Games Beaten 2014

[prfsnl_gmr]

*Disclaimer: May not actually be awesome in any way

EDIT:

It looks very academic:

(Apparently, this book was only released in the UK.)

[Ack]

1. Blood II: The Nightmare Levels (PC)(FPS)
2. Metal Slug (MVS)(Run and Gun)
3. Clive Barker's Undying (PC)(FPS)
4. Judge Dredd: Dredd Vs. Death (PC)(FPS)
5. Lagoon (SNES)(RPG)
6. Tin Star (SNES)(Light Gun)
7. Cacoma Knight in Bizyland (SNES)(Puzzle)
8. World Heroes (MVS)(Fighting)
9. Mario's Early Years: Preschool Fun (SNES)(Edutainment)
10. Rival Turf! (SNES)(Beat 'Em Up)
11. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Genesis)(Fighting)
12. SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium (NGPC)(Fighting)
13. Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen (SNES)(RPG)
14. Super Turrican 2 (SNES)(Run and Gun)

I've been stuck home all day due to snow and ice in Atlanta, so I figured I would sit down and beat another SNES game. Having previously beat the first Super Turrican last year, I figured why not go ahead and work my way through the sequel.

Super Turrican 2 is one of the most visually impressive run and guns I have ever played. At times the player must jump between flying missiles, rappel up and down a wall while shooting a giant laser cannon, leap across the backs of leaping worm-like beasts, and even run along the outside of a spaceship. It's a visual feast that only matches its gorgeous imagery with frantic action. The boss fights are incredibly and make wide use of Mode 7, including a hanging brawl in the middle of the web of an enormous mechanical spider. But they're not easy and not easy on the thumbs either. The final boss fight is particularly brutal on the hand, and I think my hand is going to be sore for a couple of days.

But this is a small gripe. I have a much larger one with the game segments that aren't running and gunning. Repeatedly throughout the game, the player must pilot a speeder bike down a corridor of some form while dodging mines, lasers, and attacking enemies. Unfortunately I could never get the hang of controlling this thing, resulting in my often colliding with walls or traps. Most often the layout was designed in such a way that if you collided once, you'd bounce between traps repeatedly, ultimately killing you. The first section like this is the worst in my opinion, as later ones don't seem quite so devious. There's also a pseudo-shmup section late in the game that's really sluggish and just feels like a poor's man's Axelay knock off. That isn't a compliment. Instead of coming across as a good idea, it just feels like a cheap imitation.

It's a shame that the bad sticks out so much to me, as otherwise there is a lot of really awesome moments. I was shocked at how splendid this game is to look at. But when the problems hit, they hit hard. Still, it was fun to see exactly how awesome the SNES can be in all its visual glory.

Oh, one other thing. The price tag on Super Turrican 2? Not worth it.

[REPO Man]

A playthrough of The Binding of Isaac for PC. Gonna play through it a bunch more times to get the remaining achievements, fill out the game's collection of items and beat the game with other characters.

[emwearz]

A play through of The Binding of Isaac for PC. Gonna play through it a bunch more times to get the remaining achievements, fill out the game's collection of items and beat the game with other characters.

Did you beat mom twice? That is the first play through. Last I checked it is like 9 defeats of mom to for the final ending (you get a different ending each time up until then).

This is not a 'you did not finish it' post, this is me asking you what you got up to, it becomes mega f00king hard!

[REPO Man]

A play through of The Binding of Isaac for PC. Gonna play through it a bunch more times to get the remaining achievements, fill out the game's collection of items and beat the game with other characters.

Did you beat mom twice? That is the first play through. Last I checked it is like 9 defeats of mom to for the final ending (you get a different ending each time up until then).

This is not a 'you did not finish it' post, this is me asking you what you got up to, it becomes mega f00king hard!

I only beat her once, and then it went back to the main menu.

[Ack]

A play through of The Binding of Isaac for PC. Gonna play through it a bunch more times to get the remaining achievements, fill out the game's collection of items and beat the game with other characters.

Did you beat mom twice? That is the first play through. Last I checked it is like 9 defeats of mom to for the final ending (you get a different ending each time up until then).

This is not a 'you did not finish it' post, this is me asking you what you got up to, it becomes mega f00king hard!

I only beat her once, and then it went back to the main menu.

Yeah, that was only the first ending. There are a bunch more. It gets more challenging over time, but if you beat her once, you can do it again.

