Battlefield: Bad Company 2
I picked this one up and started months ago, but various hardware upgrades and issues forced me to restart multiple times. Finally got around to beating it now that I've got free time. I'd give it an 8.5 out of 10. The graphics look very nice, the guns feel great, and the characters/dialouge is some of the best in any FPS this gen. Most shooters try to make the player care about a squad of teammates, but usually the story and writing is either melodramatic and dull (COD) or melodramatic and painfully awful (Killzone). Bad Company 2, however, managed to be hilarious and didn't fall too closely in line with any cliches, save one thing: making Russia the bad guys. The purposefully cheesy tone of the game makes that one cop-out quite forgivable, plus the ending was so perfect that it was maybe the best choice anyway. My only complaints are that the checkpoints could have been a little more frequent, and the game doesn't run quite as well as it should given my hardware. That last one is thanks to BC2 being built for consoles, then ported to PC. Anyway, I highly recommend this game to any shooter fan, especially if you're a fan of COD style gameplay. Bad Company 2 does it too, and does it better.
Games Beaten 2013
- BoringSupreez
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 9738
- Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2009 10:09 pm
- Location: Tokyo
Re: Games Beaten 2013
prfsnl_gmr wrote:There is nothing feigned about it. What I wrote is a display of actual moral superiority.
-
Gamerforlife
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 10184
- Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2007 5:15 pm
- Location: Florida
Re: Games Beaten 2013
1. Thomas Was Alone - PC
2. Sam & Max Save the World - The whole season - PC, GOG versions
3. Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space - The whole season - PC, GOG versions
4. Sam & Max The Devil's Playhouse - Episode 1 - PC, GOG version
5. Sam & Max The Devil's Playhouse - Episode 2 - PC, GOG version
6. Sam & Max The Devil's Playhouse - Episode 3 - PC, GOG version
The Walking Dead Episode 1 and 2 - PC
Episode 1 and 2 were pretty cool from a story standpoint. I mean, they lack originality. This is typical zombie movie stuff and there's certain story elements that will also feel familiar if you've read the comic and watch the show. Still, I want to see who lives and dies and how certain characters' relationship to Lee will play out. Not the most amazing story, but enough to hold my interest.
Gameplaywise, episode 1 was alright but there were parts of episode 2 that were stupidly designed and annoyed me. So my feelings are mixed on the gameplay front. I'll give them credit though for experimenting with stuff that feels a bit more interesting than your standard PC adventure game. There's a sense of them trying to create something here that is a little more action oriented and suspenseful than the more puzzle oriented PC adventure games I'm used to. When there are puzzles, they are pretty logical and shouldn't cause trouble for anyone with common sense. Overall, my impression of The Walking Dead games so far is...they're alright. I'm interested enough to play the remaining episodes, but nothing has really knocked my socks off yet. Then again, I'm hard to impress
2. Sam & Max Save the World - The whole season - PC, GOG versions
3. Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space - The whole season - PC, GOG versions
4. Sam & Max The Devil's Playhouse - Episode 1 - PC, GOG version
5. Sam & Max The Devil's Playhouse - Episode 2 - PC, GOG version
6. Sam & Max The Devil's Playhouse - Episode 3 - PC, GOG version
The Walking Dead Episode 1 and 2 - PC
Episode 1 and 2 were pretty cool from a story standpoint. I mean, they lack originality. This is typical zombie movie stuff and there's certain story elements that will also feel familiar if you've read the comic and watch the show. Still, I want to see who lives and dies and how certain characters' relationship to Lee will play out. Not the most amazing story, but enough to hold my interest.
Gameplaywise, episode 1 was alright but there were parts of episode 2 that were stupidly designed and annoyed me. So my feelings are mixed on the gameplay front. I'll give them credit though for experimenting with stuff that feels a bit more interesting than your standard PC adventure game. There's a sense of them trying to create something here that is a little more action oriented and suspenseful than the more puzzle oriented PC adventure games I'm used to. When there are puzzles, they are pretty logical and shouldn't cause trouble for anyone with common sense. Overall, my impression of The Walking Dead games so far is...they're alright. I'm interested enough to play the remaining episodes, but nothing has really knocked my socks off yet. Then again, I'm hard to impress
RyaNtheSlayA wrote:
Seriously. Screw you Shao Kahn I'm gonna play Animal Crossing.
