Games Beaten 2024

[marurun]

Re: Faxanadu, I have always had a fondness for the music. I think the reason it doesn't stand out for a lot of folks is that the instrument programming is rather bland. It was composed by Jun Chikuma and I really like her tunes, but the somewhat plain instruments render them poorly at times. I think had she been paired with a stronger audio programmer the music would really stand out.

[MrPopo]

Previous Years: 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

First 50:

1. Tormented Souls - Switch
2. Battlefleet Gothic: Armada II - PC
3. Fantasy Empires - PC
4. Vagrant Story - PS1
5. Might and Magic 7: For Blood and Honor - PC
6. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown - Switch
7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project - NES
8. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - PS5
9. Tomb Raider Remastered - PC
10. Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth - PS5
11. Unicorn Overlord - Switch
12. Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries: Solaris Showdown - PC
13. Princess Peach: Showtime - Switch
14. Fida Puti Samurai - PC
15. Fallout New Vegas: Dead Money - PC
16. Fallout New Vegas: Honest Hearts - PC
17. Fallout New Vegas: Old World Blues - PC
18. Wrath: Aeon of Ruin - PC
19. Fallout New Vegas: Lonesome Road - PC
20. Super Buff HD - PC
21. SaGa Emerald Beyond - Switch
22. Blasphemous 2 - Switch
23. Trepang2 - PC
24. Homeworld 3 - PC
25. Blood West - PC
26. Marathon - PC
27. Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord - PC
28. Little Kitty, Big City - PC
29. Dread Delusion - PC
30. Alan Wake 2: Night Springs - PC
31. PO'ed: Definitive Edition - PC
32. Space Cats Tactics - PC
33. Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree - PS5
34. Balatro - PC
35. Afterimage - Switch
36. The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak - PS5
37. Lords of Exile - Switch
38. Infernax - Switch
39. Gravity Circuit - Switch
40. Doom 2: No Rest for the Living - PC
41. Doom 2: Legacy of Rust - PC
42. Doom 2: Master Levels - PC
43. The Lost Vikings 2 - PC
44. Visions of Mana - PS5
45. Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song Remastered - Switch
46. Warhammer 40000: Space Marine 2 - PC
47. Doom 2: TNT Evilution - PC
48. WrestleQuest - Switch
49. Doom 2: The Plutonia Experiment - PC
50. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom - Switch

51. Metaphor: ReFantazio - PS5
52. Mechwarrior 5: Clans - PC
53. Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred - PC
54. Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven - Switch
55. Dragon Age: The Veilguard - PC
56. STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl - PC
57. Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers - PC

Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers is a blackjack-themed deckbuilder that is similar to Balatro in terms of you mixing in normal playing cards with a bunch of goofy cards for various effects. And like Balatro, you have multiple starter decks to play around with and the ability to play a deck under increasing challenges. The primary difference, aside from it being blackjack vs. poker, is the fact that you are playing heads up against various NPCs with specific decks that fit their personal theme. So not only do you need to come up with ways of improving your deck, you need to account for the various strategies your opponents use on you.

The basic mechanics are you hit until you stand or bust. Once both players have stood (or busted), the person with the higher total does damage to the other person equal to the difference. If the winner also had blackjack (defined as the max total, not just a two card natural), there is an additional benefit based on the number of each suit used to make that total (e.g. a 3 of hearts provides three hearts to the total). You heal a point of damage for each heart, gain a point of shield (doesn't carry over from match to match) for each spade, gain a chip for each diamond, and deal a point of damage for each club. If you lose all your health, game over. If you deplete all their health, you gain their chips in victory, can choose to add a new card to your deck from a random selection, and then get to choose your next encounter.

The game is divided into several zones, where you need to go through a fixed number of encounters and beat the boss. After the first zone you will choose to go down either the light or dark path, with the option for a single mid-run transfer to the other path. You'll get a sense for the tactics of a given path as you play the game, and what sorts of deck strategies do well against the different paths. In addition to the various blackjack encounters, there are various noncombat encounters, like shops, or events that will manipulate your deck in various ways. Some of them are available on both paths, others are path restricted, and they are another thing to learn as you figure out how your deck is going to roll out this game.

