Games Beaten 2022

[REPO Man]

If you can find it for a couple of bucks go for it, but don't spend any real money on it.

Does buying a flash cart and loading it with all the 32X roms count as "(spending) any real money on it?" IIRC can't the Mega Everdrive play 32X games, albeit via the 32X addon?

[Ack]

1. Record of Lodoss War - Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth (PC)(Action Adventure)
2. The Citadel (PC)(FPS)
3. Gothic 3 (PC)(RPG)
4. Witchaven (PC)(FPS)
5. Unpacking (PC)(Puzzle)
6. Firewatch (PC)(Adventure)
7. Perilous Warp (PC)(FPS)
8. The Ascent (PC)(RPG)
9. Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced - The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned (PC)(FPS/RPG)
10. Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced - The Secret Armory of General Knoxx (PC)(FPS/RPG)
11. Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced - Claptrap's New Robot Revolution (PC)(FPS/RPG)
12. Kingdom of the Dead (PC)(FPS)
13. Monument (PC)(FPS)
14. Bloodwash (PC)(Horror Adventure)
15. Dead Estate (PC)(Isometric Shooter)
16. Lost in Vivo (PC)(Survival Horror)
17. Star Explorers (PC)(FPS)
18. Dark Souls Remastered (Switch)(RPG)
19. NAM (PC)(FPS)
20. WWII GI (PC)(FPS)
21. Necromunda: Hired Gun (PC)(FPS)
22. Quake: Dimension of the Past (PC)(FPS)
23. Quake: Dimension of the Machine (PC)(FPS)
24. Quake: Scourge of Armagon (PC)(FPS)
25. Quake: Dissolution of Eternity (PC)(FPS)
26. Huntdown (PC)(Run and Gun)
27. A.W.O.L. (PC)(FPS)
28. Hands of Necromancy (PC)(FPS)
29. Cyberpunk 2077 (PC)(FPS/RPG)
30. Prodeus (PC)(FPS)
31. Tails of Iron (Switch)(Action)
32. Tails of Iron: Bloody Whiskers (Switch)(Action)
33. Arkos (PC)(FPS)
34. Security Booth: Director's Cut (PC)(Horror Adventure)
35. Skinwalker Hunt (PC)(FPS)
36. Vomitoreum (PC)(FPS)
37. Hellbound (PC)(FPS)
38. Streets of Rage 4 (Switch)(Beat 'Em Up)
39. Wholesome Slaughter (PC)(FPS)
40. Battle Engine Aquila (PC)(Action)
41. REKKR: Sunken Land (PC)(FPS)
42. PowerWash Simulator (PC)(FPS)
43. Blade of Darkness (PC)(Action Adventure)

The forces of darkness are stirring in a fantasy world overrun with decay, corruption, and failure. Orc hordes prowl in the ruins of once-great fortresses. The undead rise from their graves to plague villages. Demons lurk in the darkness. Humans fall to their influence and join for greed and power. Only a small handful of warriors have a chance to turn back the evil, and they're going to have to do it through bloodshed. In a violent fantasy world, violence is the only option.

Blade of Darkness is this dark fantasy world. You choose one of four characters with which to traverse a variety of levels populated with hideous monsters and lethal traps. Every foe is lethal, and so learning the combat system is crucial; when to dodge, when to parry, and when to unleash a devastating special attack. Or you could simply bash your opponent, shatter their shield, and then bludgeon them into goo. Or hack off their limbs, pick up their dismembered pieces, and beat their friends to death with their severed arms, legs, or head. It matters not how you do it, so long as you do it, and the satisfaction of slaying a foe by hacking off its head and watching the bleeding corpse tumble is deeply exquisite.

And you have options to do it. Each of the four characters gets a unique starting level, and each plays differently. The knight is the balanced option, with a mediocre mobility, a nice mix of blunt and bladed options, shields, and possible heavy armor. Your other choices include a barbarian (heavy attack, little defense, lots of health), an Amazon (fast attacks and longer range, higher mobility, low health), and a dwarf (shields, low mobility, low range, you're gonna die). Since it was my first time playing, I stuck with the knight to see what all the game could offer me. You know what it offered? Deep combat, forcing me to learn my opponents' moves, how to dodge and block effectively, and when to choose my weapons based on my foe. The knight also can find a vampiric sword, so I began feeding off certain enemies to keep me going, though this did not trivialize the game whatsoever; foes are happy to punish any mistake and capitalize with devastating effect. In short, you're gonna die.

