Games Beaten 2014

[noiseredux]

Wheatley is amazing. Funniest character ever right from the get-go.

[Sload Soap]

Thoughts

Halo 3

I think this was actually the first 360 game I bought, since, at the time, a large motivation for getting one was due to my group of friends shifting from Halo 2 to Halo 3 for our get-togethers.

Graphics and presentation felt like quite a jump – not just from Halo 2, but from Anniversary as well. Particularly noticeable in the later parts of the game that return to a Halo ring, compared to the prettied-up original.

Otherwise it felt like more of an evolution from Halo 2 to me. Not in a bad way though. There are the items to use, more limited dual wielding (where Halo 2 was maybe a little overboard on that), but mostly it was looking at the (kinda) HD update.

Enjoyed it overall.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

Barely counts, since I mostly just did the “main story” mission, but still. I’ve already commented elsewhere on this, but, I felt like it could almost be a new series versus a sequel. The gameplay is a bit more open and organic than prior entries (in a good way), Snake…does not sound like Snake, and thus far, it only really ties into Peace Walker (and post-game side mission Peace Walker at that).

Either way, The Phantom Pain will likely be fantastic, judging on what’s in this.

Halo: Reach

Not sure if it’s just me, but enemies in this seem smarter. I mean, I’m not exactly good at Halo, but, they move more, go for cover more, etc.
Plus, health is back, even though it’ll top itself off if you only lose a few bars. Could be that they’re meant more for multiplayer balance, or training, but it did serve to make some of it a teensy bit harder.

Graphics are better, though they looked softer, probably due to actually having AA (game is a higher native resolution than 3). Using a custom player character was a nice touch, though perhaps also there to make the jump to multiplayer more seamless. Despite that, it seemed like the story was a little more pervasive or integrated, at least at times.
Took me a little longer to warm up to this one, compared to 3, but I think around the time Noble 6 got to flex her dogfighting skills I was on board. Plus, no Flood.

Halo 4

343 loves them some bloom. Very nice looking for a 360 game, but yeeesh, my eyes. HDR was neat in Halo 3, volumetric fog in Reach, but they are abused here.

Back to Master Chief, and not having to search for health packs (maybe he’s just special), but still keeping the “suit upgrades” swappable powerups instead of the one-use ones from Halo 3. Also a new enemy, with a third set of weapons to maybe pick up.

While not ever terrible, I found this to be slightly hit or miss. Cool vehicle additions and sections, some really nice looking outdoor sets…but offset by a ton of fighting in areas that look like they’re out of Tron,

Similarly pervasive story to Reach, with nice looking cutscenes (and really nice looking Cortana), despite it feeling kind of forced. Occasionally, there was even time to take in the scenery, like 343 realized some of us were playing for the city-sized starships and alien vistas.

Largely liked it, which would apply to the series in general. It’s good, innocuous video game-y fun – not sure how Uncharted games rate a T and these an M.

Anyway, I think I have exhausted all the Metal Gear and Halo games I have/had plans to play (I have the GBC Metal Gear, and ODST, etc, just feel like moving on).

I quite liked the Metroid: Prime enemies in Halo 4 as combatants, but their weaponry in the players hands just arrange themselves into neon versions of the stock pistol/shotgun/rifle line-up which I thought was a bit of a lost opportunity. I also have no idea what is happening in Halo's story line anymore. I thought I'd skipped a game or something but no. Played every one to completion. Years apart, I would have thought I'd remember the bit with the space faring prehistoric men.

It's sort of a shame to skip ODST as it changes things up enough to be as close to a black sheep entry as Halo is ever likely to have.

[BogusMeatFactory]

Thoughts

Halo 3

I think this was actually the first 360 game I bought, since, at the time, a large motivation for getting one was due to my group of friends shifting from Halo 2 to Halo 3 for our get-togethers.

Graphics and presentation felt like quite a jump – not just from Halo 2, but from Anniversary as well. Particularly noticeable in the later parts of the game that return to a Halo ring, compared to the prettied-up original.

Otherwise it felt like more of an evolution from Halo 2 to me. Not in a bad way though. There are the items to use, more limited dual wielding (where Halo 2 was maybe a little overboard on that), but mostly it was looking at the (kinda) HD update.

Enjoyed it overall.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

Barely counts, since I mostly just did the “main story” mission, but still. I’ve already commented elsewhere on this, but, I felt like it could almost be a new series versus a sequel. The gameplay is a bit more open and organic than prior entries (in a good way), Snake…does not sound like Snake, and thus far, it only really ties into Peace Walker (and post-game side mission Peace Walker at that).

Either way, The Phantom Pain will likely be fantastic, judging on what’s in this.

