Games Beaten 2014

[Luke]

Crazy thing about the birds and bats in Ninja Gaiden:

99% if the time all you need to do is jump over them.

There are only two birds that come to mind that you actually need to kill to save life:

The bird towards the end of the level (brown background) where you have to perform the Z jump, and a bird at the last act of the last stage where an arsenal of jerks are throwing throwing stars at cha.

[Violent By Design]

Really haven't been playing much at all lately. I have a couple of titles in progress, but haven't put any time in to play. I've been focused on other things. *shrug*

1. Mortal Kombat II - 32X
2. Cosmic Carnage - 32X
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade - XBLA
4. X-men Arcade - XBLA
5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist - Genesis
6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time - SNES
7. Metroid: Other M - Wii
8. Donkey Kong Country Returns - Wii
9. Metroid Fusion - GBA
10.Star Trek - Xbox 360
11.Fable Anniversary - Xbox 360
12.Ranma 1/2: Chougi Ranbuhen - SFC

I did both of these some time ago, just now adding them to the list.

Played through Fable Anniversary twice. Still among my favorite games ever made. I'm a little irritated with this version though, in that both runs through I encountered glitches (freezing mostly) that prevented me from collecting all thirty silver keys, ending with 29 and 27 each time (Yes, I know where all the damn things are, its not me). Obnoxious, but the game is still brilliant and fun, and the makeover suits it well.

Ranma is a fighter I just love. I had two copies, one of which I gave to Joe and Dave at Game Sack. I beat it a couple of times to say goodbye before I sent it off.

I've only played Fable 3, and I've heard it is the worst one. What makes the other Fables better?

[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)
42. Shock Troopers (PlayStation 2 - SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1)
43. Shadow Blasters (Genesis)
44. Final Fantasy (Game Boy Advance - Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls)
45. Super Mario Advance (Game Boy Advance)
46. Sonic CD (PC)

Final Fantasy

Brilliant game. The more I play it the more I enjoy it.

I used the default party (warrior, thief, white mage, black mage) with the default names. My white mage was named Jenica. I love it.

There's a lot of hubbub over how easy this DoS Final Fantasy is compared to the original game and other subsequent ports. And it does indeed lack challenge. Level-grinding is barely a necessity (though money-grinding must be done to afford spells/equipment in each town) and most every dungeon can be completed in one go. The magic system has also been overhauled to use magic points instead of the much less forgiving "charge" system. My party was never once wiped out, and individual members were only taken down (very rarely) by instant death spells.

And you know what? I love how simple this port it. I've played the tough-as-nails NES original and the still-pretty-tough PSX Origins version. While journeying through this GBA rendition I didn't have to worry about running low on magic, or constantly healing, or the imminent threat of turning to stone, or whatever. I gave me ample opportunity to enjoy the scenery, the map designs, the dungeon layout, the beautiful music...

It's a meticulously well-constructed game. The simplistic and "generic" nature of every element works in the game's advantage here. The characters are D&D class tropes. The enemies are taken straight from medieval fantasy and numerous mythologies. The story is threadbare. It allows the player's imagination to take flight and create a grand scenario that simply can't be replicated by cutscene upon cutscene or with angsty protagonists running away from some scandalous past. Sometimes less is more - the developers of Final Fantasy XIII could learn a lot from this game.

Super Mario Advance

Picked up a cart-only copy at a record store just yesterday.

I wasn't entirely sure what it was - imagine my surprise to see it's a remake of Super Mario Bros. 2 (the American version).

So yeah, Nintendo added a bunch of stuff to the game - giant enemies, giant vegetables, a slightly different slot machine mini-game, "A" (for Advance?) coins to collect, a new boss, and voices... Dear lord, the voices. Nobody shuts up in this game. But I still dig it. I remember playing the NES original when I was eight and thinking, "Wow... if only Birdo could talk to me!"

I played as Princess Toadstool Peach throughout the entire thing. Obviously.

Sonic CD

Yup. Sonic CD on a PC.

And no, I don't have that fancy-pants digital version that came out a few years ago. This is the Windows 95 port, baby!

Hardest part of Sonic CD: getting it to run on this modern computer. I had to patch it and screw around with the options. And even then things were far from perfect. I had to play the entire game in Windowed Mode as Full Screen crashed the computer. Pausing the game caused it to freeze. The music ceased after playing one loop (per level) and sometimes it didn't play at all!

