Games Beaten 2014

[Blu]

1. Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds - 3DS (January 2014)
2. Pokemon Red - Game Boy (February 2014)
3. Pokemon Silver - Game Boy Color (March 2014)
4. Final Fantasy VIII - PSX (June 2014)
5. Marvel vs. Capcom - DC (June 2014)
6. Samba de Amigo - DC (June 2014)
7. Super Mario World - SNES (July 2014)
8. Advance Wars - GBA (August 2014)
9. Sonic the Fighters (Sonic Gems Collection) - GCN (September 2014)
10. Sonic CD (Sonic Gems Collection) - GCN (September 2014)
11. Uncharted: Drakes Fortune - PS3 (September 2014)
12. Gigawing 2 - DC (September 2014)
13. Pokemon Ruby - GBA (September 2014)

Played through with two buddies on the multiplayer setting. I managed to get a 1CC surprisingly, as you can duck in behind your teammates barriers and get a good rotation going. Made the game somewhat trivial but actually added a layer of coordination and frantic dodging. This game will definitely stick around as I think we'll probably play it again soon.

Pokemon Ruby is pretty decent. This was probably one of the most challenging Elite Fours, but I think that's because I was unfamiliar with the Pokemon teams I was facing and I had a fairly lopsided team in terms of balance. Still, it was enjoyable, but I don't know if I'll play the 3DS reboot having played this one shortly before.

[BoneSnapDeez]

First 50:

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)
19. Skyblazer (SNES)
20. Mega Man II (Game Boy)
21. The Monkey King: The Legend Begins (Wii)
22. Ys (Saturn - Falcom Classics)
23. Super Mario Bros. (SNES - Super Mario All-Stars)
24. Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (SNES - Super Mario All-Stars)
25. Super Mario Bros. 2 (SNES - Super Mario All-Stars)
26. Super Mario Bros. 3 (SNES - Super Mario All-Stars)
27. Super Mario World (SNES)
28. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES)
29. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (Game Boy)
30. Mahou Kishi Rayearth (Super Famicom)
31. Magic Knight Rayearth (Saturn)
32. Disney's Aladdin (SNES)
33. Kirby's Dream Land (Wii - Kirby's Dream Collection)
34. Kirby's Adventure (Wii - Kirby's Dream Collection)
35. Kirby's Dream Land 2 (Wii - Kirby's Dream Collection)
36. Kirby Super Star (Wii - Kirby's Dream Collection)
37. Kirby's Dream Land 3 (Wii - Kirby's Dream Collection)
38. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (Wii - Kirby's Dream Collection)
39. Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii)
40. New Super Mario Bros. U (Wii U - New Super Mario Bros. U + New Super Luigi U)
41. New Super Luigi U (Wii U - New Super Mario Bros. U + New Super Luigi U)
42. Shock Troopers (PlayStation 2 - SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1)
43. Shadow Blasters (Genesis)
44. Final Fantasy (Game Boy Advance - Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls)
45. Super Mario Advance (Game Boy Advance)
46. Sonic CD (PC)
47. Donkey Kong Country (SNES)
48. Battle Arena Toshinden (Game Boy)
49. Crusader of Centy (Genesis)
50. Joe & Mac (SNES)

