Games Beaten 2015

[Exhuminator]

where something bad happens and you have to shoot/melee your way out

The funny thing is, Running With Scissors made sure you could actually beat the game without ever resorting to violence, it's just wayyy harder not to. That was the true joke of Postal 2, the game tries to make you go postal. But you don't have to. I enjoyed the game myself years ago, it was one of the best sandbox games I've ever played.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Yay Magical School Lunar!

Do you have that little set of cards that came with the game? I have yet to open those.

[Czernobog]

where something bad happens and you have to shoot/melee your way out

The funny thing is, Running With Scissors made sure you could actually beat the game without ever resorting to violence, it's just wayyy harder not to. That was the true joke of Postal 2, the game tries to make you go postal. But you don't have to. I enjoyed the game myself years ago, it was one of the best sandbox games I've ever played.

^I didn't realize that, but I suppose you could just run from everything during the first five days. Sure isn't set up to feel that way though when you have to storm a compound full of people shooting. Also, the last two days, iirc I had to kill cows/elephants as part of the tasks.

[Czernobog]

Yay Magical School Lunar!

Do you have that little set of cards that came with the game? I have yet to open those.

Unfortunately not, did get a copy with the spine card though. It's a shame there doesn't seem to be a fan translation for the Saturn version as of yet. The humor/charm really made the game for me.

[Fragems]

1. Injustice Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition(PS4)
2. Infamous First Light(PS4)
3. Drakengard 3(PS3) *Endings 1-4. Ending 5 I watched online due to BS boss.
4. Infamous Second Son(PS4)
5. Thomas Was Alone(PS4)
6. Uncharted Drake's Fortune(PS3) *
7. Uncharted 2 Among Thieves(PS3) *
8. Uncharted 3 Drake's Deception(PS3) *
9. Deadpool(PS3)
10. Red Dead Redemption(360)
11. Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare(360)
12. The Walking Dead Survival Instinct(360)
13. Fuse(360)
14. The Bureau Xcom Declassified(360)
15. Asura's Wrath(360)
16. Beneath a Steel Sky(PC)
17. Soul Gambler(PC)
19. Harvester(PC)
20. Coma: Mortuary(PC)
21. Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure(PC)
22. Freedom Planet(PC)
23. Tropico 3 Steam Special Edition(PC)
24. Far Cry 4(PS3)
25. Shellshock 2 Blood Trails(360)
26. Grand Theft Auto V(PC)

Probably one of the best sandbox games of last gen maybe even this gen as well . Have beat it on 3 different consoles so far and it's been a solid experience everytime. As for the improvements given to the updated version I didn't really use them much. The video editor seems like a nice addition and works very well if your into that, and the first person mode is pretty sweet although it makes things a lot more difficult when actually going on missions.

[BogusMeatFactory]

Probably one of the best sandbox games of last gen maybe even this gen as well . Have beat it on 3 different consoles so far and it's been a solid experience everytime. As for the improvements given to the updated version I didn't really use them much. The video editor seems like a nice addition and works very well if your into that, and the first person mode is pretty sweet although it makes things a lot more difficult when actually going on missions.

I have to still finish up my write-up of my experience in GTA V, but I had a very different experience with First Person Mode. I used it exclusively through the entirety of the game, minus 2 vehicles, because of poor vision.

[Ack]

1. Renegade Ops (PC)(Multidirectional Shooter)
2. Borderlands 2 (PC)(FPS/RPG)
3. Gunpoint (PC)(Puzzle Platformer)
4. Robotrek (SNES)(RPG)
5. The Tick (SNES)(Beat 'Em Up)
6. Alien vs Predator (SNES)(Beat 'Em Up)
7. X-Kaliber 2097 (SNES)(Action Platformer)
8. Metal Slug (MVS)(Run and Gun)
9. Shadowrun (SNES)(RPG)
10. Quake II (PC)(FPS)
11. The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang (SNES)(RPG)
12. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (PC)(Action)
13. A Story About My Uncle (PC)(Platformer)
14. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (PC)(FPS)
15. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith (PC)(FPS)
16. Catacomb (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)
17. Catacomb Abyss (PC)(FPS)
18. Catacomb Armageddon (PC)(FPS)
19. Catacomb Apocalypse (PC)(FPS)
20. The Catacomb (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)
21. Catacomb 3-D (PC)(FPS)
22. EarthBound (SNES)(RPG)
23. Quake II: Ground Zero (PC)(FPS)
24. Quake II: The Reckoning (PC)(FPS)
25. Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader (PC)(RPG)
26. The 7th Guest (PC)(Puzzle)
27. Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness (PC)(RPG)
28. Loom (PC)(Point and Click Adventure)

I have wanted to play Loom for years, ever since I encountered that pirate advertising the game in The Secret of Monkey Island. I acquired a demo when I was about 10 years old but never managed to get my eager little hands onto a real copy until GOG worked out a deal with Disney to start selling LucasArts games. What started as an interest over 20 years ago is finally fulfilled, and the experience was short but sweet and has left me both satisfied but with a strange sense of longing for the sequels that never were.

But let's back up to discuss Loom proper first. It is a SCUMM engine point and click, but Loom stands out as the most unusual of the bunch because it does not adhere to the traditional verb-object interface that other SCUMM engine games utilized. It has humorous elements but isn't funny in the way other SCUMM games were, it was far more fantasy influenced with a backbone borne from Greek mythology and classical music, and it used special features to build a world that goes far beyond the small snippet contained in Loom, though even in the game you can grasp hints of things which have yet to pass. It is short, very linear, and is impossible to lose, though the player could potentially get stuck on certain puzzles. It is also best played with a notepad to write down the various drafts you have to know.