Finally, there's the cards. You start with a basic deck of one through ace of a given suit, though the more advanced decks will have weirder options. There are also the 11-13 of a given suit, a 0.5 of a suit (counts as 0 but rounds up to 1 at stand if it won't bust you), a pi of a suit (starts as 3 and rounds up if it won't bust), and a whole suite of negatives. There's a set of tarots which have various effects, which come in both regular and reversed (the latter tends to a mirror of the base in some fashion), and then more nonsensical ones like the Bat Credit Card, the Victim Card, or a Playstation memory card. There are a lot of powerful combos available, but since much of the acquisition is random you need to think on your feet.

Overall, it's a really fun way to spend a some free time. There's no commitment for long play sessions and it scratches a similar itch to Balatro.

[RobertAugustdeMeijer]

First 45:

01: Monster Hunter Rise
Still too much time spent in menus for my liking, and the enemies could have used more attacks, but otherwise enough experimentation possible to make it worth my time.
6/10

02: Age of Empires II
Because it's so easy to understand what buildings/units do, this is probably a great starting point for folks new to RTS's. It has pretty much everything you'd hope from the genre, but I prefer the armies and fluidity of StarCraft II.
7/10

03: The Last of Us
Stupid, schizophrenic, and pretentious. The mechanics are lacklustre in scope, and inhibit the game's narrative more than it supports it.
1/10

04: Spelunky HD
Having to start over and over as a mechanic does not gel well with exploration. But you can't help but admire how everything works together as a system, offering the suspense of a great platformer and the ingenuity of an immersive sim.
8/10

05: GoldenEye 007
It's fun to see how the developers went all out to simulate Bond movies. Bad level design, stupid AI, horrible controls, and confusing objectives make this a slog to play, but what a sight to behold!
04/10

06: Injustice 2
Compared to anime fighters, this one plays stiff and defensive. But it still has everything a good fighting game has. Really stupid story and edgy dark aesthetic put me off.
05/10

07: BioShock
15 years ago I gave it a shot and figured I might was well watch a Let's Play. Now that I've beaten it, yups, the combat options expand but never make a fight exciting. Really cool setting that, however, mostly only makes a good first impression.
6/10

08: Infernax
Way more than a remake of Castlevania II. The multiple characters and story options make it interesting, while the combat is an old-school good time. Ultimately, rather dumb, but gruesome without reservation.
7/10

09: Storyteller
The decade old demo was mind-blowing, so this might be a bit disappointing. Still, pretty clever, occasionally funny, and most of all, very original. It still has me wondering if this could be expanded into something greater!
7/10

10: Sega Rally Championship
Fairly unique premise, as you have to ride four races after another fast enough to win. Has way more depth to it than say, OutRun. But it's no Richard Burns Rally, either. I wish it had the pizazz of Daytona USA.
6/10

11: Pathologic 2
Outrageously sophisticated and simply unforgettable. Don't be intimidated by the difficulty because you'll want to see the 'bad' ending anyway. Aim for better endings your second playthrough. The Hbomberguy video essay is spot on!
9/10

12: Cocoon
Well balanced puzzles in a fairly interesting psychedelic world. The 'worlds in worlds' element never blew my mind, but was pretty cute.
6/10

13: Adventures of Lolo
Sokoban taken to the nth degree. Occasionally some dexterity is required, so get your emulator save states ready! Clear, punctual, and hard to put down. But it's still Sokoban.
6/10

14: Fable II
If you can bear the painful frame rate, and painfully simple combat, there's a lot of fun to be had in this lively world. Sculpting it to your whims is done better than Fable 1, but don't expect too much. Just more adventures with way more personality.
7/10

15:Dragon Quest III
In hindsight, this is an extremely generic RPG. But it throws the occasional oddball out there, the kind of thing you don't see anymore, as the NES's limits clash with the designers' intent. Often bland, at times fascinating.
6/10

16: Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blades
You can royally screw up your party if you don't level them up correctly. Expect to restart many battles, or be kind to yourself and use save states. Also way too much talking. But the fights show some creativity and are executed well.
5/10

17: Days Gone
I guess the motorcycle physics are fun to check out, as are a couple of fights against 50+ zombies. But other than that, horribly written, and just shallow gameplay, despite all the mechanics. Also, way too long.
3/10