51. Ys: The Vanished Omens (Sega Master System)
52. Code of Princess (3DS)
53. Ys (PSP - Ys I & II Chronicles)
54. Ys II (PSP - Ys I & II Chronicles)
55. Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi (PSP - Sega Genesis Collection)
56. Gradius (PSP - Gradius Collection)
57. Shinobi (Xbox 360 - Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection)
58. Otomedius Excellent (Xbox 360)
59. Deathsmiles (Xbox 360)
60. Sonic the Hedgehog (Xbox 360 - Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection)
61. The Lost Vikings (SNES)
62. The Lost Vikings (Genesis)
63. Final Fantasy II (Game Boy Advance - Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls)
64. Final Fight (PSP - Capcom Classics Collection Remixed)
65. Alien Syndrome (PlayStation 2 - Sega Classics Collection)
66. Exile (Genesis)
67. Ristar (Xbox 360 - Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection)
68. Final Fight (Xbox 360 - Capcom Digital Collection)
69. Classic NES Series: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (Game Boy Advance)
70. Classic NES Series: Metroid (Game Boy Advance)
71. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Xbox 360 - Konami Classics Vol. 1)
72. Ys (DS - Legacy of Ys: Books I & II)
73. Ys II (DS - Legacy of Ys: Books I & II)
74. New Super Mario Bros. (DS)
75. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (PSP - Sega Genesis Collection)
76. Golden Axe III (PSP - Sega Genesis Collection)
77. Muramasa Rebirth (Vita)
78. Magic Sword (PSP - Capcom Classics Collection Remixed)
79. Mega Twins (PSP - Capcom Classics Collection Remixed)
80. Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)
81. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe (Game Boy Color)
82. Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom (PlayStation 3 - Dungeons & Dragons: Mystara Eiyuu Senki)
83. Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara (PlayStation 3 - Dungeons & Dragons: Mystara Eiyuu Senki)
84. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (SNES)
85. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (Genesis)
86. Ys: The Oath in Felghana (PSP)
87. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Xbox 360 - Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection)
88. Contra (NES)
89. Sonic & Knuckles (Xbox 360 - Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection)
90. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
91. Ys IV: Mask of the Sun (Super Famicom)
92. Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys (PC Engine CD)
93. Ys (Famicom)

Ys on the Famicom is a really half-assed and shoddy port. Think of the slight annoyances in the SMS version and then multiply them by 100: wildly inconsistent difficulty, grievous amounts of forced level-grinding, incoherent dungeon design, and gameplay that progresses at the pace of a snail humping a sloth. I'm glad I checked this one out for "completion purposes" but I see no reason to ever touch it again.

[Exhuminator]

I'm glad I checked this one out for "completion purposes" but I see no reason to ever touch it again.

I admire your perseverance for what it's worth.

How's Celceta going?

[BoneSnapDeez]

I'm glad I checked this one out for "completion purposes" but I see no reason to ever touch it again.

I admire your perseverance for what it's worth.

How's Celceta going?

It's not. I'll have it done sometime in October hopefully.

[dsheinem]

Games Beaten 2014
January-June
Spider - iOS
Metal Torrent - NDS
Injustice: Gods Among Us - PC
Thief Gold - PC
Shovel Knight - 3DS
Wolfenstein: The New Order - PC
Spoiler Alert - PC
Battle Arena Toshinden - Game Boy
Dungeons and Dragons - Shadow of Mystara - PC
Diablo III - PC
Dungeons and Dragons - Tower of Doom - PC
Expendabros - PC
Doom III: The Lost Mission - PC
Borderlands 2: Headhunter 1: T.K. Baha's Bloody Harvest - PC
Kangaroo - Atari 2600
Escape Goat - PC *new*
Borderlands 2: Headhunter 2: The Horrible Hunger of the Ravenous Wattle Gobbler - PC *new*
Borderlands 2: Headhunter 3: How Marcus Saved Mercenary Day - PC *new*
Ninja Spirit - PCE
Borderlands 2: Headhunter 4: Wedding Day Massacre - PC
Proteus - Vita
Destiny - PS4 *new*
Karnov - NES *new*

Total: 73

Games Beaten: 2013 2012 2011 2010

I finished the campaign in Destiny in about 20 hours but have already sunk just as much time into post-game content. This is easily my GOTY so far, and a real enjoyable title that I suspect will only get better over the next few months. It really feels like Diablo 3 in FPS form.

Karnov is a bad ass, and looks great on the Retron 5. I hope to play more NES/SNES/Genesis/GBA games in the next few months on the system, and this was a good way to break up almost 2 weeks straight of Destiny-playing

[Sload Soap]

F-Zero, F-Zero X, F-Zero Maximum Velocity, F-Zero GX and F-Zero GP Legend

Played through the series for together retro. Main takeaways are that F-Zero gets better every time I play it, F-Zero X is still my favourite, Maximum Velocity is better than I thought but still the worst game in the series, GX is still tough as nails and GP Legend comes close to being the best Mode 7 F-Zero but is let down by some tinny music and easy difficulty.

