Games Beaten 2015

[alienjesus]

I bought both Meruru and Rorona on a sale to play later, so I'm looking forward to playing them.

Make sure you play the "Plus" version of Rorona, because the differences between it and the original are many. It's a pseudo remake. (Whereas the other "Plus" versions of Totori and Meruru were just the default games with their DLC included. )

I got them all on Vita, where only the Plus versions are available for all 3, so no worries.

[Gamerforlife]

First 50:

1. Painkiller - PC
2. Front Mission 4 - PS2
3. Wasteland 2 - PC
4. Arcanum - PC
5. X-COM Terror from the Deep - PC
6. Military Madness - TurboGrafx-16
7. Unreal - PC
8. Shadowrun - SNES
9. Warcraft III - PC
10. Dungeon Keeper - PC
11. Final Fantasy X-2 HD - PS3
12. Descent - PC
13. Quake Mission Pack 2 - Dissolution of Eternity - PC
14. Quake 2 Mission Pack 2 - Ground Zero - PC
15. Sokobond - PC
16. Hybrid Heaven - N64
17. Sonic the Hedgehog - Genesis
18. Castlevania - NES
19. Super Castlevania IV - SNES
20. Castlevania III - NES
21. Castlevania II - NES
22. Castlevania Rondo of Blood - Turbo CD
23. Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders - PC
24. Fractal - PC
25. Kirby's Adventure - NES
26. Pillars of Eternity - PC
27. Bioshock 2: Minerva's Den - PC
28. Command & Conquer Generals: Zero Hour - PC
29. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - NES
30. Punch-Out!! - NES
31. Doom 3 - PC
32. The Even More Incredible Machine - PC
33. Contra - NES
34. Dark Forces - PC
35. Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II - PC
36. X-Wing - PC
37. TIE Fighter - PC
38. Bloodborne - PS4
39. Gradius - NES
40. Marble Madness - NES
41. The Witcher 3 - PC
42. Mega Man X5 Zero Playthrough - PSX
43. Wolfenstein The Old Blood - PC
44. Might and Magic Book 1 - PC
45. Hexen: Beyond Heretic - PC
46. Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter - PC
47. Duke Nukem - PC
48. Terminal Velocity - PC
49. Borderlands 2 - Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt - PC
50. Duke Nukem II - PC

51. Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne - PC
52. Starflight - PC
53. Skies of Arcadia - Dreamcast
54. Aliens versus Predator Classic 2000 - PC
55. Super Star Wars - SNES
56. Shadowrun: Hong Kong - PC
57. Hexen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel - PC
58. The Catacomb - PC
59. Azure Striker Gunvolt - 3DS
60. Mighty Gunvolt - 3DS
61. Catacomb Abyss - PC
62. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge - PC
63. Strike Suit Zero - Director's Cut - PC
64. Wolfenstein 3D Spear of Destiny - PC
65. StarCraft - PC
66. Metal Storm - NES
67. Septerra Core - PC
68. Metal Warriors - SNES
69. Zelda II - The Adventure of Link - NES

So like I mentioned, I think I finally get this game. It's still the worst Zelda and I doubt I'll ever replay it, but I'm happy to be done with it. The secret? Grind the fuck out of your attack in the first palace. I got my attack up to level 5 before the boss and then let the placing of the crystal take me to attack 6. From that point on all the stuff that used to kill me was dying in one to two hits, not giving them the opportunity to attack too much. Second palace gave me level 7 attack, third I could have taken 8 attack but instead cranked up my life and magic, leaving the last three palaces to give me level 8 in my attributes.

The combat in this game feels like Ninja Gaiden, except your sword's reach is approximately as large as Link's head. And that's where the real frustration sets in; with a bit more reach so many of the encounters wouldn't be as bullshit. If you miss an attack you will always be taking damage because you have to be so in the face of your enemy. That's why high attack is so essential; if it takes you 8 shots to kill an enemy then that's a lot of chances for you to mess up and take damage. It also helps to understand how the drops work so you can use magic at opportune times, rather than hording it.