18: A Highland Song
Majestic hike through Scotland, with many different paths to discover. You probably won't get the good ending on your first run, partially due to the frustrating controls. Don't worry, you'll probably want to play it three+ times, and by then you'll easily make it. Lovely main character, and touching revelation at the end. <3
8/10

19: Crackdown
Gets straight to the point, quite refreshing, but stupidly easy. As you mow down enemies you'll improve your stats and weaken the enemies' bases. Jumping controls are nerve-wrecking, would love to see how it's improved by air dashes in the sequels.
6/10

20: Gears of War
Terrible. If you're delighted by the idea of a gun with a chainsaw on it, perhaps this will be your cup of tea. Dull story, slow combat, amazing lack of color, low frame-rates, wonky controls... really puts into perspective why I didn't get an Xbox 360 until 2010.
2/10

21: Bayonetta 2
Awwyeah, fast and stylish, this is peak hack 'n' slash action. Has a lot of depth for a single player game, but why delve into this when there's Guilty Gear / Soul Calibur / UNI2 / etc.?
8/10

22: Prince of Persia
There's some fascinating stuff, like the mirror image. But the slow platforming, tedious puzzles, and random combat keeps this from being worth your time.
3/10

23: Papers, Please
In retrospect, perhaps the choices are shallow, and the document checking too taxing. And yet, striving for a just society via paperwork is an unforgettable and often touching experience.
8/10

24: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
It's more Tony Hawk! I'm not sure if this one features anything that weren't already in the second game, but the levels are cute, and long strings still feel great.
6/10

25: Doronko Wanko
Within an hour, you get to totally mess up a house because you're a cute dog. And collect accessories to dress up. And it's free!
7/10

26: Deathloop
Style and substance! There's a friction between the rogue-like element of repetition, and the immersive sim element of seeking everything out. But once you embrace the cyclical nature, this is spectacular romp!
8/10

27: Banjo-Kazooie
Besides the funny characters, there's a lot of charm in seeing how 90's developers experimented with 3D physics and objectives. It still plays clumsily!
6/10

28: Animal Well
Gotta love how this game respects the players ingenuity. The most interesting parts are nevertheless so obscure and out-there, that they require an online community to figure out. Your mileage may vary on how deep you want to go.
8/10

29: Sekiro
Lacks the creativity of Miyazaki's other epics, but this lets the combat be more streamlined. The sword-fighting and grappling hook offer perhaps the best visceral experience I've ever felt in a game.
8/10

30: Radiant Silvergun
On one hand, the six weapons make this a tactical shmup. On the other, since you have to level up your weapons by shooting certain colors, you have to treat it like a puzzle. Still, plays superbly, has great patterns and bosses, and sweeping up bullets for a bomb attack never gets old.
8/10

31: Xenosphere
Fascinating concept, taken to its limit. Yes, you actually play as a Twitch streamer. Great job on the acting, and doesn't overstay its welcome. It's a one-trick pony you gotta experience.
7/10

32: Paranormasight
Highly produced visual novel, with good writing and excellent plot. The occasional puzzle requires you to follow the plot and figure out the crime, which is worth paying attention to in detail.
7/10

33: Halo 3
I hear the multiplayer was great for console players, but did it have anything that wasn't already in Quake/Unreal on PC? Anyhow, the campaign is dumb and brisk. The new weapons make it ever so slightly more fun that the first two, which isn't saying much.
5/10

34: Persona 5
Characters, plot, music, interface, and snappy combat are better than ever. Should have gone deeper with its sex-positive attitude. Ultimately, the real challenge is figuring out your schedule, which makes 'time off' surprisingly stressful!
8/10

35: Super Mario Wonder
Still lacking behind romhacks in creativity and controls, it's nevertheless everything you could hope for from a commercial product. Best part is helping other in online mode.
8/10

36: Stardew Valley
The presentation is so inviting, you just want to fall in love with the characters (which are cardboard cut-outs) and the premise (which is made of shallow chores). And yet, fascinating to see how far a single developer can go with this genre.
6/10

37: Metal Slug
My gosh, those animations go a long way to carry what is otherwise a c-tier run'n'gun. Perhaps even worse since there are context sensitive inputs. But this is a defining piece of what the Neo-Geo could do, and unfortunately, only did.
5/10