Halo: Reach

Not sure if it’s just me, but enemies in this seem smarter. I mean, I’m not exactly good at Halo, but, they move more, go for cover more, etc.
Plus, health is back, even though it’ll top itself off if you only lose a few bars. Could be that they’re meant more for multiplayer balance, or training, but it did serve to make some of it a teensy bit harder.

Graphics are better, though they looked softer, probably due to actually having AA (game is a higher native resolution than 3). Using a custom player character was a nice touch, though perhaps also there to make the jump to multiplayer more seamless. Despite that, it seemed like the story was a little more pervasive or integrated, at least at times.
Took me a little longer to warm up to this one, compared to 3, but I think around the time Noble 6 got to flex her dogfighting skills I was on board. Plus, no Flood.

Halo 4

343 loves them some bloom. Very nice looking for a 360 game, but yeeesh, my eyes. HDR was neat in Halo 3, volumetric fog in Reach, but they are abused here.

Back to Master Chief, and not having to search for health packs (maybe he’s just special), but still keeping the “suit upgrades” swappable powerups instead of the one-use ones from Halo 3. Also a new enemy, with a third set of weapons to maybe pick up.

While not ever terrible, I found this to be slightly hit or miss. Cool vehicle additions and sections, some really nice looking outdoor sets…but offset by a ton of fighting in areas that look like they’re out of Tron,

Similarly pervasive story to Reach, with nice looking cutscenes (and really nice looking Cortana), despite it feeling kind of forced. Occasionally, there was even time to take in the scenery, like 343 realized some of us were playing for the city-sized starships and alien vistas.

Largely liked it, which would apply to the series in general. It’s good, innocuous video game-y fun – not sure how Uncharted games rate a T and these an M.

Anyway, I think I have exhausted all the Metal Gear and Halo games I have/had plans to play (I have the GBC Metal Gear, and ODST, etc, just feel like moving on).

I quite liked the Metroid: Prime enemies in Halo 4 as combatants, but their weaponry in the players hands just arrange themselves into neon versions of the stock pistol/shotgun/rifle line-up which I thought was a bit of a lost opportunity. I also have no idea what is happening in Halo's story line anymore. I thought I'd skipped a game or something but no. Played every one to completion. Years apart, I would have thought I'd remember the bit with the space faring prehistoric men.

It's sort of a shame to skip ODST as it changes things up enough to be as close to a black sheep entry as Halo is ever likely to have.

Yeah the Space faring prehistoric men are kind of covered in all the animated and CGI movies they released as part of the expanded universe. It is a bit convoluted.

[isiolia]

I think it was supposed to be pre-Flood eradication/reseeding or whatever, which kind of gives them a license to do whatever they feel like, I guess. As enemies, the new guys aren't bad - more interesting than the Flood, though that's a low bar.

I may play ODST at some point, just not in the mood for yet more Halo (or Metal Gear) right at the moment

[GSZX1337]

Strider (NES)

No wear near as good as the Genesis version, and I'm not saying this 'cause I'm a Sega fanboy. This game is inferior to the Arcade/Genesis game in every way. The control sucks; the entire time I played the game I felt I was fighting against the controls. I eventually figured out that part of the problem was that you lose upward momentum when you press on the d-pad while jumping. The collision detection was spotty at best. I've taken damage from things that didn't make contact with me and performing the triangle jump is a chore because half the time Hiryu wouldn't attach to the wall. Even the longplayer on the cubex55 channel had trouble with it. Granted, not as much trouble as I did, but he still had trouble. This might be more of a failing of mine instead of a failing of the game's, but the stage design pissed me off. There are rooms that serve no purpose and more than a few times, I found myself going backwards in the stage. Oftentimes the tubes would send me to, or close to, the beginning of the stage with no indication. C'mon, at least give the ones that go back a different color. Last and perhaps least, it's too damn easy. The bosses are absolutely lame, the enemy placements are rarely effective, and the only challenge I faced was through the shitty level designs and other deficiencies.

If the game only suffered one or two of those shortcomings, it'd still be alright. Having all of those shortcomings makes the game an absolute pain in the ass. My hypothesis is Capcom decided to cheap out on the development of the game after making the manga, therefore recruiting a bunch of rookies for the coding and design. One positive is that the game got me interested in the manga.

[emwearz]

Wheatley is amazing. Funniest character ever right from the get-go.

Stephen Merchant is utterly gold in everything he does and he is the reason why I love Portal 2 so much more than Portal 1, he keeps it fresh.

[Damm64]

1-Metroid Confrontation
2-Red Dead Redemption
3-Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
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)

For some odd reason i had some trouble in some sections of the game but it was only my own stupid brain not seeing hole's or doors i could get into. The actual game is pretty cool the history maybe is inferior to previous games but in general this game keeps everything right, the atmosphere, the enemy design, diferent endings, and the combat is greatly improved but still every enemy is a threat on it's own; even with a dodge button they can hit you easy.

