Games Beaten 2014

Post by **Luke** » Tue Sep 02, 2014 11:57 am

+ Altered Beast
Hyperstone Heist
Sonic
X-Men Genesis
Soul Calibur II
Captain Skyhawk
Top Gun
Batman NES
Golden Axe
Streets of Rage
Sewer Shark

Yay to Labor Day!

Post by **RyaNtheSlayA** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 1:09 am

Assassin's Creed IV WiiU
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon PC
Splinter Cell: Blacklist WiiU
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut WiiU
Jazzpunk PC
Pikmin 3 WiiU
Call of Duty: Ghosts WiiU
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze WiiU
Tomb Raider (2013) PC
Danganronpa Vita
Far Cry 2 360
The Witcher 2 360
Catherine 360
Gears of War 360
Forza Horizon 360
Portal PC
Portal 2 PC
The Wolf Among Us PC
Analogue: A Hate Story PC
XCOM: Enemy Unknown PC

BioShock PC

BioShock remains a good game with some great atmosphere but it's not aging all that gracefully to be honest. Graphics aside, the gameplay feels quite dated in a rather unpleasant way. It certainly feels like an early 360 game. The world building is still great; the audio logs and voice acting in general are really good. As a concept the plasmids are great and still genuinely fun to use. The game is hilariously easy though, especially with a keyboard and mouse. Lets not forget the horrifically bad ending it has either. But it's still worth a playthrough for those who haven't experienced it for certain. It's just not the marvel it once was and I think people are better off just having fond memories of it since re-experiencing the game may prove disappointing. Still, it wont eat much of your weekend to walk through Rapture again either.

Post by **elricorico** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 3:39 pm

1. Pikmin 3 (WiiU)
2. Kirby's Adventure (WiiU VC)
3. Rayman Legends (WiiU)
4. Mario Kart 8 (WiiU)
5. NHL14 (PS3)
6. NES Remix (WiiU)

7. Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom (WiiU)

The D&D Shadows of Mystara went on sale on the WiiU so I downloaded it yesterday. I credit fed through Tower of Doom after installing, playing as the dwarf.

It's a pretty good game, one that I had played a little bit of in the past and always was interested in trying again. It is a little brutal at times (late bosses feel a bit on the extreme side), but I imagine that would be somewhat mitigated by multiplayer. The different classes and branching paths make me want to play through again at least a couple of times, and I'd like to use less credits! Even though these are not going to be the deepest, longest or most technically advanced games, I'm certainly satisfied with what I'm getting for what I spent.

Post by **emwearz** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 10:01 pm

1. Back to the Future: The Game - PC
2. Syndicate - PC
3. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - PC
4. Resident Evil: Revelations - 3DS
5. The Walking Dead - PC
6. The Walking Dead: 400 Days - PC
7. Cyber-Lip - Neo Geo (Via Neo Geo X)
8. Metal Slug 4 - PS2
9. Aliens: Colonial Marines - Stasis Interrupted (DLC) - PC
10. Metal Slug Advance - GBA (Via Emulation)
11. Assassins Creed III: Liberation HD - PC
12. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations - NDS
13. Sam & Max Save the World - PC
14. Bust-a-Move Pocket - NGPC (Via Emulation)
15. South Park: The Stick of Truth - PC
16. SNK Gals' Fighters - NGPC (Via Emulation)
17. Grand Theft Auto V - PS3
18. Titanfall - PC
19. Super Mario 3D World - Wii U
20. Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask - 3DS
21. Uncharted: Golden Abyss - Vita
22. Gravity Rush - Vita
23. Hotline Miami - Vita
24. BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episode 1 - PC
25. BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episode 2 - PC
26. LittleBigPlanet PS Vita - Vita
27. The Last of Us - PS3
28. Peggle Nights - Peggle Nights - PC
29. Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes - Vita
30. Donkey Kong Country - SNES
31. Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 - PSP
32. Wolfenstein: The New Order - PC
33. Thief - PC
34. Lylat War (Starfox 64) - N64
35. The Wolf Among Us - PC
36. Knack - PS4

37. The Unfinished Swan - PS3
38. Entwined - PS4
39. SteamWorld Dig - PC
40. Infamous: Second Son - PS4

Total for 2014: 40

The Unfinished Swan - PS3
I really enjoyed this game, sure it plays much more like a walkthroguh story with some puzzle elements but it was right up my alley and I enjoyed it from start to finish. I loved how they changed the gameplay up often enough to not get bored. When it comes out on PS4 with the cross buy I will play through it again very happily.