Anyhow. This is a great game. Feels just like one of the Genesis classics. It's probably the most technically and aesthetically impressive Sonic game I've ever played - though I'd hesitate to call it my favorite (that'd be Sonic 2).

I may just have to check out the Sega CD original someday. Though I generally don't enjoy buying multiple variations of the same game (unless the game rhymes with "geese").

[ExedExes]

1. Metal Gear - NES (February 27)
2. Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault (March 4)
3. Thunderbirds - NES (March 9)
4. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2 (March 22)
5. Army Men: Sarge's War (March 22)
6. *NEW* Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas (April 5)

Another day, another TC game complete.

I've read that not many were happy with the previous game in the series, Lockdown, because of a lack of squad commands and a more straightforward FPS style. As much as I enjoyed that game, the issues were more than addressed in this game. Tons of squad options, fast ropes and rappelling, the good ol' OPEN AND CLEAR is back too! Amazing graphics, more environmental damage possible than I've ever seen, and just an all around good time.

But why did it have to end on a cliffhanger? Looks like Vegas 2 is in my future.

[Luke]

1) Kung Fu NES
2) Altered Beast Genesis
3) Golden Axe Genesis
4) Golden Axe GBA
5) Golden Axe Dreamcast
6) Golden Axe PS2
7) Golden Axe Sega CD
Golden Axe 360
9) Ninja Gaiden xbox
10) Ninja Gaiden NES
11) Cool Spot Genesis
12) The Duel Genesis
13) Pit Fighter Genesis
14) Hard Drvin' Genesis
15) Death Duel Genesis
16) Sonic The Hedgehog Genesis
17) Mutant League Football Genesis
18) TMNT Hyperstone Heist Genesis
19) Streets of Rage Sega CD
20) Streets of Rage 2 Genesis
21) Golden Axe 2 Genesis
22) Sewer Shark Sega CD
23) Chiki Chiki Boys Genesis
24) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Genesis
25) Mega Man 2 NES
26) Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! NES
27) TMNT Fall of the Footclan Gameboy
28) TMNT Something Sewers Gameboy
29) Punch-Out!! Wii
30) Diddy Kong Racing N64
31) StarFox 64 N64
32) StarFox snes
33) Metal Gear nes
34) Mario Superstar Baseball Gamecube
35) Star Wars Rogue Leader Gamecube
36) Super Mario Land 2 Gameboy
37) Duck Tales Gameboy
38) Sleeping Dogs 360
39) Sonic Triple Trouble Game Gear
40) Batman NES
41) Actraiser snes
42) Bioshock Infinite 360
43) Street Fighter II snes
44) Maximum Carnage snes
45) Super Empire Strikes Back snes
46) Madden 94' snes
47) Super Star Wars snes
48) Super Return of the Jedi snes
49) Super R*Type snes
50) Super Mario World snes
51) Final Fight snes
52) DOOM snes
53) Aladdin snes
54) Earthworm Jim Genesis
55) Earthworm Jim 2 Saturn
56) Tekken Tag 2 and stuff 360 *new*


There are very few Tekken games that aren't stellar, and Tag 2 is on par with the great ones. So that means it's pretty great,

A seven out of the would be fair for some meaningless numerical rating. The ending movies though: 10 out of 10. I have told friends : "Buy the game and watch the charter endings. They're hilarious".

They are hilarious. Worth the price of the game.

[Frag Mortuus]

Tekken Tag Tournament 2

I'm glad to hear a good word about TTT2, I've been wanting to play this for a while.

[Sload Soap]

Shock Troopers(Wii)

Played through three times for TR. Still a great game

Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Ocarina of Time put me in the mood to revisit this classic. It still amazes me how well Nintendo was able to shrink down the Zelda formula onto the game boy. The game seems to transcend the limitations of the system. Like Super Mario Land 2, it just shows how much raw power could be squeezed out of the Game Boy in the right hands (no pun intended).

There are some compromises of course; you spend more time opening the menu to switch items and there are fewer heart pieces/side quests to do. It's also reasonably short, probably easily beatable in under 6 hours though I'd imagine that was a conscious decision on the developers part being a hand held title and all.

It retains the charm of a Zelda game though. On the surface it's quite light hearted but underneath is a game that is actually quite serious and somber. It's not at Majora's Mask level of darkness, but as I progressed I really started to question my actions and the consequences they would have. Tough break, Marin.