Re: Games Beaten 2013
Games Beaten 2013
1. Persona 4 Golden
I had previously caught glimpses of Persona 4 when my sister was playing it on her PS2 and kind of brushed it aside. It looked so unlike a Megami Tensei game that I had serious doubts as to whether or not I would enjoy the game's atmosphere. From what I had seen, the game looked more like a Japanese High School relationship sim, something I don't generally enjoy. I was leaping to conclusions at that time, and am thrilled that I sat down and gave the game a serious chance on the Vita.
It is the single most enjoyable RPG in terms of story that I have ever played. This is because the writing is fantastic. I've played Megami Tensei games before, including the first two Persona games, so I was familiar with collecting and fusing demons to have them aid you in some fashion (becoming Persona's in the Persona series). However, this was my first introduction to the Social Link system, a major aspect of Persona 3 and 4. Essentially, you power up certain Personas by forming social bonds with characters throughout the game. This is not just limited to party members, although they all have social links which rank up.
The social links were a big draw to the game because they each were their own little story which could evolve over time as you progressed through the game. A large part of Persona 4 is choosing how to spend each day and each evening. You can choose to use your day to enter dungeons which are linked to the main story, a well done murder-mystery. If you don't feel like fighting, you can choose to spend time with characters in the hopes of increasing social links, earn money via part-time jobs, go fishing, or do things like study or build models to increase attributes which unlock conversation choices. This day-to-day gameplay feels addictive in a similar way to games I've played like Harvest Moon, but is so much more rewarding in terms of storytelling.
Persona 4 has become one of my favorite games of all time, but it's not without its flaws. The dungeons are very simple, mostly being hallways with some square rooms and a staircase to the next floor, and thus can be boring to navigate, and a couple of the social links come of as unoriginal. However, the overall experience was of being interjected into an immersive storyline where the player is surrounded with characters who grow to overcome very realistic obstacles while facing their darker emotions all while striving towards a common goal and uncovering a multitude of truths. This is the only RPG I've ever immediately started playing again after beating. I'm playing through a second time and uncovering substories I didn't find time for on the first playthrough.
1. Persona 4 Golden
I had previously caught glimpses of Persona 4 when my sister was playing it on her PS2 and kind of brushed it aside. It looked so unlike a Megami Tensei game that I had serious doubts as to whether or not I would enjoy the game's atmosphere. From what I had seen, the game looked more like a Japanese High School relationship sim, something I don't generally enjoy. I was leaping to conclusions at that time, and am thrilled that I sat down and gave the game a serious chance on the Vita.
It is the single most enjoyable RPG in terms of story that I have ever played. This is because the writing is fantastic. I've played Megami Tensei games before, including the first two Persona games, so I was familiar with collecting and fusing demons to have them aid you in some fashion (becoming Persona's in the Persona series). However, this was my first introduction to the Social Link system, a major aspect of Persona 3 and 4. Essentially, you power up certain Personas by forming social bonds with characters throughout the game. This is not just limited to party members, although they all have social links which rank up.
The social links were a big draw to the game because they each were their own little story which could evolve over time as you progressed through the game. A large part of Persona 4 is choosing how to spend each day and each evening. You can choose to use your day to enter dungeons which are linked to the main story, a well done murder-mystery. If you don't feel like fighting, you can choose to spend time with characters in the hopes of increasing social links, earn money via part-time jobs, go fishing, or do things like study or build models to increase attributes which unlock conversation choices. This day-to-day gameplay feels addictive in a similar way to games I've played like Harvest Moon, but is so much more rewarding in terms of storytelling.
