Games Beaten 2013

[dsheinem]

I sincerely hope you are kidding

Not in the slightest. I've haven't liked anything they've done since the Crash Bandicoot series. I've never been on the Uncharted bandwagon like everyone else and I think a lot of people here know that already.

I must have forgot. Uncharted 2 is probably my fave game this generation, and 1 and 3 are no slouch. Last of Us looks phenomenal. To each their own, but Naughty Dog hardly "sucks" these days...

[Stark]

Just seeing this pic brings back so many great feelings. I played this platformer more than any other that generation. So much fun, and a lot of old-school sensibilities put into a 3D world, which I'm sure is what appealed to me so much about it. It was the crossover game that really got me comfortable with 3D gaming.

Ah yes, I miss the days when Naughty Dog didn't suck

Right! They didn't suck then and they don't suck now! Good point.

[NihonRobot]

1. Liberation Maiden (3DS) - 1/6
2. Dead Space (360) - 1/11
3. Anarchy Reigns (360) - 1/13
4. Dead Space 2 (360) - 1/17
5. Dead Space 2: Severed DLC (360) - 1/17
6. DmC Devil May Cry (360) - 1/22

This game was super good. I have a feeling that anyone hating this game on the internet hasn't even tried it yet. The combat is fluid, the story is actually entertaining and well-written, and the level design is unpredictable and fun. The facial animations and voice acting were definitely above average (which seems to be consistent with Ninja Theory games) so that really helped me actually relate to the characters and grow to care about them.

[Gamerforlife]

Ah yes, I miss the days when Naughty Dog didn't suck

Right! They didn't suck then and they don't suck now! Good point.

That was kind of a confusing response. Well anyway, "suck" may be a harsh word to use but there's just something about their games I can't stand. As a big fan of the Sly Cooper series and Ratchet and Clank series, I found all of the Jak and Daxter games beyond the first entry to be rather obnoxious. Daxter is a lame character and Jak is not even the same character from the first game. I own Uncharted 2, which everybody raves about, and never finished it as I just found it boring.

Naughty Dog games just feel soulless to me. They basically just rip everybody else off and do whatever is most marketable. Jak 2 was basically a Grand Theft Auto III clone and wasn't even subtle about it. And there was this big emphasis on the guns and how "dark" Jak was which made the whole thing just feel like something a soulless marketing team put together, much like Prince of Persia Warrior Within.

The Uncharted series is just a mix of everything that was popular at the time. It's platforming is just borrowed from Prince of Persia and Tomb Raider and the gunplay is your basic Gears of War stuff. I don't think Naughty Dog actually remembers how to make ORIGINAL games with HEART. It's just copy and paste whatever gameplay is popular at the time and use whatever characters seem marketable. That's the Naughty Dog formula. Nathan Drake is not a character I find myself able to give a shit about, especially considering the huge piles of corpses he racks up over the course of those games.

I can't stand anything Naughty Dog puts out and I think they are one of the most overrated companies in the industry. It doesn't matter what I think though, as I find most Naughty Dog fans to be rather hardcore in their devotion to the company so nothing I say will change any of their opinions.

I still love the Crash Bandicoot games, but again, you look at Crash Team Racing and you can see what I mean about them just ripping off whatever is popular

[dsheinem]

I don't think Naughty Dog actually remembers how to make ORIGINAL games with HEART. It's just copy and paste whatever gameplay is popular at the time and use whatever characters seem marketable. That's the Naughty Dog formula.

I get don't think Crash was any more/less "original" or had more/less "heart" than any of their IPs since. It too just combined things that were popular at the time (fuzzy mascots with attitude, mad scientists, shifting traditional 2D gameplay to 3D, etc.). Their strength has always been in bringing those popular elements together in a polished, refined way with tight game mechanics, excellent graphics, and compelling writing. You might like fuzzy mascots with 'tude and platforming more than adventurers with 'tude and shooting, but it seems to me that the creative formula used in all their series isn't really very different.

