Games Beaten 2015

[ExedExes]

Oh man, GORE. I played that for all of one night, only because I got lost on the second level, and it really felt like a B-grade title.

[Flake]

1/3: Super Mario Bros 2: Lost Levels (Luigi Run) (3DS VC/NES)
1/4: Super Mario Bros. (Wii / All-Stars)
1/15: Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)
1/20: Super Mario Kart 8 (WiiU)
1/28: Super Mario 3D World (WiiU)
2/15: Luigi's Mansion 2: Dark Moon (3DS)
2/15: Super Mario Land (3DS VC/GB)
2/16: Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (3DS VC/GB)
3/3: Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land (3DS VC/GB)
3/13: Dragon Ball Xenoverse (PS4)
3/23: Metroid Prime (Wii)
4/18: Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Wii)
5/3: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)
5/10: Donkey Kong Country (WiiU VC/SNES)
5/16: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Hyper Stone Heist (GEN)
5/23: Mario Party 10 (WiiU)

I really really cannot recommend Mario Party 10 enough to any house hold where there are at least two people that have a passing interest in gaming. First and foremost, what I recall from the last Mario Party game I ever played (admittedly it was Mario Party 2 back in the late 90s) the sheer time suck factor is gone. Most maps can be wrapped up within 20 minutes or so, 30 tops. Also, there is always something happening in this game and even though it doesn't feel like the clear front runner gets cheated as often as they used to, no one is ever counted out till the end. As long as all parties have a great sense of humor, this game is pretty much guaranteed to create happy shouting.

The graphics are pretty damn good. The assets look mostly lifted from Captain Toad and Super Mario 3D World which is a pretty good place to steal artwork if that's what you're aiming to do.

The real winning factor for me has to be the two new modes. There is Bowser Mode where players get to take turns being Bowser. The game is insanely unfair for the non-Bowser players but if they are clever and lucky, the momentum shifts in their direction and their wins feel epic. Amiibo integration is also really good with numerous Smash Bros and Mario Party series amiibos unlocking character specific mini-maps that are worth playing all on their own. You can actually build better game pieces by playing with the same Amiibo repeatedly and collecting the tokens and bases that pump up their performance.

This is the type of game that keeps my WiiU on daily.

[Exhuminator]

1. Devil's Attorney (Android | 2012 | strategy) (7/10)
2. Resident Evil 5 (360 | 2009 | action adventure) (8/10)
3. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (360 | 2010 | kart racer) (8/10)
4. Dragon Quest VIII (PS2 | 2005 | JRPG) (9/10)
5. Gears of War (360 | 2006 | cover shooter) (6/10)
6. Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Vita | 2012 | action adventure) (7/10)
7. Orcs & Elves (DS | 2007 | dungeon crawler) (7/10)
8. From The Abyss (DS | 2008 | action-RPG) (5/10)
9. Army of Two (360 | 2008 | cover shooter) (7/10)
10. Psychic World (Master System | 1991 | platformer) (4/10)
11. Endless Ocean: Blue World (Wii | 2010 | adventure / simulation) (9/10)
12. Journey to Silius (NES | 1990 | platformer) (6/10)
13. Sword Master (NES | 1992 | platformer) (3/10)
14. Project: Snowblind (PC | 2005 | FPS) (7/10)
15. Yakyuuken Part II - Gal's Dungeon (Famicom | 1989 | maze / puzzle) (5/10)
16. Bishoujo Sexy Derby (Famicom | 1988 | horse racing) (2/10)
17. SiN Episodes: Emergence (PC | 2006 | FPS) (5/10)
18. Seirei Gari (AKA Ghost Hunter) (NES | 1989 | puzzle / adventure) (4/10)
19. The Guardian Legend (NES | 1989 | action-RPG / shmup) (9/10)
20. Prey (PC | 2006 | FPS) (7/10)
21. Ys IV: Mask of the Sun (SFC | 1993 | action-RPG) (4/10)
22. Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader (GameCube | 2001 | combat flight sim) (3/10)
23. Ys V: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand (SFC | 1995 | action-RPG) (7/10)
24. Bonk's Adventure (TurboGrafx-16 | 1990 | platformer) (6/10)
25. Lost Kingdoms (GameCube | 2002 | CCG-action-RPG) (8/10)
26. Bonk's Revenge (TurboGrafx-16 | 1991 | platformer) (6/10)
27. Blazing Lazers (TurboGrafx-16 | 1989 | shmup) (7/10)
28. Heatseeker (PS2 | 2007 | arcade flight combat) (7/10)
29. Castlevania: The Adventure (Game Boy | 1989 | platformer) (3/10)
30. Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge (Game Boy | 1991 | platformer) (7/10)
31. Castlevania Legends (Game Boy | 1998 | platformer) (5/10)
32. Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (Game Boy | 1994 | platformer) 7/10
33. Bonk's Adventure (Game Boy | 1992 | platformer) 7/10
34. Brandish: The Dark Revenant [Ares mode] (PSP | 2009 | dungeon crawler) 9/10
35. Castlevania Special: I'm Kid Dracula (Famicom | 1990 | platformer) 7/10
34. Brandish: The Dark Revenant [Dela mode] (PSP | 2009 | dungeon crawler) 8/10
35. SoulCalibur V (360 | 2012 | fighter) 7/10

