Games Beaten 2015

[MrPopo]

I'm shooting for a positive trend in my Backloggery this year.

If I make it then come December 31st it will be time to do the dance of joy.

[Ack]

I'm shooting for a positive trend in my Backloggery this year.

If I make it then come December 31st it will be time to do the dance of joy.

You're gonna break out DDR again?!

[dsheinem]

If I make it then come December 31st it will be time to do the dance of joy.

You're gonna break out DDR again?!

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LINK?

viewtopic.php?p=226083#p226083

NEW MEMBERS DESERVE TO KNOW THIS PART OF RB LORE

[BoneSnapDeez]

I'm shooting for 120-ish games beaten this year again (10 per month).

about 25% Ys games?

Hey man I've only beaten 2 so far this year. So it's <10%!

[nullPointer]

The list so far ...

1. BioShock 2 [PC/Steam]
2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past [SNES/bsnes v084]
3. Richard and Alice [PC/Steam]
4. Rygar [NES/Nestopia v1.40]
5. Mega Man [NES/Nestopia v1.40]
6. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood [PC/Steam]

7. River City Ransom EX (GBA/VBA-M v1229)

River City Ransom EX

I beat this game as part of (my first!) Together Retro. River City Ransom is an interesting game in that it was never astoundingly popular on the NES at the time of its release. It was later that the retro gaming scene contributed enormously to the popularity this game has today. And with good reason. IMO this game is the best beat 'em up on the NES. Some of the innovations seen here have seldom, if ever, been seen again in the genre. Chief among the unique features present in RCR is a surprisingly deep RPG style system of stats. You are given standard stats of Strength, Agility, Defense and so forth, as well as specialized stats which allow you to focus on specific aspects of your fighting style such as Punch and Kick. You can't have a stats based game without a stat building system, and once again RCR proves itself to be quirky and unique in this regard. Rather than gaining experience for defeating enemies, they will only ever leave money. With that money in hand you can shop one of the many specialty stores in the game to purchase veritable multitude of items, all of which affect your stats in various ways. It really is amazing the amount of purchasable items present in the game. Furthermore each shop has a unique theme appropriate to the items it sells. You'll find coffee shops, burger joints, book stores, sushi bars, toy stores, bakeries, saunas, music stores and more. There's a lot of enjoyment to be had in simply exploring the various shops to see what items are for sale.

The fighting in RCR is a fairly straight forward Double Dragon sort of affair, which gets increasingly more enjoyable as you progress through the game gradually improving your stats and move sets. The enemies in game are all part of various gangs. Each enemy fighter is individually named according to the theme of their gang, and will continually chat your ear off while you're laying into them with a solid beating. If you're able to pay attention to this banter, it's worthwhile to do so, as it's often fairly humorous stuff. The running motif various themed gangs has always reminded me of that landmark street fighting movie The Warriors.

This was the first time I had played the updated EX version of the game, and I would definitely qualify this as the definitive version of the game. The updated 16 bit graphics look fantastic. The colors are a bit washed out in comparison to the bold colors on the NES, but the gradient dithering gives the sprites a lot more depth and appearance of detail. Even better still this version offers many features not present in the original version of the game. First and foremost, you can play with computer controlled allies that make a big difference in terms of evening the odds. By default you'll be paired up with Ryan, but as you progress through the game you're also occasionally given the option of recruiting other gang members to your cause. Despite the fact that this game isn't terribly difficult to begin with, the extra members in your posse really do add an element of fun to the game, allowing you to completely dominate the streets. Unfortunately all the fun to be had with computer controlled allies leaves one pining for the cooperative multiplayer available on the NES. 4 player co-op on this game would be an absolute blast, despite being complete overkill (unless you left all friendly fire options on) . The EX version also includes additional weapons, fighting moves not seen in the original release, and a surprisingly deep set of menu options allowing you to tweak several options in game, including damage taken from allies, in game gravity and a whole host of others.

So are there any downsides? Well I made mention of the many menu options available to you in the EX version for the purpose of tweaking in-game settings. Somewhat puzzlingly, the game presents you with these options prior to even starting the game. It's a bit overwhelming actually, and would have been better suited to a New Game+ mode or something along those lines, IMO. The one other issue I had was a subtle thing that I didn't notice until I was about halfway through the game (so obviously not a huge problem by any means). On some boards you'll find that you cannot see the entire fighting area onscreen from north to south. This is probably due to the limited onscreen real estate of the GBA, but it's a bit strange when some boards introduce a bit of vertical scrolling. Like I say, it's not a huge issue, but once you notice it, it's hard to un-notice it.