[dsheinem]

Games Beaten 2013
Twisted Metal - PS1
Twisted Metal 2 - PS1
Twisted Metal III - PS1
Twisted Metal 4 - PS1
Screaming Mad George's Paranoiascape - PS1
N.O.V.A. - PSP
Jetpack Joyride - Vita
Devil May Cry (2013) - 360
BlazBlu: Continuum Shift Extend - Vita
Fighting Masters - Genesis
Kirby's Epic Yarn - Wii *new*

Total: 11

2012 Games Beaten
2011 Games Beaten
2010 Games Beaten

I felt kind of bad that I didn't beat a single Wii game last year (despite playing a few) so yesterday I put the system in the (smaller) game room instead of the (larger) living room. The result? My first Wii game beaten since I finished off No More Heroes back in December 2011. I have a stack of others I'd like to get to, so hopefully having the system in the same room where I do the vast majority of the rest of my gaming will make a difference in cutting into that backlog.

Kirby's Epic Yarn is just about the most charming and adorable game I've ever played, and despite the very different gameplay (no sucking and blowing), it is undoubtedly one of the strongest entries in the series (which is high praise for a series with few if any slackers). It is exceptionally easy (I am not sure if I ever lost a life), but it has plenty of exploring and challenging platforming that pulls you in nonetheless. Great fun!

[Luke]

Kirby's Epic Yarn

You'd think a yarn company would want to sponsor the game, but nooooooooo. Well, Vickie Howell thought it was a good idea but that was it.

1. Batman Genesis
2. Golden Axe Sega CD
3. Streets if Rage Sega CD (I'm keeping the typo)
4. Streets of Rage 2
5. Super Mario Bros. 2 NES
6. TMNT Fall of the Foot Clan Gameboy
7. TMNT 2 The Arcade Game NES
8. TMNT Hyperstone Heist

I had a TMNT itch that needed to be scratched. I used the ten turtle code on Arcade, but Fall and Heist were beaten sans-cheats.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Kirby's Epic Yarn is just about the most charming and adorable game I've ever played, and despite the very different gameplay (no sucking and blowing), it is undoubtedly one of the strongest entries in the series (which is high praise for a series with few if any slackers). It is exceptionally easy (I am not sure if I ever lost a life), but it has plenty of exploring and challenging platforming that pulls you in nonetheless. Great fun!

I agree. Kirby's Epic Yarn was such a charming game, and I loved the art direction and - especially - the soundtrack.

[dsheinem]

Kirby's Epic Yarn is just about the most charming and adorable game I've ever played, and despite the very different gameplay (no sucking and blowing), it is undoubtedly one of the strongest entries in the series (which is high praise for a series with few if any slackers). It is exceptionally easy (I am not sure if I ever lost a life), but it has plenty of exploring and challenging platforming that pulls you in nonetheless. Great fun!

I agree. Kirby's Epic Yarn was such a charming game, and I loved the art direction and - especially - the soundtrack.

Dear God yes the soundtrack. It instantly became one of the all time favorte soundtracks - such wondeful jazz pieces - and often solo jazz piano!

It is also the PERFECT game to play with a young kid watching. To say my son was "mesmerized" by the game is putting it mildly.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Kirby's Epic Yarn is just about the most charming and adorable game I've ever played, and despite the very different gameplay (no sucking and blowing), it is undoubtedly one of the strongest entries in the series (which is high praise for a series with few if any slackers). It is exceptionally easy (I am not sure if I ever lost a life), but it has plenty of exploring and challenging platforming that pulls you in nonetheless. Great fun!

I agree. Kirby's Epic Yarn was such a charming game, and I loved the art direction and - especially - the soundtrack.

Dear God yes the soundtrack. It instantly became one of the all time favorte soundtracks - such wondeful jazz pieces - and often solo jazz piano!

It is also the PERFECT game to play with a young kid watching. To say my son was "mesmerized" by the game is putting it mildly.

Yeah. The piano pieces nailed it for me. The whole game was just so charming.

Did you see that Nintendo just announced a new Yoshi's Island game for the WiiU in the same style and by the same developer? I do not have a WiiU, but I might pick one up if the new game is as charming as Kirby's Epic Yarn.