Games Beaten 2013

[Flake]

Way behind on getting my list together this year but...

January:
-Mass Effect (360)
-New Super Mario Bros U (WiiU)

February:
-Mass Effect 2 (360)

March:
-Kirby's Dream Land (Gameboy)
-Punch Out!! (Wii)

Thoughts: My video game playing time is way more limited this year and it shows. Not only am I playing fewer games, the ones I am playing are much safer bets. New Super Mario Bros U and Punch Out!! are fantastic games but they are so true to their roots that they are not exactly new experiences. Kirby Dreamland is a game that I beat several times a year just for fun.

That leaves Mass Effect 1 and 2. Great series. Mass Effect 1 was something of a mess from a gameplay perspective but the story and setting were compelling enough that I had to finish the game. Mass Effect 2 has got to be a contender for the title of best sequel ever. It is to Mass Effect what Zelda 3 was to the original. I actually beat Mass Effect 2 twice, back to back. I cannot remember the last time a game was good enough to compel to do that. Probably not since Megaman Legends.

[CFFJR]

I actually beat Mass Effect 2 twice, back to back. I cannot remember the last time a game was good enough to compel to do that.

I did the same thing when I played it. Finished the credits, immediately started a new game on Insanity.

It really is a fantastic game.

[NihonRobot]

1. Liberation Maiden (3DS) - 1/6
2. Dead Space (360) - 1/11
3. Anarchy Reigns (360) - 1/13
4. Dead Space 2 (360) - 1/17
5. Dead Space 2: Severed DLC (360) - 1/17
6. DmC Devil May Cry (360) - 1/22
7. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (PS3) - 2/5
8. CoD of Duty (Web) - 2/7
9. Dragon's Dogma (360) - 2/12
10. Medal of Honor: Warfighter (360) - 2/13
11. Dead Space 3 (360) - 2/18
12. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (360) - 3/5
13. Sonic the Fighters (XBLA) - 3/10
14. Tomb Raider (360) - 3/12
15. Ridiculous Fishing (iOS) - 3/17
16. Bioshock Infinite (Steam) - 4/7
17. Trials Evolution (XBLA) - 4/9
18. Bit.Trip Presents... Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien (XBLA) - 4/15
19. Injustice: Gods Among Us (360) - 4/16

[hashiriya1]

Latest completed game for 2013 is Spec Ops: The Line.

It was a 'free' PS Plus game, so I gave it a shot not expecting much. I assumed it was just another generic 3rd person military shooter, which I don't really mind. The story and voice acting were top notch. The game starts off as a cookie-cutter military shooter, but it takes a sharp turn and becomes very dark very quickly as it explores the depths of sanity and human nature. I was impressed. I finished it in 2 sittings because I couldn't wait to see how everything unfolded. It was totally inspired by Apocalypse Now, and that isn't bad thing.


Now back to Persona 4 Golden.

[Menegrothx]

I dunno, I think Bioshock Infinite is absolutely worth all the hype and more. It is one of the best games I've played this generation, and probably one of the best I've played ever. It is basically a 10/10 for me, a score that I would likely give out to less than one new game per year. It is clearly, to me, one of the top 3-4 games this generation.

If you think Bioshock Infinite is one of the best games you've ever played, you need to play System Shock, System Shock 2 and Bioshock. Bioshock Infinite is weakest out of the bunch, although arguably better than Bioshock 2.

Then again, it depends on which you value most. Gameplay, aesthethics or story. System Shocks had the gameplay (and Bioshock 1&2 had better gameplay than Infinite), Bioshocks the aesthethics and story. Well, the original Bioshock was storywise pretty much same with System Shock 2, but it turned the series into a more philosophical direction which gives the story more weight/depth even if it follows the same storytelling method and twists. The problem with Infinite is that there is a large "disconnection" between the gameplay and the story, so the great beginning and ending are spoiled by most of the actual game part of the game, while Bioshock 1 and System Shocks didn't have this problem.

[dsheinem]

I dunno, I think Bioshock Infinite is absolutely worth all the hype and more. It is one of the best games I've played this generation, and probably one of the best I've played ever. It is basically a 10/10 for me, a score that I would likely give out to less than one new game per year. It is clearly, to me, one of the top 3-4 games this generation.

If you think Bioshock Infinite is one of the best games you've ever played, you need to play System Shock, System Shock 2 and Bioshock. Bioshock Infinite is weakest out of the bunch, although arguably better than Bioshock 2.

Then again, it depends on which you value most. Gameplay, aesthethics or story. System Shocks had the gameplay (and Bioshock 1&2 had better gameplay than Infinite), Bioshocks the aesthethics and story. Well, the original Bioshock was storywise pretty much same with System Shock 2, but it turned the series into a more philosophical direction which gives the story more weight/depth even if it follows the same storytelling method and twists. The problem with Infinite is that there is a large "disconnection" between the gameplay and the story, so the great beginning and ending are spoiled by most of the actual game part of the game, while Bioshock 1 and System Shocks didn't have this problem.