That's why you also get a large array of weapons. Some are for specific classes, so the untrained are unable to execute special attacks, and in some cases get exhausted after a simple swing. The knight might look strong, but he really can't lift the barbarian's axe. However, being untrained doesn't automatically mean a weapon is useless, as some have such high raw attack that they're still worth trying, while others can poison living enemies. And you can always try hurling that spear you just grabbed...or that chair you just picked up for that matter.

There are flaws, of course. Blade of Darkness has a camera which is supposed to be fixed behind your character but occasionally likes to freak out and spin at awkward times, which may result in you getting killed. Movement controls were also clunky, and sometimes I just wouldn't jump the way I needed to, be it to grab a ledge or avoid a pit. Platforming is a weird exercise in precision where you sometimes make a jump that you didn't think you could and often fail to make jumps you definitely should have. And in this game, failure means death.

I have seen this game labeled an early Souls-like, and with the depth of combat and how each level opens up as you slay enemies and explore, I understand. However, it also falls well into a group of 3D action adventure games that were coming out at the time with a focus on melee combat and traps. Deathtrap Dungeon, Die by the Sword, Rune, and to a lesser extent, Mark of Kri are all games that I thought about as I played Blade of Darkness. If any of these games appeal, then you might also consider checking out the others.

Also, fun fact, the music of Blade of Darkness was apparently all public domain, so if you're really into commercials in Spain from the early 2000s, you might recognize a track or two...

[Markies]

Markies' Games Beat List Of 2022!
*Denotes Replay For Completion*

1. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster (PS3)
2. Max Payne 2: The Fall Of Max Payne (XBOX)
3. Streets of Rage 4 (NS)
4. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Master Quest (GCN)
5. Dirge Of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII (PS2)
6. Darkstalkers (PS1)
7. Evolution: The World Of Sacred Device (SDC)
8. Ogre Battle 64: Person Of Lordly Calibur (N64)
9. Draogn Quest VI (SNES)
10. Batman: The Video Game (GEN)
11. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES)
12. Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA)
13. Pokemon Red (GB)
14. Wii Sports (Wii)
15. Splatoon (WiiU)
16. Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (PS2)
***17. Final Fantasy IX (PS1)***
***18. Out Run (GEN)***
19. Assassin's Creed (PS3)
20. RBI Baseball 2 (NES)
21. Puzzle Kingdoms (Wii)
22. Operation C (GBC)
***23. Illusion Of Gaia (SNES)***
***24. Super Mario Brothers 2 (NES)***
25. Forza Motorsport (XBOX)
26. Super Mario Strikers (GCN)
***27. Grandia II (SDC)***
28. Shadow Hearts (PS2)
29. Shovel Knight (WiiU)
30. ***Bust A Move 99 (N64)***
31. Borderlands: Game Of The Year Edition (PS3)



I beat Borderlands: Game Of The Year Edition on the Sony Playstation 3 this afternoon!

I have a cousin who works in the video games industry. I like to support him, even though it is a bit difficult considering I play older games. One of the first games he ever worked on was Shattered Union on the original XBOX, which I bought and played through a few years ago. He worked on The Walking Dead video games, which is a series I would like to play. Currently, he works for Gearbox and the Borderlands series. Since I now own a PS3, I can play a Borderlands' game, so while doing my first gaming splurge after beating my Backlog, I was happy to find the GOTY Edition of the original Borderlands. I was looking for a quick game to go through at the end of the year, so I thought I would put the original game in.

Obviously, that did not go as planned as I had to do every mission to level up high enough to beat the game. However, this was not an issue as I enjoyed almost every minute of the game. The game is a mixture of a Modern Shooter and an Action RPG. You will have frenetic gun fights one minute and then you will be picking up loot and level up your character with skills and missions the next. It's an interesting mix and really sucked me into the gameplay rather quickly. I don't get totally immersed in gaming as I grow older, but I was in this one. I just kept wanting to do one more mission and level up one more time. I also loved discovering new weapons and changing out my arsenal as the game went along. Also, with unique characters and a nice look to the game, it was always a joy to play.

