Games Beaten 2014

[CFFJR]

1. Mortal Kombat II - 32X
2. Cosmic Carnage - 32X
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade - XBLA
4. X-men Arcade - XBLA
5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist - Genesis
6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time - SNES
7. Metroid: Other M - Wii
8. Donkey Kong Country Returns - Wii
9. Metroid Fusion - GBA
10.Star Trek - Xbox 360
11.Fable Anniversary - Xbox 360
12.Ranma 1/2: Chougi Ranbuhen - SFC
13.Sailor Moon R - SFC
14.Super Tempo - Saturn
15.Crash Bandicoot - PS1
16.X-men Vs. Street Fighter - Saturn
17.Wave Race 64 - N64
18.Mario and Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games - Wii U
19.Mario Kart 8 - Wii U
20.Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island - SNES
21.Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Eye of the Beholder - Sega CD
22.Ico (HD) - PS3
23.Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - PS1
24.Resident Evil 2 - PS1
25.Wonder Boy in Monster World - Genesis

Two more down for the Summer Game Challenge.

[zombi]

• Quake (PC) [8/10]
• The Last of Us (PS3) [9/10]
• Metal Gear Solid (PSX) [8/10]
• Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES) [8/10]
• Super Mario 64 (N64) [10/10]

Trying to finally beat some classic games for the first time this year...

[Exhuminator]

I decided to change the way I update on this thread. So here's 2014 so far for me...

Title | Platform | Time To Completion | Date Completed | Score
New Super Mario Bros. | Wii | 8 Hrs | 1/5/14 | 6/10
Final Fantasy Tactics | PS1 | 29.09 Hrs | 1/6/14 | 9/10
Yakuza 2 | PS2 | 18.52 Hrs | 1/16/14 | 8/10
Trauma Team | Wii | 29.37 Hrs | 1/19/14 | 8/10
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles | Wii | 5.57 Hrs | 1/29/14 | 7/10
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII | PSP | 23.17 Hrs | 2/3/14 | 7/10
Metal Gear Ac!d | PSP | 20.47 Hrs | 2/11/14 | 7/10
Metal Gear Ac!d 2 | PSP | 13.24 Hrs | 2/25/14 | 8/10
Samurai Warriors 3 | Wii | 7 Hrs | 3/9/14 | 7/10
Ys Seven | PSP | 32.47 Hrs | 3/17/14 | 9/10
Assassin's Creed III: Liberation | Vita | 13.37 Hrs | 3/30/14 | 7/10
Front Mission 4 | PS2 | 51.31 Hrs | 4/21/14 | 8/10
Conception II: Children Of The Seven Stars | Vita | 28.57 Hrs | 5/13/14 | 7/10
999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors | DS | 12.37 Hrs | 5/28/14 | 5/10
The First Templar | PC | 12.5 Hrs | 6/1/14 | 5/10
Dokapon Kingdom | Wii | 23.33 Hrs | 6/7/14 | 8/10
The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks | DS | 7.5 Hrs | 6/15/14 | 7/10
Double Dragon Neon | PC | 3.41 Hrs | 6/29/14 | 8/10
Ravensword: Shadowlands | Android | 10 Hrs | 7/14/14 | 8/10
Bourin | Android | 1 Hr | 7/17/14 | 7/10

[Sload Soap]

• Quake (PC) [8/10]
• The Last of Us (PS3) [9/10]
• Metal Gear Solid (PSX) [8/10]
• Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES) [8/10]
• Super Mario 64 (N64) [10/10]

Trying to finally beat some classic games for the first time this year...

Good to see another Mario 64 true believer. What is it you like about it to give it a perfect score? And is it your first time playing through?

I got some of my own to update.

Exhumed (Saturn)

Known as Powerslave elsewhere, this was another summer games challenge game, so more thoughts there. In summation though, I really enjoyed it. Exhumed is a top quality FPS with exploration elements like Metroid, map design like Duke Nukem, set in a sort of Stargate like Egyptian world. It's cool.

Mega Twins [Capcom Classics] (PS2)

Mega Twins is a bit like Wonder Boy in Monster Land in that it's a scrolling arcade platformer that's stupidly hard bordering on unfair. Also like Wonder Boy, it has a horribly grating sound effect when your health is low. Really annoying.

I think it's an OK game. It certainly looks lovely. It's just it's very obvious with how it tries to suck your cash up. You beat three regular levels before you get to the "boss" levels, but they take up 2/3 of the run time. I see your game Capcom. No way I can afford a curly wurly after this one.

