Games Beaten 2013

[Luke]

Cool, I'll have to pick those up some time. Are they basically one-on-one mech fights?

I'm also interested in getting Bazooka Blitzkrieg and X-Zone sometime soon. Do you have any experience with those?

Both Clash and Combat are a bit more than one on one mech fights. There's strategy, story, and you also get to dismantle your enemies. If you ask me, they are the games that provide a reason to purchase the scope.

I haven't played Bazooka but I can say that X-Zone plays out like a half baked gimmick game.

[Gamerforlife]

1-50

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)
14. The Great Circus Mystery, Starring Mickey and Minnie (SNES)(Platformer)
15. Deus Ex (PC)(FPS)
16. The King of the Wood (PC)(FPS)
17. Shadows of the Damned (PS3)(Horror Adventure)
18. Chuck Rock (SNES)(Platformer)
19. Arcana (SNES)(RPG)
20. Jurassic Park (SNES)(Action-Adventure)
21. Brawl Brothers (SNES)(Beat 'Em Up)
22. Monopoly (SNES)(Boardgame)
23. Dr. Mario (SNES)(Puzzle)
24. Porky Pig's Haunted Holiday (SNES)(Platformer)
25. Breath of Fire (SNES)(RPG)
26. The Death and Return of Superman (SNES)(Beat 'Em Up)
27. Battle Blaze (SNES)(Fighting)
28. Todd McFarlane's Spawn: The Video Game (SNES)(Action-Adventure)
29. Mario's Early Years: Fun With Letters (SNES)(Edutainment)
30. Dwarfs!? (PC)(I have no idea)
31. Super Adventure Island (SNES)(Platformer)
32. Batman Returns (SNES)(Beat 'Em Up)
33. Pit-Fighter (SNES)(Fighting)
34. Lester the Unlikely (SNES)(Platformer)
35. Killing Floor (PC)(FPS)
36. Dungeons of Dredmor (PC)(RPG)
37. The 7th Saga (SNES)(RPG)
38. Donkey Kong Country (SNES)(Platformer)
39. Super Mario Bros. 3, via Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World (SNES)(Platformer)
40. Sunset Riders (Arcade)(Run and Gun)
41. Battle Circuit (Arcade)(Beat 'Em Up)
42. Monster Maulers (Arcade)(Boss Rush Fighter)
43. Metamoqester (Arcade)(Boss Rush Fighter)
44. Ninja Baseball Batman (Arcade)(Beat 'Em Up)
45. Alien vs. Predator (Arcade)(Beat 'Em Up)
46. Sunset Riders (SNES)(Run and Gun)
47. Chrono Trigger (SNES)(RPG)
48. Star Fox (SNES)(Rail Shooter)
49. Brutal: Paws of Fury (SNES)(Fighting)
50. Ultraman: Towards the Future (SNES)(Fighting)

51. The Binding of Isaac (PC)(Adventure)
52. DLC Quest (PC)(Platformer)
53. DLC Quest: Live Freemium or Die (PC)(Platformer)
54. Hotline Miami (PC)(Beat 'Em Up)
55. Anodyne (PC)(Adventure)
56. Scribblenauts Unlimited (PC)(Puzzle)
57. Puzzler World (PC)(Puzzle)
58. Half-Life 2: Episode 1 (PC)(FPS)
59. Cave Story+ (PC)(Adventure)
60. Duke Nukem 3D Megaton Edition (PC)(FPS)
61. Duke Nukem 3D: Duke It Out in DC (PC)(FPS)
62. Duke Nukem 3D: Life's a Beach (PC)(FPS)
63. Duke Nukem 3D: Nuclear Winter (PC)(FPS)
64. Dead Pixels (PC)(Run and Gun)
65. Rogue Legacy (PC)(Roguelike Platformer)
66. Doomsday Warrior (SNES)(Fighting)
67. Ultimate Fighter (SNES)(Beat 'Em Up)
68. Captain America and the Avengers (SNES)(Beat 'Em Up)
69. Jeopardy! Deluxe Edition (SNES)(Game Show Simulator)
70. Hook (SNES)(Platformer)
71. The Great Waldo Search (SNES)(Puzzle)
72. U.N. Squadron (SNES)(SHMUP)
73. Mickey Mania (SNES)(Platformer)
74. Super Earth Defense Force (SNES)(SHMUP)
75. Kendo Rage (SNES)(Action)
76. Imperium (SNES)(SHMUP)
77. Super Mario Kart (SNES)(Racing)
78. Super Scope 6 (SNES)(Light Gun)
79. Yoshi's Safari (SNES)(Light Gun)
80. The Adventures of Batman & Robin (SNES)(Action)