Entwined - PS4
Entwined but pretty average, I only got it because it was a freebie via a promotion here in Australia via Coke. I enjoyed the few hours I got out of it. You basically control two characters at the same time and have to move the left and right analog stick to match up with colors in a very guitar hero way. Very pretty with a nice soundtrack but the gameplay did not do much for me.

SteamWorld Dig - PC
I really enjoyed Steamworld dig, the concept of digging turned me off quite a bit but I saw a buddy playing it and it got me wanting to try it out. Very short at only about 4 hours, but it was long enough to be happy it was over. Worth playing.

Infamous: Second Son - PS4
What a great game, it took the concepts from the first two and utterly ran with them. I did a 100% playthrough as good and just started my second playthrough as evil on the hardest difficulty.

The graphics and gameplay are top notch, the story is a little weak but overall an amazing experience.

My only real issue is the main story is quite short.

Post by **BoneSnapDeez** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 10:18 pm

First 50:

51. Ys: The Vanished Omens (Sega Master System)
52. Code of Princess (3DS)
53. Ys (PSP - Ys I & II Chronicles)
54. Ys II (PSP - Ys I & II Chronicles)
55. Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi (PSP - Sega Genesis Collection)
56. Gradius (PSP - Gradius Collection)
57. Shinobi (Xbox 360 - Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection)
58. Otomedius Excellent (Xbox 360)
59. Deathsmiles (Xbox 360)
60. Sonic the Hedgehog (Xbox 360 - Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection)
61. The Lost Vikings (SNES)
62. The Lost Vikings (Genesis)
63. Final Fantasy II (Game Boy Advance - Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls)
64. Final Fight (PSP - Capcom Classics Collection Remixed)
65. Alien Syndrome (PlayStation 2 - Sega Classics Collection)
66. Exile (Genesis)
67. Ristar (Xbox 360 - Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection)
68. Final Fight (Xbox 360 - Capcom Digital Collection)
69. Classic NES Series: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (Game Boy Advance)
70. Classic NES Series: Metroid (Game Boy Advance)
71. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Xbox 360 - Konami Classics Vol. 1)
72. Ys (DS - Legacy of Ys: Books I & II)
73. Ys II (DS - Legacy of Ys: Books I & II)
74. New Super Mario Bros. (DS)
75. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (PSP - Sega Genesis Collection)
76. Golden Axe III (PSP - Sega Genesis Collection)
77. Muramasa Rebirth (Vita)
78. Magic Sword (PSP - Capcom Classics Collection Remixed)
79. Mega Twins (PSP - Capcom Classics Collection Remixed)
80. Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)
81. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe (Game Boy Color)
82. Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom (PlayStation 3 - Dungeons & Dragons: Mystara Eiyuu Senki)
83. Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara (PlayStation 3 - Dungeons & Dragons: Mystara Eiyuu Senki)
84. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (SNES)
85. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (Genesis)
86. Ys: The Oath in Felghana (PSP)
87. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Xbox 360 - Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection)
88. Contra (NES)
89. Sonic & Knuckles (Xbox 360 - Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection)
90. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)

Not much to say about this one. It's a 2D Mario game. And a damn good one.

In the past I have collected all the star coins. Didn't want to do it this time around though, I just rolled my way through the game picking up maybe a third of them.

NSMBW looks great and plays beautifully. My only issue is the sideways Wiimote control scheme and the implementation of some occasional "waggle" controls. Really wish this had classic controller support. I'd rank the nearly-identical Wii U sequel a bit higher than this game, due simply to the improved control scheme.

I probably need a break from Mario games. Played a buttload of 'em this year.

HLTB · Post by **Xeogred** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 12:45 am

I thought NSMB U was way better than the Wii and DS ones, but that's me.

Still nothing compared to Tropical Freeze or anything though.

Post by **Sload Soap** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 5:19 am

Justice League Heroes (PS2)

Recently I've been looking into exploring the world of DC licensed games outside of Batman/Superman games. After playing the GBA Flash title I came upon this, supposedly the console bigger brother to that Flash game, a X-Men Legends style action RPG featuring the Justice League.

It's pretty mediocre fare to be quite honest and a fairly lazy production. First up, unlike the X-Men/Ultimate Alliance games, JLH restricts you to two playable characters per mission. I'm not sure why since the game isn't any better looking or running than its Marvel contemporaries, sporting a shocking amount of slow down and texture pop-in for such a low budget affair.