The drafts are the real departure from more traditional SCUMM fare. Instead of using things like "Push - Wall" or some such logic, our hero Bobbin Threadbare must cast drafts with his distaff. The drafts are performed with four-note combinations on a musical scale, though originally Bobbin's selection of possible notes is quite small. Certain drafts can also be reversed by playing them backwards; for example, the combination of notes ECED will open things, while DECE will close them. Puzzles are solved mainly by figuring out what drafts to cast on what objects in what order. And there are a lot of them, 16 of which you discover(10 of which are reversible, making 26 in all). The pack-in materials from the original game also hinted at more that were supposedly going to appear in later sequels, including one witnessed in a scrying sphere but which never actually occurs in the game.

Yes, there were supposed to be two later sequels, Forge and The Flock. Loom is sort of the LucasArts bastard child due to its differences from other games, but it has sold reasonably well over time. Unfortunately the developers on the game ended up being pulled onto other projects, and the two sequels were never made. As a result, Loom ends with a non-ending, where the hero completes his task but in the process basically abandons the world to its fate at the hands of a pissed off ghostly personification of Chaos and her roving legions of the living dead.

After sitting and thinking about it, I can honestly say I loved playing through Loom. It's not worldbreaking, and there is a bittersweet quality to my experience after having waited so long. But after waiting so long, I had a blast with the short time I spent with it, and now another of those long gaming journeys that I started decades ago in my youth has drawn to a close. I'm saddened to see it go, but happy at the time I spent, like visiting an old friend for an afternoon and then parting ways again, leaving me to reminisce about good times long since past.

[Fragems]

I have to still finish up my write-up of my experience in GTA V, but I had a very different experience with First Person Mode. I used it exclusively through the entirety of the game, minus 2 vehicles, because of poor vision.

I mean it's completely playable that way and can really change up the experience. However I just prefer third person view for driving and since I like using cover it's easier to just play with the third person camera.

It is great for sight seeing though I do enjoy just riding a bike around the city in first person.

[c0wb0y]

Previously:
Lego Marvel on the 360

Updated:
Minecraft - 360 I almost completed the original achievement set on Minecraft, but the number of achievements was doubled with the last update on the 360. Not thinking I'll get close to completing it by that standard. But I did finally build the 500 meter rail track, and also befriended a 5th wolf! (Discovered that one of my daughters set my survival world to creative mode at one point, meaning the rail I'd built would never count. Creative mode negates any progress against achievements. So I had to start from scratch on a new world. Oh well. )

New entries:
The Unfinished Swan - PS3 I'd read a little about this one, and it really piqued my curiosity. I like how the devs introduced new play mechanics throughout the game - even into the credits. My daughters watched me play the game and really liked the story - especially the last chapter. I liked the little tip of the hat to the Journey developers.
Journey - I've played through this one twice now. I really enjoyed it as a non-traditional experience. Again, my daughters are enthralled. They like the alternative game experiences.

We played through 2 levels of Flower tonight, and after their initial frustration with the six axis control, they really got into it. Good times!

[dsheinem]

Games Beaten 2015

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call - 3DS
A Bird Story - PC
Quake - PC
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare - PS4
Quake: Scourge of Armagon - PC
Quake: Dissolution of Eternity - PC
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis - NDS
Painkiller - PC
Gungrave: Overdose - PS2
Adventure -Atari 2600 (PS2)
Auto Racing - Intellivision (PS2) [1979]
Boxing - Atari 2600 (PS2) [1980]
The Count - TI99/4A (emulated) [1981]
Dragonstomper - Atari 2600/Starpath Supercharger (emulated) [1982]
Enduro - Atari 2600 (PS2) [1983]
Diablo III - PS4
Front Line - Atari 2600 (emulated) [1984]
Gertie Goose - The Lost Eggs - C64 (emulated) [1985]
Ocean Commander - Wii
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance - PS2
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls - PS4
Mortal Kombat: Deception - PS2
The Order: 1886 - PS4
The Uncle Who Works for Nintendo - PC
Grab Them By The Eyes - PC
Growl - PS2/Arcade
Hydlide - NES [1986]
Ikari Warriors - NES [1987]
Jonah Barrington's Squash - C64 (emulated) [1988]
Steel Diver - 3DS
Super Mario 3D World - - Wii U
Quake II - PC
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number - PS4
Kung Fu Louie vs. The Martial Art Posse - PC [1989]
Loom - PC [1990]
Metroid II: Return of Samus - GB [1991]
Ninja Commando - - Arcade (MAME) [1992]
Tennis in the Face - Vita
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD - PS4
Quake II: The Reckoning - PC
Injustice: Gods Among Us - PS4
Assassin's Creed: Freedom Cry - PS4
Infamous: First Light - PS4
Race the Sun - PS4 *new*
Mad Riders - PS3 *new*

Total: 45

Previously: 2014 | The First 400 Games

School's out, so the game playing time is kicking up. In both of these games I unlocked everything in the main mode of the game by getting enough levels, stars, etc. to advance through to the end.

Both are a lot of fun. Mad Riders is not as polished as something like the Motorstorm series or even Pure, but it makes up for it with goofiness, a simple presentation, and plain old basic, stupid fun. Race the Sun offers an intense challenge that takes some time to get comfortable with, but can induce that "being in the zone" feeling quite nicely when everything is firing on all cylinders.

On a side note, this entry marks 500 games logged since I started keeping track of beaten titles back in 2010.