Yeah, I decided after Super Scope 6 to run through the other Super Scope game I own. Yoshi's Safari is bright, colorful, but more than a little repetitive across its 12 stages, as you'll likely have seen every normal enemy and mini-boss design by the time you're halfway through. It struggles to keep gameplay fresh, but it's not a long game, so I suppose it's forgivable. And the boss designs are entertaining. Most require you figure out exactly where your target is and unload on it under special circumstances, though there are a couple of bosses that are genuinely surprising, such as having to drop a flying anvil on Wendy Koopa's head. I do love that I can shoot Yoshi in the back of the head occasionally, and there's a co-op element where the second player can maneuver Yoshi to dodge oncoming enemies and projectiles.

And then there is the SNES version of The Adventures of Batman & Robin. This game is great! It's not perfect, but it has gorgeous animation, wonderful sound, and a great variety of level and boss designs to keep things interesting. My personal favorite level has to be The Penguin's, where Batman and Robin move through a museum, rescuing hostages and avoiding hidden explosives. But each level offers something unique, ranging from a bizarre labyrinth and obstacle course for the Riddler to a car chase sequence for Two-Face, to a wonderful 2D platformer as Batman chases Catwoman across skyscrapers lit by searchlights.

I do have a few gripes with Batman & Robin, the first of which is that the grappling hook never felt comfortable. There were quite a few times where the grappling hook would suddenly detach if I swung the wrong way, or wouldn't fire if I was apparently too close to a surface, or would somehow manage to slingshot me directly into a pit that I was trying to avoid. Of all of Batman's equipment, this was the only one that really frustrated me. Everything else worked wonderfully: batarangs, explosives, knock out spray, the flashlight, everything was splendid. Just not the grappling hook. My next complaint is that while boss fights were generally impressive, there were a couple that were frustrating(Clayface comes to mind), there were a couple that were nearly identical, and the Man-Bat fight was just too ambitious by attempting to create a 3D fight in 2D. The end result made for a difficult mess because I couldn't tell when I was about to be hit or when I could hit back. The perspective needed to make it successful just wasn't there. Thankfully it was a short fight, and once I tagged him I could usually add in a couple more quick hits to speed things up.

Also, the game is The Adventures of Batman & Robin, but Robin only shows up in one level.

Anyway, gripes aside, the game is a splendid treat which shows off what the SNES was capable of but also takes me back to the days of watching animated Batman. I actually remember the episodes this game's material was pulled from. And I love the Bruce Timm artwork. Good times.

I agree with a lot of stuff you said. That game is one of my all time faves. The grappling hook drove me nuts too, particularly in Scarecrow's level when you have to use it on the blimp. I never had any trouble with Man Bat or Clay face though. I wonder what your approach was in fighting them. Catwoman's stage was one of my favorites. I don't like Catwoman as a character, but I love her cat and mouse chases with Batman and that game did if perfectly, especially with the cool free fall battle. I wasn't overly impressed with the recent Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate, but it had a few things going for it, one of which being the intro level, which is another classic Batman/Catwoman chase that actually took me back to the Catwoman level from The Adventures of Batman and Robin on the Super Nintendo. These seem to be the only two Batman games to really capture that fun dynamic between the two characters. Even though she's in Arkham City, you never really get to chase her in that game and her only role in Batman Returns on the Super Nintendo is in providing two of the game's cheapest and most aggravating boss fights

[ExedExes]

Having tons of experience with the Super Scope lineup, let me assist here --

SS6 -- I love Intercept. It's a heck of a good time as long as you can keep up. The vs. mode was also a lot of fun. I also scored a perfect 100 on the Score Mode on Mole Patrol. I never got real tired of Blastris B. I used to crank up the difficulty to Hi(gh) just to see the crazy combinations you can make.

