Games Beaten 2014

[Xeogred]

I'd also argue that the "gameplay" (manipulating systems, engaging in combat, planning tactics, managing resources and parties, etc.) are far superior in DA than Skyrim. Across the TES series, combat has always been atrocious.

I dunno man, I thought the combat in Skyrim was pretty damn fun. Though it can get old later on and I agree with others saying these games have too much baseless filler in the middle. I prefer linearity with options, ie Deus Ex HR.

Completely hated Oblivion by the way, so maybe the combat is really bad in the other TES games I don't know. Don't care to find out either.

[YoshiEgg25]

I'm actually starting to try and beat some games this year. Let's get a list started!

1. Game Dev Tycoon (PC)
2. Sam & Max 301: The Penal Zone (PC)
3. Poker Night 2 (PC)
4. Super Hexagon (PC)
5. Auditorium (PC)
6. Sam & Max 302: The Tomb of Sammun-Mak (PC)
7. Scribblenauts Unlimited (PC)
8. Sam & Max 303: They Stole Max's Brain! (PC)
9. Sam & Max 304: Beyond the Alley of the Dolls (PC)
10. Sam & Max 305: The City that Dares not Sleep (PC)
11. Diddy Kong Racing (N64)
12. Broken Age: Act 1 (PC)

13. Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (PC)
Pretty fun game. High quality graphics, included XBox 360 controller support, and a slew of Sega characters. I honestly think this is a better kart racing game than Mario Kart Wii. It felt easy to play but was not usually cheap like Mario Kart tends to be.

[BoneSnapDeez]

1. Bad Dudes vs. DragonNinja (Wii - Data East Arcade Classics)
2. Caveman Ninja (Wii - Data East Arcade Classics)
3. Crude Buster (Wii - Data East Arcade Classics)
4. Heavy Barrel (Wii - Data East Arcade Classics)
5. Secret Agent (Wii - Data East Arcade Classics)
6. Wizard Fire (Wii - Data East Arcade Classics)
7. Super Mario Land (Game Boy)
8. Burning Fight (PlayStation 2 - SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1)
9. Magician Lord (PlayStation 2 - SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1)
10. Metal Slug (PlayStation 2 - SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1)
11. Sengoku (PlayStation 2 - SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1)
12. Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy (PlayStation 2 - SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1)
13. Metal Slug 4 (PlayStation 2 - Metal Slug 4 & 5)
14. Metal Slug 5 (PlayStation 2 - Metal Slug 4 & 5)
15. Metal Slug XX (PSP)
16. Phantasy Star Online (Dreamcast)
17. Smash TV (PlayStation 2 - Midway Arcade Treasures)
18. Total Carnage (Xbox - Midway Arcade Treasures 2)

Midway's classic overhead shooters.

Both of these games used "twin sticks" in the arcades - which is replicated by a dual analog control scheme on console controllers. I generally dislike controls like this, but it works reasonably well here - mainly because there's no fire button. The right analog stick fires automatically in whatever direction it's pointed in.

Plot-wise, both games are completely ridiculous - and they appear to parody consumerism and the Gulf War, respectively. Gameplay-wise, I found myself enjoying Total Carnage a lot more as it's more free-roaming and has that classic Commando/Ikari Warriors feel.

It needs to be said that both games are quarter-munchers to the extreme. I once read a review of the arcade machines where the reviewer states that both cabs should have come equipped with credit card swipers rather than quarter slots. I think that sums it up perfectly.

[Valkyrie-Favor]

@Bone - did you 1CC all those or just clear them? Looks like a lot of fun either way.

Lately I've been playing PC and handheld games because there was some flooding in my room, my family's TVs are awful, and the PVM I ordered was dead on arrival. All those nice console games will have to wait.

Games beaten 2014:

Bust A Move: Universe (3DS)
Recommended: No.

