Games Beaten 2015

[J T]

A story about my uncle

I played the original Story About My Uncle when it was a free prototype. I liked it even in that basic form. It looks like it has changed a lot since then. I have the full version on GOG but still need to play it through.

[alienjesus]

1. Star Fox 2 SNES
2. Sonic Advance 2 GBA
3. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker Wii U
4. Advance Wars: Dark Conflict DS
5. Joy Mech Fight Famicom
6. Grandia PS1
7. Money Idol Exchanger Game Boy
8. The Battle of Olympus NES
9. Lost Kingdoms 2 GC
10. Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon DS
11. Code of Princess 3DS DL
12. Discworld Saturn
13. Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru [For the Frog the Bell Tolls] Game Boy
14. 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 3DS DL
15. 3D Streets of Rage 3DS DL
16. Pokémon Shuffle 3DS DL *NEW*
17. 3D Altered Beast 3DS DL *NEW*

Pokémon Shuffle

Pokémon Shuffle is a free to play downloadable puzzle game for 3DS.

It takes a lot of inspiration from the likes of Candy Crush, but in my opinion, it's mechanics feel a bit fairer - you can swap two icons anywhere on the map instead of just two next to each other, which makes creating combos and beating stages feel a bit less luck-based - not entirely mind, but it's still an improvement.

Shuffle makes use of the pokémon mechanics reasonably well - your puzzle pieces are made up of 4 pokémon you bring into the stage. Each pokemon can activate a special ability when matched (like doing more damage if you match 4 for example) and their type plays an important role. Each stage requires you to defeat an opposing pokémon by whittling down their health bar by making matches and the pokémon type chart is full effect - you'll be bringing in 4 super-effective pokémon wherever possible for double damage.

You also have mega evolutions at your disposal - matching enough of a mega evolving pokemon make it mega evolve, causing it to do a lot of damage and also take out swathes of your puzzle pieces, often causing combos as it does so when new tiles fall in to take their place.

The enemy pokémon will try and screw you over though - they'll turn some of your pokémon into different pokémon, normally ones they are resistant to, or they'll block off certain tiles. Near the end of the game, they get pretty nasty about how much they interfere too. When you beat a pokémon you get a chance to catch it. The % chance is based on how many turns it took you to beat it, plus their base rate. Some can have incredibly low base rates of 1 or 2%, so beating them fast is your only real chance of catching them.

Pokémon Shuffle is a rather fun game that I think is worth a buy. So....let's talk about the elephant in the room shall we? Nintendo has ventured into the Free To Play market before, with Rusty's Real Deal Baseball, Steel Diver Sub Wars and even the very recent Ironfall Invasion. They were more traditional in their model- Steel Diver and Ironfall are basically extended demos you can buy the rest of the content for, and Rusty's Real Deal Baseball is a bunch of mini games you can permanently buy, with an interesting meta-game around bargaining the price down that is novel and interesting. Pokémon Shuffle is one of the most egregious examples of free-to-play, and it takes it's model right from the mobile puzzle game market.

Jewels in game can be traded for either hearts or coins. You can earn coins from checking in each day or a few by beating stages and they are used for either buying power ups for levels (instant mega-evolve, 5 extra turns, etc) or buying great balls, which double the catch rate of the pokémon you're trying to catch, once. Hearts are used to actually play a level, and regenerate every 30 minutes, up to a maximum of 5.

The issue I have is that the rates for the jewels are pretty high in real money, and guarantee nothing - 12 jewels (about £10) gets you 48000 coins, which disappears quick when you buy 2500 coin great balls, or 9000 coin powerups, and neither of those things is even guaranteed to work. It's essentially gambling your real money away. Hearts are a waste aswell - you can get 80 for the same price as 48000 coins, but they'll disappear fast, and the stages won't be any easier to make up for it.

And let me say, those stages near the end are really mean. Some of the latter stages are going to requires hundreds of attempts and a lot of blind luck to get past unless you buy a lot of those power ups. And the in-game methods of getting coins suck - 500 a day for checking in, and about 30 for clearing a stage.

