Games Beaten 2013

[Luke]

First 99:

1. Batman Genesis
2. Golden Axe Sega CD
3. Streets if Rage Sega CD (I'm keeping the typo)
4. Streets of Rage 2 Genesis
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 Genesis
9. Call of Duty Black Ops 360
10. Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis
11. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Genesis
12. Sonic CD Sega CD
13. Kung-Fu NES
14. Mega Man 2 NES
15. Out of This World SNES
16. Flashback SNES
17. Altered Beast Genesis
18. Pit-Fighter Genesis
19. Aladdin Genesis
20. Aladdin SNES
21. Ghosts n' Goblins NES, twice
22. Contra NES
23. Bionic Commando NES
24. Strider NES
25. Batman NES
26. Duck Tales NES
27. Ninja Gaiden NES x 2
28. Super Mario Bros. 3 NES
29. Lakers Vs. Celtics and the NBA Playoffs Genesis
30. Jackal NES
31. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out! NES
32. Bayou Billy NES
33. Skate or Die NES
34. Captain Skyhawk NES
35. Super Mario Bros. NES
36. Friday The 13th NES
37. Totally Rad NES
38. Shatterhand NES
39. Twisted Metal Black PS2
40. Tekken 3 Bleamcast
41. Tekken Tag Tournament PS2
42. Tekken 4 PS2
43. Tekken 5 PS2
44. Tekken 6 360
45. Pro Wrestling NES
46. Tecmo Wrestling NES
47. Tag Team Wrestling NES
48. Marvel's Ultimate Alliance 2 360
49. Jurassic Park Genesis
50. Excitebike NES
51. Willy Beamish Sega CD
52. Sewer Shark Sega CD
53. Jurassic Park Sega CD
54. Star Wars Rebel Assault Sega CD
55. NHL '94 Sega CD
56. Spider-Man vs. Kingpin Sega CD
57. Ironsword NES
58. TMNT Return from the Sewers Gameboy
59. Duck Tales Gameboy
60. Duck Tales 2 Gameboy
61. Super Mario Land Gameboy
62. Super Marion Land 2 Gameboy
63. Strider GBA
64. Bionic Commando GBA
65. Golden Axe GBA
66. Mini Final Fight GBA
67. Tetris Gameboy
68. F-1 Race Gameboy
69. Home Alone Gameboy
70. Road Rash Genesis
71. Rambo III Genesis
72. Shinobi III Genesis
73. LHX Attack Chopper Genesis
74. StarFox SNES
75. Final Fight SNES
76. Madden '94 SNES
77. Donkey Kong Country SNES
78. NCAA Basketball 2008 360
79. Vectorman Genesis
80. Vectorman 2 Genesis
81. Actraiser VC
82. Child Of Eden 360
83. The Duel Test Drive II Genesis
84. Hard Drivin' Genesis
85. Dr. Mario NES
86. Super Mario Kart SNES
87. Super Mario World SNES
88. Metal Gear NES
89. E.T 2600
90. Mario Superstar Baseball Gamecube
91. Starfox 64 VC
92. Blazing Angels Wii
93. LOTR Two Towers GC
92. Rogue Leader GC
93. Rebel Strike GC
94. Soul Calibur II GC
95. F-1 Race
96. F-Zero GP Legend GBA
97. THPS 2 GBA
98. Madden 07 GBA
99. Metroid Zero Mission GBA

100. Top Gun NES
101. Altered Beast SMS
102. Galaxy Force SMS
103. Reggie Jackson Baseball SMS
104. After Burner SMS
105. Space Harrier SMS
106. Rolling Thunder NES
107. Code Name Viper NES
108. Godzilla NES
109. Earthworm Jim Genesis
110. Zillion II SMS
111. Blades of Steel NES
112. Double Dribble NES
113. Splatterhouse Arcade via 360
114. Splatterhouse 2 Genesis via 360
115. Mutant League Football Genesis
116. Mutant League Hockey Genesis
117. Super Star Wars SNES *new*

It's far from being a perfect game. It's far from having perfect controls. It is far from being easy. And it is not the best in the series.

But I still love it. I'm hoping to tackle the rest of the trilogy tonight. I think it should be doable in two hours.

[graffix_13]

Finishing up my PS3 backlog before the PS4 release continues....

1. Borderlands 2- PS3 (Platinum Trophy)
2. God of War: Ascension- PS3 (Platinum Trophy)
3. Actraiser- SNES
4. Borderlands- PS3 (Platinum Trophy)
5. Super Castlevania IV- SNES
6. Final Fantasy VII- PS1/PSN
7. Super Metroid- SNES
8. The Last of Us- PS3 (Platinum Trophy)
9. Far Cry 3- PS3 (Platinum Trophy)
10. Bioshock- PS3 (Platinum Trophy)
11. Journey- PS3 (100%)
12. Bioshock Infinite- PS3

Started my 1999 playthrough on Bioshock Infinite but I finished the story last weekend. Good game, but I still like the first Bioshock better. I didn't hate the story for Bioshock Infinite but I thought it was 'meh' at first. BUT....the more I thought about it and read about it on the various message boards, I have a better appreciation of it. I think it went too far with the twist after twist after twist aspect, but it has grown on my the last few days. It's a story that takes some time to sink in and put it all together. I've got from 'meh' to 'pretty good' on the story now.