I've played all the Shock games with the exception of the first System Shock, and like them all for different reasons. That said, I'd probably say:

1. Bioshock
2. Bioshock Infinite
3. Bioshock 2
4. System Shock 2

That's not to say that I don't like System Shock 2 - I in fact like it quite a bit (but haven't played it in a looooong time), but I find Rapture and Columbia much more interesting, the stories much more original, and the games more polished. I'd heartily recommend any of them, though.

I really should play the original System Shock at some point!

[Menegrothx]

That's not to say that I don't like System Shock 2 - I in fact like it quite a bit (but haven't played it in a looooong time), but I find Rapture and Columbia much more interesting, the stories much more original, and the games more polished. I'd heartily recommend any of them, though.

I would not say that the gameplay of Infinite is polished, it's average. All of the games suffer from gunplay that doesn't feel right, but it doesn't matter so much in the first two games because they are RPGs and more about survival, nor was it such a big problem in the first two Bioshock games because they still retained a part of the RPG roots (including less linear level design)+the ability to use guns and plasmids in clever ways. This does become a problem in Infinite since it has become a straight up shooter with linear level design.

I'm not sure if I'd say if any of the games have original stories. System Shock had crazy AI long before Portal, but Space Odyssey 2001 did the same thing already in 1968. Bioshock has pretty much the same story as System Shock 2, except it's dressed up in objectivism. That's why Bioshock worked so well: it had the same kind of story as System Shock where you're exploring levels and learning about the environment and it's history piece by piece on your own and in the end it all comes together, but with the exception that this time the game had amazing art design and a philosophical message at the end. The gameplay had been severely watered down, but the atleast it sayed somewhat true to it's roots and had the added bonus of plasmids. Infinite tells an intresting story (although I'm quite sure this story has been seen in a scifi book before this game), but it's problem is that the gameplay is disconnected from the actual storyline, dumbed down and very mediocre, and thus it doesn't deserve all the hype it gets. You can't throw bits and pieces of a thoughtful, deep storyline and then force the player to brutally slaughter hundreds of NPCs for no apparent reason except "well it's a video game and we need shooting and explosions between the scenes where we progress the story because that's what video games do" and call it a masterpiece.

Rapture and Columbia are both very unique settings for a game. The problem with Columbia is that due to the increased linearity it feels more fake. There are some very well done parts of it (mainly when you're not slaughtering people), I'll give you that. System Shock and Bioshock didn't really have this problem because (with few exceptions in Bioshock), every one you faced was a monster.

[god]

SOR 3 - Bad Ending on the App. Better than nothing. Now onto normal mode.

Land of Illusion - Master System

[dsheinem]

All of the games suffer from gunplay that doesn't feel right...nor was it such a big problem in the first two Bioshock games because they still retained a part of the RPG roots (including less linear level design)+the ability to use guns and plasmids in clever ways. This does become a problem in Infinite since it has become a straight up shooter with linear level design.

See I felt that most of the second half of Infinite had much less linear level design than most FPSs. For example, I spent lots of time moving around both Emporia and Finkton doing things in an order of interest to me and searching out "nooks and crannies" for additional items and what not. The plot did move me along and suggest doing A, then B, then C, etc. - but it gave you a lot of freedom (again, for the genre) about how long to take to get to these objectives with the possibility of doing sidequests and other exploring along the way. I didn't think it was less linear that the other Bioshock games, at all.

I'm not sure if I'd say if any of the games have original stories.

But, again, you keep comparing the stories in these games to stories found in literature, film, etc. They have original stories for the medium and for the genre, and that alone makes them "worth" the hype.

but it's problem is that the gameplay is disconnected from the actual storyline, dumbed down and very mediocre, and thus it doesn't deserve all the hype it gets. You can't throw bits and pieces of a thoughtful, deep storyline and then force the player to brutally slaughter hundreds of NPCs for no apparent reason except "well it's a video game and we need shooting and explosions between the scenes where we progress the story because that's what video games do" and call it a masterpiece.

So wait, the game is guilty of being a genre title? Of course you shoot people, it is an FPS. They are trying to shoot you. Many, many reasons that make perfect sense in the plot are given for this. If you want a point and click adventure title or Myst or some such, play those. I am not sure why you think the gameplay isn't polished. It isn't as deep as previous Bioshock games, but the AI is generally good, the weapons are reasonably balanced, the RPG elements (leveling, looting, money, etc.) are all well implemented, etc.

Rapture and Columbia are both very unique settings for a game. The problem with Columbia is that due to the increased linearity it feels more fake. There are some very well done parts of it (mainly when you're not slaughtering people), I'll give you that. System Shock and Bioshock didn't really have this problem because (with few exceptions in Bioshock), every one you faced was a monster.

I am not sure to do with this. It seems like you are stretching for reasons to dislike Infinite. The game is less linear than the vast majority of FPS titles and more or less on par with Bioshock 1 and 2 in that regard (I actually think that there are likely more sidequests in Infinite- http://www.ign.com/wikis/bioshock-infinite/Side_Quests suggests there are 5, for example). There are more friendly/neutral NPCs in a living, breathing world in Infinite - so that makes it unreasonable for you to kill all the enemies who are hunting you? These assertions are absurd.

[Luke]

19. Injustice: Gods Among Us (360) - 4/16

How was/is it? Certainly didn't you long to beat so I wonder if it has any replay value.