The series is magnificent and its installments rank for me among the best titles of whichever platform it is on. Nintendo really need to get their arse in gear and awaken this sleeping giant.

Glitchhikers (PC)

Another short but affecting PC "art" game that I learned of through Campster, Glitchikers strides a pretty fine line between being pretentious and profound, mostly settling in the latter camp. You drive along an empty road a night with a NPR styled radio station and the bizarre hitchhikers that you pick up (or do you?) as your only company. It's about the journey, man, not the destination or some such.

Like I say, the way it broaches certain philosophical topics can be a bit first year studenty at times but it did make me think once the game had run its brief course and in its own weird way, it's quite pretty.

It's a free download and won't take long to get through, even if you do go for multiple paths.

Valiant Hearts (360)

First off I'll give Ubisoft some credit for attempting to tackle the still touchy nature of First world war in a videogame while trying their best to both entertain and inform. And top marks for making a cast of mostly mute human and animal into characters I actually care about.

That and it looks fabulous. Using Rayman Origins engine, Ubisoft have created a game with a very authentic and European feeling cartoon style that looks great and unique at all times.

However I am very conflicted on this one. There is a lot about the game I don't like from the way it flits between tones, the way a decent amount of the puzzles aren't very challenging or fun, to the way the story needs massive amounts of convenience to prop itself up.

For example, you play as four different characters and one of them, Freddie, is basically a Edwardian Mr T, cutting through barbed wire and driving tanks while chasing some cliche German moustache twiddler. He strides across the trenches and pushes back German advances almost single handedly. He's a cartoon character basically.

Karl however has a much more sombre and realistic story as a German man living in France who is arrested and taken away from his young family. Having no interest in the war you try to find your way back to your wife, and even though there is a bit of silliness, it's a more reasoned and personal perspective on the conflict. He's a real person.

If the game had maybe been more about Karl then I would be rating it very highly indeed. There are some very dark moments later on (using the piled up bodies of dead countrymen as cover from machine gun fire dark) and it builds to an ending that steers clear of easy manipulation which genuinely did elicit tears from me. It's very impressive in that regard.

You get a sense of how the war devastated the lives so many people back then and it's great to play a war game where the objective is not limited to murdering as many enemies as possible. For the most part this is a game about avoiding conflict rather than forcing it.

That said, I think last years Brothers: Tale of Two Sons did a much better job of merging narrative with gameplay and was very powerful in the way it forced the player to do things they really didn't want to do. Valiant Hearts however is bunch of average puzzles framed by moving story and relatable characters. It's too gamey in that sense and it's only gimmick or hook is that it's a WW1 story.

If you want something that will try to make you cry, give it a shot. If you don't know much about the Great War, also give it a shot. I just wouldn't expect much great gameplay out of it's great story.

Destiny (360)
Guess I'll stick this one up as well. I've definitely played it more than the Escapist now.

Destiny is a pretty great game at the moment and could be a brilliant one in the future if Bungie continue to support it and listen to fan feedback. There are a bunch of small issues that need fixing, some that shouldn't be broke to begin with (no map, seriously?), the mission structure is incredibly one dimensional and its world is basically just a composite of Warhammer 40,000, Mass Effect and Halo.

It's okay though for me as it makes up with some exceptional gameplay, very smooth and easy to use presentation and enough modes that if I get bored doing high level strikes I can nip into a hectic PvP match for a bit before jumping back to Venus on a hunt for loot chests and unexplored crannies.

It's fun and unlike some other loot grinders I've played, it hasn't become a chore. It's also my GOTY so far but since I've played fewer than five games that were actually released this year, that isn't saying too much I guess.

I don't think it's the amazing game changing, genre defining masterpiece it was sold as but it is a very cool and fun game that has enough broad appeal that your COD playing friends will enjoy it while also having just enough depth to keep hardened MMO players happy, at least in my experience.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Assassin's Creed IV WiiU
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon PC
Splinter Cell: Blacklist WiiU
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut WiiU
Jazzpunk PC
Pikmin 3 WiiU
Call of Duty: Ghosts WiiU
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze WiiU
Tomb Raider (2013) PC
Danganronpa Vita
Far Cry 2 360
The Witcher 2 360
Catherine 360
Injustice: Gods Among Us 360
Gears of War 360
Forza Horizon 360
Portal PC
Portal 2 PC
The Wolf Among Us PC
Analogue: A Hate Story PC
XCOM: Enemy Unknown PC
BioShock PC
BioShock: Infinite PC

Persona 4 Golden Vita

Easily the best RPG I have ever played. It's part social "sim" and part dungeon crawling and it mixes beautifully. Just like Catherine, this team really knows how to mix and match great narrative elements along with traditional game styles. Now to go back and get the other endings. I got one of the bad ones.

