Games Beaten 2014

[REPO Man]

On Easy Mode, used save states.

Might try again on Normal and Hard modes.

Awesome game, but one has to wonder whether the Magical Quest trilogy is superior to the Illusion series or vice versa.



On Easy Mode, didn't need save states and just beat the damn thing in almost literally no time at all.

Maybe Normal and Hard Modes will be different.

While the game has slightly more improved graphics, they don't cancel out the game's overly easy difficulty enough to make it a superior sequel.

Gonna tackle the third game soon.

The second game was released on the Genesis as well as the Super NES (I played the Super NES version), though an ultimately-cancelled Genesis port the the first was in production.

The third game wasn't released in English for the Super NES, but it was remade for the GBA (along with the first two) and released Stateside.

Trust me, those games aren't a challenge on Normal or Hard. You can breeze through both of them pretty easily.

If Easy Mode's an indication, the second game's still gonna be the easier. It'll probably easier on Hard than the first game on Easy.

[Sload Soap]

These are long even for me. Sorry.

Mass Effect 2 (360)*

Mass Effect 2 is what a great sequel should be. You take everything that worked in the first game and build upon it while polishing up some of the stuff that didn't quite work. There is some stuff that I'm a bit sad was jettisoned like the planet exploration and customisation but then ME2 also does away with the problematic elements of those systems as well.

Where ME2 build upon Mass Effect most strongly is in character interactions and story telling. Where before you were aware of the genophage and Geth/Quarian war, now through character interactions you are given understanding of what these narrative devices actually mean and are allowed to express opinions on them. By doing so the player is drawn deeper into Mass Effects universe and you start to really care about the rag tag crew you assemble.

It's to Bioware's credit that characters you initially hate like Jack and Miranda can, through careful dialogue choices, be slowly opened up and go from frosty acquaintances to comrades (or lovers). Even a character like Jacob who is taciturn to the extreme becomes likeable because, well, that's how he is. That's his character: a slightly boring career soldier.

I think the plot is a bit tighter in Mass Effect 2 as well. By shifting the focus away from the Reapers onto their clients the Collectors ME2 has a much more straightforward objective. The Collectors are kind of an objective evil (though even here there is an element of tragedy) and while a lot of the side quests paint the galaxy in grey, the overall arc is a more focused light vs dark narrative which keeps things moving at a decent clip for a thirty hour game.

It's quite a rare thing but I find there are pretty much no missions I don't look forward to in Mass Effect 2. Even some of my favourite games have sections I can't abide but ME2 despite actually having quite rigid mission structure doesn't have any of those grin and bear it sections.

This is probably helped by the fact that the combat mechanics have been upgraded from ME1. While I don't feel they are superb, they are noticeably better and there is much better feedback when under attack and from your own weapons. I also noticed that class powers have become more useful and better integrated in combat. It's far easy to command a team member to use a certain attack and you can do it now without breaking the flow of battle.

There are still some issues though, mostly that it's clear from the areas you fight most enemies in that Bioware isn't a specialist in action games. It's way too easy to be flanked by opponents and a lot of cover offered to you is just badly placed. That or on too many occasions fights take place in long corridors. For every excellent battle like the suicide mission there are two or three derelict reapers that just throw enemies at your down pipes.

It's never obstructive though and a lot of times can be enjoyable. ME2 also allows certain classes to spec a different weapon at one point which is a godsend for engineers and biotics finally allowing them to be less reliant on slightly underwhelming pistols.

As in Mass Effect I feel the design of the paragon/renegade system is a step above most games with similar systems. The most notable example is near the end and your decision to either destroy or save the Collector base. This isn't a choice born out of a clear divide between good/evil but rather two forms of pragmatism: destroying the base curtails the attacks and denies Cerberus a technological boost, but that boost can be used to prepare better for the inevitable Reaper invasion. The human reaper is an abomination but it's also potentially breakthrough of understanding how to defeat reapers.

The game is rife with these grey moral areas and the quality of the writing allows the player to reach their own conclusions and react accordingly. If that isn't role playing, I don't know what is.

