Games Beaten 2014

[GSZX1337]

One of my cousins (different from the guy I mentioned above) was a chic who could run through SMB3 like rain man... no lost lives, no flutes.

Rain Man? Don't you mean Jimmy?

[BogusMeatFactory]

Good memories with all 3 NES titles but I was addicted to.3. One of my cousins (different from the guy I mentioned above) was a chic who could run through SMB3 like rain man... no lost lives, no flutes.

That was my wife with the original Super Mario Bros.

When the Wii first came out and I got Super Mario Bros. on the virtual console, she took it into her hands and new every secret, every special block, every one-up....everything, completing the game without dying.

She had never played the game before, but when she was a kid, she watched her mom play it religiously and meticulously discovering everything you could about the game. I guess it just stuck.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Assassin's Creed IV WiiU
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon PC
Splinter Cell: Blacklist WiiU
The Wolf Among Us: Episode 1 PC
The Wolf Among Us: Episode 2 PC
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut WiiU
Jazzpunk PC
Pikmin 3 WiiU

This game marks the first time I have ever spent a significant time with a Pikmin game and I have to say I was very impressed by the game. I wasn't particularly gripped by the mechanics at first but once they give you the freedom to just run around with more than two types of Pikmin the game comes alive. Beyond that, it's gorgeous. I don't think I have ever seen the whole miniaturized aesthetic done so well in a game before. Lighting and depth of field are absolutely incredible in this game. While it wasn't a short game, I still felt the 14 hours it took me was on the short side. Although I certainly didn't go around collecting all the fruit. Beyond that, the game is a bit easy as well. I don't necessarily mind that though; the game seems crafted to be a more laid back experience. If you want to go for time efficiency you can do that since you are given the ability to control a total of 3 commanders. Unfortunately, due to the fact that there is no mouse or traditional RTS controls, this isn't all that easy and I mostly just rolled around as a single unit. That said, I do actually think the game would suffer from normal RTS control systems. I liked throwing my little cute 'Min around manually and the zoomed in perspective certainly lends to the scale of everything.

So colour me impressed. I think this might be my second favorite game I have played on the Wii U so far. It would be pretty hard to top Mario 3D World after all. I'm just worried 1 and 2 will leave something to be desired after this. I was planning on picking up the Wii versions of those.

[alienjesus]

Assassin's Creed IV WiiU
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon PC
Splinter Cell: Blacklist WiiU
The Wolf Among Us: Episode 1 PC
The Wolf Among Us: Episode 2 PC
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut WiiU
Jazzpunk PC
Pikmin 3 WiiU

This game marks the first time I have ever spent a significant time with a Pikmin game and I have to say I was very impressed by the game. I wasn't particularly gripped by the mechanics at first but once they give you the freedom to just run around with more than two types of Pikmin the game comes alive. Beyond that, it's gorgeous. I don't think I have ever seen the whole miniaturized aesthetic done so well in a game before. Lighting and depth of field are absolutely incredible in this game. While it wasn't a short game, I still felt the 14 hours it took me was on the short side. Although I certainly didn't go around collecting all the fruit. Beyond that, the game is a bit easy as well. I don't necessarily mind that though; the game seems crafted to be a more laid back experience. If you want to go for time efficiency you can do that since you are given the ability to control a total of 3 commanders. Unfortunately, due to the fact that there is no mouse or traditional RTS controls, this isn't all that easy and I mostly just rolled around as a single unit. That said, I do actually think the game would suffer from normal RTS control systems. I liked throwing my little cute 'Min around manually and the zoomed in perspective certainly lends to the scale of everything.

So colour me impressed. I think this might be my second favorite game I have played on the Wii U so far. It would be pretty hard to top Mario 3D World after all. I'm just worried 1 and 2 will leave something to be desired after this. I was planning on picking up the Wii versions of those.

I think the first pikmin is on par with the third, despite elss pikmin option and only one captain to control. I'm less fond of the second though.

[Xeogred]

So colour me impressed. I think this might be my second favorite game I have played on the Wii U so far. It would be pretty hard to top Mario 3D World after all. I'm just worried 1 and 2 will leave something to be desired after this. I was planning on picking up the Wii versions of those.

Did you get ZombiU? Maybe it got bad reviews or something but I looked more into it and it looks pretty cool. I'll probably check it out soon and then get Wonderful 101 as well.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

So colour me impressed. I think this might be my second favorite game I have played on the Wii U so far. It would be pretty hard to top Mario 3D World after all. I'm just worried 1 and 2 will leave something to be desired after this. I was planning on picking up the Wii versions of those.