Edit: Got the true ending. Very rewarding experience. Now to Persona 3. FES or Portable? Hmmm.

[alienjesus]

1. Kirby's Epic Yarn Wii
2. To The Moon Christmas Special PC
3. Super Mario 3D World Wii U
4. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD Wii U
5. Chiki Chiki Boys Mega Drive
6. World of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck Mega Drive
7. Metal Gear PSVita
8. Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake PSVita
9. Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy 3DS
10. Akai Katana 360
11. Metal Gear Solid GBC
12. Atelier Totori Plus: The Adventurer of Arland PSN
13. Tearaway PSN
14. Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA ƒ PSN
15. Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA 2nd PSP
16. Final Fantasy VII PS1
17. Dead or Alive 5 Plus PSVita
18. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds 3DS
19. NES Remix 2 Wii U eShop
20. Starfox Assault GC
21. Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney 3DS
22. Cybernator SNES
23. Gravity Rush PSVita
24. Perfect Dark N64
25. Castlevania: Rondo of Blood PSP
26. Wave Race 64 N64
27. Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Extend PSP
28. Mischief Makers N64
29. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night PSP
30. Snowboard Kids N64
31. Mario Kart 8 Wii U
32. Double Dragon NES
33. Shantae 3DS VC
34. Maestro: Jump in Music DS
35. Learn with Pokémon: Typing Adventure DS
36. Bangai-O DC
37. Ristar Wii VC
38. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty PSVita
39. Muramasa Rebirth PSN
40. Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom Wii U eShop
41. Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara Wii U eShop
42. Mega Man Wii U VC
43. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together PSP
44. Mega Man 3 Wii U VC
45. Mega Man 4 Wii U VC
46. Scooby Doo: Classic Creep Capers GBC
47. Kirby's Dream Land 2 3DS VC
48. Mega Man 5 Wii U VC
49. Mega Man 6 Wii U VC
50. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Wii U *NEW*
51. Sayonara Umihara Kawase 3DS eShop*NEW*
52. Konami Krazy Racers GBA *NEW*

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

There's a lot of things I like about Sonic and the rest racing. The world tour campaign is top amongst them. I really enjoyed the variance of the challenges, it made a ncie change from just playing grand prix racing tours over and over. They weren't all hits - I wasn't a big fan of the traffic attack or tank fighting stages, but generally they're interesting and fun.

The course design is also another hit. Fun remixed music from classic games, pretty good series representation and some fun fast paced tracks (favourites of mine include the Golden Axe, Jet Set Radio Future & Skies of Arcadia stage) and although I don't love them all, I love that a game like Burning Rangers can get representation in the game.

The character roster isn't so hot though. Don't get me wrong, it's actually a pretty solid roster - I love the fact that Gilius Thunderhead, Alex Kidd, Vyse and Joe Musashi are all here - it's just strangely lacking. The first game had Opa-Opa and Ryo Hazuki and the Chu Chus. This game swaps out all those characters offering unique representation for more characters from series already represented. Why Gum and Pudding are here is beyond me, as neither Jet Set Radio or Space Channel 5 was that big a franchise for Sega - certainly not enough to warrant two representatives. In addition, older (but arguably more significant historically) franchises are underrepresented or ignored completely - no Phantasy Star, no Streets of Rage, no Ecco the Dolphin, no Fantasy Zone, no Shining Force, no Hang-On or Virtua Fighter or Virtua Racing or Virtua Cop or Sega Rally... not even Shenmue representation in the console versions. It's certainly an odd selection of stuff to ignore, and seems to show some odd favouritism towards the Dreamcast era rather than Sega's more successful Arcade and Mega Drive IPs.