Link's Awakening does have some pretty funny moments however. If you play the ocarina before learning a song you get a little snippet of funny dialogue where Link speaks to himself, or when you collect Marin for a quest and Link holds her over his head as he would upon finding an item. And yes, I was a THIEF.

Overall I'd say that I still think this is the best handheld Zelda and second only to LTTP as best 2D Zelda. Probably not an opinion shared by many but still how I feel. It just does everything a great adventure game should do, has some spectacular music and graphics and has a surprisingly heart wrenching story.

Rayman Legends(360)

I've been hearing only good things about Origins and Legends and finally decided to actually jump on board. I am very glad I did as this is easily the best platformer I've played on the 360.

What had put me off a bit is that I'd heard this was a bit of a collect-a-thon type game, which is something I'm not always to keen on (unless it has Banjo and Kazooie in the title). Turns out though that it isn't really the case.

There are plenty of Teensies (kidnapped denizens of the games various worlds) to collect along the way (700!) and some of them are tucked away in hard to reach places, but because the game is 2D and levels are linear it eschews the worst element of the collec-a-thon: endless backtracking. More importantly, it's actually fun and worthwhile collecting Teensies, one because they unlock new levels but also because their placement opens up individual levels. And unlike the worst offenders in the genre (looking at you DK64), you only need less than half to actually see the finish.

The graphics need mentioning. They are stunning. Ubisoft's proprietary UbiArt engine lends the game this gorgeous hand drawn look and I can't wait to see it in Child of Light and Valiant Hearts.

What also impresses me about the game is how deftly it manages to blend some of the more recent trends in platforming, seen in games like Meat Boy and VVVVVV, with the traditional 2D gaming of the earlier Rayman games. The music based stages stand out as almost being Bit.Trip.Runner-like in their style. Very cool. And by getting rid of lives, the game can ramp up the challenge without feeling unfair. Also cool.

There isn't much I can say is too bad about the game. It has a steady difficulty, with some of the later levels being very testing without being frustrating, it has cavalcade of stuff to unlock including a lot of stages from Rayman Origins. It has daily challenges and what not.

I'd say that some of the bosses can veer towards being a bit trial and error, the unlockable "8-bit" stages were a good idea in somebody's head but not in practice. And though there are many, many unlockable characters, nearly all are just palette swaps. I also get the feeling this works better on the WiiU somehow. That's it though.

Going to move onto the Panzer Dragoon games next. Only have a demo of Saga, but it'll have to do.

[BoneSnapDeez]

There's a great Puyo article on HG101, BTW.

Oh I'm aware.

I think I've read - or at least skimmed - about 80% of the articles on HG101. I love that site.

Overall I'd say that I still think this is the best handheld Zelda and second only to LTTP as best 2D Zelda. Probably not an opinion shared by many but still how I feel.

Agreed 100%. Phenomenal game. LttP and Link's Awakening are miles ahead of every other Zelda game.

Incredible OST too.

I'll likely do a playthrough later this year.

[Stark]

Overall I'd say that I still think this is the best handheld Zelda and second only to LTTP as best 2D Zelda. Probably not an opinion shared by many but still how I feel.

I don't know I think a lot of people on here love Awakening, you're not alone.

[prfsnl_gmr]

1. Hotline Miami (PS3)
2. Boulder Dash XL 3D (3DS)
3. Mirror's Edge (PS3)
4. Orcs & Elves (DS)
5. 3D Dot Game Heroes (PS3)
6. Justice League Heroes: The Flash (GBA)
7. Metal Gear (MSX/PS2)
8. Wario Land: Shake It! (Wii)
9. LittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year Edition (PS3)
10. Drill Dozer (GBA)
11. LittleBigPlanet 2: Special Edition (PS3)
12. South Park: The Stick of Truth (PS3)
13. Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing (PS3)

A lot of other members have written about Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing; so, I will just say that it is an excellent kart racer that is absolutely stuffed with Sega fan service. (You can race through Curien Mansion as Alex Kidd and Opa Opa!!!) Moreover, the graphics are fantastic, and the game is every bit as enjoyable as the best games in the Mario Kart series. There are also tons of unlockables, and I still have a lot to do in this game. (I rolled the credits by completing all of the grand prix courses in beginner mode, and I still have to: (1) complete half the missions, (2) beat the grand prix races on advanced and expert difficulty, (3) unlock one more character, and (4) unlock all of the courses and music.)

I highly recommend this game to both Sega fans and any one looking for an incredible enjoyable kart racer.