Games Beaten 2014

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Well keep in mind BioShock Infinite isn't really a BioShock game

How so? It makes attempts to tie the lore of Rapture and Columbia together and it has similar gameplay mechanics with the plasmids and the vigors. Is it just the lack of already light RPG elements? What do you feel makes Infinite stand apart?

[Fragems]

Games Beaten 2014:

1. GTA V(360)
2. Brothers(PSN)
3. Infamous(PS3)*
4. Infamous 2(PS3)
5. Remember Me(PS3 PS+ Freebie)
6. Shadow of the Colossus(PS3 HD Collection)

*=replay

This is my 3rd or 4th play through of the game first time on the HD collection though. Overall it was as good. Kind of wish the bosses were a little more complex each took about 3-5 minutes to kill once I remembered their weaknesses but each was still interesting. Probably took me 4-5 hours to complete this time around maybe a little less. Didn't really notice a huge difference with the HD some of the textures were a little more detailed but I noticed alot of texture pop in and out while I was riding from boss to boss.


Now onto Ico.

[Stark]

Well keep in mind BioShock Infinite isn't really a BioShock game

How so? It makes attempts to tie the lore of Rapture and Columbia together and it has similar gameplay mechanics with the plasmids and the vigors. What do you feel makes Infinite stand apart?

Yeah and if I understand correctly (MrPopo could say more) the Burial at Sea DLC does the bolded to a great degree.

[pierrot]

Kind of wish the bosses were a little more complex each took about 3-5 minutes to kill once I remembered their weaknesses but each was still interesting.

You should probably try out the hard mode, then. All the colossi remain familiar, yet are much more challenging.

For even more of a challenge over what you might be used to, try the time attack mode (Hard). There are some swanky extras that come from it.

[darsparx]

Well I finally did it, I finally have one game for a list of games beaten this year:

- Katamari Damacy


It may not have been a 100% completion run but I made every star and over achieved on a few and it felt great to finally see that it was all finally done

Now play Noby Noby Boy and be completely weirded out.

Well if it's authentic japanese weirdness like katamari damacy then I'm in XD I don't know why but for the type of game damacy was I've suddenly been somewhat turned on to playing even more odd titles if I can get them over the next few months....

[Violent By Design]

Well keep in mind BioShock Infinite isn't really a BioShock game

How so? It makes attempts to tie the lore of Rapture and Columbia together and it has similar gameplay mechanics with the plasmids and the vigors. Is it just the lack of already light RPG elements? What do you feel makes Infinite stand apart?

It's a BioShock game as in it has the same narrative. Takes place in the same universe and has the lighthouse, but that doesn't really mean it is the same game. I thought Infinite could have very passed off as its own ip.

Infinite is said by its creator to be its own thing, it is tied in with BioShock with theme, not really gameplay. They even licensed it as a new intellectual property.

Infinite is a lot more fast pace and more like a typical FPS. I thought BioShock 1 was much more slow and plodding, the game play revolved around you having to absorb the darkness. In Infinite you are extremely agile, and you can fight like a God against a lot of people. I thought the original one had more of a survival type of vibe to it, though I only played maybe 40% of the original BioShock, so maybe it is different later on.

The lack of the light RPG elements is a pretty big deal, it is literally a genre defining feature of BioShock. Call of Duty is more of a RPG than Infinite is.

Also, Infinite you had no choices, and basically after the first 1/4th of the game, they don't even bother asking you to pick things anymore. Also, the outcome of all your choices are irrelevant in Infinite (for narrative reasons albeit). The roleplaying element is pretty important.


I think the experience between the two are pretty big, much bigger than most sequels in the same series.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Well I finally did it, I finally have one game for a list of games beaten this year:

- Katamari Damacy


It may not have been a 100% completion run but I made every star and over achieved on a few and it felt great to finally see that it was all finally done

Now play Noby Noby Boy and be completely weirded out.

Well if it's authentic japanese weirdness like katamari damacy then I'm in XD I don't know why but for the type of game damacy was I've suddenly been somewhat turned on to playing even more odd titles if I can get them over the next few months....

You might also want to try The Munchables (Wii). It was designed by the team behind Katamari Damacy, and it's practically free at Gamestop right now.

[darsparx]

You might also want to try The Munchables (Wii). It was designed by the team behind Katamari Damacy, and it's practically free at Gamestop right now.

And now this site is really starting to pay off, I'm hearing about a lot of games i would never of heard about before now. This is making my want lists really grow but that's the problem with having a small collection as is anyways and always being late to the game

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Yes, I can see what you mean. It's been about a year since I finished Infinite, but I recall that I would use "Halo Tactics" in combat, that is softening up an enemy for a melee finisher which certainly is different from Bioshock. The recharging shield and two weapon slots reinforce that.

