Games Beaten 2012

[Flake]

1/2 Cannon Spike (DC)
1/9 Mega Man X4 (GCN)
1/17 Psycho Soldier (PSN)
1/22 Warhammer 40,000: Dark Crusade (PC)
1/28 Police 911 2 (Arcade)
2/7 Soul Calibur V (PS3)
2/26 Metal Gear Solid 2: HD Edition (PS3)
3/7 Street Fighter X Tekken (PS3)
4/14 Sonic CD (PSN)
5/3 Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi 3 (Wii)
6/3 Metroid Prime (Wii)
7/1 Metroid: Other M (Wii)
7/1 Kirby's Return to Dreamland (Wii)
7/7 Strikers: 1945 (Arcade)
7/25 Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)
8/23 Megaman III (Gameboy)
8/24 Megaman IV (Gameboy)
9/3 Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins (Gameboy)
9/4 Kirby's Dreamland (Gameboy)
9/6 Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (Gameboy)

I have always liked the Wario Land series just a little bit more than Mario Bros. There is something fun about Wario. It's one of those rare platformers where you are more powerful than almost everything around you, where you can shove your enemies around. Oddly, in a game where you win by being a greedy bully, there are some really slick puzzles.

The first Wario Land game is really good. It's got some great production values and neat power ups. I think it gets overshadowed by Wario Land 2 by quite a bit but it's a really great follow up to Mario Land 2.

[alienjesus]

ecco the dolphin - sega cd

i've tried to beat this game several times over the years but never was able to stick it out. finally, i put my food down and said, "enough is enough. you are going down to china town." this is a game that definitely over stays its welcome; it gets very very very very repetitive. i definitely don't see it as a sega must have as most people probably view this game.

I dont think most people regard this as a must have these days. The vast majority of people I know haven't got very far and don't really like it. I used to be one of those people too until I gave it more of a chance last year and finally finished it. I personally quite liked it in the end, but it's easy to see how some wouldn't. The checkpoints in the Sega CD version would probably help to alleviate some of the stress of restarting levels over and over at least, but it's a shame there's nothing to help you get through the horror that is The Machine.

9/6 Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (Gameboy)

I have always liked the Wario Land series just a little bit more than Mario Bros. There is something fun about Wario. It's one of those rare platformers where you are more powerful than almost everything around you, where you can shove your enemies around. Oddly, in a game where you win by being a greedy bully, there are some really slick puzzles.

The first Wario Land game is really good. It's got some great production values and neat power ups. I think it gets overshadowed by Wario Land 2 by quite a bit but it's a really great follow up to Mario Land 2.

I really enjoy Wario Land 1, Virtual Boy and Shake Dimension, but I honestly couldn't stand Wario Land II, I thought it was an awful game. I think I prefer the more conventional feeling Wario platformers. Wario Land 4 was hit and miss, and I haven't got around to 3 yet.

I'm enjoying all of the classic game boy love on your list at the minute though!

[Gamerforlife]

Games beaten so far:
1. Mario vs Donkey Kong: Minis March Again - DSiWare (Gold Star save file)
2. Sonic Generations - PS3
3. Super Mario 3D Land - 3DS (with a five glittering star save file)
4. Starship Defense (All no SOS perfects) - DSiWare
5. Soul of Darkness - DSiWare
6. Mutant Mudds (All crystals and water sprouts) - 3DS Eshop
7. The Simpsons Arcade (US Version) - PS3
8. DodoGo! - DSiWare - (Golden egg on every stage)
9. Mass Effect 2 - 360 (Insanity mode difficulty with Sentinel class)
10. Mass Effect 3 - 360 (Insanity mode with Adept)
11. Final Fantasy XIII-2 - PS3 (Platinum trophy)
12. Xenoblade Chronicles - Wii
13. The Darkness II - Xbox 360
14. Lollipop Chainsaw - PS3 (Platinum trophy) and 360 version (all achievements)
15. Dust: An Elysian Tale - Xbox Live Arcade