Persona 4 has become one of my favorite games of all time, but it's not without its flaws. The dungeons are very simple, mostly being hallways with some square rooms and a staircase to the next floor, and thus can be boring to navigate, and a couple of the social links come of as unoriginal. However, the overall experience was of being interjected into an immersive storyline where the player is surrounded with characters who grow to overcome very realistic obstacles while facing their darker emotions all while striving towards a common goal and uncovering a multitude of truths. This is the only RPG I've ever immediately started playing again after beating. I'm playing through a second time and uncovering substories I didn't find time for on the first playthrough.
Re: Games Beaten 2013
1. Assassin's Creed 3 - 1/6/2013
2. Phantasy Star Online Episode 1 & 2 (Gamecube) - 1/11/2013
3. Metal Gear Solid 2 (Metal Gear Solid HD Collection) - 1/20/2013
4. Metal Gear Solid 3 (Metal Gear Solid HD Collection) - 1/22/2013
5. Sega Bass Fishing Xbox 360 - 1/22/2013
6. Sonic & All-Stars Racing TRANSFORMED - 1/26/2013
I finished the World Tour, which rolled the credits. I know racing games are ambiguous to when they actually end, but I think this constitutes finishing the game. I still need to unlock Gilius, Dr. Robotnik, the other character from Nights, and the two in the Superstar Showdown. I'll probably go through the Grand Prix mode too, now. Fantastic game. The AI really is unforgiving though on the tougher difficulties, one slip up beyond your control and you're out of the top 3. Really would be cool to go against some people online!
2. Phantasy Star Online Episode 1 & 2 (Gamecube) - 1/11/2013
3. Metal Gear Solid 2 (Metal Gear Solid HD Collection) - 1/20/2013
4. Metal Gear Solid 3 (Metal Gear Solid HD Collection) - 1/22/2013
5. Sega Bass Fishing Xbox 360 - 1/22/2013
6. Sonic & All-Stars Racing TRANSFORMED - 1/26/2013
I finished the World Tour, which rolled the credits. I know racing games are ambiguous to when they actually end, but I think this constitutes finishing the game. I still need to unlock Gilius, Dr. Robotnik, the other character from Nights, and the two in the Superstar Showdown. I'll probably go through the Grand Prix mode too, now. Fantastic game. The AI really is unforgiving though on the tougher difficulties, one slip up beyond your control and you're out of the top 3. Really would be cool to go against some people online!
Re: Games Beaten 2013
1. Medal of Honor Allied Assault Spearhead - PC (January 2)
2. America's Army - Arcade (January 12)
3. *NEW* Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell - Gamecube (January 26)
The first of Sam Fisher's many adventures is finished. All the skills you picked up in previous missions were needed here, and it was great to link up to the GBA. Great story too. Best of all, 3 more games in the series to play! Already ordered the next game
2. America's Army - Arcade (January 12)
3. *NEW* Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell - Gamecube (January 26)
The first of Sam Fisher's many adventures is finished. All the skills you picked up in previous missions were needed here, and it was great to link up to the GBA. Great story too. Best of all, 3 more games in the series to play! Already ordered the next game
YES! Keep playing the NES! MS is a great non shmup title from Irem. Plus, a shmup style 2nd loop!dunpeal2064 wrote:Metal Storm: I decided to randomly play this game having heard very little about it, and it blew my mind. Adding gravity control to a run-n-gun was such a great concept, and they implemented it perfectly here. The first level is a bit on the easy side, but the difficulty starts to ramp up at a great pace from there. I never found the game to be too cheap, but some parts were definitely challenging. The game has some excellent boss fights too. My only gripe would be with the last boss's difficulty, which just seemed too low after some of the other fights. However, clearing the game gives you a password for an "expert" round, so perhaps the end boss of that round will be a bit more challenging.
Xeogred wrote:The obvious answer is that it's time for the Dreamcast 2.