I too found Infinite to be more linear as well both in gameplay and, as you say, narrative which is reflected in the lack of choice.

Personally I think people overstate the importance of the RPG elements in the Bioshock games. There is some player customization, though nothing to the level of System Shock and all the choices boil down to a binary good/bad selection. What I'm saying is I didn't really notice that those elements had been stripped away for Infinite.

[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 *NEW*
18. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds 3DS *NEW*

It's nice to be able to update this one so soon for a change.

Dead or Alive 5 Plus

Dead or Alive 5 Plus is a fun game in a fun series of fighting games. There's not a lot of suprises here - a story mode, a versus mode, a training mode. The characters are the same guys as always - there are about 5 new characters, only 3 of them are from Virtua Fighter, so there's really only 2. DOA is really bad about expanding it's roster - it's the same guys and gals each time round. There's a Vita exclusive touch fight mode too. It's a bit shit, and seems like an excuse to show panties. I found it rather uncomfortable - punch girls in the face to see pants for longer. I guess thats kind of a thing in the main game too, but it seemed more blatant here.

The story mode was surprisingly interesting. The story is overwrought, cheesy and silly, but it was also kinda compelling. There were a few twists that took me by surprise and I wanted to keep playing to find out more.

The fight mechanics haven't changed much. I'm positive there are more intricate mechanics introduced here, but they went over my head. The problem I had with the game is that it's made one of the series core mechanics a lot harder to pull off. DOA has a rock-paper-scissors fighting system - punches and kicks beat throws, holds beat punches and kicks, throws beat holds. Holds are the defining thing about the series - you can completely reverse the momentum of a fight with a well timed hold and it makes the fighting system feel like a martial arts movie. It's awesome.

Here, holds have become more complex - there's now a specific hold for mid kicks as opposed to mid punches. More commands isn't too bad though. The issue I have comes from three things - holds have significantly smaller windows of timing (this isn't so bad, but means they're more risky to use) and have more start up frames. Also, a lot of moves stun the opponent This is the big problem to me - the best thing about holds before was breaking out of a long combo with a hold, turning the fight on its head. Now, a combo of smaller timing windows, start up frames and hit stun mean that it's rare to manage one counter a match. It means the game is more combo driven then before, and it means it feels less unique. It's probably for competitive play, but I don't care about that, and I dont like it.

Fun game, but I prefer DOA Dimensions on 3DS.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Link Between Worlds is a great game. I liked it. The dungeons are well designed, the gameplay is fun, and moves at a good pace. The story is even interesting in a very simple way. The graphics are colourful and charming, even if I don't like the look of the character much. The music is amazing. I liked the turning into a painting mechanic. I loved collecting the maiamais to upgrade your weapon. There's a lot to love here.

What I didn't like were two of the biggest selling points of the game. First of all, I didn't like being able to get all the equipment from the outset. I didn't really see much point. The advantages would seem to be being able to visit dungeons out of order and not get one item which is only used in that dingeon and almost nowhere else, and being able to explore the whole overworld from the start. Sounds ok I guess.

The problem I had was that it doesn't really do this that well. Dungeons don't have a dungeon item inside anymore, but most of them are based around one item anyway. Most of the more itneresting items are still not that useful outside of their designated dungeon (see tornado rod, ice rod, sand wand) and the rest are no more useful than they always are (bombs, bow, etc). The other problem is that you can't explore everywhere anyway. They just hide it behind other items instead - power gloves, titans mitt, zora flippers, the sand wand (they restricted this one for later). It doesn't really feel that much more open then before when it comes to sidequests. Being able to access dungeons in any order was nice, but it could have been done with the dungeon items in the dungeons just as easily really.

The other thing I didn;t like was the nostalgia. I'm a big nintendo fan, and lets face it, they sure do rely on nostalgia a lot. But for me, the whole 'being set in the same world as ALTTP' thing was too much. The overworld was basically identical. The dungeons were all in literally the same locations, and had the same themes as before for the most part. Everything felt too familiar to me. Zelda overworlds are often similar, but not identical like this. The equipment of the game was disappointing too - not one new weapon (the tornado rod kinda, but thats just a modified Whirlwind from Spirit Tracks), and it was all available from the outset, so no surprises along the way. Weapons like the Spinner from Twilight princess may be limited in use after their dungeon, but at least they offered something novel.

Also, damn this game is easy. All Zelda games are, but I didn't die once here, and didnt come close.

For all my complaints, I really enjoyed this game. It's not one of my favourite Zelda games, but its a step up from the DS games for sure. Most of my complaints stem from the fact that this is a great zelda game that could've been a fantastic zelda game. Definitely recommended.