Games Beaten 2015

[MrPopo]

Come on Pico. You can do better than this.

No, it really can't.

[prfsnl_gmr]

1. Cut the Rope (3DS)
2. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3)
3. Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth (XBOX)
4. Jewel Link Chronicles: Mountains of Madness (NDS)
5. Super Mario 3D World (WIIU)
6. Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
7. Kirby Triple Deluxe (3DS)
8. Gunman Clive (3DS)
9. Child of Light (WIIU)
10. Gunman Clive 2 (3DS)
11. Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition (WIIU)
12. Shifting World (3DS)
13. VVVVVV (3DS)

It took nearly 2 hours and 700 lives, but I was able to beat VVVVVV - a fun, hardcore, modern platformer styled after classic Commodore 64 games. In it, poor Captain Viridian - who cannot jump over even a single pixel - has to rescue the other crew members of his space ship by reversing gravity. The game controls perfectly, moves very quickly, and contains almost no penalty for dying. The game is nonetheless tremendously challenging, and the platforming is exceptionally difficult. I loved every minute of VVVVVV, and after I completed the game, I immediately went back to collect all of the hidden trinkets. Moreover, the soundtrack is fantastic; the game is overflowing with personality; and the 3DS version contains nearly a dozen player-created levels that I am very much looking forward to playing during my "down time" between other games. I highly recommend VVVVVV, and anyone with a 3DS (or PC) should purchase it.

[noiseredux]

and the 3DS version contains nearly a dozen player-created levels

that's adorable.

http://www.pcgamer.com/vvvvvv-make-and-play-edition-released-as-free-download-of-player-made-levels/

[BogusMeatFactory]

1. Jazzpunk (PC)
2. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2)
3. Grandia (PS1)
4. Hotline Miami (PC)
5. Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS)
6. Off-Peak (PC)
7. realMYST: Masterpiece Edition (PC)
8. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords (DS)
9. Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)
10. Space Pirates (PC)
11. NiGHTS Into Dreams (PC)
12. Inherit the Earth (PC)


Inherit the Earth is a standard point-and-click adventure game developed by, The Dreamers Guild, who also worked on the Kyrandia series and a recently featured Together Retro title, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream. The setting created by the developers paints a strange future, where mankind, in their advanced technological state, genetically altered numerous animals that gave them sentience and changed them. These animals worked with the humans in research, but at some point, something went wrong and humanity disappeared off of the planet, leaving the animals to roam and later form tribes and their own rudimentary civilizations that relied on their various skills and what little was salvaged from humanity.

In this title, you play as Riff the fox, who is accused of stealing a human relic they refer to as, The Orb of Storms, which could predict weather patterns and inform them when to plant and harvest crops. In order to prove your innocence, you must travel with your entourage of guards, Eeah of the Elk Tribe and Okk of the Boar Tribe to try and solve the mystery of who stole the orb and why.

What makes this game fun and interesting is that there is some genuinely good voice acting and character development throughout the game. Each character in your party have interesting story arcs that help bring about personal struggles in them. Okk the Boar was put on this assignment as punishment for his irresponsibility in protecting the Boar Chief by getting drunk and is constantly ridiculed by his peers. He is at first resentful of you and of Eeah until a certain point in the game where you help boast his confidence and regain some of his honor with his peers.

With Riff himself, you feel his frustration as he eventually is grasping at straws on where to go and what to do, addressing these moments where you are simply wandering and looking for points of interest in a larger map. Riff seems to be fed up with this reliance on these fragments of human technology and it is very clear that a lot of the animals know nothing of the humans anymore, but revere them as gods and cling to little human relics like a cheap trophy as if it is something truly spectacular. For him it is all about learning to rely on your neighbors and growing together as a team, which is an incredibly important theme near the end of the game itself.

Where the game falters is in the inconsistency of the game itself. You can tell right from the get-go that there was conflict between the developers and the publishers. In an interview back in 2000, David Joiner, one of the lead developers stated that a lot of things were cut or changed to help foster a kid-friendly image. In reality, they wanted to make a more grim title that had a broad range of emotions and would appeal to everyone, but the publisher would not have it.

Under harsh restrictions and horrible deadlines, the developers had to cut a lot of material out and pad the game with mazes… yes, mazes. There are three instances of mazes in the game and they are absolutely infuriating to navigate. One maze in particular, you have to navigate twice and take up a bulk of the games experience. The developers themselves regret putting them in the title and stated that there was pressure to add these activities to appeal to kids. I don’t know how mazes appeal to anyone in videogames, but sure! Why not?!