Did you get ZombiU? Maybe it got bad reviews or something but I looked more into it and it looks pretty cool. I'll probably check it out soon and then get Wonderful 101 as well.

I have ZombiU (it was my first Wii U title) but I can never force myself to finish it. The concept is neat but the game is ultra repetitive and ugly. I can totally see the appeal and it's definitely fun to showcase to friends. You should try the demo, and decide if you can handle 12ish hours of it.

To be honest, had I been more careful when I tried playing through and not lost all my guns and huge ammo stockpiles I probably wouldn't have so much trouble going back to it. Having nothing but the cricket bat to get you through the last half of the game is brutal and obnoxious. Definitely look at it if you want a true old-style survival-horror experience with some rogue-like elements. It's pretty cheap these days.

Might have to try going back to it now after I finish The Wonderful 101. . .

[noiseredux]

1. King of Fighters R-2 (NGPC)
2. Dead or Alive 2 (Limited Edition) (DC)
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time (PS2)
4. Metal Gear (PS2)
5. Capcom Vs. SNK 2 (DC)

1CC

I love the CvS games, but I've talked about that a lot. Even in this thread.

[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) Metal Gear NES *new*
27) Ninja Gaiden II NES *new*
28) Ninja Gaiden III NES *new*

I know I'm forgetting a few games, but oh well.

The first Ninja Gaiden remains my favorite of the series. They're all great, but the original formula didn't need any tinkering with. II tries to do to much which ends up making the game feel a bit cluttered, and III seems too pretty and polished.

[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)
15. Brain Lord (SNES)(RPG)

Brain Lord is another of the short action RPGs available on the SNES. At five dungeons long(and with only four bosses), the game can be beaten in under 10 hours, though the puzzles may prove a challenge which pushes that envelope. Still, don't expect to spend terribly long on this. Just be sure to abuse the in game map or use one that someone else has created.

Brain Lord is an RPG where stats are only boosted through gaining new equipment or acquiring stat-boosting items. Tiny fairies the player obtains called Jades do acquire experience orbs over time and gain levels, but these seem to appear randomly, and leveling the jades isn't necessary to beat the game. Grinding is generally pointless unless the player needs cash, as experience and item drops are extremely rare, and you'll get plenty as you play. And once you acquire the Life Jade, which lets you heal...well, after that I tended to only use healing items in boss fights.

Combat in Brain Lord is fairly simple. You equip a particular type of weapon, and that changes how you attack. Axes, flails, boomerangs, swords, and bows all have different attack types, and there are multiple of each kind in the game. Some are generally more useful than others, and the most powerful weapon type, the axe, has the smallest attack range. I tended to gravitate to the boomerangs and swords, though the flail proved useful in the final boss battle. There's also a large variety of magic, most of which must be purchased. Certain spells I got great use out of, and in a couple of instances there are spells which are required, but for the most part the magic use comes down to personal choice. I like that the choice of Jade, weapon, and magic is almost entirely up to the player, allowing them to adopt a playstyle they prefer.

But then there are the puzzles, which vary in difficulty but provide a solid part of the challenge. Going into the game, I'd heard that Brain Lord was quite difficult, and that difficulty lies here. Puzzles tend to involve pushing objects to block switches but also may feature running around disappearing floors, leaping across moving platforms, wandering in the darkness, and even moving around a looping dungeon to access doorways that were previously locked. While each of these puzzles must be completed at least once, they are always active, so backtracking will sometimes require doing them a second time. Thankfully, the game offers items which allow you to teleport between accessed savepoints. Always use the savepoint, and always make sure you have at least two of these items so you can head back to the nearest town to sell items, stock up on supplies, and heal up as needed.

Brain Lord is an attractive game, and it offers some enjoyable music that helps set the mood, ranging from upbeat tracks for killing dungeon monsters to melancholic tunes as some of the game's bigger secrets and sadder moments are revealed. The story is told in bits and pieces and feels a bit disjointed, and I struggled to care about most of the NPCs you will encounter, but I had fun and that is what matters. I'd recommend it to folks looking for a quick aRPG fix on their SNES who don't want to go up against longer games like Secret of Mana or Illusion of Gaia but aren't interested in the other short aRPG fare like Lagoon or Ys III.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Produce was a totally sweet developer. You should check out Mystic Ark someday.