The game even has an absolutely horrendous false economy. The 5 extra turns item you can buy at the start of the stage costs 800 coins. If you get to the end of a stage without winning, it offers you the ability to pay for 5 extra turns - the cost? 1 jewel. Jewels are not only limited in game (there are only 11 available) - they also are worth 1200 coins when you trade them. It's essentially taking advantage of your frustration and making you waste MORE money if you do it then. The 11 jewels thing is notable too. Jewels give better rates as you trade more in. The highest rates give much more bang for your buck - and that trade cost? 12. 12 jewels.

Pokémon Shuffle is a great game. I would have loved to pay for it. But I don't want to pay for the ability to play it temporarily, or the ability to gamble my money away. If this had been available outright for £10, I would have bought it outright. At £10 for a few plays or some coins, they can sod off. It definitely seems like a warm up for the mobile market, but this F2P system can damn well stay there if Nintendo is going to invest in mobile - leave console gaming payments as they are.

Pokémon Shuffle is definitely worth a play. But for the love of god, don't justify the payments system by spending money on it.

3D Altered Beast

3D Altered Beast is the 3rd game of the Sega 3D Classics line I've played.

3D Sonic the Hedgehog was possibly the best way to play that game. 3D Streets of Rage is probably the best way to play that game. 3D Hang-On, 3D Space Harrier, 3D Galaxy Force 2 - probably the best way to play those games outside of the arcade. Play all of those games, they are fantastic. I didn't even like Hang-On and Space Harrier, and the 3D versions have swayed me - I actually really enjoy them here.

3D Altered Beast isn't quite so definitive. For a start, this is a reworking of the Mega-Drive game. Why? There's literally nothing to recommend it over the Arcade version. Secondly, and I think this is important - although this is possibly the best way to play Altered Beast, it is, very notably, still a shit game.

Altered Beast is a terrible, terrible beat-em up. There's not much you can do to save it from the title. They've added a 'random form' mode, which is nice, but the issue is that most of the bosses are really designed around the form use on their level anyway - taking on the stage 2 boss with anything other than dragon is nigh on impossible without losing lives (for the record, I did this mode on my run and got Wolf, Wolf, Dragon, Bear, Bear on the 5 levels). It also accentuates how unbalanced they are. Tiger, the last form, is without a doubt the worst. Dragon is totally broken. The other two are OK. The gameplay is still no less boring, the variety lacking and there's no reason to really play it still.

The 3D effect here is also the worst in the 3D Classics series - not through a lack of effort mind, but because Altered Beast is a flat,boring game visually. Flat backgrounds, no parallax - it's just not a good game to remake in 3D. It's not a notable feature for this game, and it's already a crap game to begin with.

There are exactly 3 positive things I have to say about Altered Beast.

1. This is hilarious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOQcnliEjXM
2. So is this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_9VsnQJLjA
3. Literally every pose the Bear-Man makes is also hilarious:

May favourite is the 3rd one. He's like 'I don't give a damn, I'm a motherfuckin' bear!'

Only pick up 3D Altered Beast is only worth it if you want to get the entire set of 3D Classics. Otherwise, avoid. It's not worth it to own a(nother) copy of Altered Beast.

Never Forget:

[emwearz]

alienjesus, when you say the later stages are you talking of the regular 150, or the special stages, I found all of the 150 pretty average in difficulty and other than Mewtwo, never took all 5 lives to beat.

I am trying to catch all the Pokemon, I think that is when I will credit myself with the win, some of the special Pokemon stages are wicked hard to get a S rating / catch the Pokemon.

Where did you get up to before claiming the win (Normal stages beaten, All Pokemon caught, All S, etc) ?

[alienjesus]

alienjesus, when you say the later stages are you talking of the regular 150, or the special stages, I found all of the 150 pretty average in difficulty and other than Mewtwo, never took all 5 lives to beat.

I am trying to catch all the Pokemon, I think that is when I will credit myself with the win, some of the special Pokemon stages are wicked hard to get a S rating / catch the Pokemon.

Where did you get up to before claiming the win (Normal stages beaten, All Pokemon caught, All S, etc) ?

Normal stages beaten. And you must be pretty lucky, because stages like Mega Glalie, Mega Mewtwo and Zoroark are absolute bastards.