Re: Games Beaten 2013
1. Sniper Elite V2 (PS3)(TPS)
2. Teen Agent (PC)(Point and Click Adventure)
3. Alpha Protocol (PS3)(RPG)
4. Beneath A Steel Sky (PC)(Point and Click Adventure)
5. Imscared - A Pixelated Nightmare (PC)(Horror)
6. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (SNES)(RPG)
7. Celestial Mechanica (PC)(Platformer)
8. Gravity Bone (PC)(First Person Adventure)
9. Secret of Mana (SNES)(RPG)
I finally got around to beating this after all these years. It's fun, and I like the combat system, but I don't think it is as great as I've heard due to some severe technical flaws. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the game. I did, very much. But I have some gripes that keep me from being able to say it's on par with FF4 or FF6.
First, the AI has some severe issues with pathfinding which forced me to backtrack occasionally around routes to make sure they could keep up. This was particularly annoying when I was trying to just run through an area, but the AI also managed to create problems during fights where they would get stuck and force me to lose a vantage point against an enemy because they simply couldn't understand moving down to spaces and around a corner. Character sprites would also occasionally flicker in and out when lots of action was occurring on screen, particularly when large +50 damage values were registering. And then there is the infamous save glitch to get a 9th Sword Orb, which I managed to stumble across on accident. To make matters worse, the game briefly glitched on starting a new game too, so for a while I thought my entire game was out of commission.*
Now I did like the gameplay and the differences between the various weapons. Switching between the spear, the axe, the whip, the bow, the javelin, etc., based on my needs kept me from focusing too narrowly on a single weapon and instead made sure my characters were well-rounded. And I made sure to keep my magic up to snuff, so by the end of the game I was quite powerful, yet even in the final dungeon I was continuing to find better equipment and level up. Really, the game felt balanced throughout for the most part, with only a few places that were off-putting in their sudden difficulty. There were certain enemy designs I was not a fan of, but overall they were well designed and animated, and even with the various palette swaps, the changes made to what sorts of enemies they could spawn or abilities they could pull off kept things fresh. Less so with some of the bosses...but then, there were only a handful of the 40 or so bosses that I thought were a challenge. Most I managed to barrage with spells.
I liked Secret of Mana, and I would recommend it to others who want to experience Square's catalog from the period. And many of my complaints were addressed by the time Seiken Densetsu 3 and Secret of Evermore were released, so the company obviously saw the game's faults and improved upon the formula...well, to an extent. Secret of Evermore is not Seiken Densetsu 3 and never will be, even if it is a competent game. Maybe I'll finally get around to beating that one too sometime.
****************************************************
Here is what happened with the sword orb glitch that frazzled my nerves and shook my faith in the game:
While exploring all the different locales after getting Flammie, I managed to land on a small island off the coast of the snow and ice country, where I found Neko sitting and selling his wares. I saved my game and got up to make a cup of tea. Coming back to my game, I discovered I could not load my save. So, annoyed, I started a new game, but to no avail: the beginning was glitched, spoken dialogue came in the wrong order, frames of animation were missing, and when I was supposed to take control of the boy, the game map started rotating in an odd direction which prevented me from being able to see anything. At this point, I was becoming extremely upset thinking that my cartridge was messed up. But I decided to load someone else's save to see what happened. Voila, it worked. I looked over their characters briefly to guess where they were, but after seeing some weapons I didn't recognize, I realized they were further along than I was. So I tried a new game again, and this time it worked! I ran through to the first boss and reset right as it began, thinking that maybe my save would work. It did! Only instead of on an island with Neko, I was fighting the first boss with a full party at my current level... Apparently this is a known bug used to get an extra sword orb in the game. I managed to summon Flammie and escape as soon as I had the chance, but after that harrowing experience, I began paying a lot more attention to glitches and only saved in places I trusted, such as towns that I knew I could load from.
2. Teen Agent (PC)(Point and Click Adventure)
3. Alpha Protocol (PS3)(RPG)
4. Beneath A Steel Sky (PC)(Point and Click Adventure)
5. Imscared - A Pixelated Nightmare (PC)(Horror)
6. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (SNES)(RPG)
7. Celestial Mechanica (PC)(Platformer)
8. Gravity Bone (PC)(First Person Adventure)
9. Secret of Mana (SNES)(RPG)
I finally got around to beating this after all these years. It's fun, and I like the combat system, but I don't think it is as great as I've heard due to some severe technical flaws. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the game. I did, very much. But I have some gripes that keep me from being able to say it's on par with FF4 or FF6.