38: Mario Kart DS
Excellent performance for something on the Dual Screen. But it's still a step backwards from Double Dash. It was part of EVO 2006, so for one glorious moment, perhaps the greatest racing experience ever. But in a vacuum, nothing special.
6/10

39: Tecmo Super Bowl
Everything a football game should have, nothing more, nothing less. So good, I feel a tinge of sorrow for everyone who doesn't have friends to play this with. Or didn't have because they didn't grow up in the USA
8/10

40: Wonder Boy in Monster World
Everything in this game, besides the cute graphics, is under-cooked, from the combat, to the bosses, to the level design, to the puzzles, to the music. Final boss of the NA version might be the most frustrating I've ever had to beat.
4/10
41: Amnesia
In some ways, a perfect distillation of horror mechanics. And yet, it's a game too afraid to antagonize the player's progress, neither with death nor with mystery.
7/10

42: Kingdom Two Crowns
The side scrolling playing field gives this RTS a more narrative, personal feel. All the while restricting management and extending choice rate to tedious levels. Best played together to speed things up. Nevertheless a unique experience.
6/10

43: Death's Gambit Afterlife
A smorgasbord of soulslike and metroidvania staples, mostly well executed. Its lack of personality is sort of balanced out with oddball quirks that are a bit ham-fisted. I must say, the amount of abilities at you disposal make for some of the best boss battles ever.
8/10

44: Red Dead Redemption 2
Horrible controls, schizophrenic NPC interactions, and shallow themes make this 80+ hour epic a slog. Great voice acting and graphics plus time spent leaves and impressions that does creep on you, and you might end up caring for some of the characters.
4/10

45: Sonic the Hedgehog
Green Hill Zone starts very promising, but later levels demand slow, precise steering, turning this 'Mario beater' into Amiga platformer territory. If the first three levels are a 9/10, the game as a whole is a
6/10

46: Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Indirect combat feels lacklustre (like it always does), but the open ended nature of both the puzzles and discovery make this a charm to play. And yet, a lot seems forgettable in retrospect. Surprisingly long.
8/10

47: Dead Space
Basically System Shock 2 with worse controls, better combat, and no Shodan.
6/10

48: Frostpunk
Subpar town simulation that may or may not be exciting depending on how well you play. It's fundamentally difficult to make players care for npcs in this genre, and this one only does this better by upping the mortality rate.
6/10

49: Silent Hill 2
At the time, it was a relief to have a PS2 game that had a bit of psychological substance to it. But in a vacuum, it's both too shallow and not weird enough to deserve its classic status. Still interesting as an artifact.
5/10

50: Pseudoregelia
Bare bones in presentation, both in technical terms and exploration. But you have to love the platforming. Control-wise, this is a sequence breakers wet dream. If only its presentation surpassed its facsimile of a Game Jam product, the sequence breaking would be more rewarding.
8/10

[Markies]

Markies' Games Beat List Of 2024!
***Denotes Replay For Completion***

1. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
2. Jackal (NES)
***3. Evolution: The World Of Sacred Device (SDC)***
4. Skies Of Arcadia Legends (GCN)
5. Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (PS2)
6. Sunset Riders (GEN)
***7. Tactics Ogre (PS1)***
***8. Forza Motorsport (XBOX)***
9. Riviera: The Promised Land (GBA)
***10. Darkstalkers (PS1)***
***11. Splatoon (WiiU)***
12. Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising (NSW)
***13. Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball (NES)***
14. 3D Dot Game Heroes (PS3)
***15. Puzzle Kingdoms (Wii)***
16. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall Of The Foot Clan (GB)
17. Steel Empire (GEN)
***18. Super Mario Strikers (GCN)***
19. Evolution 2: Far Off Promise (SDC)
20. The King Of Fighters '95 (PS1)
21. Disgaea 3: Absence Of Justice (PS3)
22. Jade Empire: Limited Edition (XBOX)
23. The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse (SNES)
24. Super Smash Bros. For WiiU (WiiU)
***25. Final Fantasy X-2 (PS2)***
***26. Ducktales 2 (NES)***
27. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3)
28. Super Paper Mario (Wii)
***29. Valkyrie Profile (PS1)***
***30. Destruction Derby 64 (N64)***
31. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes (NSW)
32. Mario Superstar Baseball (GCN)
33. The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening (GB)
***34. Phantasy Star IV (GEN)***
***35. Maximum Pool (SDC)***
36. Pokken Tournament (WiiU)
37. Sonic Advance (GBA)
***38. X-Men Legends (XBOX)***
***39. Metroid (NES)***
40. Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)



I beat Final Fantasy XIII on the Sony Playstation 3 this evening!

