Games Beaten 2013

[Violent By Design]

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.

Woooah there. You dare mention Mario so close to a Sonic discussion? What are you trying to start here.

[ExedExes]

1. Medal of Honor Allied Assault Spearhead - PC (January 2)
2. America's Army - Arcade (January 12) - 1cc!
3. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell - Gamecube (January 26)
4. *NEW* Dragon Spirit - NES (February 7) - 1cc!

It's been about a year since I 1cc'd (completed without continuing) a console shmup. The latest is Dragon Spirit. After seeing a challenge to my ex-current high score on the SoTM thread, I put myself back to work, and went all the way, not losing any lives till Area 9, and picking up 5-6 more from 1ups and revealing the fairies. I lost a few on the second to last section, and I lost one on the final form of Galda, but it was a blessing in disguise, for the random power ups were favorably disposed to me on my next attempt; picked up an Option and Wide, which were able to be combined so now I had a smaller dragon and wide shots with the options on either side. It made that final confrontation easier to handle. Had to remember to RESET the NES to get my score since the ending did not take me back to the title screen.

[Balasubbie]

Games Finished 2013:

1. Psychonauts (PS2)
2. The Cave (PS3)
3. CoD of Duty (PC)
4. House of the Dead (PC)
5. Virtua Cop (PC)
6. Typing of the Dead (PC)

You'd be amazed at how much an onslaught of the undead can rag on your WPM count.

[ExedExes]

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!

I'll second this as a true hidden gem on the SNES. Play it if you haven't.

6. Typing of the Dead (PC)

You'd be amazed at how much an onslaught of the undead can rag on your WPM count.

Does the PC port have the Original Mode present on the Dreamcast? I completed that about a year ago. Players of TOTD may thing they're all that because they played HOTD2, but Chapter 5 and 6 come and beat you down.

[Balasubbie]

Yup, the original mode's on the PC version, and slightly less taxing, as you can stock up on bombs for when those sentences get way too long. The paragraphs they give you for the 4th boss, The Strength, is flat-out torture, especially when coupled with the fact his chainsaw revs up as the fight continues.

I'd have loved to have seen the reception TotD got in the arcades, there must've been smashed cabs everywhere. It's amazing how it gets to you; particularly the frustration when no matter how much type, you can't seem to fart out a word on time.

[ExedExes]

Yup, the original mode's on the PC version, and slightly less taxing, as you can stock up on bombs for when those sentences get way too long. The paragraphs they give you for the 4th boss, The Strength, is flat-out torture, especially when coupled with the fact his chainsaw revs up as the fight continues.

I'd have loved to have seen the reception TotD got in the arcades, there must've been smashed cabs everywhere. It's amazing how it gets to you; particularly the frustration when no matter how much type, you can't seem to fart out a word on time.

It is just neat how they nailed the boss fights as close as they could to the original game. Typing paragraphs reminded me of the frustration of aiming for the head of Strength, for example.

[dunpeal2064]

1. Mega Man (NES)
2. Kirby's Adventure (NES)
3. Toejam & Earl (GEN)
4. Mortal Kombat (SCD)
5. Rockband (Hard) (360)
6. Mega Man 2 (NES)
7. Metal Storm (NES)
8. Little Samson (NES)
9. Castlevania (NES)
10. Super Mario Bros (NES)
11. Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers (NES)
12. Contra (NES)

Rescue Rangers was a pretty damn fun little platformer. Its a bit on the easy side, but throwing things around SMB2 -style is fun, and simultaneous co-op play in a platformer is a huge plus for me.

Contra... holy damn. This game is so awesome. The music, the levels, the bosses... everything is just spot-on with this game. The game seemed pretty daunting at first, but once I found a path that works for each stage and stick to it, it became pretty manageable. I actually played through the 2nd loop and made it all the way to the last boss. I liked this game so much that I'll probably find myself playing through it at least once a month.

[ExedExes]

Contra... holy damn. This game is so awesome. The music, the levels, the bosses... everything is just spot-on with this game. The game seemed pretty daunting at first, but once I found a path that works for each stage and stick to it, it became pretty manageable. I actually played through the 2nd loop and made it all the way to the last boss. I liked this game so much that I'll probably find myself playing through it at least once a month.

It never gets old!

[Ack]

1. Sniper Elite V2 (PS3)(TPS)
2. Teen Agent (PC)(Point and Click Adventure)
3. Alpha Protocol (PS3)(RPG)
4. Beneath A Steel Sky (PC)(Point and Click Adventure)
5. Imscared - A Pixelated Nightmare (PC)(Horror)
6. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (SNES)(RPG)
7. Celestial Mechanica (PC)(Platformer)
8. Gravity Bone (PC)(First Person Adventure)
9. Secret of Mana (SNES)(RPG)
10. Lure of the Temptress (PC)(Point and Click Adventure)
11. Mario's Early Years: Fun With Numbers (SNES)(Edutainment)
12. CoD of Duty (PC)(FPS)
13. The Bard's Tale (PS2)(RPG)

Glad you guys liked CoD of Duty.

Anyway, a friend recommended I try this as she said I remind her of the snarky, jaded main character. And I loved it! It's simplistic, features a rudimentary system for selecting "moral" choices which only has relatively minor impacts in the game until the final decision, and features a generally weak system for controlling a troupe of "pets," which is really what they are despite being fantasy archetypes like Knights and Rogues. But what makes this one stand out is the personality.

First, you play a sarcastic dick. You will engage in arguments with the game's narrator, who openly despises you. Your motivations are sex and getting rich quick. You're misogynistic, crude, and self-serving. Which makes for a great RPG character as you are manipulated by the magical princess who keeps offering to do implied obscenely sexual things to you and give you her vast wealth for your continuing your quest to release her. Yet every time you do something, it seems there's another step or four revealed to you to get to the end. And meanwhile, a bunch of druids are trying to kill you, the undead are slowly taking over the world, strange ancient beasts are being released (which is usually your fault), and everything seems to be going to Hell in a hand basket. Good times.

Oh, and if you do play this game, be nice to the dog at the beginning. Trust me.

[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
Cruis'n - Wii
Foosball 2012 - Vita
Electronic Table Soccer! - Odyssey2
Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown -PS3
Asura's Wrath - PS3
Showdown in 2100 A.D. - Odyssey2 *new*
CoD of Duty - PC *new*
Little Big Planet Karting - PS3 *new*

Total: 19

Games Beaten: 2012 2011 2010

Single player mode in "Showdown in 2100 A.D." (no exclamation point??!!) features you vs the computer in a old-west style shootout but 87 years from now. It accurately captures what life in 2100 will be like when we have all achieved immortality by uploading our consciousness to an Odyssey2 cartridge and spend our days shooting at each other across pink and yellow shrubs. In all honesty, I wasn't even going to list Showdown in 2100 A.D. on this list because the A.I is so bad that the computer often kills itself, but then I played CoD of Duty and figured why not...

CoD of Duty is easily the most fun I've had with an FPS this year. I very much hope there's an annual iteration of the game, in line with the series it is parodying. There are so many wonderful possibilities.

EDIT: added LBP Karting as I finished the story mode before anyone else posted in here. The game is pretty fun - well worth the $10 I got it for on sale and I'd say it's probably in the top five kart racers I've ever played. The story mode (which is what I usually play in any LBP game) features some really inventive and fun to race tracks in the last 1/2 or so of the game - but like too many games in the series it just takes too long to pick up momentum and get to the fun stuff. Still, worth a look if you like kart racers or LBP.