First, the AI has some severe issues with pathfinding which forced me to backtrack occasionally around routes to make sure they could keep up. This was particularly annoying when I was trying to just run through an area, but the AI also managed to create problems during fights where they would get stuck and force me to lose a vantage point against an enemy because they simply couldn't understand moving down to spaces and around a corner. Character sprites would also occasionally flicker in and out when lots of action was occurring on screen, particularly when large +50 damage values were registering. And then there is the infamous save glitch to get a 9th Sword Orb, which I managed to stumble across on accident. To make matters worse, the game briefly glitched on starting a new game too, so for a while I thought my entire game was out of commission.*
Now I did like the gameplay and the differences between the various weapons. Switching between the spear, the axe, the whip, the bow, the javelin, etc., based on my needs kept me from focusing too narrowly on a single weapon and instead made sure my characters were well-rounded. And I made sure to keep my magic up to snuff, so by the end of the game I was quite powerful, yet even in the final dungeon I was continuing to find better equipment and level up. Really, the game felt balanced throughout for the most part, with only a few places that were off-putting in their sudden difficulty. There were certain enemy designs I was not a fan of, but overall they were well designed and animated, and even with the various palette swaps, the changes made to what sorts of enemies they could spawn or abilities they could pull off kept things fresh. Less so with some of the bosses...but then, there were only a handful of the 40 or so bosses that I thought were a challenge. Most I managed to barrage with spells.
I liked Secret of Mana, and I would recommend it to others who want to experience Square's catalog from the period. And many of my complaints were addressed by the time Seiken Densetsu 3 and Secret of Evermore were released, so the company obviously saw the game's faults and improved upon the formula...well, to an extent. Secret of Evermore is not Seiken Densetsu 3 and never will be, even if it is a competent game. Maybe I'll finally get around to beating that one too sometime.
****************************************************
Here is what happened with the sword orb glitch that frazzled my nerves and shook my faith in the game:
While exploring all the different locales after getting Flammie, I managed to land on a small island off the coast of the snow and ice country, where I found Neko sitting and selling his wares. I saved my game and got up to make a cup of tea. Coming back to my game, I discovered I could not load my save. So, annoyed, I started a new game, but to no avail: the beginning was glitched, spoken dialogue came in the wrong order, frames of animation were missing, and when I was supposed to take control of the boy, the game map started rotating in an odd direction which prevented me from being able to see anything. At this point, I was becoming extremely upset thinking that my cartridge was messed up. But I decided to load someone else's save to see what happened. Voila, it worked. I looked over their characters briefly to guess where they were, but after seeing some weapons I didn't recognize, I realized they were further along than I was. So I tried a new game again, and this time it worked! I ran through to the first boss and reset right as it began, thinking that maybe my save would work. It did! Only instead of on an island with Neko, I was fighting the first boss with a full party at my current level... Apparently this is a known bug used to get an extra sword orb in the game. I managed to summon Flammie and escape as soon as I had the chance, but after that harrowing experience, I began paying a lot more attention to glitches and only saved in places I trusted, such as towns that I knew I could load from.
Re: Games Beaten 2013
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - PC
Hotline Miami - PC
Assassin's Creed: Revelations - PC
Skate 2 - 360
Deponia - PC
Total for 2013: 5
Skate 2 - 360
I have finished Skate. and Skate 3 before playing 2, but I found this game really stale. The walking system was totally bugged, having to wait such a long time after every mistake you make, in some cases you fall, it starts playing a replay, you skip it, it then asks you if you want to retry or quit the challenge, you select retry, it then does a 3,2,1 TIMER, YOU FALL, YOU WATCH IT AGAIN! For me this totally wrecks a good game, it is a pain in all 3 games but after playing two other games of it, I had enough. Glad it's over, great mechanics and controls but the games flow is all broken.
