Games Beaten 2015

[prfsnl_gmr]

You guys are talking about this right?

Given its subject matter, it is amazing to me how common this game is. I know Journey is awesome and all that , but it is like everyone who owned an Atari 2600 also bought a copy of that game.

[Stark]

Given its subject matter, it is amazing to me how common this game is. I know Journey is awesome and all that , but it is like everyone who owned an Atari 2600 also bought a copy of that game.

It's possible they didn't know it had anything to do with a band. I owned it and did not know (at the time.) I got it secondhand, though, so may be the original owner did?

[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)

This is a fun little Taito beat 'em up that was originally released in arcades and eventually emulated on Taito Legends. No ports exist so this is the only way to play it on a console.

You can choose between four ninjas, all of which look something like a bizarre claymation version of Bert from Sesame Street. The whole game is rather goofy, in fact. There's some great animation here - like bad guys (jokingly?) being chopped in half and your ninja's eyes popping out while taking blows. The villains resemble Klansmen, "terrorists", and other not-so-culturally-sensitive stereotypes, and constantly taunt you with SNK-level Engrish ("Here is a graveyard of you!").

The objective of your quest is to take down Satan (oops, I mean The Satan). There are only five levels total, but each one takes some time to traverse. The ninjas control well and each one has a distinct weapon (in fact, they closely mirror the ones the Ninja Turtles use). There's magic too, and like Golden Axe the strength of your spell is determined by how many scrolls have been collected. There are a few other special moves as well, which are activated when certain items are collected. You can freeze enemies, turn invincible, and ricochet around the screen whilst enclosed in lightning. The game feels "fair" overall and it's certainly not a quarter muncher like many others of the era.

I'm no beat 'em up connoisseur, but I found this game infinitely more fun than Final Fight and some of the other sacred cows of 1990s arcadedom. Check it out.

[Exhuminator]

January
1. Devil's Attorney (Android) 7/10
2. Resident Evil 5 (360) 8/10
3. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (360) 8/10
4. Dragon Quest VIII (PS2) 9/10
5. Gears of War (360) 6/10

February
6. Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Vita) 7/10

When Sony unveiled the Vita, they promised gamers AAA experiences on the go, and with Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Sony nearly achieved as such. From a graphics perspective, Golden Abyss is a pixel pushing marvel, truly amazing for its platform and time of release. However when a new system is released developers inevitably rush to show off all of its features, and that is where Golden Abyss falters. This game is crazy about the dual touch screens of the Vita, and as such constantly forces you to use them in the most banal ways possible, far, far too often. The Vita's gyroscope is also abused because in this game Nathan cannot walk across any narrow bridge of any sort without losing his balance, forcing you the player to lean the Vita to and fro in order to regain his balance. You will do this dozens of time throughout the game. Gameplay improves during gun battles, of which there are too many honestly, and you will have racked up hundreds of kills by the end. Golden Abyss shines the brightest however when you are simply exploring and navigating treacherous terrain across beautiful vistas, with any given sidekick in tow. Indeed, Golden Abyss has truly fantastic voice acting, and hearing Nathan and his cohorts pick on one another never gets old. That doesn't mean Uncharted: Golden Abyss doesn't get hold however. This game feels twice as long as it needed to be, and by the end of the adventure you will likely be quite ready for it all to end. Golden Abyss is a poor man's Uncharted, albeit a very pretty one, until at least your screen is so smudged from the constant rubbing that you can't see it anymore.

[Sarge]

Let's stick to the "game-a-day" theme here. I "finished" Street Fighter 2010. And by finished, I mean I used copious amounts of rewinding.

I think with a bit more practice, I can get it, but man, can it be unforgiving. I don't know if there are limited continues or not, I should probably test that. If they're unlimited, I know I can make it, it's just a matter of battering through it.

Anyway, the move set is really, really weird. It's hard to draw a bead on a lot of enemies, simply because it's not completely predictable where some of your attacks are going to go. On top of that, most enemies are pretty erratic in their movement patterns. There's a Blaster Master-style powerup system going where you lose power when you get hit, which sucks. It's just an awkward game to control... but I can see where there's promise if you can get the moves down. That backflip move in particular seems like the way to keep from getting stomped, and you've always got to play defensively. But not too defensively, that timer is ticking away!

[J T]

Let's stick to the "game-a-day" theme here. I "finished" Street Fighter 2010.

If you like video game cover bands, then you should check out Washudoll's covers of Street Fighter 2010.
https://sites.google.com/site/streetfig ... ngedalbum/

Street Fighter 2010 is an unusual title. I like it, but like you said, the controls just feel so odd. I did eventually get used to them and then I really enjoyed the game, but if I went back years later and couldn't remember how to play well anymore, so it was going to be another learning period. Somehow it has the most unnatural, non-intuitive control system, but it can be learned and it has its merits.

[Sarge]

Ah, cool, thanks for that. Will give a listen!

I'm most familiar with the music from this particular gem from Dwelling of Duels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-wydKuoKGQ

[prfsnl_gmr]

Street Fighter 2010

Definitely a strange title. I was able to beat it as a kid, however; so, I suspect that there are unlimited continues. (I wasn't great at games back then, but what I lacked in skill I made up for in perseverance.)

Also, I love how it takes place int he distant future of...2010.

[MrPopo]

Also, I love how it takes place int he distant future of...2010.

According to Crystalis the end day is October 1, 1997.

[Ack]

Also, I love how it takes place int he distant future of...2010.

According to Crystalis the end day is October 1, 1997.

And Mega Man was built last decade, in the year 200X.