The main villain is a circus clown who bangs on about being infinite and deathless like a Final Fantasy super-boss so that's kind of weird given the game looks like Rainbow Islands.

I give it a "S'ok out of ten" or an IGN 8.

Out Run [Sega Classics] (PS2)

This is the graphically updated Sega Ages version that Sega released on its own in japan but bundled together with a bunch of other "updates" for the US/European release.

It's an...interesting take. The graphics are now in 3D even if they are really cheap looking and you aren't in a Ferrari due to licensing. The steering feels a bit off for some reason. It seems like you have to turn way too hard to take some corners. I'm also reasonably certain the speedometer lies to you.

I think the main problem with this version is its complete redundancy. It doesn't look as good or play as well as the original nor does it have the lush graphics or enhanced gameplay of Outrun 2. It's a curio and nothing more. If you really like Out Run it's probably worth it though just for the Arrange mode that adds new courses.

Fighter's History Dynamite (Karnov's Revenge) (Saturn)

I've been doing a bit of a mini-purge of my collection lately and have been replaying some games I was lining up to sell. Fighter's History Dynamite was a game I was expecting to find its way onto ebay, but on giving it a good play through I actually ended up enjoying it quite a bit. It gets a stay of execution.

This game is the most (in)famous Street Fighter 2 rip-off ever. Everything from moves to the character select screen has been pilfered by Data East but this isn't some cheap hack job. It's actually a very playable fighting game. It's not as good as Street Fighter 2 but for my money it is a bit better than the Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting games of that brief 93-95 period. Controversial! It runs smoothly on the saturn, although there is some odd problems with voice overs sounding a bit crunchy, especially the announcer who sounds like he's being drowned.

It's a bitch of a game though. Tough as nails and it does that thing where it makes you fight every single character in the game before the credits roll like Data East's other fighting game rip off, Suiko Enbu. There are 13 characters and one hidden boss so it's quite a slog though you get a healthy amount of play from it.

Data East are a weird company all round epitomized here by having the main star of the game be a fat, bald, flame belching Russian. It is just so bizarre I can't help but like it. That said, I wouldn't spend anymore than £10 on it.

Marvel Super Heroes (Saturn)

One game that I could never part with is this absolute classic. I actually don't have anything bad to say about it. It's like Street Fighter Alpha but with the Hulk and Captain America and an OP Magneto. The backgrounds are beautiful, the music is catchy, the sprites are incredible and it still plays like a dream.

I like the infinity gems gimmick as well. If activated at the right time, the right gem (speed, super armour, etc) can really turn the game without feeling cheap or unearned like some recent Capcom mechanics I can think of. You know the one. Sorta sounds like sex actor.

I'd say the Xbox Live version is objectively better but the Saturn version has a place in my heart.

Soulcaster and Soulcaster II (360)

I'm lumping these two together since they are so similar. Ian Stocker of Magical Time Bean made these two Xbox live indie gems before he went on to make the more Game Grumps friendly Escape Goat games.

You play as a wizard who can summon shades of dead warriors to attack baddies on his behalf. You get a long range archer that can fire over gaps, a short range warrior who has lots of defense and a molotov throwing assassin who can fire over walls. Since your character cannot attack at all the game is about carefully placing your shades to do the maximum damage without getting touched.

It plays sort of like a faster paced tower defense game, only you are the tower. It also has puzzle elements I suppose since each new area has an optimal way to be beaten. The warrior for example is best placed in a narrow corridor where he can take on enemies one at a time. The Archer dies quickly so you have to give her plenty of space between herself and enemies. And the assassin can be devastating but will explode when killed which will injure you and your shades. The cleverest bit of design is letting you place more than one of the same shade down at once. It seems so simple but really opens up how you deal with situations on the fly. When I got nervous I usually reverted to running backwards and placing archers to cover my retreat.

It's a really well presented game series both in terms of graphics and sound, having a nice 8-bit vibe going on. I have tremendous respect for Stocker as these games are essentially entirely his own work. There's no stock music or RPG maker graphics to be found here.

The games are short but fun. They each take just over an hour to beat but they don't outstay their welcome because of that. If I had a negative it'd be that it's sometimes too easy to get swarmed by enemies and that, in the second game especially, there are some cheap traps. That and while the music is great, there isn't much of it so repetition sets in.

Overall though both games are totally worth checking out.

[zombi]

Good to see another Mario 64 true believer. What is it you like about it to give it a perfect score? And is it your first time playing through?