Deponia - PC
I was mega excited for this game, I was talking to Niode about it, both of us love P&C and I was just mega hyped, Niode was kind enough to buy me a copy. I jumped straight in and was loving it, then there was this middle section that just dragged on with no story development of any importance, it literally felt like filler. Once I was past that bit I fell back in love with the game and by the time it finished I am really looking forward to Part 2, though my backlog is big enough that I will wait until it is in a bundle (like this ended up being) or really low on GMG.
If your playing it and find it boring, push through, it picks up.
Hotline Miami - PC
Assassin's Creed: Revelations - PC
Skate 2 - 360
Deponia - PC
Total for 2013: 5
Skate 2 - 360
I have finished Skate. and Skate 3 before playing 2, but I found this game really stale. The walking system was totally bugged, having to wait such a long time after every mistake you make, in some cases you fall, it starts playing a replay, you skip it, it then asks you if you want to retry or quit the challenge, you select retry, it then does a 3,2,1 TIMER, YOU FALL, YOU WATCH IT AGAIN! For me this totally wrecks a good game, it is a pain in all 3 games but after playing two other games of it, I had enough. Glad it's over, great mechanics and controls but the games flow is all broken.
Deponia - PC
I was mega excited for this game, I was talking to Niode about it, both of us love P&C and I was just mega hyped, Niode was kind enough to buy me a copy. I jumped straight in and was loving it, then there was this middle section that just dragged on with no story development of any importance, it literally felt like filler. Once I was past that bit I fell back in love with the game and by the time it finished I am really looking forward to Part 2, though my backlog is big enough that I will wait until it is in a bundle (like this ended up being) or really low on GMG.
If your playing it and find it boring, push through, it picks up.
Re: Games Beaten 2013
Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage? for the 3DS. Downloaded it on the 3DS eShop. Didn't take too long, but maybe New Game+ will be more of a challenge.
Re: Games Beaten 2013
The Flash game Takeover, made by the same people as Cursed Treasure and King's Guard (thanx again, JT). Well, the campaigns at least. I still gotta get 4 of the 22 badges, especially getting Perfect levels for all the levels (which also gets me a Kongregate achievement).
- SpaceBooger
- Moderator
- Posts: 4420
- Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2008 6:40 am
- Location: The AK-Rowdy
- Contact:
Re: Games Beaten 2013
First Game of the Year:
01/27 Mass Effect - PS3
I have owned the game for a while on the PC and played it a couple times and each time I would play it I would just get the Normandy and then my computer would die. One time the HD went out and the other involved getting a whole new PC. When Mass Effect was released on the PS3, since I already own ME2 on the PS3, I decided to play it through there.
I love RPGs and only play one or so a year because of the time and I always try to play a WRPG and the side quests drive me away. I guess I'm a fan of the older more linear 16-bit RPGs.
In Mass Effect, I don't know if it was because of the story or because of the character building, I really got into choosing my dialog, or the story that kept me interested and motivated me to complete a lot of the extra stuff. I played through all the side quests I could and it made the game that much better. I am looking forward to playing thorough the sequel even though I heard it's more FPS, a genre I dislike.
01/27 Mass Effect - PS3
I have owned the game for a while on the PC and played it a couple times and each time I would play it I would just get the Normandy and then my computer would die. One time the HD went out and the other involved getting a whole new PC. When Mass Effect was released on the PS3, since I already own ME2 on the PS3, I decided to play it through there.
I love RPGs and only play one or so a year because of the time and I always try to play a WRPG and the side quests drive me away. I guess I'm a fan of the older more linear 16-bit RPGs.
In Mass Effect, I don't know if it was because of the story or because of the character building, I really got into choosing my dialog, or the story that kept me interested and motivated me to complete a lot of the extra stuff. I played through all the side quests I could and it made the game that much better. I am looking forward to playing thorough the sequel even though I heard it's more FPS, a genre I dislike.