My absolute favorite series is Final Fantasy. Unfortunately, I have come to realize that it is really only for the older games as the newer ones and the MMO's have no interested for me. So, I was ready to think Final Fantasy XII would be a perfect bookend and never go on there because of all the bad things I heard about FF13. However, slowly over time, my want to play FF13 slowly began to grow. I love the Distant Worlds' versions of the music and I keep hearing positive things about it. So, when I got my PS3, it was impossible to pass up. Still, I let it sit on my shelf until I finally had an open mind and was ready to give Final Fantasy XIII a fair shake.

Obviously, I enjoyed the game enough to play through and put almost 60 hours into the game. So, there are parts of the game that I really enjoyed. Thankfully, the music did not disappoint. Even without Uematsu, the soundtrack is fantastic and I loved almost all of the tracks that I heard. The game has a very interesting leveling mechanic where you spend points on an almost Sphere Grid. With FFX being my favorite game, I absolutely loved this aspect and wanted to watch my characters grow bit by bit. Also, obviously, the graphics are phenomenal and look absolutely stunning. They are a sight to see and live up the high pedigree of the series. The battle system is also really interesting as it is fast paced, but it still has time for you to make your choices. It's not a full action game as it still has the ATB bar.

Unfortunately, the battle system kind of lost its luster after a while. You battle bosses with millions of HP, so each battle begins to take a while. And they all kind of divulge into the same basic formula. I like the characters and the story to a point, but the characters never did grab me. They have a little bit of growth, but they are mostly the same throughout the entire game. And the story goes for making no sense to almost being interesting.

Overall, I still enjoyed my time with Final Fantasy XIII. It is the least Final Fantasy game I have ever played as they trimmed so much of what I loved about the series. However, I look FF13 as the next step into the series and the first of the new modern games. It still remembers its past, but it is mostly trying something completely new. How that affects you is up to you. For me, it was a nice diversion, but I will always love my previous games more!

[Ack]

1. Live A Live (RPG)(Switch)
2. Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (Action)(Switch)
3. Pathway (Strategy [Tactics])(PC)
4. Rewind or Die (Horror Adventure)(PC)
5. Tomb Raider (Action Adventure)(PC)
6. Remnant: From the Ashes (Action RPG)(PC)
7. House Flipper (Simulation)(PC)
8. Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor (RPG)(PC)
9. Wild West and Wizards (FPS/RPG)(PC)
10. SPRAWL (FPS)(PC)
11. Lunacid (RPG)(PC)
12. PowerWash Simulator: SpongeBob SquarePants (FPS)(PC)
13. PowerWash Simulator: Warhammer 40,000 (FPS)(PC)
14. PowerWash Simulator: Back to the Future (FPS)(PC)
15. Marathon (FPS)(PC)
16. Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force (FPS)(PC)
17. Rome: Total War (Strategy)(PC)
18. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (FPS)(PC)
19. Thief II (Stealth)(PC)
20. Jydge (Top-Down Shooter)(PC)
21. Command & Conquer (RTS)(PC)
22. Iron Lung (Horror Adventure)(PC)
23. Scorn (FPS)(PC)
24. Killer Frequency (Survival Horror)(PC)
25. Intravenous (Top-Down Shooter)(PC)
26. Outlast (Survival Horror)(PC)
27. Metal Wolf Chaos XD (Action)(PC)
28. Picross Touch (Puzzle)(PC)
29. Quake: Dimension of the Past (FPS)(PC)
30. Quake (FPS)(PC)
31. Quake: Dimension of the Machine (FPS)(PC)
32. MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries (Action)(PC)
33. Severed Steel (FPS)(PC)

Severed Steel is a fast-paced FPS with a cyberpunk theme and an emphasis on mobility and expendability. You play as Steel, a woman who wakes up on an operating table missing her left arm. It was not a willing surgery, and she silently determines to escape the facility, killing anyone who gets in her way...which is a lot of soldiers, as it turns out. The megacorps of the future have very large private armies, including heavy weapons, jetpacks, riot shields, and even nasty armor and flamethrowers. Guess who's gonna have to kill her way up and out?