And massive props for making the game over respawn point in the final dungeon be the start of the final dungeon. If I would have needed to start from the beginning every time I don't know if I would have powered through. I only needed to game over once in the final dungeon (got in with one life left and no life or mana, so I had to essentially be perfect after the first death), getting to Thunderbird on the first life, losing to him on the second life, then beating him on the third and having enough magic for another Shield for Dark Link. Made it through with a single health box left.

This also felt like the most railroaded Zelda ever. I think it comes from the fact that the dungeon items are almost all just tools to get to the next dungeon and never get used again. Ocarina of Time keeps you on a similar path of needing to use the item from one dungeon to access/beat the next dungeon, but they keep getting used in other dungeons and have multiple uses beyond an arbitrary item gate.

I must be one out of exactly 5 people who prefer it to the original Zelda. I actually loved the combat. Beams from my sword for rank and file enemies, the cool jumping downward attack, and the fun of getting past knight shields with jumping thrust attacks. I don't know. It's been years, but I remember combat actually being fun. The whole game felt a little darker too, which I liked. I loved also that the final boss WASN'T Ganon, and the title screen music was great, as well as the boss music and final dungeon theme. Also, starting the game with Zelda lying there immediately showing you what you're fighting for was cool. I loved that game. I also loved Double Dragon 3 on the NES and people seem to hate that too and I think it was the best one in that trilogy

[marurun]

If that makes you weird, it makes me weird, too. I did dislike how short the sword was, but being able to attack in so many ways, it was great. I really felt like I had to be skilled to do well.

Also, Double Dragon 3 SUCKS in the arcade and on the Genny, but the NES version is like the game was rebuilt based on Double Dragon 2, instead, and manages, in some ways, to surpass it. DD2 on the PC Engine is a little better, but only a little.

[fastbilly1]

marurun, your Zelda II experience sounds just like mine. I ended up winning with a single hit left. While it was triumphant, I dont think I will replay the game past the first dungeon again. But instead of grinding in the first dungeon, I stumbled on a well known bug accidentally and abused the crap out of it. After you beat the boss, jump over the pedestal and exit, you can go back in and kill everything except the boss again. The second or third dungeon jived with me so I got to where I could do it in a couple minutes. Ah the early days of the 3ds.

Beaten:
Mercenary Kings

One part Monster Hunter with two parts Metal Slug and you have Mercenary Kings. It is a boat load of fun, but punishingly unfair in some parts. Beat it with Ack and a mutual friend, Noise was not around for the final boss fight so we will beat it with him next week. I cannot say I recommend it for anyone, it is a bizarre mix of game types. If you really like grinding and crafting in a metal slug like world, this is the game for you. There are literally thousands of gun parts made up of tens of thousands of items. And God help you on the Violence Kings.

[Ack]

First 50:

1. Renegade Ops (PC)(Multidirectional Shooter)
2. Borderlands 2 (PC)(FPS/RPG)
3. Gunpoint (PC)(Puzzle Platformer)
4. Robotrek (SNES)(RPG)
5. The Tick (SNES)(Beat 'Em Up)
6. Alien vs Predator (SNES)(Beat 'Em Up)
7. X-Kaliber 2097 (SNES)(Action Platformer)
8. Metal Slug (MVS)(Run and Gun)
9. Shadowrun (SNES)(RPG)
10. Quake II (PC)(FPS)
11. The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang (SNES)(RPG)
12. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (PC)(Action)
13. A Story About My Uncle (PC)(Platformer)
14. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (PC)(FPS)
15. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith (PC)(FPS)
16. Catacomb (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)
17. Catacomb Abyss (PC)(FPS)
18. Catacomb Armageddon (PC)(FPS)
19. Catacomb Apocalypse (PC)(FPS)
20. The Catacomb (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)
21. Catacomb 3-D (PC)(FPS)
22. EarthBound (SNES)(RPG)
23. Quake II: Ground Zero (PC)(FPS)
24. Quake II: The Reckoning (PC)(FPS)
25. Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader (PC)(RPG)
26. The 7th Guest (PC)(Puzzle)
27. Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness (PC)(RPG)
28. Loom (PC)(Point and Click Adventure)
29. Castlevania: Dracula X (SNES)(Action Platformer)
30. System Shock 2 (PC)(Survival Horror FPS)
31. Final Fantasy V (SNES)(RPG)
32. Descent (PC)(FPS)
33. Mortal Kombat 2 (SNES)(Fighting)
34. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (PC)(Point and Click Adventure)
35. Alien Shooter (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)
36. Alien Shooter: Fight for Life (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)
37. Alien Shooter: The Experiment (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)
38. F.E.A.R. Extraction Point (PC)(FPS)
39. F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate (PC)(FPS)
40. Among the Sleep (PC)(Survival Horror)
41. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (PC)(FPS/RPG)
42. Alien Shooter 2: Reloaded (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)
43. Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (SNES via Super Mario All-Stars/Super Mario World)(Platformer)
44. Star Wars Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast (PC)(FPS)
45. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel: Claptastic Voyage (PC)(FPS/RPG)
46. Risen (PC)(RPG)
47. Shadowgrounds (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)
48. Shadowrun Returns (PC)(RPG)
49. Mobile Forces (PC)(FPS)
50. Tower of Guns (PC)(FPS)

51. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (PC)(FPS)
52. The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (PC)(FPS)
53. 9:05 (PC)(Text Adventure)
54. Mercenary Kings (PC)(Run and Gun)

Noise could have beaten this last night with us. He could have been a contender. But "real life" got in the way. Pfft...weak.

As Fastbilly mentioned, I beat Mercenary Kings last night with him and a mutual friend who likes to lurk this forum from time to time(Hi, Xen!). Noise was our fourth, but he had to bail unfortunately, which prevented him from seeing the grotesquery that is the final boss...and then cheesing it like we did. It has been a long, hard road to get to this point, but one I found enjoyable despite the frustrating level design and the obvious grind to artificially extend the length of the game. It's Metal Slug(or more like the Metal Slug Mission subseries for the NGPC), but with a crafting system for your weapons, an item system, and a bit more maneuverability and combat options.

Unfortunately it still requires heavy amounts of pattern memorization, and you basically always need to know what you are fighting before you fight it. The game is also not shy about requiring you to trek halfway across a level only to make you turn around and go back to the start because the boss you were hunting has suddenly moved. Like I said, it can be frustrating. But after a few missions, once you've built a gun you like and feel comfortable with the controls and have a few bosses under your belt, that's when the game really shines. Get comfortable, and things almost become a breeze...until you are pitted in a new level or up against a new boss. Then it's back to learning.

Once you beat the game, well, good luck, you probably only have a fourth of the achievements and likely even less unlocked as far as equipment is concerned. Once I built a gun I liked, I just started buying parts, but I'm still nowhere near having everything. I'll have to grind for cash and items to use for crafting, and frankly, I just don't want to.

Don't get me wrong, it's a fun game. But I get the feeling it doesn't really like the player and instead just wants to punish him or her.

[noiseredux]

Noise could have beaten this last night with us. He could have been a contender. But "real life" got in the way. Pfft...weak.

Ah, sucks - such a crazy day/night - but honestly, I'm glad it's beaten even if I missed out on the home stretch.

It has been a long, hard road to get to this point, but one I found enjoyable despite the frustrating level design and the obvious grind to artificially extend the length of the game. It's Metal Slug(or more like the Metal Slug Mission subseries for the NGPC), but with a crafting system for your weapons, an item system, and a bit more maneuverability and combat options.

Yeah it reminds me of Metal Slug Mission games. In a good way.

That said, I agree that it gets to be too repetitive and tedious. I enjoyed the game, and I enjoyed the weapon upgrades and progression, but around the 10 hr mark I was def ready to move on to something else.

Hi, Xen.

[fastbilly1]

We are going to play two maps for you, final boss and the stage you will like the most.

The back to Iron Brigade!

[noiseredux]

We are going to play two maps for you, final boss and the stage you will like the most.

Does it have trains?

The back to Iron Brigade!

Will reinstall!

[Ack]

We are going to play two maps for you, final boss and the stage you will like the most.

Does it have trains?

It has a pain train...

[noiseredux]

It has a pain train...

every game I play with you does.