These mazes ruin a brilliant world that was full of life and character. They tarnish these moments where you are introduced to new tribes of animals and compare and contrast their way of life compared to yours. You see their customs and behaviors and their view on humans. Some revere them more, while others completely ignore their existence.

I would recommend playing the game still, as it is a very interesting game none the less. It can be purchased through GOG or through steam, but I used my personal copy from the SSI collection called Worlds of Sword and Steel, which includes the voiced version of the game. I also want to point out that the original creator of the series started a web comic to continue the story which can be found here.

There is also a patreon for their sequel Inherit the Earth: Sand and Shadows which is an episodic title they are trying to get funded and an upcoming kickstarter campaign. I highly recommend the game for people who are interested in a unique and interesting world with great voice acting and simplistic puzzles. Even though the mazes infuriate and annoy, the game is still worth playing and experiencing. Check it out!

[Stark]

Holy crap they worked on Kyrandia?!? Ok, you had my attention at that. Thanks for the write-up BoMeFa, this is now on my list.

[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)

Transylvania, 1450AD. Dracula has risen as an embodiment of all evil. Sonia Belmont vows to defeat him. As such she is the first Belmont to confront Dracula. But can she defeat the lord of darkness? Will Dracula's son Alucard help or hinder this situation? And most importantly of all, can Konami manage to make the experience actually entertaining? Seven years after the last Castlevania on Game Boy, Konami released Legends so we could find out. One might assume having that many years since iterations, Legends would have a lot to offer over Belmont's Revenge. I'm sad to say, that is not the case here.

The first noticeable issue is that Legend's graphics have taken a huge leap backwards from Belmont's Revenge. Sprite work is crude and sparsely animated, and the background artwork is absolutely primitive. Worse yet, the series' staple of having great music is entirely absent, as the OST on offer is paltry to put it nicely. Level progression has returned to being linear, and the levels on display are quite large. Unfortunately despite being large, the level design is bland and uninspired, with nary a clever or innovative concept to intrigue the player. Sonia herself is given some special abilities (one of which is duck walking, seriously). She has the power to go into a berserk mode which makes her invincible temporarily. Because of how this ability is triggered however, it's easy to accidentally trigger it and waste it. Outside that, secondary weapons are replaced with a magic system that uses hearts as magic points. A few magic abilities are useful, but overall you'll probably just wish you had the axe again. Legends is also a very easy game, far easier than earlier series entries on the Game Boy. You'll likely blow right through this game on your first play session. There are hidden collectable items to find to extend game time, but the benefit of finding these items isn't immediately clear to the player (or needed to defeat Dracula from my experience with the game).

It's a little confusing as to why Konami released Legends in 1998 at all. Perhaps the Pokemon craze that brought the Game Boy back to the forefront of gaming in 1998, was the impetus for this soulless obviously rushed Castlevania cash-in. Legends just comes across as amateurish in its presentation and design, a far cry from what the studio offered in 1991 with Belmont's Revenge. The one saving grace I can say about Legends, is that it has a strong female protagonist. At least her game is perfectly playable, albeit absolutely uninspired potboiler. It's too bad Sonia had to suffer through such a legendarily boring game.

[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)
25. Mr. Do! (ColecoVision)
26. Beauty & the Beast (Intellivision)
27. Boxing (PlayStation 2 - Activision Anthology)
28. Crystalis (NES)
29. Dragon Warrior (NES)
30. Faxanadu (NES)
31. Tombs & Treasure (NES)
32. Kirby's Dream Land (Game Boy)
33. Kirby's Adventure (NES)
34. Kirby Super Star (SNES)
35. Hoshi no Kirby 64 (Nintendo 64)
36. Kirby: Triple Deluxe (3DS)
37. Dig Dug (Wii - Namco Museum Megamix)
38. Phoenix (Xbox - Taito Legends)
39. Phoenix (Atari 2600)
40. Pleiads (Xbox - Tecmo Classic Arcade)
41. Kangaroo (Atari 2600)
42. Final Fantasy Adventure (Game Boy)
43. Gorf (Atari 2600)
44. Richard Scarry's Huckle and Lowly's Busiest Day Ever (Pico)
45. Mickey's Blast Into the Past (Pico)
46. Secret of Mana (SNES)

Secret of Mana (Seiken Densetsu 2) is our current Together RPG game. Check it out!