Good: Nice graphics, robust character creator, lots of stages and characters.

Bad: Too many characters and stages locked behind ridiculous time wasting requirements. Story mode is simpler than past games. Arcade mode is more shallow than past games.

Overall: A solid fighting game that does nothing to innovate upon its predecessors and manages to dumb down their past glories while doing so.

[PinkPanzer]

I just beat Disgaea 4 for the vita (also being the first in the series I've played and also the first ever SRPG I've beaten!). Very solid game overall and I would certainly consider playing others in the series).

After a long day out I hooked up the PS2 and started playing Legend of Legaia

[Markies]

I just beat Disgaea 4 for the vita (also being the first in the series I've played and also the first ever SRPG I've beaten!). Very solid game overall and I would certainly consider playing others in the series).

After a long day out I hooked up the PS2 and started playing Legend of Legaia

Disgaea is a very interesting series. If you can get into the SRPG genre, it is a deep and dark rabbit hole. Disgaea 1 and 2 are fantastic games and I loved every second of them. Disgaea 1 had better characters and story while Disgaea 2 had a better battle mechanic.

I am currently playing Legend of Legaia and I am enjoying it tremendously. It's not the greatest game in the world, but for a very early PS1 game, it's pretty fantastic. Reminds me much of Wild Arms without all of its craziness.

[dsheinem]

Games Beaten 2015

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call - 3DS
A Bird Story - PC
Quake - PC
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare - PS4
Quake: Scourge of Armagon - PC
Quake: Dissolution of Eternity - PC
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis - NDS
Painkiller - PC
Gungrave: Overdose - PS2
Adventure -Atari 2600 (PS2)
Auto Racing - Intellivision (PS2) [1979]
Boxing - Atari 2600 (PS2) [1980]
The Count - TI99/4A (emulated) [1981]
Dragonstomper - Atari 2600/Starpath Supercharger (emulated) [1982]
Enduro - Atari 2600 (PS2) [1983]
Diablo III - PS4
Front Line - Atari 2600 (emulated) [1984]
Gertie Goose - The Lost Eggs - C64 (emulated) [1985]
Ocean Commander - Wii
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance - PS2
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls - PS4
Mortal Kombat: Deception - PS2
The Order: 1886 - PS4
The Uncle Who Works for Nintendo - PC
Grab Them By The Eyes - PC
Growl - PS2/Arcade
Hydlide - NES [1986]
Ikari Warriors - NES [1987]
Jonah Barrington's Squash - C64 (emulated) [1988]
Steel Diver - 3DS
Super Mario 3D World - - Wii U
Quake II - PC
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number - PS4
Kung Fu Louie vs. The Martial Art Posse - PC [1989]
Loom - PC [1990]
Metroid II: Return of Samus - GB [1991]
Ninja Commando - - Arcade (MAME) [1992]
Tennis in the Face - Vita
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD - PS4
Quake II: The Reckoning - PC
Injustice: Gods Among Us - PS4
Assassin's Creed: Freedom Cry - PS4
Infamous: First Light - PS4
Race the Sun - PS4
Mad Riders - PS3
Destiny: House of Wolves - PS4 *new*
Escape Goat 2 - PS4 *new*

Total: 47

Previously: 2014 | The First 400 Games


I never did the raid in the first Destiny expansion so I never counted that one on this list, but I finished all the available content for House of Wolves, so up it goes. I like Destiny, and I like that it keeps me coming back to it every few weeks/months.