Battle Clash & Metal Combat are slam dunks. MC has a "second quest" mode by watching the credits and waiting about 60 seconds for the controller code that appears. It has a brand new ST (player character) with greater firepower and even multiple endings.

I have Yoshi's Safari, and was so excited to play a Mario-type game. I love how long it is, the use of the settings and enemies from the series, and again, there's a second quest, but the game is just more difficult, no special features. First game to foreshadow the name of Princess Peach.

X-Zone isn't as bad as you may think. It moves a bit slow, it has a ton of activity (like the LB side of SS6) but I think you'd do pretty well at it. Just watch out for all the "X-Words" (hey, it's the 90s!) in the game text.

Bazooka Blitzkrieg, I wish was somewhat better, but it felt really generic and just going through the motions for an SS game. Hey look, robots! Target shooting! Let's put them together! At least there's bosses to break all of it up. The story was kinda plain too. Still worth a try. One interesting note: the Japanese version title was "Destructive".

It also helps that I managed to score Super Scope-branded eye patches the day I bought it in '92: Nintendo had a nationwide tour of sorts where they had tons of SNES-es and TVs lined up at a local shopping mall in NJ and you got to play the latest games (the story is that the Street Fighter II cartridge they had setup was lost/stolen that day), but they also had 5-6 TVs for trying out the new Super Scope -- I played Engage and had no idea what I did, but scored one on the way out anyway. Those patches really helped my younger self concentrate my eyesight on the gun scope. I still have one.

[Ack]

I agree with a lot of stuff you said. That game is one of my all time faves. The grappling hook drove me nuts too, particularly in Scarecrow's level when you have to use it on the blimp. I never had any trouble with Man Bat or Clay face though. I wonder what your approach was in fighting them. Catwoman's stage was one of my favorites. I don't like Catwoman as a character, but I love her cat and mouse chases with Batman and that game did if perfectly, especially with the cool free fall battle. I wasn't overly impressed with the recent Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate, but it had a few things going for it, one of which being the intro level, which is another classic Batman/Catwoman chase that actually took me back to the Catwoman level from The Adventures of Batman and Robin on the Super Nintendo. These seem to be the only two Batman games to really capture that fun dynamic between the two characters. Even though she's in Arkham City, you never really get to chase her in that game and her only role in Batman Returns on the Super Nintendo is in providing two of the game's cheapest and most aggravating boss fights

I admit, I've been reading your thoughts on Origins and Origins Blackgate because I consider you the best voice here concerning Batman games. I've even held off picking up Origins because of your criticism and now plan to pick it up on discount. And I agree that, since I haven't played Origins Blackgate, for me The Adventures of Batman & Robin currently holds the definitive Catwoman chase in gaming. That run along the towers while the spotlights splay across you is probably one of my favorite moments in a Batman game ever. As much as I enjoyed Batman Returns, she was probably the worst part of it.

Anyway, Clayface was difficult for me because he was the most random boss. All of the others follow a set pattern, or at least always seemed to react the same way: Penguin goes down a couple of times and then takes to the air, Catwoman jumps and claws but retaliates with her whip when getting hit(unless you jump toward her, in which case she'll kick at you), Scarecrow and Joker both hop away after a hit for a better firing position, and the Poison Ivy fight follows a very specific pattern once the plant begins tossing those yellow spores at you. Clayface would mix things up: maybe he'll turn into a ball and roll twice, or maybe three times, maybe he'll become sludge, maybe he'll hurl a brick box at you, or maybe he'll just toss clay. I never got a handle for what he would do outside of figuring out when he would change.

As for Man-Bat, I think it was a cool idea, but I couldn't tell when he was close enough to the screen to hit me. For him, I would start in the center and move to the sides, and after a couple of seconds spam the punch button and hope I connected and knocked him away. He really screwed with the limited depth perception we have in a 2D game.

So, as of right now, the only Batman game I own that I have not beaten is Batman Forever on the SNES. I'm struggling to build up the courage to try and tackle that mess.

Having tons of experience with the Super Scope lineup, let me assist here --

Thanks! I plan to pick them all up eventually, but it sounds like Battle Clash and Metal Warriors are the way to go first.