In a lot of ways the design of the game has been tightened in the right places but relaxed in others. Aside from the Citadel, Omega and Illium are introduced as smaller hub worlds each with a distinct style. Indeed, ME2 does a much better job than ME1 of giving the worlds of its galaxy their own unique look with the Krogan homeworld Tuchunka being a blasted heath of rubble and blighted skies while Illium is a sleek and sterile cityscape. Some worlds even feature environmental hazards such as Haestrom's harsh solar radiation that strips your shields if you stand in direct sunlight too long.

It's a bit of shame that ME1's MAKO exploration side missions are gone now though with the increase in location diversity. I do like the new system of probing planets for resources that can be used to purchase upgrades but I also feel like it can be a bit workmanlike, firing endless probes into a planet's surface hoping to scrape up enough platinum to build a new rocket launcher.

This is fixed somewhat with DLC all the main packs of which (Shadow Broker, Overlord, Arrival, Zaeed and Stolen Memory) were also beaten on this playthrough. Overlord makes available a new ground unit the Hammerhead which is much more maneuverable than the MAKO.

The DLC on the whole is some of the best and most value for money outside of Rockstar/Bethesda products. Shadow Broker and Arrival also have quite a big part to play in ME3 as well, although neither are critical. All take place in some stunning locations and again expand further the scope of the Mass Effect universe. Arrival's climax especially of being on an asteroid hurtling towards destruction with the fate of thousands on the line is really something.

I encountered a few bugs on this playthrough. The game crashed twice during a load screen and because I'd installed the first disc onto my xbox, the sound didn't work properly in the final cutscene, cutting out most effects. Weird.

On the whole though Mass Effect 2 is exactly the sort of sequel that the series needed. While you can argue that coming under EA's thrall meant stuff got cut and sold off as DLC or that things became less RPG-like and more shooter-y (claims I disagree with) I think the big wad of cash they flung Bioware's way enabled the studio to really go to town on the project and push it into new places. It's a genuine classic.

Mass Effect 3 (360)*

I don't like the ending to Mass Effect 3. Even with the extended cut I feel like it's a confused mess that tries too hard for intellectual credibility when it should have just wrapped things up. I also don't like it because it has lead some to feel that ME3 is the weakest entry in the series when in a lot of ways it is very much the strongest.

Firstly the combat has gone from being serviceable to actually being really good. There are enemy types and configurations that simply would not be possible in earlier Mass Effect games and the way they react in battle is really something. Cerberus troops will set off smoke bombs at choke points to obscure your vision while an engineer places a turret, the sword wielding and cloaking Phantoms will rush you down forcing you out of cover which gives their snipers a chance to hit you, Reaper Husks are meant to get in your way while other more valuable forces flank you, it all adds more thought and depth to combat.

Whereas Mass Effect 2's final boss was a big face that you shot weakpoints off safely from behind cover, ME3 has regular enemies that force you to readjust positions, tactics and even fight out in the open. The difference is that stark.

In fact the improvement is so great, it can actually frustrate when moving directly from ME2 to 3 as your tried and tested tactics simply will not translate from one game to the other. When the realisation dawns though that you can't just hug cover and spam powers (that realisation happening either at the Grissom Academy or on meeting your first Brute) it's clear that finally Bioware get what makes third person shooters fun: constantly moving, adjusting tactics and reacting to and analysing threats.

To aid in this ME3 features greatly improved movement in combat and the ability to do both rolls in and out of cover and also have a melee with greater range. You are also allowed finally to pick a weapon loadout that you want regardless of class although this comes with the caveat that each weapon now has weight and if you are overweighed your powers take longer to recharge. A pretty effective system all round.

It also goes back to Mass Effect 1 and reintroduces weapon mods and upgrades as well as generally having a greater selection of weapons at your disposal.

Powers have also been altered in a way so that they have can have different contextual uses. For example the Overload power usually used to destroy an enemies shields if used on an unshielded enemy will cause them to spasm briefly allowing you to get a shot or two in.