Mana is a childhood favorite of mine and I was pleased to have a reason/excuse to revisit it. It's an incredibly striking game, and one of my personal SNES favorites, but it comes bundled with a helping of shortcomings that may be too severe for some to overlook.

Aesthetically speaking, Mana knocks it out of the park. It boasts what it perhaps the most incredible opening to any video game ever. And that just sets the tone for what is to come. I've heard people describe Muramasa (Wii/Vita) as a "painting you can play through" but Mana has that game beat by 20+ years. Everything about SoM's world is lush and organic. The color palette is extremely rich and the amount of detail contained within every corner of the world is incredible. Tall grass sways among the shorter stalks, knee-deep water glistens and sparkles as your characters trudge though, the penultimate "dungeon" (the "Pure Land") is shrouded in shade in mist. Each setting is meticulously crafted resulting in one of the best-looking SNES console games to date. Of course such beauty would go to waste without some competent accompanying music. Thankfully the OST is incredibly memorable. It was composed by Hiroki Kikuta, who was never a giant in the industry but is best remembered for the tracks he laid down for this game and its direct sequel. SoM's soundtrack is reminiscent of the redbook audio found in game's like Ys Book I & II - it's clearly and undoubtedly "video game music" but it also flirts with the sounds of "real instruments." Percussion, strings, and woodwinds are used heavily to create a rich series of tunes. Some of the most memorable tracks are downright chilling - such as the Ceremony theme of the ruins and the ridiculous industrial beat-down heard during one of the final boss battles.

The game itself is an action-RPG featuring three playable characters - a boy, a girl, and a sprite whose gender is somewhat ambiguous. A single player can cycle between each of the three characters, leaving the other two controlled by the (adjustable) AI. The game also supports multiplayer (looks intriguing, but I have no friends). The story begins when the boy is banished from his village after cursing it by removing an ancient sacred sword from its resting place. Then, uh, a bunch of other stuff happens. Honestly, the story is quite incoherent. The game's development was tumultuous (it began as a "SNES CD" title) and it was rushed to release. The dialogue feels lacking and incomplete, as Ted Woolsey apparently translated the entire thing during one 15-minute bathroom break. The villains lack any real motivation and new ones are frequently introduced with no context. Even the final boss feels lazily tossed into the mix. There's something of "love story" between the girl and a NPC that's completely underutilized. Add to that a sidestory involving a rebellion (against "the empire" naturally) that makes little sense. Many of the characters themselves are endearing though. The girl and sprite are adorable and there's some occasional sprite-on-girl flirting. The characters look great - the sprites are large with plenty of facial details and expressions. I just wished Luka's sprite had been rendered a bit better. She's supposed to be a beautiful woman but ends up looking like Mario with a bushier mustache.

SoM's actual gameplay - more specifically, its combat system - is the game's biggest point of contention. It's downright bizarre and resembles nothing else but (some) other games in the series. First off, combat with melee weapons isn't done by quickly tapping the attack (B) button. Instead the button must be held - the weapons are "charged" - and then released to achieve maximum damage potential. Weapons also level up separately from the standard experience leveling, and they can be "charged" up more with each consecutive level.The charging takes time, several seconds at high levels, which leaves one vulnerable to enemy attacks. Eventually one realizes that a level 8 attack just takes too damn long to be effective - you're all but guaranteed to be knocked down by a blow or spell in the time it takes to charge - and that two consecutive level 4 attacks will get the job done. Mana also features a wide assortment of weapons, but most of them are superfluous as enemies lack the specific weapon immunity seen in Final Fantasy Adventure. Don't waste too much time leveling more than one weapon per character - it is essential to have them upgraded by the blacksmith, however.

The magic system is even stranger. Most action-RPGs - let's use Link to the Past, Ys II, and Final Fantasy Adventure as examples - utilize magic like so: the player equips the magic spell (or wand or whatever) and then must aim and shoot fire/ice/etc projectiles at enemies. Secret of Mana, despite being an action-RPG, uses magic like a turn-based one. The player selects a spell from a menu, then selects an onscreen enemy (for an offensive spell) or party member (for a healing or defensive spell) and then confirms. That's it. An astute reader may be wondering: "does than mean I can simply stand in one spot and spam bosses?" Yes. Yes you can. And it makes certain areas of the game far too easy than they have any right to be. And while it's true that enemies could (theoretically) do the same to the protagonists they aren't nearly as fast or cheap as the average player.

