Games Beaten 2012

[Ack]

1. Mortal Kombat (PS3)
2. The Ball (PC)
3. Tyrian 2000 (PC)
4. Shogo - Mobile Armor Division (PC)
5. Disney's Goof Troop (SNES)
6. Left 4 Dead 2 (PC)
7. Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest (SNES)
8. Abobo's Big Adventure (PC)
9. Shanghai II: Dragon's Eye (SNES)
10. Castlevania 64 (N64)

It took me a while, but I have finally beaten Castlevania 64. I've wanted to beat this game for years, but the lack of a memory card kept me from doing it, and seeking one out had been a low priority. Well, I found one in my collection while unpacking last month, so I decided I would finally give this a proper playthrough. I am glad I did, as the game is not nearly as bad as the criticisms I've heard have led me to believe over the years. It certainly was not perfect, and there are some issues that I consider severe, but the game was fun.

First off, I beat the game getting Reinhardt's bad ending on normal difficulty. I did manage to get his alternate costume. To get the bad ending, you apparently have to use 4 sun/moon cards. I thought I had only used 3, but I guess not. Doing so causes a special boss to appear right before Dracula, but causes Dracula not to reveal his second form, thus leading to a lesser ending where evil is hinted at in the place of a young boy. There is also an alternate boss fight against the demon shop owner, but I checked my purchases and made sure I did not spend too much, as I did not want an abysmal boss rush before my first attempt to beat this game.

What I liked about Castlevania 64: The music is lovely. Really, it is. I even enjoyed the Game Over screen, as I could listen to that short violin solo forever. Graphically, the game is not bad looking for its time period. Some of the character models I would compare to Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in terms of how much they appealed to me. Dracula stood out, and I love how Death looked. The game spaces out its save points and items very well, so obviously the game developers knew what they were doing. And even the impossible points are passable if you are patient and think about what you are doing. I became frustrated at several points, but after putting the game away for a couple of days, I managed to come back and beat each one without a problem. Approach the game calmly, and it's not that tough...for the most part.

The big problems of the game are unfortunately a major concern many had with new 3D games: the camera has problems, and control is not always up to snuff. While the camera was generally pretty good about following or going where I needed it, it had definite issues with tight spaces, and flipping between views when in a tight spot could be a pain because the controls did not always want to react accordingly. I died multiple times against Dracula because of the camera before finally getting it to click into the mode I wanted and kicking his butt. But the control really suffers with the ledge-grabbing mechanics, where at times the game just seemed to give up and not bother noticing that I was holding the correct buttons while moving against the ledge. Instead, it seemed to take a sadistic pleasure in my plummeting to my doom over and over and over again. I did have some issues with targeting, but this was really only an issue when camera issues compounded it.

I want to make a point here though to reiterate my earlier statement that these were common issues, not just with Castlevania 64 but with 3D gaming in general. So I don't think the game should be judged too harshly for Konami's youthful steps along the Z-axis. The video game industry has since managed to handle things much better in the 3D realm, but they had to start somewhere.

Bottom line: I like this game. It has tough points, and things could be tighter, but overall it was an enjoyable game undeserving of the criticism it receives just because the 2D metroidvania style happened to go a lot smoother. N64 owners with an open mind who can see past its faults should look it up.

[Opa Opa]

Congratulations Ack!

I remember Dracula's second form... That thing was a pain.

edit: I also remember those sun/moon cards... I don't remember using more than one of each though...

[Ack]

Thanks Opa. The next time you play through the game, use a bunch and see what happens. The extra boss isn't very hard, but it is quite sudden. I wasn't expecting it at all.

[AppleQueso]

You gonna check out Legacy of Darkness?

[Valkyrie-Favor]

Hmm. I've been busy this year, but I guess I've been losing sleep too. Blowing through games really fast. I'm usually not this good!
Clannad
Narcissu
Street Fighter IV
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift
Mario Tennis
F-Zero X
Jeanne D'Arc
Gradius III
Ace Combat 2
Ace Combat 5
Low G Man
Ridge Racer PSP
Gradius III
Final Fantasy IV
Lunar: Silver Star Harmony
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2

[Ack]

You gonna check out Legacy of Darkness?

I might someday, though I don't own a copy. Once I turn my attention away from my SNES collection, perhaps, or if I get lucky and find it in the wild somewhere.

[Damm64]

You gonna check out Legacy of Darkness?

I might someday, though I don't own a copy. Once I turn my attention away from my SNES collection, perhaps, or if I get lucky and find it in the wild somewhere.

Totally recommended, played on the last halloween, it's has a WAY better camera and has 2 extra character's. I don't know if the history of Reinhard varies in Legacy.

[dsheinem]

Golden Axe Warrior - SMS
Current - iOS
Golden Axe: The Duel - Saturn
Golden Axe - Genesis
Capcom Fighting Evolution - PS2
Metal Slug XX - PSP
Ketsui: Death Label - NDS
DoDonPachi: Blissful Death - iOS
Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad - Arcade (MAME)
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary -360
The Simpsons Arcade Game - PS3
Soul Edge - PS1
HamsterBall - PS3
BlazBlu: Continuum Shift Extend - Vita
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3- Vita
Uncharted: Golden Abyss - Vita
Ys 1 - PSP
Journey - PS3
X-Men vs. Street Fighter - Arcade (MAME)
Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter - Arcade (MAME)
Street Fighter X Tekken - PS3
Mass Effect 3 - 360
Mass Effect 3: From Ashes - 360
Mystic Warriors - Wrath of the Ninja - Arcade (MAME)
Dragon Blaze - Arcade (MAME)
Shadows of the Damned - 360
Arabian Nights (from Pinball Arcade) - Vita
Driver: San Francisco 360
Skull Girls - PS3 *new*
Wolfenstien 3D - iOS *new*
Skull and Crossbones - Arcade (MAME) *new*
Diablo III - PC *new*

TOTAL: 32
2011 Games Beaten
2010 Games Beaten

So, since I last updated this I have beaten a fun fighter that everyone who likes the genre should check out, a classic game on a platform I couldn't imagine it working well on (but it did!), a swashbuckling beat-em-up on my MAME cabinet, and - for the first time in my life - a Diablo game. Diablo 3 is/was awesome, I sunk exactly 24 hours and zero minutes into the game to complete my playthrough (according to the game time counter) and finished with a Wizard at level 31 with about 10K kills. A blast.

[Luke]

Beat the marvel super hero squad infinity gauntlet game yesterday. Played it on challenging, which wasn't much of a challenge. Great kids game, but now I'm moving along to Ultimate Alliance 2.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Donkey Kong Country Returns.

What a let down. I can't believe how terrible the controls are. This certainly doesn't feel like a first-party Nintendo production. I have no desire to ever play this again.

Games 2012:
Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen (DS)
Star Ocean: Second Evolution (PSP)
Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (DS)
Ys Book I & II (TCD)
Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (SNES)
Ys: The Ark of Napishtim (PS2)
Donkey Kong Country (SNES)
Lunar Legend (GBA)
Breath of Fire (GBA)
Ys Seven (PSP)
Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)