I have caught all but 4 of the normal pokemon. Still working on expert.

[wclem]

1. Resident Evil 4 (PS3) Digital
2. Resident Evil 6 (PS3) Disc Version
3. Dying Light (PS4) Disc Version
4. Red Dead Redemption (PS3) Disc Version (Replay)
5. Batman Arkham City (PS3) Disc Version
6. The Order (PS4) Disc Version
7. Valiant Hearts (PS4) Digital Version
8. DMC Definitive (PS4) Disc Version
9. Resident Evil Revelations 2 (PS4) Disc Version

Saw someone bump this thread so I am posting here so I do not double post. I beat the 4 chapters which were enjoyable, but no outstanding. It was standard RE fare, if you played the other Revelations then you played this. Story was all right and the gameplay was similar to the last one. Wish it would have been a little longer but it fit the price. If you like Revelation 1 then grab this, it was more of the same.

Where this game pissed me off was with the two extra episodes. While they would most likely explain the missing parts of the story they for some deranged reason changed the game play mechanic. Just let me have my guns and shoot zombies. One is a stealth game and the other is limited based on how many "rations" you have. Just dumb, sorry, no other words for it.

Go for the main story, leave the tacked on stuff for the die hards.

[noiseredux]

All of the Revelation 2 episodes are out now? Nice.

[wclem]

Unless you really need a RE fix, wait for a price drop.

[bmoc]

1. Radiant Historia
2. Halo: Combat Evolved (Master Chief Collection)
3. Halo 2 (Master Chief Collection)
4. Killer Instinct (Season 1 Story Mode)
5. 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors
6. Ori and the Blind Forest (Xbox One)
7. Rayman Legends (Xbox One)

Another great entry in the Rayman series! If you played Origins and liked it, then you should definitely pick this one up. And if you have an Xbox One, it is currently one of March's free games with Gold. For those that don't know, Rayman Legends is a collect-a-thon platformer. You collect various items and save the certain NPCs in order progress further.

I particularly enjoyed the musical levels. In those levels, jumping and attacking are usually done to the beat of the music. They do some pretty humorous renditions of popular songs like Eye of the Tiger.

Not much has changed gameplay-wise from Origins so if you are looking for something new, you may be disappointed. In fact as you progress, you unlock levels from Rayman Origins. A great feature for those that haven't played Origins. There are still plenty of original levels to keep you busy. I was able to beat the game without completing any of the Origins levels.

I still have lots of levels that I have yet to play/unlock. I doubt that I will go for 100% completion but I would at least like to play through all the levels. It has also been a great game to play with my 5 year old son. Many of the levels are too hard for him to beat on his own. However you have unlimited lives so he is able to jump back in as soon as I am able to free him.

[prfsnl_gmr]

1. Cut the Rope (3DS)
2. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3)
3. Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth (XBOX)
4. Jewel Link Chronicles: Mountains of Madness (NDS)
5. Super Mario 3D World (WIIU)
6. Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
7. Kirby Triple Deluxe (3DS)
8. Gunman Clive (3DS)
9. Child of Light (WIIU)
10. Gunman Clive 2 (3DS)
11. Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition (WIIU)

I picked up Mighty Switch Force: Hyperdrive Edition for $2.50 during a recent WayForward sale, and I definitely got my money's worth out of it. The game is a action-puzzle-platformer in which you play as a police officer who has to "collect" five fugitives hidden throughout each level. Your character contols like Mega Man, and you navigate the levels by shooting enemies and "switching" blocks into and out of existence. (Switching a block into existence while something is occupying its space is a great way to defeat enemies or inadvertently kill yourself.) The game also controls wonderfully, and it makes me wish that Capcom would let WayForward make a classic Mega Man game with HD graphics. The is very short, however, and a dedicated player could probably beat it in one sitting. Each of the game's 16 levels does have a "par" time, and achieving the "par" time in each level would likely take a tremendous amount of practice. Moreover, beating the game unlocks five challenging "bonus" levels, which I have not yet completed. In sum, I enjoyed Mighty Switch Force for what it was; my children enjoyed watching me play it; I am looking forward to playing through the bonus levels (and the sequel, which I also picked up for $2.50); and I recommend it to anyone looking to kill an afternoon with a fun, engaging, and inexpensive action-puzzle-platformer.