Though, it's a little sad the music department is so lacking. Music in video games is one of my favorite aspects and this one barely had ambient, background music. Also, even though I enjoyed, the missions can be a bit repetitive. But, I would say my biggest negative is the game has a good chunk of First Person Platforming. Those were incredibly annoying and ground the game to a complete stop. Also, my OCD had a hard time not wanting to pick up look during crazy gun fights. I wish you didn't have to hit a button to pick up stuff.

Overall, I would say those are minor nitpicks as they do not deter the fact of how much I enjoyed playing through Borderlands. It was one of the most enjoyable Shooter experiences I have ever had and I was completely sucked into it. If you like Shooters even a tiny bit, then Borderlands is a must play!

[Ack]

Who did you play as, Markies?

[Markies]

I am not the best at FPS, so I chose the basic class of the Soldier.

I absolutely loved the Turret that he could create as that helped in mowing down enemies.

My main gun type was an Assault Rifle and then a Shotgun. I also used a Pistol, Sub Machine Gun and a Rocket Launcher as well.

[Ack]

Ah, a fellow Roland player! I also use the soldier in the first game, though I rely less on the turret and use it more as a distraction. While I also focus on the assault rifle, I go with the biggest magazine and all the ammo regeneration I can get because I focus on kills making the weapon fire faster. The end result is Roland turning into a murder buzzsaw.

[REPO Man]

My last BL1 playthrough was as Brick. Big mistake. I only chose him because the last time I beat the game (360, base game only) I played as Mordecai and already gave Lilith and Roland a try.

Looking back, I should have gone with Roland or at least another Mordecai run.

[Markies]

Ah, a fellow Roland player! I also use the soldier in the first game, though I rely less on the turret and use it more as a distraction. While I also focus on the assault rifle, I go with the biggest magazine and all the ammo regeneration I can get because I focus on kills making the weapon fire faster. The end result is Roland turning into a murder buzzsaw.

Very nice! I saw that as more helpful for group plays, but I can see how that make Roland such a killing machine. There were so many skills that he had that I was disappointed I didn't get to use them all. It wasn't until the Final Boss that my turret could launch guided missiles, which was super helpful. But, I was very happy with my choice as I felt he was a great introductory player.

My last BL1 playthrough was as Brick. Big mistake. I only chose him because the last time I beat the game (360, base game only) I played as Mordecai and already gave Lilith and Roland a try.

Looking back, I should have gone with Roland or at least another Mordecai run.

For the PS3 Version Control Scheme, a melee attack was the R3 Button, so I never used that. Out all of them, Brick seemed like the hardest to do. I was very close to picking Mordecai as my first character. The homing bird and using Sniper Rifles seemed right up my alley. However, I had to be honest with myself and know my limitations, so I went with the guy who shot a whole bunch of bullets.

[REPO Man]

Considering how my BL2 and BL3 mains were Axton and Zane, respectively, I'm shocked Roland wasn't my BL1 main.

[alienjesus]

1. Metroid Dread Switch
2. The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures Switch
3. Return of the Obra Dinn Switch
4. Policenauts Saturn
5. Pokémon Legends: Arceus Switch
6. Sam & Max Save The World Switch
7. The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve Switch
8. Dragon Force Saturn
9. Astro’s Playroom PS5
10. Kirby & The Forgotten Land Switch
11. Yakuza Kiwami PS4
12. Tony Hawks Pro Skater 1+2 PS4
13. Blue Reflection: Second Light Switch
14. Hatsune Miku: Logic Paint S Switch eShop
15. Art Style: Orbient WiiWare
16. Dragon Quest Builders 2 Switch
17. Tales of Arise PS4
18. Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand GBA
19. Pokémon LeafGreen GBA
20. Gunstar Future Heroes GBA
21. Bit Generations: Dotstream GBA
22. Yakuza Kiwami 2 PS4
23. Densetsu No Stafy 3 GBA
24. Real Bout Fatal Fury Neo Geo
25. Metal Slug Neo Geo
26. The King of Fighters '97 Neo Geo
27. Spin Master Neo Geo
28. Shock Troopers Neo Geo
29. Astral Chain Switch
30. Metal Slug 2 Neo Geo
31. Puzzle Bobble Neo Geo
32. Power Strike Switch
33. Power Strike II Switch
34. G.G. Aleste Switch
35. G.G. Aleste II Switch
36. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim PS4
37. G.G. Aleste 3 Switch
38. Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams Switch
39. Cotton Reboot! Switch
40. DeathSmiles Switch *NEW*
41. DeathSmiles 2 Switch *NEW*
42. Magical Drop II Neo Geo *NEW*
43. Blazing Star Neo Geo *NEW*
44. Aero Fighters 2 Neo Geo *NEW*
45. Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 SFC *NEW*
46. Cotton 100% SNES *NEW*
47. Panorama Cotton MD *NEW*
48. Astro Bot Rescue Mission PS4 PSVR *NEW*
49. Bound PS4 PSVR *NEW*