Now, it's not Vanquish or anything but it is a very satisfying system with enough depth that trying out new squad configurations and difficulties is actually fun now. I can't really imagine doing ME1 or 2 on Insanity because I feel the combat is a bit too clunky for it to be enjoyable (I've tried it) but with ME3 a hardcore run (as this was) is challenge done right.

The combat is good enough that it put many of the pre-launch moans about multiplayer to bed. (Although I still would have preferred the original multiplayer plan to use a modified version of Battlefield 1943).

Combat isn't the only improved aspect though. The graphics have undergone a facelift (almost literally in Ashley's case) and while usually this wouldn't be much to talk about, here it's used to have more characters on screen at once or more sweeping vistas of destruction.

It adds to the foreboding feel of the game: you see the scale of the Reaper threat, you see more and more refugees piling onto the citadel as the game progresses, you see the bodies lined up in the hospital. The vast scale of the war is expertly conveyed to you through its environments and I can't really think of a game or series that has done this as well, not since Final Fantasy 6 at least.

Mass Effect 3 is very good at showing and not telling. There is one very minor sidequest involving a distressed elcor that almost brought me to tears as you hear the sad resignation in his voice to events from an otherwise emotionless sounding race, or the moment you deliver some heartbreaking news to an asari shop assistant about her husbands whereabouts. It's a very emotionally charged game and the stakes are incredibly high and Bioware do an excellent job of showing that to you.

And that's the biggest kicker in ME3 as the game isn't afraid to pull it's punches, whether you play paragon or renegade. People you liked will die and when it's your fault it hurts. I played Paragon this time, but I know from my renegade save how horrible some of the scenarios in the game can pan out. Even as a paragon, there are some people you can't save no matter how much you want to.

For me Mass Effect 3 has a fair amount of the series crowning moments, depending on how you play and have played previous games.

My favourites (and probably everybody else's) are curing the genophage and peacefully ending the war between the Geth and Quarian's. I know it sounds cheesy but it is so refreshing in a game to have understanding and cooperation settle disputes rather than hand cannons and nukes. When you add in all the groundwork you laid in previous games, your own emotional attachment to the characters involved you have some very powerful scenes which again I can't really think of any other games matching.

The themes of victory through sacrifice and cooperation despite differences are strong ones and really propel the game through some very effective dramatic beats.

These themes aren't just plot devices though to further the story. They do actually feed back into the gameplay with regards the galactic readiness. If you help cure the genophage you get the support of the Krogan and Turian militaries but lose the Salarian's. It's a small thing really but wanting to see that bar fill up fulfills that compulsive gameplay itch as you scour the galaxy for things to aid in the war effort.

In line with the Reaper invasion plot line though there is much less exploration to be done now than before. Personally this doesn't bother me; farting about on some colony after a rogue mercenary would seem a bit in odd in the context of greater events and I guess Bioware feel that through ME1 and 2 you've probably had your fix of planet hopping.

It's still there of course but now you ping planets for resources which alerts Reapers to your position forcing a quick retreat. It's a cool way to combine the story and the gameplay, something ME3 does very well.

It's not all serious though. ME3 while brooding also contains some of the series more light hearted and amusing moments. Some, like going shooting with Garrus, can also touch you as well. ME3 moves at an incredibly fast pace for an RPG but it also knows when to slow things down and when to let the characters shine through.

That pace builds to a fantastic climax as well, that is before your meeting with the Starchild. The crazy assault on Cerberus's headquarters is followed by a last ditch strike on earth, fighting in the ruins of a ruined London against insurmountable odds while destoryed starships fall burning to earth from the gigantic battle above.

Again, the sense of scale and scope, the very real sense that everything is on the line and this is the last push is palpable and I can only really compare it to absolute hallmarks like Lord of The Rings or Star Wars, the dramatic stakes are that high. Probably higher.

And then the ending happens. Oh well.