Escape Goat 2 is nowhere near as good as the first. Compared to the first it is far too easy, the graphical charm has been largely replaced with a less pixely style, and even the structure of the map and stuff feels less substantive. I suppose there may be more goodies hidden in the end game content/secret rooms, but the first one kicked your ass and made an impression through the main game. This one, by comparison, was a cake walk.

[noiseredux]

1. Beavis And Butt-Head In Virtual Stupidity (PC)
2. Renegade Ops (PC)
3. Arena Of Octos (Apple II)
4. Beauty And The Beast (Intellivision)
5. Chivalry (Apple II)
6. Donald Duck's Playground (C64)
7. Left 4 Dead (PC)
8. Left 4 Dead 2 (PC)
9. Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered (PC)
10. Forward To The Sky (PC)
11. Elevator Action (MSX)
12. Quake (PC)
13: Talisman: Digital Edition (PC)
14: Dead Or Alive 5 Last Round (PC)
15. Dragon Age Origins (PC)
16. Hearthstone (Android)
17. Toren (PC)
18. The Great Giana Sisters (Amiga)

First game from my Summer Challenge list is done. Overall, a fun platformer - but totally brutal difficulty. Way harder than SMB. Especially considering the reliance on some pixel-perfect jumps which are really tough to pull off when you jump by pressing Up. I have no desire to revisit this one, but I'm glad I finally got through it.

[emwearz]

I never did the raid in the first Destiny expansion so I never counted that one on this list, but I finished all the available content for House of Wolves, so up it goes. I like Destiny, and I like that it keeps me coming back to it every few weeks/months.

If you want to do some Prison of Elders let me know! Also if you want to run Crota, etc. With the new DLC we can get you leveled up pretty fast.

[Markies]

I beat Samurai Shodown for the Sega Genesis this evening!

I got into this game because of the great Capcom Vs. SNK games I played on the Playstation 1. I had heard of the game when I was younger, but didn't know much about it. To be honest, I was on the fence with the game for a long while. It was interesting, but it was beginning to reek of stiff SNK/Takara controls and cheap fighters that they are known for. However, after putting some time into it, I actually beat it this evening.

I wouldn't say its the best fighting game or even a great one as the controls are very clunky. Also, the damage is rather random for your character as I would sometimes have to hit somebody 20 times while they could hit me like 4 times to kill me. The characters are really interesting and I think the weapon based system, but it is not a smooth port in the slightest. Not a bad game at all, but could be much better.

[BogusMeatFactory]

I beat Samurai Shodown for the Sega Genesis this evening!

I got into this game because of the great Capcom Vs. SNK games I played on the Playstation 1. I had heard of the game when I was younger, but didn't know much about it. To be honest, I was on the fence with the game for a long while. It was interesting, but it was beginning to reek of stiff SNK/Takara controls and cheap fighters that they are known for. However, after putting some time into it, I actually beat it this evening.

I wouldn't say its the best fighting game or even a great one as the controls are very clunky. Also, the damage is rather random for your character as I would sometimes have to hit somebody 20 times while they could hit me like 4 times to kill me. The characters are really interesting and I think the weapon based system, but it is not a smooth port in the slightest. Not a bad game at all, but could be much better.

Samurai Shodown is definitely one of the games that needs to be played as an arcade title or on the Neo Geo, or later on in the Samurai Shodown Anthology for PS2 and Wii. There are intricacies to the series and a pacing that is more slow and methodical, relying on normals attacks instead of huge combos. With the Sega Genesis version, you are missing out on the character Earthquake and the game itself is in comparison to the original. They do a great job with the sprites, but it is just not the same.

As to why you can hit someone a million times and not do much damage versus their 4 hits, is because of the rage meter. When the rage meter is built up, a strong hit can take down a large portion of your health. As Earthquake, if your rage meter is full, you can kill an enemy with full health in 4 hits. I suggest playing Samurai Shodown 2 to get the full effect of the series. It keeps the spirit of the series alive without moving towards a more special move focused gameplay and playing a weird positional based game that the later games like 5 does.

I look at Samurai Shodown as being my all-time favorite 2D fighting game series with Virtua Fighter being my favorite 3D fighting game series and there is a lot going on behind the scenes for both that a lot of people don't really try to see. I am glad you beat the first, but really give the second a try.