Cthulu Saves the World - Xbox 360 (Xbox Live Indie Games)

So this is really the first indie game I've tried from Xbox Live. I've also since downloaded Escape Goat, but haven't finished it yet. So basically, Cthulu Saves the World is an ode to fans of old 8-bit/16-bit rpgs and fans of H.P. Lovecraft. I've never read an H.P. Lovecraft book. So that part of the game was kind of lost on me. I did play Final Fantasy III numerous times on the Super Nintendo though, so I enjoyed the strong nostalgia feeling that came from playing this game as I imagine old Final Fantasy games were definitely a part of its inspiration.

The soundtrack is great, 16-bit sounding fare. The graphics features some cool designs for the enemies and look like they fall somewhere between 8-bit and 16-bit to me. The game has a lot of great humor, often breaking the fourth wall entirely and making jokes about the game developers as well as the game's narrator and even the player. There's lots of cool little references to other games as well(Day of the Tentacle, Salamander, etc.) and other cool things in pop culture (like a cool Princess Bride reference).

The gameplay is mostly standard old school rpg fare. You attack enemies with physical attacks and magic attacks and heal when necessary. The game tries to spice things up with additional things like insanity effects for enemies and a combo meter, but I found that they had little impact on combat on normal difficulty. The best things about the game's gameplay are the little refinements to the old school, rpg formula. You can save anywhere. You can teleport to any town. And my favorite thing of all, you can fight a finite number of random battles in each dungeon before they stop entirely! Awesome! There is also a menu option to initiate combat at will, so you don't have to run around in a circle waiting for a random encounter when you feel like level grinding.

I have mixed feelings about the leveling system. At each level up, you have to choose between two bonuses. This gives the game some replay value and allows you to customize your characters. However, I dislike having to basically throw away a level bonus every time I level since you can't have them both. I also disliked the design of some of the dungeons. They are very large and convoluted with tons of different paths making it easy to get lost. It's also a short game by rpg standards, but it's a cheap indie game so I guess that's acceptable.

These are really all minor gripes. All in all it's a well done homage to rpg classics of a bygone era, and there's plenty of laughs along the way to make the game worth playing. There's some cool bonuses and extra modes you unlock at the end of the game too, including an all new remixed version of the story mode that I am eager to play. Not bad for a game that I downloaded for only 80 points.

EDIT: I'm also updating my list to show that I beat both versions of Lollipop Chainsaw with all trophies AND all achievements. Yes, I actually enjoyed the game that much.

[Stark]

EDIT: I'm also updating my list to show that I beat both versions of Lollipop Chainsaw with all trophies AND all achievements. Yes, I actually enjoyed the game that much.

Why did you do that? Are the 360 and PS3 versions different in any significant way?

[Gamerforlife]

EDIT: I'm also updating my list to show that I beat both versions of Lollipop Chainsaw with all trophies AND all achievements. Yes, I actually enjoyed the game that much.

Why did you do that? Are the 360 and PS3 versions different in any significant way?

Nah, just minor advantages in performance/graphics on the 360 version. Though, if you hate save copy locks as much as I do then that is one significant differece (can't copy saves on the PS3 version)

I was just looking for an excuse to play the game again after I finished it which is why I played both versions. I have a Gamefly account, so it's not like I went out and bought two copies or anything like that. Just rented both versions.

