Games Beaten 2015

[prfsnl_gmr]

I don't see how you can't consider them amongst the best anyway.

A single, exceptionally annoying character prevents me from considering The Phantom Menace to be a good, enjoyable film; so, I there is no reason why another exceptionally annoying character should prevent me from considering the GOW games to be among the best of their generation.

Also, and while the GOW are polished and well-paced, I think that most of the gameplay in the GOW games is a bit uninspired. I also think that the games are too easy. (Basically, I think that the GOW games lean heavily a polished-up version of Rygar's simplistic combat mechanics, and that I think that combat in the Devil May Cry games is drastically more challenging and interesting.)

I don't get most of the Kratos hate.

Everything about Kratos - from his idiotic attitude to his stupid, grunting goatee - is incredibly annoying. It is like he was birthed from a focus group composed solely of the ten dumbest middle-school dropouts who couldn't find their way to a mid-2000s Limp Bizkit concert. (In other words, I don't want his character-fleshed out. I want it to go away.) He quite literally ruins the GOW games for me.

[dsheinem]

It is like he was birthed from a focus group composed solely of the ten dumbest middle-school dropouts who couldn't find their way to a mid-2000s Limp Bizkit concert.

[BogusMeatFactory]

I don't see how you can't consider them amongst the best anyway.

Amongst the best mechanically, sure. Amongst the best in relation to story and character development, absolutely not. I think that, "The Best," in games is a combination of both criteria..... like Shenmue

[J T]

It is like he was birthed from a focus group composed solely of the ten dumbest middle-school dropouts who couldn't find their way to a mid-2000s Limp Bizkit concert.

Even though I liked the game, that's a praiseworthy diss.

[dsheinem]

I don't see how you can't consider them amongst the best anyway.

Amongst the best mechanically, sure. Amongst the best in relation to story and character development, absolutely not. I think that, "The Best," in games is a combination of both criteria..... like Shenmue

I consider them amongst the best from a technical and aesthetic perspective...not from a mechanics and storytelling perspective.

Nice Shenmue troll, though

[Ack]

I loathed God of War when I played through it, but according to Ds, I'm also the only person who has ever acquired a glitchy copy. My version was a mess: I clipped through walls, got stuck in animations, had the game freeze, screwed up enemy spawns that were needed to continue playing, and so on...

The moral of the story is to take my opinion of God of War with a grain of salt. Though it is nice to be the 1% for once in my life.

[MrPopo]

GoW 1 blew its load on level 1. I played the next couple and was bored and decided not to pick it up (was playing a buddy's copy).

Weirdest moment at work was when one of my female Indian coworkers asked me if I had played the latest GoW; she'd just snagged it and was loving it (she's got the whole series).

[BoneSnapDeez]

I can understand why God of War is so adored by the masses, but to me it's a solid 6/10 title. Gameplay is technically competent, but the whole thing feels so generic. Much like Halo, it all comes off as being a "focus group game."

And Kratos blows.

[Xeogred]

GoW killed the Japanese action game scene. I guess there was Bayonetta 2... but otherwise most third person action games thesedays are about giant whip weapons that cover the entire screen, a maximum of 3 combos, toddler difficulty, and QTE bosses out the ass. Lords of Shadow bored me to tears. Enslaved at least had a cool world, but the gameplay and its two combos were utterly tiresome, I could only play in tiny short bursts. And Dante's Inferno was incredibly terrible.

It's a shame.

[J T]

A Wolf Among Us (01/03/15)
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ (All courses S ranked on 01/08/15)
Distance (beta 3315, 01/11/15)
Shantae: Risky's Revenge- Director's Cut (01/16/15)
Sega Bass Fishing (01/17/15)
Fairy Bloom Freesia (01/17/15)
BasketBelle (01/18/15)
Tiny & Big: in Grandpa's Leftovers (01/20/15)
Sideway: New York (01/22/15)
Doom 64 EX (01/23/15)

Incredible game!

This is a revamped version of Doom 64 for the PC that allows you to play with mouse+keyboard, and allows for full range head movements. It also has graphics at a higher res than the N64 is capable of. You can employ save states too. To download this EX version, go to the following URL, though you will need a ROM to make it work:

https://doom64ex.wordpress.com/downloads/

This game was such a blast! It's one of the best Doom sequels out there, sitting somewhere between 2 and 3 in chronology. It manages to be moody and ominous while also being fast paced and full of action. That's a difficult combination to pull off, and Doom 64 does it with aplomb. The level designs are also the perfect level of challenge. They aren't linear, and they are quite challenging, but they aren't so long that you get completely lost. They also change as you trip switches, and the layout of the level can pretty radically alter. It's as much of a puzzle game as it is an action FPS game as it is a horror game. It really is a masterful combination of these three genres. I think Doom 64 is actually the scariest Doom, and possible the most intense action-wise and the most labyrinthine puzzle-wise. All of this is even better with this EX version.

I have Doom 64 on the N64, but I never could beat the final mother alien demon thing. She's terrible and comes directly after an insane onslaught of every worst enemy in a giant arena of godawfulness. The final boss is especially painful if you didn't play the game like a completionist, because then you will have missed the three demon keys that make her battle much easier (apparently). I've only read that though, since I have never found any of the demon keys, so my battle with her was a kick in the balls. Thankfully, with the help of save states and a little trick I found out where you can prevent her from shooting her killer homing missiles by shooting her with the shotgun, I have finally beaten this game, albeit on the PC version. Woot!