Each level presents a flash of a goal, but they can all be summed up in one of three ways: get to a point, destroy a thing, kill everyone. That's pretty much what you do the entire game. To aid you, you have fantastic physical movement; wall running, double jumping, sliding, John Woo-type leaps, and a lot of slow-motion bullet time you can easily flip in and out of. You can also kick, and when unarmed, punch, though the kick is more useful for doing things like kicking away enemy shields, kicking off walls (which, in tandem with well-timed jumps, can actually enable you to climb massive buildings), and disarming enemies to get their guns. You also eventually get an arm attachment that can do some nifty stuff, but we'll get more to that in a minute, because all of this fantastic flipping about in slow motion is tied to something important: blasting every enemy in your way.

Guns are disposable in Severed Steel. You grab one from a dead body, kick one out of the hands of a guard, or sneakily walk up behind someone and yank his sidearm from his holster. Then you empty the magazine in a glorious violent rage. Then you throw the gun away (which is its own tactic) and go grab a new one to use. And you do this while flying around like gravity isn't a thing, dropping down to kick guys into the air, unloading a shotgun into their side, then diving through a glass window or sliding under a table to empty more rounds into the next poor sap who gets in your way. If there had been doves, I'd have sworn Chow Yun-fat was gonna pop up. And in general it's forgiving with the platforming aspects of what you're doing, so outside of a couple of moments, don't expect sweaty palms. Instead, expect white knuckles from the sheer awesome of flying around a map to unleash holy hell, because the other thing about the game is that kills give you health back. You can be cautious, sure, but the game rewards you for taking down your enemies, so go, take them down. And that's before the unlockable mutators get involved, which do things like add triple the amount of enemies, turn the floors into lava, or give you a triple jump.

And then there is your severed arm, and the cannon you mount on it. Because everything in Severed Steel is destructible. Got an enemy on the floor above you? Blast the arm cannon under his feet and shoot him through the massive hole you just made. Need to reach a goal on the other side of a wall? Blow your way through it and walk on through. Certain levels can be entirely bypassed if you know where to aim your arm, so if the fighting is too much, don't bother with fighting. Of course, the destruction goes for enemies too, so look out when everyone starts shooting away your cover. Get in a big fire fight and then admire what's left of the room you were in after. It's pure carnage, and I'm all for it.

To then go further, Severed Steel also has a New Game +, a score attack mode with special challenges, a randomized selection of level runs to go through, and even a set of short alternative campaigns to try, not to mention a daily challenge and a level editor. There is a lot of content to check out, so if the game gets your mojo going, you have plenty to salivate over.

[pierrot]

40. Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)

　
Nice, that's a pretty beefy game. Grats. I assume from the play time you didn't get a whole lot into doing much of the hunts or upgrading equipment, though?

Personally, outside of FFXI, XIII has my favorite combat of the mainline series, just above X-2. I remember beating a Long Gui for the first time and feeling such an immense sense of satisfaction. It was great, but if you're not into building job load-outs, and switching them on the fly constantly to meet the demands of some enemies that will basically one-shot you if you don't, I could see how it would be an unpleasant experience in the latter half of the game.

I also don't particularly care that much about the story--but I only generally like 1, 3, 5 and 9 for pre-11 FFs, anyway. However, one thing that I think substantially increased my enjoyment of the game in general was the way everything opens up into the open-world half. It feels very apropos of the narrative to me too; I don't think it's coincidence that the game opens with a scene of prisoners on a train set on rails. Most people who hate the game seem to just get bogged down in the linear half of it, but I feel that was more of a narrative gameplay choice on the part of the developers that really ended up choosing gamers of the day. On the other hand, the narrative drama is a little excessive for me at times, but I did think some of the themes were fairly compelling, at least.

[Markies]

I did a bunch of upgrading equipment because that is the best way to increase your attack. Also, after battle, you gain materials, so it would be silly not too. I don't know how well I did, but I did fully upgrade some of my weapons and accessories. For the hunts, I basically did none of them. I did a little bit of grinding down in Pulse, but that was about it. I was happy to say that I kind of just kept going through the game and never hit a terribly hard point. I did die on a few boss battles, but all I had to do was change my layout and I won, so got to give the game credit for that.