The restriction on selectable characters also filters into the games story structure where most missions are accomplished by teams of two pre-chosen Leaguers. It's quite annoying and means you won't be able to choose your own set up until halfway in and even then that party is permanent for the whole mission. So if you don't like how either Green Lantern of the Flash play, tough, you'll just have to grin and bear it. Just unlocked Green Arrow and want to try him out? Well better partner him with your highest level character or prepare for a tough time.

Following on from that, since the license is basically all this game has to go on you'd expect it to at least put some effort in showcasing the DC universe in all its multifacted glory. While I won't argue that some thought did go into characters abilities, the plot (by the recently departed Dwayne McDuffie), is very thin with a second act twist that any DC fan worth their salt will see coming from a mile off. You do get to go to Mars and Gorilla City but the wider DC universe is left untouched. A real shame.

I was a bit disappointed by the cast in all honesty. You get the usual stalwarts of the League and can then unlock some others. It's just there isn't any real oddball choices and three slots out of twenty are made up of Green Lanterns who play identically. I dunno, the geek in me would have liked to see characters like Booster Gold or Firestorm just for the variety.

This conservatism also extends to the story as well though. X-Men Legends and Ultimate Alliance games are peppered with appearances and cameos of characters from all over their respective canon but Justice League Heroes has few notable encounters or in jokes. And there are no quiz questions! Blasphemy!

As far as the characters actually play, well again JLH apes X-Men Legends by having most of the cast be useless save for four characters who are seriously OP. Bat fans beware: Batman is not one of the useful ones. It's actually amusing how the game sort of shows up how pointless the human members of the League are next to their Alien/God comrades.

As you fight you level up and earn points to either upgrade abilities or unlock new ones. You also pick up boosts which can be "slotted" into an ability improving stuff like damage output, range or energy usage. It's a pretty neat system and adds some depth but can also be game breaking once figured out. Basically by slotting high grade efficiency and damage boosts to Superman's eye lasers, you can kill most enemies before they even lay a glove on you. I actually killed the final boss, one of DC's biggest of bads, by lasering him to death from offscreen. It was still pretty fun to be fair and you do have to earn it, but yeah it's well broken. I think the system is supposed to be applied more for the higher difficulties/co-op.

Herein lies JLH biggest problem though. Because of the way the game is structured you can sometimes be put in position where the game will force you to play with two underleveled Leaguers and it can be almost impossible to proceed. Worse, when you buy a new character instead of coming with a equivalent amount of upgrades as one of the regular heroes, they always have just six upgrades to spread out across all their abilities.

Overall I'd find it hard to recommend the game to someone who wasn't a big DC fan. There are much better games in this particular sub-genre and better ones based on comic book properties. It's not an awful game by any means but it has flaws that will turn away casual players.

On the plus side, it's probably the best Superman and Green Lantern game ever by default.

If you just want to be a DC hero and don't care about genre pick Injustice or DC Online over this. Otherwise maybe give it a look. Big maybe though.

Mario Kart: Double Dash (GC)

I'd given this game a bit of a drubbing over in the Unpopular Opinions thread recently so I decided to replay it to see if it was really as bad as I was making out. Turns out it isn't quite as bad as I remembered but is still lagging behind pretty much every Kart (and others) beside Super Circuit in my opinion.

Firstly, it's no way near as slow as I thought it was. Even in 50cc it has a nice zip to it and the drift, while a bit rigid, adds a nice bit of speed in the corners.

I also enjoyed some of the stages more this time with Wario Colosseum and Waluigi Stadium being highlights for me. I still hate Baby Park and Dino Dino Land but whatever I had fun overall and the tracks were again no way near as drift unfriendly as remembered.

I also enjoyed the overall presentation and I will give a big thumbs up for the return of Koopa Troopa as a playable character as well as some but welcome unlockables like Petey Pirhana.

And that's it really. It might be faster than I remember but that still makes it one of the slower Karts and in a world of Sonic All Stars Transformed it feels positively sluggish. I might have liked the tracks a bit more now but I don't think any of them are better than the batch on the N64, DS or Wii.