Deathsmiles



Deathsmiles is a fun side scrolling bullet hell shmup by Cave, and a game I’ve played before. You play as one of a number of gothic Lolitas flying through a spooky Halloween themed land. The game is pretty accessible for a bullet hell shmup and each stage lets you choose a difficulty level to tackle it at before entering from difficulty 1, 2 or 3. Unfortunately the last 2 levels automatically set themselves to 3 so it’s a real trial by fire If you’ve enjoyed the breezy nature of early stages. Some of the games bosses and setpieces are pretty memorable, including the ghostly ballroom in the final stage and the eternally memorable Mary, the giant demon cow boss. I really like deathsmiles and I enjoyed replaying it on my switch as part of the collection.

Deathsmiles 2



I’ve not played DeathSmiles 2 before now, and whilst it’s still a fun game it doesn’t feel quite as refined and special as the first. Whereas the first game had a Halloween theme, this one has a Christmas motif (but still spooky!) with the enemy of the game being the demonic Satan Claws, an evil Santa. The game uses more polygonal graphics compared to the first and they have quite a budget feel to them. There’s also slightly less memorable moments, with one of the most distinct, a fight vs a giant reindeer, being more of a throwback to Mary from the first game. Despite all the downgrades though, Deathsmiles 2 is still a fun game, and I enjoyed playing through it.

Magical Drop II



Magical Drop 2 is a Neo Geo puzzle game where you must grab coloured orbs from columns above you and throw them back up to make vertical matches of 3 or more. When you make a vertical match, all orbs of the same colour which are in contact with the match (horizontally as well as vertically) will disappear too. You also get special icons which can be matched to remove all of the matching colour from the grid. It’s a simple and fast paced mechanic, and speed is the name of the game as all of the games stages are head-to-head vs an opponent. The computer AI gets very tough later on, and it took me a lot of credits to work through, but I had a good time playing through the game. It’s not quite as good as my personal favourite similar game (Money Idol Exchanger) but it’s still great. Recommended!

Blazing Star



Blazing Star is a side-scrolling shooter for the Neo Geo. It’s a sequel of sorts to Pulstar, an earlier game that was very much a rip-off of R-Type. Pulstar is much more breezy and faster paced, and less trial and error based than either of those titles though. You can choose from up to 6 ships which have different types of shot. Rapid firing gives you a normal shot, but you can also hold the button to charge up a special shot which varies by ship but is very powerful. Powerups can increase the power of both shots. The game also features lots of bonus point items, and all items grabbed come with some wonderful voice lines (BONUS!) which is only matched in greatness by the brilliant Engrish in game (Watch out! The big one is closing in!). Blazing Star like many of the later Neo Geo games is pretty accommodating to players for the first few stages, but later levels required lots of credit feeding to get the hang of. I played it in 2 player with a buddy and we had a really good time. Definitely a great time.

Aero Fighters 2



Aero Fighters 2 is a vertical shmup for Neo Geo with a quirky sense of humour. You can choose from one of 8 ace pilots which include a dolphin and a baby, and fly through various locations on earth destroying an enemy army. Point icons are shown in the local currency (yen for Japan, dollars for USA etc) which is a nice touch. The game can be pretty brutal in difficulty with some quite small and fast bullets being launched around the screen, but it’s also pretty breezy with levels only lasting a minute or two. It’s not up there with the best shmups I’ve played, and it’s definitely not as good as Blazing Star on the same system, but I still had some good simple fun playing through Aero Fighters with a buddy. Worth a shot.