[ExedExes]

Shenmue II -- Dreamcast (January 9)
Golden Axe Warrior -- Sega Master System (January 19)
Ys I -- Turbo CD (March 22)
Zanac X Zanac -- PS1 (April 7)
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 -- Dreamcast (April 30)
Warioware Twisted - Game Boy Advance (May 30)
Wolfenstein 3D - Game Boy Advance (May 31)
Warioware Inc. - Game Boy Advance (June 15)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past - Game Boy Advance (June 25)
Super Mario Advance 2: SMW - Game Boy Advance (June 26)
Command & Conquer - PC (June 28)
Gunstar Heroes - Genesis (July 6)
Call of Duty Finest Hour - GameCube (August 13)
Bomberman '94 - PC Engine (August 17)
Salamander 2 - MAME/Arcade (August 19)
Megaman 7 - SNES (by way of Mega Man Anniversary Collection) (August 17)
Medal of Honor Frontline - GameCube (August 24)
Super Star Shooter - Sharp X68000 (August 30)
Mega Man 8 - PS1 (by way of Mega Man Anniversary Collection (August 31)
Mega Man Anniversary Collection - GameCube (August 31)
Medal of Honor Allied Assault - PC (September 5)
*NEW* Super Mario Advance - Game Boy Advance (September 7)

Nice to come back to that again, in a new format.

[Flake]

I'm enjoying all of the classic game boy love on your list at the minute though!

There's more to come. I'm on something of a classic gameboy rampage.

[dsheinem]

January-June
Bride of Pin*Bot (from Pinball Arcade) - Vita
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX - PS3
Super Stardust Delta - Vita
DoDonPachi Resurrection - 360
Bit.Trip Beat - PC
Dear Esther - PC
Wizorb - PC
Sound Shapes - Vita
Infinity Blade - iOS
Infinity Blade II - iOS
Super Star Shooter - X68000 *new*
Mortal Kombat (2012) - Vita *new*
Super Mario 3D Land - NDS *new*

TOTAL: 49

2011 Games Beaten
2010 Games Beaten

Super Star Shooter was the only game I legitimately ALL'd in STGT. It's a 5 minute game that i spent many hours playing. A lot of fun!

Mortal Kombat controls well and looks great on the Vita, but either I am rusty with this series or this is one of the toughest entries to date. I had to really credit feed to clear the last three bosses in arcade mode, to an embarrassing extent. I hope to get better at it and there's obviously a WEALTH of features, but I have quite the uphill climb it seems.

In one game, Super Mario 3D Land legitimized my decision to finally purchase a 3DS (I picked up an XL on Tuesday). Not only does it use 3D effects in a more compelling way than I have ever seen in any game on the system, but it is one of the strongest entries in the series (which is saying something) and arguably the best handheld Mario to date (which is also saying something). The last few levels are quite epic, the final boss battle was a high mark for the series, and if I don't ever find another 3DS game I enjoy it will be worth having one for this game alone! Simply amazing.

[noiseredux]

Mortal Kombat controls well and looks great on the Vita, but either I am rusty with this series or this is one of the toughest entries to date. I had to really credit feed to clear the last three bosses in arcade mode, to an embarrassing extent. I hope to get better at it and there's obviously a WEALTH of features, but I have quite the uphill climb it seems.

when MK9 came out, I thought I really liked it. It felt like Mk2. I thought. But y'know what? It sucks. Playing it recently, I think it's a pretty shit game that I don't enjoy at all. I got rid of it last week and feel fine about it. Sure, it looks nice and has a nice nostalgic feel... but it's just not nearly as good as playing some of the old games. Fuck it.

[dsheinem]

Mortal Kombat controls well and looks great on the Vita, but either I am rusty with this series or this is one of the toughest entries to date. I had to really credit feed to clear the last three bosses in arcade mode, to an embarrassing extent. I hope to get better at it and there's obviously a WEALTH of features, but I have quite the uphill climb it seems.

when MK9 came out, I thought I really liked it. It felt like Mk2. I thought. But y'know what? It sucks. Playing it recently, I think it's a pretty shit game that I don't enjoy at all. I got rid of it last week and feel fine about it. Sure, it looks nice and has a nice nostalgic feel... but it's just not nearly as good as playing some of the old games. Fuck it.

Can you elaborate on why it "sucks" since you've spent more time with it? I paid $10 for it and so I feel I will easily get my money's worth from picking it up and playing it from time to time.

Oh oh! I know! Does it suck because it has Freddy Krueger in it?