) Kingdom Hearts:Melody of Memory (Ps4)

2) Mortal kombat 11 Ultimate (Ps5)

3) Maneater (Ps5)

4) Final Fantasy IX (Switch)

5) Bravely Default 2 (Switch)

6) Ghosts'n Goblins Resurrection (Switch)

7) Resident Evil Village (Ps5)

Persona 5 Strikers (Switch)

Post by **Markies** » Fri Jul 02, 2021 12:46 pm

prfsnl_gmr wrote:Great review, Markies! As REPO noted, if you like the original, be sure to check out the remake sometime too. Also, if you can, check out the Game Gear “illusion” games too. Despite the weaker hardware, their actually much better games.

REPO Man wrote:I can say I've played the 8-bit Illusion games. FYI, all the Game Gear ones have Master System ports, though the Legend of Illusion port was a direct conversion from the GG version that came out in Brazil over three years after the GG version.

God, Brazil loved their Master System.

Thank You Both!

I have not checked out the Remake nor the Game Gear/Master System versions yet. I'll be on the lookout for those in the future as this was my first step into the Disney/Mickey Sega games.

Post by **ElkinFencer10** » Fri Jul 02, 2021 5:00 pm

Games Beaten in 2021 - 54
* denotes a replay

January (12 Games Beaten)

February (5 Games Beaten)

March (3 Games Beaten)

April (7 Games Beaten)

May (9 Games Beaten)

June (17 Games Beaten)

54. Metroid II: Return of Samus - Game Boy - June 29

Metroid II: Return of Samus is the Game Boy sequel to the original Metroid on NES, and I have to admit that this one surprised me. Normally a game will feel like a definite downgrade when it starts on NES and gets a sequel on Game Boy - Super Mario Bros to Super Mario Land, for example. To my surprise, Metroid II didn't feel like much of a downgrade at all. On the contrary, for the most part, it just felt like more Metroid but in black and white.

Metroid II takes place immediately following the events of Metroid. Knowing that the Metroids pose an existential risk to other life in the galaxy, the Galactic Federation determines that the species must be exterminated. After her success in the previous game, Samus is sent to see to the extinction of the Metroids. That's the whole game here - you have to kill every single Metroid on their homeworld. In the bottom rights of the screen, there's a running tally of how many Metroids remain. You'll come into contact with a variety of different Metroids. There are, obviously, the regular Metroids that you encountered in the first game. There are also Alpha Metroids, the second stage in the Metroid development. They then turn to Gamma Metroids that gain the ability to shoot projectiles. Those turn into Zeta Metroids which can only be damaged from head on. Then finally you've got the Omega Metroids which are like Zeta Metroids on steroids. Finally, you have the final boss, the Metroid queen.

A handful of folks have said that they think that they think Metroid II is easier to navigate than the original, but I personally found this one to be at least as complicated to navigate as the first game. It definitely ended up feeling easier to navigate once I got a feel for the mazes, but at first, I was SO lost. The fact that you don't have a map is a major hinderance, but that's a pretty common thing with games this age especially for handhelds. Keep a map pulled up on your phone, and you're probably okay. Or maybe you just generally suck less than I do.

Metroid II is definitely rough around the edges, but it's a great follow-up from the first Metroid. I didn't notice any of the sprite flicker from the NES original, and there wasn't much noticeable slowdown, either. Still, though, the game is definitely as primitive as you would expect. That doesn't mean that it's not fun, though. On the contrary, while it's an imperfect experience, it's definitely a fun experience. I definitely recommend sticking to the 3DS remake, Samus Returns, if you want the Metroid story, but this is definitely a fun one to fire up and play a little of every now and then.

Post by **ElkinFencer10** » Sat Jul 03, 2021 9:03 am

Games Beaten in 2021 - 55
* denotes a replay

January (12 Games Beaten)

February (5 Games Beaten)

March (3 Games Beaten)

April (7 Games Beaten)

May (9 Games Beaten)

June (17 Games Beaten)

July (1 Games Beaten)

55. Super Metroid - SNES - July 1

Super Metroid is the third game in the Metroid series both chronologically and in release order following Metroid on NES and Metroid II: Return of Samus on Game Boy. It’s widely considered to be one of if not the best games in the series, and I’ve got to agree with that assessment. It excels in pretty much everything, and you’ve got to look pretty hard to find any real flaws with the game.

After the events of Metroid II, Samus takes the baby Metroid - the last survivor of its species as far as we know - to a Federation research station. No sooner does Samus leave than Space Pirates attack the research station and steal the baby Metroid. Now Samus must return to Zebes to deal with the Space Pirates and either recapture or eliminate the Metroid. The narrative set-up, told through cut scenes at the beginning of the game, starts the game with some solid tension. Being back on Zebes, a lot of the game feels rather similar to the first game, but this is by no means a recreation of the original map. There are some major differences this time around in addition to some much needed quality of life improvements like an inventory screen, eight directional firing, and most importantly, an automap that you can reference at any time.

Literally everything about Super Metroid is an improvement over Metroid. The visuals are just beautiful. They’re colorful, they’re detailed, and some of the visual effects used are mind blowing when you consider that this didn’t use the Super FX chip. The soundtrack is downright masterful and perfectly sets the ambiance for the lonely, isolated, and perilous situation in which Samus once again finds herself. The controls as well have been tuned to near perfection. The space jump can still be a little finicky, but it’s SIGNIFICANTLY better than it was in Metroid II. Platforming feels a lot more responsive and natural, and the ability to shoot diagonally makes a world of difference especially in boss battles.

The game isn’t completely without flaws, but they’re extremely minor and few and far between. In fact, the only noteworthy flaw that I noticed during my playthrough was a bit of slow down when the screen gets busy, mainly when using a Super Bomb with a lot of enemies and/or destructible blocks on-screen. That’s the only situation where I noticed any slowdown, though, and in the handful of instances of it, the slowdown only lasted for a second or two. Beyond that, I saw no performance issues whatsoever with the game.

It’s clear why a lot of Best Video Game of All Time lists put Super Metroid near the top; it really is nearly perfect. The visuals are stunning, the soundtrack is stellar, the controls are tight and responsive, and the world, while sometimes frustrating, is a blast to explore. Fortunately, Nintendo knows how great and beloved this game is, so it’s pretty widely available to play. The Wii Virtual Console isn’t really an option anymore with the shutdown of the Shop Channel (RIP), but you can still download it on your Wii U or New 3DS, and it’s also available on the Super Nintendo Classic and the Nintendo Switch Online SNES app, so there are plenty of legitimate ways to play even without hunting down a SNES cartridge.

Post by **prfsnl_gmr** » Sat Jul 03, 2021 11:09 am

Great review of a great game, Elk. One thing, I think, that makes Super Metroid quietly revolutionary (besides, of course, laying the foundation for modern game design and storytelling) are the set pieces. There are so many moments in that game where you enter a room, perhaps even a room you’ve already visited, and something new, different, or exciting happens to you. It really was amazing at the time, and not many games up until then featured anything like that.

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