I also played the Citadel DLC for this play through for the first time ever. While it has a very silly and amusing mission it also contains an idea so brilliantly simple and excellently executed: you throw a giant piss up for your crew. For extra fanservice you can invite all the surviving squadmates as well. It doesn't sound like much but it's just so nice to interact with these characters who you've been through so much with as regular people. And it's pretty funny and pokes fun at itself. Shepard Shuffle anyone?


Interestingly this DLC is somewhat more effective knowing full well how crappy the ending is. If you play it as I did before the point of no return it's almost painful watching the crew board the ship, knowing as you do their (potential) eventual fates.

As I said it's a real shame that people have tarred Mass Effect 3 due to it's final few minutes or DLC chicanery. It's a rare thing to have an RPG game that excels in combat, story and character development and I feel sorry for those who have cast it aside.

Mass Effect Trilogy - Conclusion

I used to really like Mass Effect. Now I love it. This playthrough has pushed the entire trilogy very high up the list of my all time favourites.

The scale, the themes, the character and world building are all second to none in gaming, embellished with outstanding visual and audio flair. It's a world you almost believe could exist with characters you genuinely love and there is no greater praise for Bioware than that.

Mass Effect isn't just a great video game series, it's a great series full stop and my comparisons with Lord of the Rings and Star Wars are not ones made with hyperbole.

What's odd though is that I can't pick out a game I like best. Each one has aspects I both adore and dislike and each one is exceptional at doing what it does.

I've said this often but for me there is no best Mass Effect game. Even more so than say Star Wars the entire trilogy has to be taken as a whole all the pieces interlocking and overlapping to create something greater.

Yes it ends on a sour note for most. It's been debated to death and speculated on endlessly so I won't go into it in any depth here.

Suffice it to say, I never wanted Bioware to just write me a perfect happy ending but I do feel that the ending(s) presented conflict both with the choices you make along the way and the themes of the series. When the best possible ending (Synergy) is what the fucking villain from the first game wanted, there is a massive, massive problem.

Even if you made bad, bad choices the Renegade ending is presented to you by the paragon ally (Anderson). I think Bioware should have been flattered that people went to such lengths to explain this with the Indoctrination theory; I honestly think their art department just fucked up and put the wrong colours over the wrong options.

I have come to the conclusion that it might have been best for Mass Effect to have a single ending, one where the Reapers are defeated in some manner and then to show how your choices affected things afterwards. You see, either playing paragon or renegade doesn't change the fact that your eventual goal is the same and I think Bioware's writing team and some aspects of the fanbase forgot that as time went on. They got so caught up in what they could they forgot to ask if they should.

But then like life it's more about the journey than the ending and Mass Effect is one of gaming's most epic and most emotional journeys. Like any good fiction it stays with you and you can forgive some of its short comings.

As for me, my moustachioed Shepard will forever be doing the Shepard Shuffle on a dancefloor somewhere in the galaxy, his crew by his side always ready to jump in and help out someone in need.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

So, I'm not really planning on beating any more games this year. I'll probably make it through Borderlands 2 and maybe Alien Isolation if I buy it but we'll see. Anyways I have an idea for next year that I think will be quite fun. I'm thinking about selecting a total of 30 games, 10 from 3 generations, that I played from my childhood up to when I was 16 to complete. So basically from 1997 to 2010.

[BoneSnapDeez]

So, I'm not really planning on beating any more games this year.

You have 2 and a half months!

Anyways I have an idea for next year that I think will be quite fun. I'm thinking about selecting a total of 30 games, 10 from 3 generations, that I played from my childhood up to when I was 16 to complete. So basically from 1997 to 2010.

I was thinking of doing something similar next year. Instead of just playing haphazardly I'd like to start old and work my way up. In my case I'd start with the Atari 2600 though.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

You have 2 and a half months!

I was thinking of doing something similar next year. Instead of just playing haphazardly I'd like to start old and work my way up. In my case I'd start with the Atari 2600 though.

I know I know. I guess you're right. I just don't really feel like playing through any games right now and so my not-quite awake brain just figured that meant forever. I will probably beat two or three more games this year.