Some other thoughts: the game's AI is quite good! The two computer-controlled characters can have their settings altered - I prefer to keep them aggressive. I never found them to be too "smart" or "dumb" and they were generally helpful throughout. There's been a lot of fuss made about the AI characters getting caught up in the scenery (the screen won't scroll if this occurs) but this is ultimately a rare occurrence. Secret of Mana's menus are quite fascinating. They consists of a series of rings each dedicated to one specific submenu (weapons, magic, items, stats). It's a great visual, as it doesn't block or consume the entire screen. Equipping armor is a tad cumbersome however.

It's a bit of a cliché but Secret of Mana has all the markings if a "flawed masterpiece." It's undeniably rushed and rough around the edges, but the gorgeous game universe makes up for this in spades. Highly recommended.

[retrosportsgamer]

12. Inherit the Earth (PC)

Inherit the Earth is a standard point-and-click adventure game developed by, The Dreamers Guild, who also worked on the Kyrandia series and a recently featured Together Retro title, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream. The setting created by the developers paints a strange future, where mankind, in their advanced technological state, genetically altered numerous animals that gave them sentience and changed them. These animals worked with the humans in research, but at some point, something went wrong and humanity disappeared off of the planet, leaving the animals to roam and later form tribes and their own rudimentary civilizations that relied on their various skills and what little was salvaged from humanity.

In this title, you play as Riff the fox, who is accused of stealing a human relic they refer to as, The Orb of Storms, which could predict weather patterns and inform them when to plant and harvest crops. In order to prove your innocence, you must travel with your entourage of guards, Eeah of the Elk Tribe and Okk of the Boar Tribe to try and solve the mystery of who stole the orb and why.

What makes this game fun and interesting is that there is some genuinely good voice acting and character development throughout the game. Each character in your party have interesting story arcs that help bring about personal struggles in them. Okk the Boar was put on this assignment as punishment for his irresponsibility in protecting the Boar Chief by getting drunk and is constantly ridiculed by his peers. He is at first resentful of you and of Eeah until a certain point in the game where you help boast his confidence and regain some of his honor with his peers.

With Riff himself, you feel his frustration as he eventually is grasping at straws on where to go and what to do, addressing these moments where you are simply wandering and looking for points of interest in a larger map. Riff seems to be fed up with this reliance on these fragments of human technology and it is very clear that a lot of the animals know nothing of the humans anymore, but revere them as gods and cling to little human relics like a cheap trophy as if it is something truly spectacular. For him it is all about learning to rely on your neighbors and growing together as a team, which is an incredibly important theme near the end of the game itself.

Where the game falters is in the inconsistency of the game itself. You can tell right from the get-go that there was conflict between the developers and the publishers. In an interview back in 2000, David Joiner, one of the lead developers stated that a lot of things were cut or changed to help foster a kid-friendly image. In reality, they wanted to make a more grim title that had a broad range of emotions and would appeal to everyone, but the publisher would not have it.

Under harsh restrictions and horrible deadlines, the developers had to cut a lot of material out and pad the game with mazes… yes, mazes. There are three instances of mazes in the game and they are absolutely infuriating to navigate. One maze in particular, you have to navigate twice and take up a bulk of the games experience. The developers themselves regret putting them in the title and stated that there was pressure to add these activities to appeal to kids. I don’t know how mazes appeal to anyone in videogames, but sure! Why not?!

These mazes ruin a brilliant world that was full of life and character. They tarnish these moments where you are introduced to new tribes of animals and compare and contrast their way of life compared to yours. You see their customs and behaviors and their view on humans. Some revere them more, while others completely ignore their existence.

I would recommend playing the game still, as it is a very interesting game none the less. It can be purchased through GOG or through steam, but I used my personal copy from the SSI collection called Worlds of Sword and Steel, which includes the voiced version of the game. I also want to point out that the original creator of the series started a web comic to continue the story which can be found here.

There is also a patreon for their sequel Inherit the Earth: Sand and Shadows which is an episodic title they are trying to get funded and an upcoming kickstarter campaign. I highly recommend the game for people who are interested in a unique and interesting world with great voice acting and simplistic puzzles. Even though the mazes infuriate and annoy, the game is still worth playing and experiencing. Check it out!

I remember beating this back in high school. Really enjoyed it and was real disappointed they never made the follow-up. Never knew it was on GOG.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Never knew you guys were furries.

[BogusMeatFactory]

Never knew you guys were furries.

Nah, I just like adventure games with interesting stories.