Any thoughts on the T2 or Operation Thunderbolt ports?

[Luke]

Any thoughts on the T2...

Better with the Menacer.

[prfsnl_gmr]

I agree with a lot of stuff you said. That game is one of my all time faves. The grappling hook drove me nuts too, particularly in Scarecrow's level when you have to use it on the blimp. I never had any trouble with Man Bat or Clay face though. I wonder what your approach was in fighting them. Catwoman's stage was one of my favorites. I don't like Catwoman as a character, but I love her cat and mouse chases with Batman and that game did if perfectly, especially with the cool free fall battle. I wasn't overly impressed with the recent Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate, but it had a few things going for it, one of which being the intro level, which is another classic Batman/Catwoman chase that actually took me back to the Catwoman level from The Adventures of Batman and Robin on the Super Nintendo. These seem to be the only two Batman games to really capture that fun dynamic between the two characters. Even though she's in Arkham City, you never really get to chase her in that game and her only role in Batman Returns on the Super Nintendo is in providing two of the game's cheapest and most aggravating boss fights

Since you are the resident expert, I have to ask...Have you played Batman: The Brave & the Bold (Wii)? I am playing it right now (alongside Batman: Arkham Asylum), and it is a lot of fun. (It definitely harkens back to the "wacky" 1960s and 1970s Batman...in stark constrast to Arkham Asylum. ) I could see it getting a bit repetitive as I get further into the game, but I am enjoying it so far.

EDIT: I mention this because the first section of the game has Batman and Robin pursuing:

Catwoman and <gasp!> Catman, who have turned all the residents of Gotham City into cats.

[ExedExes]

Any thoughts on the T2 or Operation Thunderbolt ports?

T2 doesn't work all that well with the SS. It forces you to use the Player 2 side, and the background changes color for some odd reason, making it hard to see everything. I found it better to use the SNES mouse.

OT should work well, I haven't tried it.

[Gamerforlife]

I agree with a lot of stuff you said. That game is one of my all time faves. The grappling hook drove me nuts too, particularly in Scarecrow's level when you have to use it on the blimp. I never had any trouble with Man Bat or Clay face though. I wonder what your approach was in fighting them. Catwoman's stage was one of my favorites. I don't like Catwoman as a character, but I love her cat and mouse chases with Batman and that game did if perfectly, especially with the cool free fall battle. I wasn't overly impressed with the recent Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate, but it had a few things going for it, one of which being the intro level, which is another classic Batman/Catwoman chase that actually took me back to the Catwoman level from The Adventures of Batman and Robin on the Super Nintendo. These seem to be the only two Batman games to really capture that fun dynamic between the two characters. Even though she's in Arkham City, you never really get to chase her in that game and her only role in Batman Returns on the Super Nintendo is in providing two of the game's cheapest and most aggravating boss fights

I admit, I've been reading your thoughts on Origins and Origins Blackgate because I consider you the best voice here concerning Batman games. I've even held off picking up Origins because of your criticism and now plan to pick it up on discount. And I agree that, since I haven't played Origins Blackgate, for me The Adventures of Batman & Robin currently holds the definitive Catwoman chase in gaming. That run along the towers while the spotlights splay across you is probably one of my favorite moments in a Batman game ever. As much as I enjoyed Batman Returns, she was probably the worst part of it.

Anyway, Clayface was difficult for me because he was the most random boss. All of the others follow a set pattern, or at least always seemed to react the same way: Penguin goes down a couple of times and then takes to the air, Catwoman jumps and claws but retaliates with her whip when getting hit(unless you jump toward her, in which case she'll kick at you), Scarecrow and Joker both hop away after a hit for a better firing position, and the Poison Ivy fight follows a very specific pattern once the plant begins tossing those yellow spores at you. Clayface would mix things up: maybe he'll turn into a ball and roll twice, or maybe three times, maybe he'll become sludge, maybe he'll hurl a brick box at you, or maybe he'll just toss clay. I never got a handle for what he would do outside of figuring out when he would change.

As for Man-Bat, I think it was a cool idea, but I couldn't tell when he was close enough to the screen to hit me. For him, I would start in the center and move to the sides, and after a couple of seconds spam the punch button and hope I connected and knocked him away. He really screwed with the limited depth perception we have in a 2D game.

