Games Beaten 2013

[pierrot]

Because I'm wondering how Sonic & K enhances Sonic 3 other than letting Knuckles being eligible.

Are the stages better in Sonic & K?

Aside from Sonic 3&K being the intended way to play the games, there's no real reason not to lock Sonic 3 on unless you really want to fight the true Sonic 3 final boss. (Who's a wimp, anyway.) Also, you can collect two sets of chaos emeralds, which give you hyper/turbo versions of the three characters.

[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
7. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (PS3) - 2/5
8. CoD of Duty (Web) - 2/7

http://games.rjevans.net/codod/

Based on Ack's review and my undying curiosity I had to look it up and try it out.

It's super short and can be completed in about 10-15 minutes. It's a pretty funny observation of today's FPS tropes. I think it's worth playing for both Call of Duty players and haters. It's short, free, and a video game!

[Balasubbie]

Games Finished 2013:

1. Psychonauts (PS2)
2. The Cave (PS3)
3. CoD of Duty (PC)
4. House of the Dead (PC)

Yeah, it does nothing to contradict the argument that lightgun titles are broken with a mouse, but I had my fun.

[CFFJR]

Because I am physically unable to not comment on the Sonic issue:

Sonic 3 and Knuckles > Sonic CD > Sonic 1 >>> Sonic 2

I love Sonic 2, I really do. But its always felt to me like the one that sticks out the most among the original five. It also has the highest concentration of levels that are merely good rather than amazing.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Company of Heroes
Super Mario 3D Land
Far Cry 3

It was okay. Still don't get the GOTY arguments. Still think FC2 was more fun. It was pretty. Story was okay till it took a giant nosedive halfway through.

Overall. Meh.

[Gamerforlife]

12. CoD of Duty (PC)(FPS)

Oh, snap. Cheers for the heads up, had a blast.

Games Finished 2013:

1. Psychonauts (PS2)
2. The Cave (PS3)
3. CoD of Duty (PC)

To weigh in on the Sonic chatter, Sonic CD is a clunky platformer revered for no other reason than the fact it was a 16-bit era Sonic released on a, historically speaking, relatively niche platform. Forgive the seeming cynicism, but I found it to feel like a rom-hack on my playthroughs of it, and the undue praise baffles me. The purported depth amounts to little more than scenery changes, slightly altered platforms, and wasting enough time to eventually alter the last second and a half of the closing cutscene.

I mostly agree with you. I think Sonic CD is certainly good, but vastly overrated. I think all the other 16-bit Sonics are better. For my money, Sonic & Knuckles BY ITSELF is the best of the old school Sonics. Now, if people wanna group it together with Sonic 3 as one game, I think that's perfectly fine. However, I've always viewed S&K as the better half of said game. It reached levels of epic that none of the other Sonic games did and redefined cartridge technology AND gave players a reason to replay earlier entries. It was the peak of the series and a technological marvel for its time.

And while I don't view Sonic 1 as the best in the series, that magical moment when I first played it and knew I was experiencing something fresh, new, and different was not something that the sequels could recapture. The sequels all built on that formula and improved it (except Sonic CD), but they were all riffs on a familiar formula. Nothing like the revelatory moment I had playing the first one when it was all still new.

[o.pwuaioc]

Because I am physically unable to not comment on the Sonic issue:

Sonic 3 and Knuckles > Sonic CD > Sonic 1 >>> Sonic 2

I love Sonic 2, I really do. But its always felt to me like the one that sticks out the most among the original five. It also has the highest concentration of levels that are merely good rather than amazing.

Well, if we're doing it...

Sonic 3 + Knuckles > Sonic 1 > Sonic 2 > Sonic CD.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Never played Sonic CD.

GET THEE TO SONIC CD SON

Probably the only Sonic game I know inside and out. Couldn't really get into the others.

Haha maybe I'll get it one day... I rarely buy Sega CD games (maybe 2 per year) because they're near impossible to find "in the wild."

Moving on to games beaten..........

Skyblazer (SNES)
This game was a bit of an unknown for some time, but seems to have developed a cult following during the past few years. It's a beautifully designed colorful platformer - stylistically, it resembles Magician Lord a bit. It's relatively easy, especially after the first couple of playthroughs. Items are plentiful and respawn when you enter/exit rooms. Fighting the bosses is the most entertaining part of the game, as a special strategy is required to defeat each one. I don't think this title is too rare yet, so if you see it - get it!

Super Mario World (SNES)
Not much to say. This and Super Mario 3 may be the best platformers of all time. I love to chill out and play through this a couple of times every year.

[Balasubbie]

And while I don't view Sonic 1 as the best in the series, that magical moment when I first played it and knew I was experiencing something fresh, new, and different was not something that the sequels could recapture. The sequels all built on that formula and improved it (except Sonic CD), but they were all riffs on a familiar formula. Nothing like the revelatory moment I had playing the first one when it was all still new.

I think your point perfectly reflects Sonic CD's development. It's essentially an alternate sequel to Sonic 1, created in Japan after Yuji Naka twoddled off to the States to do Sonic 2 in response to Sega Japan's stricter dev policies. Sonic Sequel Wars: USA 1/Japan 0.

I'm not able to get into Sonic & Knuckles for some reason. I sunk a lot of time into revisiting the original Sonic series last year, but hit the bricks around S&K. It could be burn out, but I didn't find myself drawn to keep going as with 1-3. Mind, the shine came off the series a wee bit with the sheer endurance rounds that made up some of Sonic 3's stages, and may've segued into dread in facing S&K.

[o.pwuaioc]

Skyblazer (SNES)
This game was a bit of an unknown for some time, but seems to have developed a cult following during the past few years. It's a beautifully designed colorful platformer - stylistically, it resembles Magician Lord a bit. It's relatively easy, especially after the first couple of playthroughs. Items are plentiful and respawn when you enter/exit rooms. Fighting the bosses is the most entertaining part of the game, as a special strategy is required to defeat each one. I don't think this title is too rare yet, so if you see it - get it!

What a great little game, right? I do think it picks up a bit the further you go, especially with some trickier enemy patterns, and it's definitely more difficult than the other game you just beat!

Super Mario World (SNES)
Not much to say. This and Super Mario 3 may be the best platformers of all time. I love to chill out and play through this a couple of times every year.