If I were to start with the 2600 I'd probably just play Missile Command for 6 months straight.

[TSTR]

Been a while.

1. Dead Pixels (PC)
2. Magical Drop V (PC)
3. Reaching Out (Android)
4. Nanolife (Android)
5. Darius Burst (PSP)
6. Ridge Racer 2 (PSP)
7. Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower (PSP)
8. Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition (Genesis)
9. Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition (PS3)
10. Super Mario Bros. (NES)
11. Persona 4 (PS2)
12. Final Fantasy (PSP)
13. Gun-Nac (NES via Wii)
14. The Stanley Parable (PC)
15. Imscared (PC)
16. Escape Goat (PC)
17. Darkstalkers Resurrection (PS3)
18. The Uncle Who Works For Nintendo (PC)

Thoughts:

Darkstalkers: Arcade run-throughs with Morrigan in warm up for the tourney. Didn't help much in that first match.

TUWWFN: Browser-based TWINE text adventure. Supposed to be a creepy story about you as an 11-year-old and your best friend who has that "uncle who works for Nintendo." Scary it was not. Don't waste your time.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Ah yes we all knew someone who had "The Uncle Who Works For Nintendo".

Like the "friend" I had back in 1990 who kept insisting that he owned the Game Boy version of Dragon Warrior.

[Damm64]

1- Metroid Confrontation
2- Red Dead Redemption (PS3)
3- Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare (PS3)
4- Bayonetta (PS3)
5- Doom 1 (Ps3) (BFG Edition)
6- The Last of Us (Ps3)
7- Condemned 2: Bloodshot (PS3)
8- Resident Evil: Revelations (Ps3)
9- King of Dragons (PSP)
10- Mercs (PSP)
11- Silent Hill: Downpour (PS3)
12- Dead Space (PS3)
13- Thief Gold (PC)
14- Crysis 3 (PS3)
15- Silent Hill Homecoming (Ps3)
16- Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion (3DS)
17- Pokemon Y (3DS)
18- Dead or Alive: Dimensions (3DS)
19- Mario & Luigi: Bower's inside story (DS)
20- Siren: New Translation (PS3)
21- Super Princess Peach (Ds)
22- Warhammer 40.000: Space Marine (Ps3)
23- X-men Origins: Wolverine (PS3)
24- The Darkness (Ps3)
25- Bioshock (PS3)*

26- Metal Gear Rising Revengence (PS3)

My first ever metal gear game provably not the best for the first experience.
The game itself it like bayonetta or devil my cry, after each battle the game shows you a score and depending on how good you are you get BP, witch you can use to upgrade your character, you get weapons from bosses, find health upgrades all your tipical stuff here. Now the game itself is over the top, ridiculous, has a "serious" plot (goverment captures children so they can convert them into murderer cyborgs!) but you are constantly ninja running, yeah that's a mechanic, and cutting dudes in tiny little pieces it so hard to take it serious... and i love it for all that

I saw a lot of metal gear fans bash this game because... it not metal gear? I mean it even says it on the back of the box, it is a new experience spin off that goes for something diferent! I come to the conclusion that some fans take he MGS story way too seriously. Either way this a game made by platinum games, if you like bayonetta you would like this one too.

[alienjesus]

So, I'm not really planning on beating any more games this year. I'll probably make it through Borderlands 2 and maybe Alien Isolation if I buy it but we'll see. Anyways I have an idea for next year that I think will be quite fun. I'm thinking about selecting a total of 30 games, 10 from 3 generations, that I played from my childhood up to when I was 16 to complete. So basically from 1997 to 2010.

This is a cool idea. I might do something similar - Play a game I've not played before that was released for each year I've been alive.

So basically 27 games released from 1988 to 2015

[BoneSnapDeez]

You youngins are really limiting yourselves if you only include games released during your lifetimes.

Start in 1977 dawgs.

Since this is the first year I've actually recorded games I've completed I think I'll do what many of you folks have been doing and not add anything to my 2015 list that was already on my 2014 list. In other words, you won't see a bunch of Ys games again.