So, as of right now, the only Batman game I own that I have not beaten is Batman Forever on the SNES. I'm struggling to build up the courage to try and tackle that mess.

I appreciate the kind words I can get pretty passionate when talking about Batman games. Batman was a big part of my child hood and so was gaming, so when you put the two together...

I understand your point about Clayface. I never had trouble reacting to his attacks, but what you're talking about with the lack of a set pattern is actually something that very often frustrates me with bosses in other games, so I totally understand. And yeah, I guess I can see how Man Bat could be frustrating. I tended to get more annoyed with Riddler, as there was one jump in his boss fight I frequently screwed up for some reason. That, and the grappling hook part in Scarecrow's stage are the two parts of the game I tended to get most frustrated with.

As for Origins and Blackgate, you'd probably get some enjoyment out of them, but maybe waiting for a price drop is a good idea. I actually wondered if i was being harsh in my criticisms of both games as I have a tendency to really go on rants over things that may seem insignificant to other gamers, but I have noticed a lot of disappointment throughout the net for these two games. So it seems I'm not alone on this. Most people seem to have the same general thought that I do, which is that it's not really that they're terrible games, they just don't quite live up to the lofty standards Rocksteady created with the first two games. They have their moments though. I really enjoyed the Deathstroke fight in Origins, except for the game occasionally not registering my counters, which is frustrating. Aside from that though, that fight is very cinematic, very badass, and really focuses on Batman's martial skills more than I think any boss battles from the first two games did. It's counter heavy, which can be annoying, but the counter system has always been a big part of the series' combat. I have a ways to go before I finish Origins, which I can put more time into having finished Blackgate. Hopefully, it'll have some other high points like the Deathstroke fight. I've made peace with it not being as good as the last two games by Rocksteady. I'm just trying to enjoy whatever I can from the game.

If you're really going to play through Batman Forever my hats off to you. I've been rather afraid to touch that one

I agree with a lot of stuff you said. That game is one of my all time faves. The grappling hook drove me nuts too, particularly in Scarecrow's level when you have to use it on the blimp. I never had any trouble with Man Bat or Clay face though. I wonder what your approach was in fighting them. Catwoman's stage was one of my favorites. I don't like Catwoman as a character, but I love her cat and mouse chases with Batman and that game did if perfectly, especially with the cool free fall battle. I wasn't overly impressed with the recent Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate, but it had a few things going for it, one of which being the intro level, which is another classic Batman/Catwoman chase that actually took me back to the Catwoman level from The Adventures of Batman and Robin on the Super Nintendo. These seem to be the only two Batman games to really capture that fun dynamic between the two characters. Even though she's in Arkham City, you never really get to chase her in that game and her only role in Batman Returns on the Super Nintendo is in providing two of the game's cheapest and most aggravating boss fights

Since you are the resident expert, I have to ask...Have you played Batman: The Brave & the Bold (Wii)? I am playing it right now (alongside Batman: Arkham Asylum), and it is a lot of fun. (It definitely harkens back to the "wacky" 1960s and 1970s Batman...in stark constrast to Arkham Asylum. ) I could see it getting a bit repetitive as I get further into the game, but I am enjoying it so far.

EDIT: I mention this because the first section of the game has Batman and Robin pursuing:

Catwoman and <gasp!> Catman, who have turned all the residents of Gotham City into cats.

Well, I won't argue if you guys want to call me an expert

I do want to play that game one day. Now that you have me thinking about, and since I've been playing some Batman games recently anyway, I think I'm going to look around online and see if I can find a cheap copy of that game. I never watched the show. I heard a lot of good things about it, but wasn't really that interested in a comedic take on Batman. I grew up watching the Adam West Batman and have some fond nostalgia for that, but now and days I tend to like Batman more as a serious character. However, I'm always down for a good beat 'em up. I had some fun with Double Dragon Neon by Wayforward, even though it wasn't a perfect game, so I know Wayforward can make a decent beat 'em up. Their Thor game was kind of fun too

[Nintendork666]

Just beat Pokemon X. Pretty damn cool game overall.

[Violent By Design]

Just beat Pokemon X. Pretty damn cool game overall.

What does it have over the other pokemon games?