Games Beaten 2015

[BogusMeatFactory]

Super Mario 64.

Extremely satisfying. Super mixed feelings about it. I love how original it was for the time; you can tell Miyamoto and the team put their heart and soul into the game. The music from Koji Kondo is atmospheric, Mario-esque, and catchy without being childish/annoying like the more recent New Super Mario Bros. games. Top-notch, classic stuff.

Here's where I'll complain about the game:

I dislike how you get booted out of the level for every star you get and can't continue where you left off like in Banjo-Kazooie. The MOST annoying times however were when I got knocked off the screen from getting hit from something coming up out of nowhere or from misjudging a jump because of the camera. Really infuriating.

The worst offenders are the Tiny-Huge Island and Shifting Sands courses which have tons of slippery slopes that enemies can knock you into to slide to your death. Having no control input from the controller to save myself and watching Mario go through a chain of events of getting thrown about all over the place is painful to watch. The thing is I feel like I could have avoided those deaths (though not all) if the camera allowed to better judge where I was going and what was coming from off-screen.

There are levels where this is to a minimum (like the more open-ended "contained" levels) and I found those to be great. Oddly enough, though, I thought the last two courses of the game (the clock level and the rainbow level) to be really fun even though they're like big, narrow obstacle courses with endless pit deaths all around. Maybe my complaint only applies to levels with slippery surfaces(?)

Some parts are just bullshit, like having to catch the wind to get to a platform where you have to be in this invisible 'magic spot' in the air to do so with no indicator (in Tiny-Huge Island)... and even if you're there if the game doesn't feel like it you fall to your death anyway. Never mind all the coins you just collected and enemies you killed thus far...

I had fun with Super Mario 64 though 80% of the time and thought the experience overall was fantastic (even if might not seem like it above, lol). Lots of charm and personality with super fluid control and fun, varied challenges throughout. Aged very well, minus the camera. I guess I'm not too good at complimenting a game more than nit-picking at it, because I really did think it was great.

I totally understand the feeling about being nit-picking on a game that you actually enjoyed. Bad aspects of a game stand out far more prevalent than good aspects and it takes a lot of time to think about what works versus what doesn't.

I absolutely agree about the slippery slope issues. A lot of times you can't judge what will make Mario slide and if he slides on his stomach, controller him is almost impossible.

As for the camera, for the time, was the closest game to get it right. It still is aged and I feel like the camera issues even now still troublesome for modern games. At the time, though, it probably had the best camera out of any 3D game. Now though? .... yeah.

The only thing I kind of disagree with you on is the, "Spitting you out at the end of each star," complaint. I know why they did it and I find it to be novel, different and fun. The worlds themselves warp and change based on the star and give you reasons to explore the same areas more and more. I always enjoyed seeing how things changed as I progressed.

With dying though and being spit out...yeah, they could have just put you back at the beginning of the level to speed things up a bit.

I myself am working on a perfect run of Mario 64 and am almost there with the clock and rainbow levels left to do. I have every star up to that point. So close!

Love the write up man, keep it up!

[Key-Glyph]

I did find the camera to be troublesome during certain bosses, especially the "spike" one you mentioned. I also wasn't crazy about the shard collectathon, so I simply ignored it.

Yeah, I thought afterwards that I should have added the disclaimer "If you just play the game to beat it, it's super fun." It's only the backtracking for shards and the frustrating requirements thereof that detract from the experience.

You could easily peruse the two extra cutscenes on YouTube, if you haven't already. I think I watched the last one something like ten times in a row. It just hit all the right notes.

Apparently I missed only one ability -- Ice Skating! But my favorites to use were the Explosive Ninja Stars (I thought it was quite the touch that they fly invisibly, only appearing after they've embedded in something) and the Double-Bladed Laser Sword (Kirby's mad staff skills looked so awesome). My favorite one in general, however, was the Curling Stone. I laughed so hard at that.

[Sarge]

Dream version; I picked up my cart back in college and the Dream version was the one the local retro store had. Considering all the mechanics and the fight itself are all the same I don't see the need to spend money on the Tyson version. And yeah, it was my first time beating it. The real hump I had to get over was stopping myself from anticipating, rather than reacting, due to the RNG on when he throws his punches.

Yeah. That's hard to do, because he busts out the uppercuts so fast that it baits you into anticipating versus reacting. I'm glad I've beaten it now, because who knows how long my reaction time will hold out? I know that I'm not nearly as good at the game as some people, and it's a badge of honor to beat the game.

You're right, the mechanics of the fight are the same, although I still see some people swear up and down that Mr. Dream is easier. I've fought both, and they're the same, from what I can tell.

[prfsnl_gmr]

You're right, the mechanics of the fight are the same, although I still see some people swear up and down that Mr. Dream is easier. I've fought both, and they're the same, from what I can tell.

I've fought both (but I've only beaten Mike Tyson). They're exactly the same. Those people are crazy.

[MrPopo]

The only thing I could see is maybe if you feel like the wink is easier to see on one vs. the other.

[prfsnl_gmr]

I actually think that Super Punch Out!! is harder than Mike Tyson's Punch Out!! I also think that the "title defense" mode in Punch Out!! (Wii) is harder than either of them...Am I crazy?

[MrPopo]

Well, as a piece of anecdotal evidence, when I played Punch-Out!! on the NES a couple nights ago after I beat Bald Bull 2 (first time I'd ever done so) I defeated Flamenco on the first attempt, Sandman on the second, and Macho Man on the first attempt. Most of the attacks on the NES can be dodged, and then you can easily counter, so the game ends up being more about your reflexes. When you write down what Mike Tyson does the only move he has that you really need to be aware of to handle is the straight jabs he does at the start of the second round and a few times in the third round, as they have no wind-up. If you know they're coming you can dodge/block.

The other Punch-Out games seem to require more knowledge of the right way to avoid attacks and counter attack, whereas the NES you can just dodge almost everything and then counter to the face.

[prfsnl_gmr]

The other Punch-Out games seem to require more knowledge of the right way to avoid attacks and counter attack, whereas the NES you can just dodge almost everything and then counter to the face.

I think that's it. In Super Punch Out!! and Punch Out!! (Wii), the opponents break out these crazy moves and don't follow much of a pre-set pattern. The first time Dragon Chan kicked me in the face in Super Punch Out!!, I had no idea what to do. The same applied the first time I took on Glass Joe in Title Defense Mode. (He is wearing headgear, and the fight is drastically harder than the final boss in the main game, i.e., Mr. Sandman).

Also, if you haven't played Super Punch Out!! or Punch Out!! (Wii), you should. They are great games.

[dogman91]

I myself am working on a perfect run of Mario 64 and am almost there with the clock and rainbow levels left to do. I have every star up to that point. So close!

Make sure to pay attention to what Toad says in the hub area about the clock level... it will definitely come in handy with getting certain stars in that course. Good luck.

[MrPopo]

Before my Wii died and I needed a new one my Punch-Out!! Wii was in the middle of title defense. I'd either beaten Hippo or was trying to beat him.