Fire Emblem: Thracia 776



Thracia 776 is often regarded as the most hardcore entry in the Fire Emblem series, with stories of insane difficulty being commonplace. I didn’t find that to be the case – I thought it was pretty well balanced, if maybe a bit too easy in the latter third of the game. I also found the story and characters to be some of the more compelling, and the variety of units and weaponry amongst the best in the series. The game does punish people who go in blind – there are lots of ‘gotcha’ reinforcements and some unique mechanics which can catch you off guard, but if you go in with some knowledge in advance, or accept that you may need to take some losses or play a map more than once, I think it’s very manageable and fun. Some of the games unique mechanics such as capturing enemies for weapons, the abundance of staves with unlimited range, and units needing to sit out maps due to fatigue caused me to combat some of my longer term bad habits and play in a way I might not otherwise have done. It’s not my favourite in the series – I think I prefer the GBA games still, but Thracia 776 was a fantastic game I really enjoyed playing through, and is definitely up there with the series’ best.

Cotton 100%



I’ve played through Cotton 100% before on Super Famicom, but I recently received a translated copy of the game on Super Nintendo from Strictly Limited games and decided to replay it. I remember the game being really quite easy before – I almost 1CCed the title on SFC, only losing credits on the final boss. No idea quite how I managed that though, because the game totally kicked my ass this time and it took some doing to get through to the ending. Cotton 100% is basically a remake of the original game again, with a few new bosses and level designs and slightly more cutesy graphics, but I think in most respects the original version is the superior one to play. Still, this isn’t a bad game at all and I like it a lot. But no idea how I managed to get so much worse at it since I last played!

Panorama Cotton



Panorama Cotton is a rail shooter game for Mega Drive in the Cotton series. You fly into the screen blasting enemies, and the game makes use of some really impressive technical tricks making it by far the most visually impressive and smoothest playing rail shooter on the console. You can shoot and cast magic as usual for the series, with each magic having 2 spells depending if you charge them in advance. The barrier is still super helpful here, but time-limited which is a shame. You can fly at 3 different speeds, and whilst there is a point bonus for finishing a stage fast, generally slower is safer. Cotton has a health bar in this game and you can get health recovery items from enemies, but each credit only gives you one life. The game is probably in the middle on difficulty – easier than other rail shooters for the console I think, but no pushover still. Overall, whilst it’s fun, it’s main selling point is being a technical showcase for the console. It’s worth checking out at least once for the spectacle, but don’t go dropping the silly prices for an original copy – mine is a repro from Strictly Limited, but play it via whatever method makes sense to you!

Astro Bot Rescue Mission



I’ve beaten Astro Bot Rescue Mission before – it’s a fantastic title for Playstation VR that really showcases the hardware and how a traditional genre can be made more fun with VR. When I beat it before, I mainly just played through the main game, rescued all the robots and called it quits. Well, this year, I decided to go back and 100% the game after doing the same for Astro’s Playroom earlier in the year. Mostly this involved completing al of the challenge stages, which were generally a lot of fun. Many of them were time trial obstacle courses which required precise movement, but some were high score challenges killing enemies amongst others. The least fun for me were the boss rematches, which offered nothing new from the first time they were fought, but needed to be beaten without taking a hit for all rewards. The main tedium here was that the bosses can be quite long so it sucked whenever you needed to restart. Still, the game was just as great as I remembered and I enjoyed replaying the game for the remaining trophies I needed. I got the platinum trophy and would highly recommend the game to anyone with a PSVR.

Bound



Bound is a really hard experience to describe. It’s an artistic game which alternates between a woman in real life reminiscing on past experiences, and an abstract world where you play as a princess who dances through the kingdom whilst monsters destroy it. The game is truly stunning visually and it’s quite something to experience in VR like I did. Gameplay is very simple, with you following a linear path through each world, doing some basic platforming and exploration, and dancing slowly by hazards as it generates a shield to protect you. The hazards represent fears and insecurities, but the game is deliberately obtuse and I think there’s a lot that’s left up to you own interpretation. As a visual spectacle, I think bound is truly stunning, but the gameplay of it is limited and not all that enjoyable. That said, the game was compelling enough for me to see it through, and short enough to not overstay it’s welcome. It’s worth a look at least.