It cheats to outrageous degrees on higher difficulties. While Super Mario Kart did cheat at least it gave you the option to restart a race if you messed up and Mario Kart 64 let you really fuck over opponents to ensure a win. Here, once the game chooses your rival it's set in stone and no amount of green, red or blue shells will stop them. It almost crosses over into being less about skill and more about luck and that is totally unacceptable for me.

It also makes the kart classes all but useless as you look on in horrified astonishment as Bowser passes you on a straight in his slow heavy kart.

As for the central gimmick I find it a bit pointless and it pretty much guarantees the course becomes quickly cluttered with giant bananas and spiny shells. Irritating. It also means that like Super Mario Kart some of the character specific weapons are overpowering while some are quite weak. I tried to run a Yoshi/Koopa team but it's easier to just accept that since Bowser and DK can get their supers even when in first place, they (and their progeny) are the ones to pick.

Listen, this isn't a bad game but like I said I waited a long time for the next Mario Kart back then and when I got it I felt a bit cheated. Previous Mario Karts would fuck you over, but you could fuck them back. Here though I just feel that the badly thought out weapons, more enclosed track layouts and and emphasis on multiplayer have created an uneven and frustrating experience.

For me it comes down to this: why should I play this over an abundance of other classic kart racing titles?

Mario Kart Wii (Wii)

Another MK game I initially thought badly of, Mario Kart Wii was a lot more fun and a lot less irritating than what I remember of it. Granted there were still horrible instances where I was on the receiving end of up to three Blue shells a race but overall I really noticed how good the tracks are in this game and how the minor addition of bikes and doing a trick boost off jumps really adds a lot of speed and depth to the game.

I still don't like the fact that there is an increased amount of power ups that affect all the racers and I especially hate the POW! block. I also don't like how, similar to All Stars Transformed, Nintendo seemingly didn't notice (or care) that by upping the race grid to twelve competitors, this has exponentially increased the likelihood of being hit by an item. It also creates a horrible crush between 10th and 4th wherein it is possible to get stuck in a loop of being blitzed by power ups while losing further contact with the leading pack.

Indeed such is MKWii's overbearing reliance on power ups to foster competitiveness (a creative sop to multiplayer that damages the single player game) it is very likely you'll be holding your own in first only to be hit with a barrage of unavoidable power ups that leave you straggling down in 5th. On the first lap, it's okay. On the last corner it is infuriating and like Double Dash you can't force a retry. It seems in a way to punish you for being good at the racing aspect of the Kart racer. Nintendo would do well to look at the Wipeout series where certain power ups were not given out to computer players to balance things out.

In the main though I find the game both handles better and is faster than Double Dash while also having a good number of quality new tracks with interesting gimmicks. I especially like Mushroom Gorge and Coconut Mall but all the tracks are very good.

I also feel like the different cars and bikes actually control differently and effect the way the game is played. It reminds me somewhat of F-Zero GX in that regard. And I love the expanded roster. Top marks for Funky Kong and top marks for bringing back my man from Mario Kart DS, Dry Bones.

Unlike Double Dash, I will be playing this again in the future and I can recommend it. Maybe get a Pro Controller though, the wiimote driving is a bit naff.

Post by **alienjesus** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 5:49 am

Sload Soap wrote:
It also makes the kart classes all but useless as you look on in horrified astonishment as Bowser passes you on a straight in his slow heavy kart.

Bowsers kart isn't slow. It's literally the fastest one in the whole game. It has bad acceleration, but the HIGHEST top speed. In fact, that's exactly why it's one of my most used karts in the game.

If anything, that's exactly what I'd expect to happen.

Post by **BoneSnapDeez** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 8:09 am

Xeogred wrote:I thought NSMB U was way better than the Wii and DS ones, but that's me.

Still nothing compared to Tropical Freeze or anything though.

I'd rank them:
1. Wii U
2. Wii
3. DS

Not sure where I would stick the Luigi game. And I haven't played the 3DS installment, unfortunately.

I still need to get on Tropical Freeze. I own it, but haven't touched it.

Post by **Sload Soap** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 8:40 am

alienjesus wrote:
Sload Soap wrote:
It also makes the kart classes all but useless as you look on in horrified astonishment as Bowser passes you on a straight in his slow heavy kart.

Bowsers kart isn't slow. It's literally the fastest one in the whole game. It has bad acceleration, but the HIGHEST top speed. In fact, that's exactly why it's one of my most used karts in the game.

If anything, that's exactly what I'd expect to happen.

So it is. Bad example.

They do all cheat though.

Games Beaten 2014

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