I totally recomend this game i don't get the bash it got from the fans, yeah it's inferior, in some ways, to other entries in the series but expecting every game to be better than the last one is a bit silly. As long the developers keep the atmosphere and the attention to detail in the silent hill game i hardly see how this series can go wrong.

[BoneSnapDeez]

1. Bad Dudes vs. DragonNinja (Wii - Data East Arcade Classics)
2. Caveman Ninja (Wii - Data East Arcade Classics)
3. Crude Buster (Wii - Data East Arcade Classics)
4. Heavy Barrel (Wii - Data East Arcade Classics)
5. Secret Agent (Wii - Data East Arcade Classics)
6. Wizard Fire (Wii - Data East Arcade Classics)
7. Super Mario Land (Game Boy)
8. Burning Fight (PlayStation 2 - SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1)
9. Magician Lord (PlayStation 2 - SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1)
10. Metal Slug (PlayStation 2 - SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1)
11. Sengoku (PlayStation 2 - SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1)
12. Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy (PlayStation 2 - SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1)
13. Metal Slug 4 (PlayStation 2 - Metal Slug 4 & 5)
14. Metal Slug 5 (PlayStation 2 - Metal Slug 4 & 5)
15. Metal Slug XX (PSP)
16. Phantasy Star Online (Dreamcast)
17. Smash TV (PlayStation 2 - Midway Arcade Treasures)
18. Total Carnage (Xbox - Midway Arcade Treasures 2)
19. Skyblazer (SNES)
20. Mega Man II (Game Boy)
21. The Monkey King: The Legend Begins (Wii)
22. Ys (Saturn - Falcom Classics)
23. Super Mario Bros. (SNES - Super Mario All-Stars)
24. Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (SNES - Super Mario All-Stars)
25. Super Mario Bros. 2 (SNES - Super Mario All-Stars)
26. Super Mario Bros. 3 (SNES - Super Mario All-Stars)
27. Super Mario World (SNES)
28. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES)
29. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (Game Boy)
30. 魔法騎士レイアース (Super Famicom)
31. Magic Knight Rayearth (Saturn)
32. Disney's Aladdin (SNES)
33. Kirby's Dream Land (Wii - Kirby's Dream Collection)
34. Kirby's Adventure (Wii - Kirby's Dream Collection)
35. Kirby's Dream Land 2 (Wii - Kirby's Dream Collection)
36. Kirby Super Star (Wii - Kirby's Dream Collection)
37. Kirby's Dream Land 3 (Wii - Kirby's Dream Collection)
38. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (Wii - Kirby's Dream Collection)
39. Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii)
40. New Super Mario Bros. U (Wii U - New Super Mario Bros. U + New Super Luigi U)
41. New Super Luigi U (Wii U - New Super Mario Bros. U + New Super Luigi U)

I recently purchased the Mario/Luigi Wii U bundle, so both games were included on the same disc. They are part of the side-scrolling 2D "New" Super Mario Bros. (sub-)series.

New Super Mario Bros. U is a pretty straightforward Mario game, very similar to its Wii predecessor and it's even reminiscent of classic titles like Super Mario World. One huge advantage this has over the Wii game is the use of the Wii U gamepad. This thing is super comfy and I was able to kick back and play the entire game in bed (not sure if that's something to be proud of....). Vastly superior to the sideways Wiimote control scheme, though I believe you have that option here as well.

I expected New Super Luigi U to be a simple expansion pack with the option to play as Luigi. Wrong. First of all, Mario doesn't make any appearance in the game. Luigi has his "Lost Levels" style controls - he has huge floaty jumps and is a bit more slippery than Mario. The overworld is the same as Mario U, but the levels have been completely redesigned. And there's a strict time limit - 100 seconds for each level. The game can get quite intense with such a time-crunch, though (paradoxically) I found the best way to play was to take things slowly rather than trying to rush to beat the time limit (I could finish most levels in about 70 seconds or less).

I'm a Mario fanatic - this should be clear by looking at the other games on my list. To me, this justified the purchase of the Wii U and I look forward to 3D World...

[wclem]

#10 Thief

Well, it started out good ramped up to great then well..... I was a little disappointed in a few areas that I felt forced you into confrontation but otherwise really good game for the PS4 or whatever system you play.

Not a top PS3 game but on the PS4 with its current library it is a higher end game. In a few years though it will probably be bargain bin stuff. Since I am starving for some games on the PS4 that fit my taste I will take this effort.

[Luke]

I'll be updating my list either tomorrow or Saturday.

Lots to add.

And because, let's face it, Noise was a bit disappointed in my attempt to beat Infinite in a timely manner, I'm going to attempt to beat Bioshock within a month, followed by Bioshock 2, without giving up (I'll stop switch it up by playing some retro games though).