An American-made Bust A Move, somehow. It turned out pretty well - I like the simplified rules since they allowed a greater focus on puzzle design. Or should have. I beat all the maps in an hour or so, and any is in getting high scores. Lame soundtrack, low difficulty, very short compared to other Bust A Move games.

Hotline Miami (PSV)
Recommended: Yes

Everything about this game was fun. I enjoyed every mission. Controls were interesting on PSV, I wonder how lock-on worked for the PS3 version.

Text: A Summer Story (PC)
Recommended: Yes

Freeware visual novel for PC. You can see everything in about half an hour - a promising ghost story devolves into nonsense. I must praise the cell phone mechanic - your decisions influence whether or not your phone gets charged, and the characters' actions change based on what the protagonist knows.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (Game Boy)
Recommended: Yes

Lots of inventive ideas in this game and mind-blowing for the Game Boy hardware. Looks and sounds great on my Game Boy Pocket. The main draw is the surreal levels, which range from "outer space" to "giant lego castle." I beat it in one sitting without dying, so it's easy to recommend to those short on time.

Shinobi (3DS)
Recommended: Yes

It's like Shinobi III, Ninja Gaiden II, and Shadow of the Ninja stumbled into a darkened room during a crazy party at The Legend of Kage's house, and nine months later one of them gave birth to the best 2D ninja game in a decade.

I beat it on Hard mode and plan to play Very Hard soon. This game is a whole lot of fun and one of the top 3 games on 3DS, next to Fire Emblem and Kokuga. It's about an hour long if you don't die. You might get tired of playing the first 9 levels only to get killed by Orn, but it should only take a few tries. It was a fun challenge, but anyone should be able to win if they focus.

[BoneSnapDeez]

@Bone - did you 1CC all those

Hellllllll nah.

I don't get too worked up about credits in arcade games/ports, as I don't see myself as a "competitive" gamer.

Off the top of my head, the Midway shooters, Metal Slug games, and Magician Lord sucked the most credits out of me. Everything else was beaten on a "dollar" or two. Most games were played multiple times until I was somewhat satisfied.

And I'm still working on a few arcade games that kick you back to the beginning of the game when it's Game Over (like Marble Madness, Bomb Jack, and Rygar). Maybe by the end of the year I'll have those beaten.

(btw, anyone know if the console ports of Rampage World Tour have save points? I'd have to play it all in one sitting on Midway Arcade Treasures 2 and it's like a 3 hour game).

[ExedExes]

(btw, anyone know if the console ports of Rampage World Tour have save points? I'd have to play it all in one sitting on Midway Arcade Treasures 2 and it's like a 3 hour game).

MAT2 does not. PS1 port does, I believe.

[MrEco]

I beat the Artorias of the Abyss DLC for Dark Souls. Don't care if it's not really a full game by itself, I say it counts.

[Luke]

Crushed Sonic The Hedgehog yesterday. Not a perfect run, but pretty darned close. I'll post pics in the screenshot thread as I'm not sure if I had a super high score or not.

Also had a perfect run concerning the special stages. I usually have to give the third gem stage two tries as it is the level where sonic is basically floating around and the stage has no structure.

[Valkyrie-Favor]

Rampage World Tour has save points on PS1, but it gets old way before the end.

[Flake]

1/12: Kirby's Adventure (NES)
1/20: Injustice: Gods Among US (WiiU)
1/25: Super Mario 3D World (WiiU)

What a fantastic game. Nintendo basically took all the things that I liked about Mario 3D Land for the 3DS and expanded them. The gameplay is absolutely solid - I can really get behind a challenging game where it's obvious that I died because I wasn't yet good enough, not because of bad game design or poor programming.

What really struck me was how epic the atmosphere of the game was. In particular, the boss levels made me feel like something serious was about to happen or that a lot was at stake. It was also particularly pleasing to use Princess Toadstool for the final levels - The lady deserved some revenge after all the time's she's been kindapped by King Koopa.

I still have the bonus worlds to explore but for now I'm going to take a break and mop those up later.