34. Kirby Super Star (SNES)

You are going to love Triple Deluxe. It is basically Kirby Super Star 2.

[BoneSnapDeez]

1. Grandia (PlayStation)
2. Jungle Hunt (Xbox - Taito Legends)
3. Jungle Hunt (Atari 2600)
4. Jungle Hunt (Plug & Play - ColecoVision Flashback)
5. Donkey Kong (Atari 2600)
6. Donkey Kong (Intellivision)
7. Donkey Kong (ColecoVision)
8. Bubble Bobble (NES)
9. Side Arms: Hyper Dyne (PSP - Capcom Classics Collection Remixed)
10. 1941: Counter Attack (PSP - Capcom Classics Collection Remixed)
11. Ys: The Ark of Napishtim (PSP)
12. The Ninja Kids (Xbox - Taito Legends)
13. Neutopia (TurboGrafx-16)
14. Golden Axe Warrior (Xbox 360 - Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection)
15. Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2 (Dreamcast)
16. Growl (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)
17. Arabian Magic (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)
18. Dungeon Magic (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)
19. Gekirindan (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)
20. Ys II (Saturn - Falcom Classics II)
21. Darius Gaiden (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)
22. G Darius (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)
23. Giana Sisters DS (DS)
24. RayStorm (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)
25. Mr. Do! (ColecoVision)
26. Beauty & the Beast (Intellivision)
27. Boxing (PlayStation 2 - Activision Anthology)
28. Crystalis (NES)
29. Dragon Warrior (NES)
30. Faxanadu (NES)
31. Tombs & Treasure (NES)
32. Kirby's Dream Land (Game Boy)
33. Kirby's Adventure (NES)
34. Kirby Super Star (SNES)
35. Hoshi no Kirby 64 (Nintendo 64)

This is Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. I just happen to own the Japanese version.

I always thought this game was significantly underrated. People talk about Mario 64 and the Zeldas and GoldenEye but Kirby never seems to come up. It's a shame too, because this is not only one of the better Kirby games but one of the best N64 games and 5th gen platformers.

Kirby 64 completely ignores the 3D trend - this is a 2D game. Well, 2.5D. Everything's at an angle and the levels "curve" as Kirby progresses, but he can only walk left and right. This control scheme is a breath of fresh air; I always found 5th gen 3D platformers to be more than a little awkward.

Some major changes were made to the Kirby formula. First off, he can no longer fly indefinitely. After a short while poor Kirby will run out of breath and drop. This is a welcome change; the flying was too easy to exploit in the earlier games and Kirby could simply sail over the trickier levels. Secondly, the abilities system has been altered significantly. There are no longer any allies to recruit, but Kirby can now mix two abilities. There are some crazy combinations here - for instance when Kirby mixes ice and spark he becomes a refrigerator with the ability to launch food at enemies. He can also combine two of the same ability. I especially enjoyed double-stone which makes Kirby a hulking rock beast.

Despite the noticeable changes all of the charm of the older Kirby games is still present here. The game world looks to made of cotton candy and lollipops and babies' butts. Everything is cute to the extreme, especially Kirby's new friends like his love interest (?) Ribbon. Music is quaint and pleasant. Controls are smooth and leisurely. Those who dislike the N64 controller will be thrilled to find out that the thumb stick and Z button are ignored completely, and the C buttons are completely optional!

I only have a couple of complaints. First off, like so many first-party Nintendo games the save feature doesn't keep track of extra lives earned. Every time the game is loaded it's back to 3. This was forgivable in Super Mario Bros. 3 but feels strange in a 5th gen game. Also, there's a "collectathon" aspect with the crystal shards. Three must be found in each level to unlock the "real" final boss and "true" ending. This can all be ignored, of course, but it feels out of place in such a light and breezy game.

I love Kirby 64. I know there's a small subset of retro gamers who choose to disregard the N64 due to its (comparatively) weak library of games. But I think this little pink puffball could be enough to convert the cynics.