See, the linear aspect of the game never really bothered me. It is like a hall walking simulator and has no towns or anything like that, but that never really bothered me. I guess I have played so many classic RPG's as they can be very railroading of the player on where to go, so I was never affected by it. Plus, not every game needs to be a sandbox game where you can do everything. Sometimes, I like story heavy games that focus on the narrative.

[Raging Justice]

Final Fantasy XIII has the best combat of the entire series, and doing the hunts and optional battles and going for five star ranks really teaches you how to master and appreciate it.

You never really truly understand and appreciate combat mechanics in a FF game unless you do all of the optional stuff in my opinion. Just doing the main quests is almost like simply finishing a tutorial. It just scratches the surface. The real meat of FF games is in the optional stuff and the post game stuff.

Donkey Kong Country Returns



After a house move and a long period where I didn’t play any games at all due to sorting out my game room, I finally jumped back into the fold with my 4th summer challenge game, DKC Returns. This one has been pretty controversial amongst DKC series fans I know, with many proclaiming it doesn’t feel or play right, whilst I hear lots of positive opinions from others about it being one of the best 2D platformers ever. I sit somewhere between the 2 I think. It’s a very good game but one I felt had a few too many gotcha or cheap moments where you weren’t given time to suitably react to a hazard you didn’t know was coming due to the emphasis on dynamic setpieces, especially in the latter half. It doesn’t feel at all like the original DKC trilogy, but I don’t mind that as long as I picture the game as being it’s own thing. I still prefer the original trilogy (especially the third entry) but I had a good time with DKC Returns and am looking forward to trying Tropical Freeze sometime soon.

There seems to be a clear divide among Donkey Kong fans. Some proclaim the entries from retro studios as the best ones by far, even going so far as to call them masterpieces. I strongly disagree. I feel that they are lacking everything that I like about the SNES games.

I feel like there is maybe a generation divide here. It's very obvious that the new ones and the SNES entries are from different developers as they differ in many ways. People who played the Retro Studio ones first are probably going to prefer them I suppose. Those of us who grew up on the SNES entries, find the many changes that Retro Studios did very annoying. One particular sticking point is how they completely removed the Kremlings. I personally hate DKCR and Tropical Freeze because I feel that Retro Studios was more interested in doing their own thing than maintaining the spirit of the series. I might be less inclined to be bothered by that had they simply put out a NEW series that is INSPIRED by Donkey Kong Country rather than simply taking up the reigns of the series, then throwing away the classic platforming mechanics, level design, and characters that we were used to

Super Mario Bros Wonder to its credit, is very different from earlier Mario games in many ways, but it still feels like a Mario game and still has all of the characters that we love. That's how you do it right.

Kaze and the Wild Masks has a better grasp on DKC platforming and level design than the DKCR and Tropical Freeze games do.

I'll leave it at that, as thinking about Returns and Tropical Freeze makes me salty.

[pierrot]

I did a bunch of upgrading equipment because that is the best way to increase your attack. Also, after battle, you gain materials, so it would be silly not too. I don't know how well I did, but I did fully upgrade some of my weapons and accessories. For the hunts, I basically did none of them. I did a little bit of grinding down in Pulse, but that was about it. I was happy to say that I kind of just kept going through the game and never hit a terribly hard point. I did die on a few boss battles, but all I had to do was change my layout and I won, so got to give the game credit for that.

Oh, gotcha. I thought I remembered the fully upgraded equipment requiring materials from hunts and some of the tougher enemies, but I haven't actually played it in about a decade, heh--. I picked up the steam version not long ago, thinking I might kinda want to replay it, but getting the Japanese interface requires some modding that I haven't gotten around to. Also, there are still so many other games out there.

See, the linear aspect of the game never really bothered me. It is like a hall walking simulator and has no towns or anything like that, but that never really bothered me. I guess I have played so many classic RPG's as they can be very railroading of the player on where to go, so I was never affected by it. Plus, not every game needs to be a sandbox game where you can do everything. Sometimes, I like story heavy games that focus on the narrative.

Yeah, same. I'm not very stuck on having absolute freedom in video games, and I think it also ended up making Pulse such a big moment for me, personally.

Final Fantasy XIII has the best combat of the entire series, and doing the hunts and optional battles and going for five star ranks really teaches you how to master and appreciate it.