The game feels like an expanded mario kart in a lot of ways - it's faster, has similar items, has more developed drifting and trick mechanics and more complex courses. It feels like an arcade racer spliced with a kart racer and it has the best of both worlds, but as a result it loses the simplicity and playability of Mario Kart.

It's definitely worth picking up and playing, it's a fantastic game. That said, it's still second best to the Mario Kart series in my eyes - but that's not a bad spot to be in.

Sayonara Umihara Kawase

Umihara Kawase is a pretty obscure but cult classic franchise - especially outside of Japan, as the games have been exclusive to that region until recently. The 3DS entry in the series was finally given a worldwide release on Nintendo eShop though - in the US as Yumi's Odd Odyssey and in Europe under it's Japanese name.

The game is a pretty damn tough platformer where you're tasked with reaching the door to exit each stage. Some stages have multiple doors offering lots of potential paths to multiple endings. To reach the doors you have to use the games complex physic system to launch your character around. She uses a fishing rod to grapple, swing, and bounce around the stage - but it's not as simple as you might think as the line is made of rubber. You're constantly bouncing around and it has quite a learning curve to get the hang of it - one which I certainly haven't quite gotten down just yet!

There are other mechanics to worry about too - your character can gain speed by falling or jumping onto an incline and running down it, can keep momentum when landing on ice (which is essential to beating some levels) and can even grapple the floor and pull her rod to gain momentum as if shot from an elastic band. It all gets very complicated, but it's interesting because it can offer many options for beating levels - there's normally a reasonably clear route, but there are a LOT of opportunities to cut corners or take alternate paths to the exit.

The aesthetics of the game aren't remarkable. The graphics are a little low budget and ugly. The music is OK but forgettable. The surreal design (a standard for the series) is memorable and eye catching though, so it's not all bad.

The game offers infinite lives, and that's a damn good thing, because the difficulty is high from the get go. I lost 40 lives on stage 4. There are 50 stages. At this point I've beaten a little over half of the stages and gotten two endings. There's still a lot to do here!

I'd recommend this game if you get it on sale (the eShop price is a bit high for my liking), but be warned it's not for everyone.

Konami Krazy Racers

This is a game that seems to have gone under a lot of people's radars, which is a shame bekause it's pretty good. I blame peoples ambivalence on that wayward K in the title - mispelled titles are a sure way to put me off. It kould have been worse though, they kould have kalled it Konami Krazy Racerz.

Konami Krazy Racers is a fun little Mario Kart klone which beat Mario Kart Super Cirkuit to the punch as the first kart racing game on the GBA. The game kontrols pretty well, has nice graphiks and some solid remixes of musik tracks from klassic Konami titles like Kastlevania, Metal Gear, Gradius, Parodius and Goemon. The kharakter roster is taken straight from the klassic games too - it has Goemon, Dracula, Grey Fox from Metal Gear, the oktopus from Parodius, a kharakter from Pop'n Music, a Moai head, Power Pro Kun, and a kharakter named Pastl I don't rekognise.

There are some issues though - the kourses kan be hit or miss - the simple stages are fun romps, but some of the later stages are frustrating. There is a trend of obstakles bouncing onto the track from the sides, but these are really annoying to dodge as it's hard to make out the depth they're hitting in 2D. The turning kan be irritating too - there doesnt seem to be a power slide, so using the brakes is essential and it slows the game down. Of kourse, the komputer kharakters kan take these korners at full speed, the cheats.

This game isn't the greatest kart racers you'll ever play, but if you ever spot it, it's worth picking up for a quick blast. It's a fun enough kouple of hours.

I'm not sure I'd go as far as to kall it crazy ....I mean krazy, though. (Oh my god, this was painful to write)

An honourary mention at the end too - I finally completed Super Smash Bros. Brawl. All characters, stages, cds, trophies, stickers, assist trophies, masterpieces etc - it's all done, just on time for the next one!

[Sload Soap]

It kould have been worse though, they kould have kalled it Konami Krazy Racerz.

They were going to call it Konami Krazy Karts. That probably would have been worse.

[Luke]

Separation Anxiety - Genesis

Not as fun as Maximum Carnage, although it's basically the same game.