[Stark]

Finishing up my PS3 backlog before the PS4 release continues....

1. Borderlands 2- PS3 (Platinum Trophy)
2. God of War: Ascension- PS3 (Platinum Trophy)
3. Actraiser- SNES
4. Borderlands- PS3 (Platinum Trophy)
5. Super Castlevania IV- SNES
6. Final Fantasy VII- PS1/PSN
7. Super Metroid- SNES
8. The Last of Us- PS3 (Platinum Trophy)
9. Far Cry 3- PS3 (Platinum Trophy)
10. Bioshock- PS3 (Platinum Trophy)
11. Journey- PS3 (100%)
12. Bioshock Infinite- PS3

Started my 1999 playthrough on Bioshock Infinite but I finished the story last weekend. Good game, but I still like the first Bioshock better. I didn't hate the story for Bioshock Infinite but I thought it was 'meh' at first. BUT....the more I thought about it and read about it on the various message boards, I have a better appreciation of it. I think it went too far with the twist after twist after twist aspect, but it has grown on my the last few days. It's a story that takes some time to sink in and put it all together. I've got from 'meh' to 'pretty good' on the story now.

I think part of the "problem" with the narrative in this story, is that a lot is told through voxaphone. If you missed certain key ones, a lot of motivation is missed. I loved the story and would call it more than pretty good, but I think I still prefer BS1 too.

[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. Dragon Spirit - NES (February 7) - 1cc!
5. Final Fantasy - (by way of DoS) - GBA (March 15)
6. Wing Commander - PC (March 21)
7. Medal of Honor European Assault - Gamecube (March 30)
8. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow - Gamecube (April 6)
9. Half-Life - PC (April 25)
10. Fantastic Dizzy - Genesis (May 16)
11. Fatal Fury Special - NeoGeo (in MAME) (June 10)
12. Gun - Gamecube (June 15)
13. Road Rash Jailbreak - GBA (July 3)
14. Road Rash - Genesis (July 10)
15. Road Rash 2 - Genesis (July 18)
16. Road Rash 3 - Genesis (July 29)
17. TMNT Turtles In Time - Arcade (August 10)
18. TMNT The Hyperstone Heist - Genesis (August 22)
19. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory - Gamecube (August 24)
20. Ninja Warriors Again - SFC (August 26)
21. 8 Eyes - NES (September 13)
22. *NEW* - Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonstrike - NES (September 19)

Another red title in the "Exed Vs. NES" series, but to be fair, it was only because it was a late release on the NES and aside from some Nintendo Power coverage not much has been said about it. Finally, a D&D game I can beat No, it was not that terrible Heroes of the Lance either. This one was great. It played almost like a shmup. You pick a Bronze, Silver, or Gold dragon, each with different levels of attributes (I used Gold) and set out on a series of missions, destroying and defeating enemy dragons, ships, structures, etc. Your dragon can change altitude to hit and avoid air and ground targets. Many of these missions also have boss battles with some really nice artwork and huge characters. The length is also reasonable, but don't believe it when you think you might be on the last stage. Also to note, it was developed by Westwood Associates, who became Westwood Studios and were famous for many great 90s RTS like Dune II and the Command & Conquer series.

[Sload Soap]

World of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck

This is a beaten not a complete as I've only done a Mickey run and half a Donald.
Another easy game, I'd rank it just below Castle of Illusion, Aladdin and Lion King for the mega drive. It's fun but it has pacing and control problems the others don't have.
There is one very long and not too interesting underwater level as well, and since there are only five levels proper, that's quite a big section. I'd estimate 1/5 of the game.

It looks good and sounds pretty good as well, so much so I thought it was a later release than it is. And the central gimmick of being able to play as either Mickey or Donald with their own separate routes lends the game good replay value. Also it's got a co-op two player as well which is pretty cool.

[Gamerforlife]

Platinums/100% Achievements:

Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack - Vita
Guacamelee - PSN (including all DLC trophies)
Shinovi Versus - Vita
Hotline Miami - PSN
Mark of the Ninja - 360

Games Beaten:

1. Thomas Was Alone - PC
2. Sam & Max Save the World - The whole season - PC, GOG versions
3. Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space - The whole season - PC, GOG versions
4. Sam & Max The Devil's Playhouse - Episode 1 - PC, GOG version
5. Sam & Max The Devil's Playhouse - Episode 2 - PC, GOG version
6. Sam & Max The Devil's Playhouse - Episode 3 - PC, GOG version
7. The Walking Dead Series - PC
8. Sly Thieves in Time - PS3
9. Guacamelee - PS3
10. Castlevania: Mirror of Fate - 3DS
11. Resident Evil Revelation - 3DS
12. Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask - 3DS
13. Samurai Warriors Chronicles -3DS
14. Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack - Vita
15. Shinovi Versus - Vita
16. Fire Emblem Awakening - 3DS
17. Dokuro - Vita
18. Nun Attack - Vita
19. Hotline Miami - Vita
20. Bloodrayne Betrayal - PS3
21. Fist Puncher - PC (DRM free from Desura)
22. Deadpool - 360
23. Dragon's Crown - Vita
24. Charlie Murder
25. Ducktales Remastered - PS3

Puppeteer - PS3 exclusive





This one's definitely going to be one of my 2013 favorites when I look back on the year in a few months. It's a very fun platformer with a lot of imagination and a lot of heart. The puppet theater theme is very cool and the game shows a great level of commitment to that idea in its presentation. The game has a lot of great humor and is very family friendly, though there are a couple jokes that seem clearly aimed at adults, but are delivered in a way that doesn't break the family friendly vibe. There's a lot of fourth wall breaking here, pop culture and game references, and a lot of jokes that play off the game's puppet theater theme. There's definitely a British vibe to much of the comedy too. The game's writing is surprisingly smart and clever at times.

The graphics are AMAZING. This game is gorgeous and the puppet theater theme really gives the game a unique presentation, not just with the character models but also in the dynamics of how the game will change scenes with the background being shuffled around the way a scene being changed on a stage might look. I've heard much about how amazing the game looks in 3D, but I wasn't able to try that out.

Now as some reviews have pointed out, the game has a lot of dialog. This wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for Pikarina, whose high pitched voice and personality can get a bit grating after a while. Aside from her, I enjoyed all of the other characters' dialog in the game, particularly the narrator. Puppeteer has a lot of clever humor and good writing, but Pikarina was just given far too much dialog. She's kind of the weak link in this game.

The game seems somewhat self aware of how annoying she is, as some characters within the game will actually poke fun at Pikarina for being a loud mouth, and the narrator frequently seems annoyed by her. A lot of this is played for laughs, but the sad truth is that she really IS annoying.

My other gripe is that using the scissors to traverse the environment feels clunky some times and this makes some parts of the game a little annoying. It's a neat idea that factors heavily into the game's design, but it could have used a bit more polish

I love the game though because it has a lot of memorable moments, some truly amazing boss fights (arguably where the game shines the most) and just captures the magic of many classic, upbeat, family friendly platformers while adding a completely new twist on them. There seems to be a little bit of Little Big Planet influence here too. I never got into Little Big Planet because I couldn't get past the crappy physics and controls, but Puppeteer has much more traditional platforming mechanics which makes for more solid gameplay.

There's a great joy of discovery to Puppeteer as well as you can use Pikarina to interact with a variety of things in the environment revealing many different secrets and easter eggs. Plus, the different heads you can find in the game will uncover more secrets, including easier ways to traverse some sections of the game or ways to do massive amounts of damage to bosses. I even used a head to one hit kill one of the game's bosses. All of these secrets are interwoven into the game's world and story too, which makes finding them even more rewarding. Finding secrets is where the game's replay value comes in, as each level tracks how many of certain things you've discovered and I've had a few trophies pop up for me just for finding some cool hidden things in some levels.

Puppeteer's awesome. It's a very magical game that kept surprising me and making me smile...even as I listened to Pikarina's constant yapping. This feels like a cult classic, end of a console generation game that a lot of people will probably miss out on. That's a shame. It's one of the best experiences I've had this year

[dsheinem]

@Exed

are the red letters a Jesus thing?

thus spake our Lord Exed, "playeth thou the eyes of eight, lest ye be cast into the pit of fire"

[graffix_13]

I think part of the "problem" with the narrative in this story, is that a lot is told through voxaphone. If you missed certain key ones, a lot of motivation is missed. I loved the story and would call it more than pretty good, but I think I still prefer BS1 too.

Oh, I definitely agree. Especially since most of the early voxophones use a lot of metaphors. On my 1999 playthrough now, and the voxophones make much, much more sense. But you'll have to get all the voxophones and/or read a story summary to put all the pieces together.

[Violent By Design]

Super Princess Peach is pretty boring. If anything comparing it to Kirby probably captures why it's such a drag of a platformer to play. I don't like the Kirby games at all, and they're certainly girly.

Too easy, physics aren't interesting, I just don't really see what the draw is to those games other than aesthetics. I suppose the lack of challenge in combination with Kirby/Peach's ambiance makes it accessible, but I don't think those games are for me.

[ExedExes]

@Exed

are the red letters a Jesus thing?

thus spake our Lord Exed, "playeth thou the eyes of eight, lest ye be cast into the pit of fire"

Nope, it's just to highlight those under-appreciated NES titles that might be worth your time. Red being a standard NES color, makes it easier to see than just a black or gray set of letters.