It was my first time beating the game. I played it on and off growing up when it first came out and long after, but I could never bring myself to complete it

Without going into a long review, I gave it that score because it's a near-perfect 3D platforming experience with great level design and variety that beats just about every other platforming experience that has come out since (I gave CBFD the same score). It's amazing that it's almost been 20 years since it came out!

[prfsnl_gmr]

1. Hotline Miami (PS3)
2. Boulder Dash XL 3D (3DS)
3. Mirror's Edge (PS3)
4. Orcs & Elves (DS)
5. 3D Dot Game Heroes (PS3)
6. Justice League Heroes: The Flash (GBA)
7. Metal Gear (MSX/PS2)
8. Wario Land: Shake It! (Wii)
9. LittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year Edition (PS3)
10. Drill Dozer (GBA)
11. LittleBigPlanet 2: Special Edition (PS3)
12. South Park: The Stick of Truth (PS3)
13. Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing (PS3)
14: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3)
15. Angry Birds: Star Wars (3DS)
16. Nervous Brickdown (DS)
17. Dragon's Lair (ARCADE/DS)
18. Flashback: The Quest for Identity (GEN)
19. Jumping Flash! 2 (PS1)
20. Virtual Boy Wario Land (VB)
21. Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition (PS3)
22. Nectaris: Military Madness (PS1)
23. Military Madness (TG16/PS1)
24. Thomas Was Alone (PS3)

Thomas Was Alone is a very short, very easy, puzzle-platformer with a delightful narrative. (The game play is like The Lost Vikings, but easier. The narrative is like Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, but better.) It was well worth the $1 I paid for it during the PSN flash sale, but if I had paid much more for it, I would have felt ripped off.

[Stark]

It was well worth the $1 I paid for it during the PSN flash sale, but if I had paid much more for it, I would have felt ripped off.

BINGO.

[prfsnl_gmr]

It was well worth the $1 I paid for it during the PSN flash sale, but if I had paid much more for it, I would have felt ripped off.

BINGO.

That said, I did spend: $3 on a copy of Extreme Sport with the Berenstein Bears (GBC), $10 on a copy of Bebe's Kids (SNES), and $50(!) on a new copy of AD&D: Heroes of the Lance (NES); so, paying $10 for Thomas Was Alone would not have been my worst video game investment by a long shot.

EDIT: I also bought a copy of Stunt Kids (NES) last weekend for $25...

[alienjesus]

Mega Twins [Capcom Classics] (PS2)
Mega Twins is a bit like Wonder Boy in Monster Land in that it's a scrolling arcade platformer that's stupidly hard bordering on unfair. Also like Wonder Boy, it has a horribly grating sound effect when your health is low. Really annoying.

I think it's an OK game. It certainly looks lovely. It's just it's very obvious with how it tries to suck your cash up. You beat three regular levels before you get to the "boss" levels, but they take up 2/3 of the run time. I see your game Capcom. No way I can afford a curly wurly after this one.

The main villain is a circus clown who bangs on about being infinite and deathless like a Final Fantasy super-boss so that's kind of weird given the game looks like Rainbow Islands.

I give it a "S'ok out of ten" or an IGN 8.

Be sure to try the Mega Drive version (known as Chiki Chiki Boys) at some point. It's much easier (perhaps a little too easy) and a ton of fun. I played it at the start of the year and loved it.

[TSTR]

1. Dead Pixels (PC) - Run n' Gun
2. Magical Drop V (PC) - Puzzle
3. Reaching Out (Android) - Visual Novel
4. Nanolife (Android) - Visual Novel
5. Darius Burst (PSP) - Shmup
6. Ridge Racer 2 (PSP) - Racing
7. Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower (PSP) - Fighting
8. Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition (Genesis) - Fighting
9. Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition (PS3) - Fighting
10. Super Mario Bros. (NES) - Platformer
11. SMT: Persona 4 (PS2) - RPG
12. Final Fantasy (PSP) - RPG
13. Gun-Nac (NES via Wii) - Shmup

Thoughts:

Quick Easy Mode 1cc (4,903,350 score) to test out the Wii's emulation capabilities. I like this game a lot. Compile shmups are always fun for their firepower, and this is no exception. Lvl 8 Weapon 3 and Lvl 4 T-Bomb are OP as fukk. Cute, extremely well made for the NES (speed and sprite wise) with a cool config option for priority, good music (esp the last few levels), and more fun than Zanac to me.