[Fragems]

Games Beaten 2014:

1.GTA V(360)
2.Brothers(PSN)

Just joined PlayStation plus and I'm blown away by the instant game collection currently kicking myself for not joining years ago .

Managed to blow through Brothers in one sitting it was a hell of a game. I have to say the levels, artwork, and characters are amazing. Such an emotional experience and truly a beautiful experience.

Along side the 3-4 other games I'm currently going through I also started up Metro Last Light(another Plus freebie). Played through the original but don't remember a ton aside from the ending and a few of the creepier scene. Having audio issues though for some reason. The left and right channels for the audio seem to be reversed for some reason so I have to swap my audio cables whenever I play it . Anyone else had this problem.

[ExedExes]

Rival Turf! is still better than Bebe's Kids though...

Somehow I missed you beating this. Anything is better than Bebe's Kids. Even slow inaccurate health bars, 3-scale death grunts, throws throws and more throws, quiet music, and Iceman and his cheap spinning kick you have to endure more than once.

[Sload Soap]

Phantom Breaker: Battlegrounds

This is a reasonably new beat'em up based on a 2D fighter that was supposed to make its way to the west but never did. And it's pretty great all round.

Its major claim to fame is that it incorporates proper fighting game mechanics (guard cancels, magic series combos, chip damage, air throws) into a fast paced modern beat'em up. Basically, this is the game Scott Pilgrim thinks it is. All of the characters have differences in speed and strength to make replays worthwhile and there is a dumb but charming story of dimension hopping schoolgirls beating up the various residents of Tokyo.

There are weaknesses though. The soundtrack is only okay, some good tunes here or there but mostly, meh. It can also seem on the normal and even hard difficulties that mashing will get you through, even against bosses. And the final proper level is a bit of a maze with a fairly static and boring background.

Definitely worth a look though if you have any interest in beat'em ups.

Final Fantasy IX

I finished FF9 a few hours ago and am now filled with that small sense of loss you have after you finish a good book. I have a limited knowledge of final fantasy, but I would place IX just outside my personal trivium of IV, VI and VII as the best iterations of this long running series.

I really enjoyed the setting. Gaia, and Terra, were such fantastically realised worlds and have really reminded me of the artistry pre-rendered backgrounds can bring. They're like matte backgrounds used in film, even though the image is usually static, it's full of little details that make it feel alive. I also remembered how much I miss world maps! They're such a simple thing and clash horrendously with the pre-rendered backgrounds, but it really adds a sense of exploration that is missing from more modern releases.

I also liked most of the characters as well. Zidane is a nice break from the introspective protagonists of VII and VIII. Vivi is adorable and his character arc is probably the strongest of all. Steiner, Dagger and Eiko also have definite arcs and aren't just there to pad out the roster, which is not something that can be said for Quina and Amarant unfortunately. And although I bashed him a bit in the RPG progress thread, Kuja is not just a base level moustache twirler, and ends up a rather tragic figure. It's a shame he brings in the nihilism that has bogged down a few too many jRPG's. And the less said of Necron the better. I'm sure he is just there to pad things out.

The battle system works well and I appreciate the return to characters with individual skills as in earlier FF's, but I still have the problem that unless the game auto levels characters, you end up with a lopsided party at times. There's a disc long section where your party is split and the story focuses on Zidane. By the time the party is reunited half are woefully under-leveled. Bit annoying.
I also didn't like the Trance ability and much prefer Limit breaks as they can carry over to other battles. I can think of only one instance where the Trance ability actually came in handy. And then some trance abilities are kind of purposeless; Eidolon being the worst. There also seems to be far too many enemies with the Doom or Death ability and it mostly always fatal.

Minor complaints aside I very much enjoyed FFIX and was won over by its charming world, exemplary backgrounds and music, and the pull of adventure.

[BogusMeatFactory]

I finished FF9 a few hours ago and am now filled with that small sense of loss you have after you finish a good book.

I felt exactly the same way. I have been a person who has always been very critical of the Final Fantasy Franchise, especially VII and I found IX to be one of the more enjoyable entries. My only real gripe with the game was the...

Whole, "I killed the bad guy. Oh wait, he wasn't the REAL bad guy it was something bigger and more bad!"

Other than that I loved it and I am glad other people enjoyed it as well, since not many talk about it.