No diggity. Going for five stars in the latter half of the game was what hooked me on the combat.

[Note]

1. Lufia & the Fortress of Doom (SNES)
2. OutRun 2 SP (PS2)
3. Dynamite Cop (DC)*
4. Soul Calibur (DC)*
5. Melfand Stories (SFC)
6. Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals (SNES)
7. Dynamite Cop (Arcade)*
8. Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil (PS2)
9. Kishin Douji Zenki FX: Vajra Fight (PC-FX)
10. Wild Arms (PS1)
11. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX (GBC)
12. Lucky & Wild (Arcade)
13. Ico (PS2)
14. Champions of Norrath (PS2)
15. OutRunners (GEN)
16. Final Fantasy Adventure (GB)
17. OverBlood (PS1)
18. Parasite Eve (PS1)
19. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PS1)



20. Aladdin (GEN)

Aladdin's a game that I didn't own back when released, but I did end up checking out through a friend. I ended up getting a copy a few years ago, and had played pretty far into the game a few times, but never managed to beat it. However, I was in the mood to take a break from the RPG I've been playing recently to enjoy some Genesis games, and decided to give it another go. Well, this time around I was finally able to finish it!

While the selection of Disney related games on the Genesis is hit and miss, I'm glad that Aladdin turned out to be one of the better titles that came out of the partnership between the two companies. Aladdin is an action-platformer that was designed by Virgin Games. Originally Sega's Aladdin game was licensed to BlueSky; however, they were also working on Jurassic Park at that time. With Disney not happy with the lack of BlueSky's progress due to Jurassic Park being the priority, and allegedly not happy with the quality of the graphics in comparison to Capcom's SNES version, Disney cancelled BlueSky's version and sought out another developer. With Disney's team being impressed by Virgin's title Global Gladiators, they ended up moving forward with Virgin to handle the Genesis version of Aladdin.

Gameplay wise, there's some fun mechanics included here. For attacks, you have access to apples that you can collect and throw at enemies that you need to attack from a distance. You also have access to a trusty sword, which you can use to attack enemies at close range. The sword can also be used to deflect enemy projectiles if timed properly, and I found this mechanic to be really useful, especially in the late game, when things are ratcheted up a bit. Other than the henchmen, there are a lot of environmental dangers to avoid. Whether it's spikes coming out of walls or fire popping up from the ground, you'll have to carefully traverse the various levels. The game consists of nine levels and I think the difficulty is pretty fair for most of the game, until you reach the flying carpet level. There is little room for error here, and it can be pretty frustrating. I think this is the toughest section of the game. There are also two types of bonus stages, one being like a slot machine, where you can potentially win live or other goodies, and the other being a stage where you can control Abu and collect various items while avoiding falling rocks coming your way.

As mentioned earlier, with Disney not being pleased with the look of BlueSky's Aladdin work, the company made an effort to get more involved with the art style used for the graphics. This turned out to be a great decision, as the look and smooth animation is really impressive for a 16-bit game, and it's one of the better looking games on the console, IMO. Not only are the main characters and enemies well done, but the backgrounds are great too and are accurate to the movie. The developers did a great job with the use of color here as well. The desert areas are nice and bright, and even the level in the dark cavern is eye-catching, with the use of blues and purples. Music wise, I think the team here did a pretty good job. Even with the limitations, the music does resemble the tunes found in the movie. Aladdin definitely showed what the Genesis was capable of in the right hands.

I do have some criticisms to mention. My first being in relation to the difficulty. Other than a difficulty spike in the middle of the game, many of the game’s bosses are on the easier side, including the final boss. The patterns are really simple, and I think the developers could’ve done more here. Another aspect that I grew to dislike, is when Aladdin takes damage, the screen flashes white. I think a sound effect would’ve been a better notification tool, because the white flash felt a bit jarring. And my final criticism is with the ending. Not to go too much into it, but this is another area, where I think the developers should have done more, especially since the game’s based on a movie,, and there’s material to pull from.

Overall, I think Aladdin is a great game for the Genesis, and I highly recommend it to fans of platformers. I’d like to track down a copy of Capcom’s version for the SNES to compare. I’d also like to play Cool Spot again, which is another platformer this development team was involved in on the Genesis. I’ll plan to do so in 2025!