At any rate this game is a street fighting legend, and is highly worth your time if you're into beat 'em ups and have somehow not tried it out yet. Further if you've played the NES version but haven't yet tried the GBA release, it's definitely a worthwhile endeavor to do so.

9/10 - Would BARF! again

[BoneSnapDeez]

1. Grandia (PlayStation)
2. Jungle Hunt (Xbox - Taito Legends)
3. Jungle Hunt (Atari 2600)
4. Jungle Hunt (Plug & Play - ColecoVision Flashback)
5. Donkey Kong (Atari 2600)
6. Donkey Kong (Intellivision)
7. Donkey Kong (ColecoVision)
8. Bubble Bobble (NES)
9. Side Arms: Hyper Dyne (PSP - Capcom Classics Collection Remixed)
10. 1941: Counter Attack (PSP - Capcom Classics Collection Remixed)
11. Ys: The Ark of Napishtim (PSP)
12. The Ninja Kids (Xbox - Taito Legends)
13. Neutopia (TurboGrafx-16)
14. Golden Axe Warrior (Xbox 360 - Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection)
15. Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2 (Dreamcast)
16. Growl (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)
17. Arabian Magic (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)
18. Dungeon Magic (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)
19. Gekirindan (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)
20. Ys II (Saturn - Falcom Classics II)
21. Darius Gaiden (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)
22. G Darius (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)
23. Giana Sisters DS (DS)
24. RayStorm (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)

Another Taito shmup, this one being the second installment of the "Ray" trilogy. The first game is also on Taito Legends 2, but only available on the PAL-only Xbox release and the DRM'ed-up-the-ass PC version.

My daughter was copilot for this one. While I played she mashed buttons on an unplugged upside-down Xbox controller.

Similar to its predecessor RayStorm plays like a souped-up Xevious. There are two attack buttons - one for straight-ahead vertical missiles and the other for dropping bombs below. There's a lock-on system for the bombs which is extremely helpful, as you don't have to be directly "beneath" a ground enemy to blow it up. A screen-clearing special attack becomes available once multiple lock-on targets have been hit; this is activated by pressing both attack buttons at once.

The game uses rendered 3D graphics, which look okay but are also somewhat awkward in that distinct early 5th gen fashion. Sometimes it's difficult to to tell which what's above and below - at least until your ship gets close enough for the lock-on to activate.

I enjoyed this one, but the first of the series (RayForce also known as Layer Section also known as Galactic Attack also known as Gunlock) has smoother gameplay and crisper graphics overall. Can't go wrong with Taito shmups either way.

Well I'm burnt out on Taito Legends 1 & 2. Time to hit up the 8-bit JRPGs.

[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 *new*
Grab Them By The Eyes - PC *new*
Growl - PS2/Arcade *new*

Total: 26

Previously: 2014 | The First 400 Games

Since they had definitive endings and could be beaten, I am counting a couple of flash games that I played this week.

The Uncle Who Works for Nintendo is a text game that uses a pretty common childhood trope as a basis for a fairly unsettling horror title. There's some nice use of atmospheric sound and image in this Twine title, and there are about a half dozen endings you can find. I unlocked the majority of them. Protip: try it with both a boy and a girl best friend to see some really different dialogue at key points...

Grab Them By The Eyes is a fun little strategy game from the maker of VVVVVV and Super Hexagon. You basically have to make better signs than a competing food cart to win a bet and claim a corner. There's some fun humor and compelling pixel art here, and while it is short it is worth checking out.

Growl is a riot and worth playing for its novelty. As a BUP, though, it kinda sucks.

[TSTR]

I played The Uncle Who Works For Nintendo last year. Didn't find it even remotely unsettling.

[dsheinem]

I played The Uncle Who Works For Nintendo last year. Didn't find it even remotely unsettling.

I suppose some of the unsettling stuff builds up over multiple paths/playthroughs. It was nothing SUPER SCARY or anything like that, but I think Twine/text is a good platform for horror as it forces you to basically do a lot of your own imagining regarding certain frightful elements.

[TSTR]

I played The Uncle Who Works For Nintendo last year. Didn't find it even remotely unsettling.

I suppose some of the unsettling stuff builds up over multiple paths/playthroughs. It was nothing SUPER SCARY or anything like that, but I think Twine/text is a good platform for horror as it forces you to basically do a lot of your own imagining regarding certain frightful elements.

As someone who enjoys spooky/weird fiction, I agree that the platform can be great for horror. I just don't think it's done well with this game. You happen to know any examples offhand that might be more freaky?