Games Beaten 2015

[noiseredux]

@brad, all we get from you beating Indio Prophecy is a clapping gif? Lame.

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=48339

[Fragems]

1. Injustice Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition(PS4)
2. Infamous First Light(PS4)
3. Drakengard 3(PS3) *Endings 1-4. Ending 5 I watched online due to BS boss.
4. Infamous Second Son(PS4)
5. Thomas Was Alone(PS4)
6. Uncharted Drake's Fortune(PS3) *
7. Uncharted 2 Among Thieves(PS3) *
8. Uncharted 3 Drake's Deception(PS3) *
9. Deadpool(PS3)
10. Red Dead Redemption(360)
11. Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare(360)
12. The Walking Dead Survival Instinct(360)
13. Fuse(360)
14. The Bureau Xcom Declassified(360)

Fuse

Short Version:
It's a generic yet enjoyable third person squad based shooter. It's week points are a lack of squad commands, a so-so story, shallow characters, and only a handful of interesting weapons. Strong points 4 person co-op, graphically it's not a bad looking game, and it has a pretty good length at around 8+ hours.

Fuse is a pretty generic but enjoyable third person squad based shooter when played in single player. There aren't a ton of weapons but their are enough to cover the standard grouping sniper, grenade launcher, pistol, shotgun, etc. and each agent has their own nano weapon with different effect and their own skill trees. The squad element of the game is really lacking in single player there aren't any commands that can be given so the AI does pretty much whatever it feels like. Luckily the AI is pretty decent so they manage to hold their own most of the time, but don't expect them to do much other then spray from behind cover at a distance from the enemy. You can switch between characters by hitting select but I found myself sticking to the medic role for pretty much the entire game since you had a projectile which could revive downed friendlies which was really useful in the later parts of the game since the enemy AI is insanely accurate and will shred you when out of cover. Aside from that the game is really easy and the story isn't really to amazing it never really goes anywhere interesting and worst of all it has an ending which screams sequel kind of like Bulletstorm yet you now that's probably never going to happen.

I would rate this game as OK to maybe slightly good, but I would say it is probably much improved if you can gather some friends for the co-op which supports up to 4 players.

The Bureau Xcom Declassified

Short Version:
It's a watered down version of a Band of Brothers style squad shooter, set in a watered down 60s era x com universe, and featuring pretty so-so graphics/story. It's strong points are the squad skills and commands, and side missions which have much better stories and pacing then the main game. Overall it's a decent game in general, but it is lacking a lot of the strategy and depth that you would expect from a Xcom game.

This is a decent game but it definitely falls short when compared to the rest of the Xcom series. Really this is like a very watered down Xcom universe in a really watered down Band of Brothers game . To put it simply this isn't the strategic game you might be expecting based on the other games in the series. There is no base building, no research(you can find weapons/back pack blue prints in the wild, but they are just instantaneously added to your inventory), there are no time limits, squads are restricted to 3 people, maps are pretty linear aside from a few short branching paths with loot, and you are confined to the U.S. except for 2 missions near the end.

The atmosphere is pretty nice however and the whole 60s vibe is pretty neat. However this can be a very ugly game at times there is a lot of texture pop in and the textures themselves are still pretty pixelated and blurry when they load in making a lot of objects/characters look kind of portly constructed.

The game play while pretty good with a decent challenge from start to finish if you play veteran or higher. You have pretty solid control of your allies thanks to a very well constructed squad order system which slows time and gives you access to a decent amount of orders as well as an over head view of the map. About the only issue I had in terms of squad control were the ability boundaries of the soldiers many times their is a circular radius of effective range at which the skills can be used but the game has a hard time with vertical changes so if your squad mate is behind cover the cursor won't simply jump over the cover when moved forward you literally have to navigate around the obstacle which is impossible if the obstacle extends outside of the effective range since your cursor is restricted from moving outside of it. Other then that I really liked the skills and skill trees for each of the classes although I really feel that the lvl cap of 5 is way to low/easy to reach and the main characters lvl cap of 10 would have been more reasonable allowing for a lot more diversity in skills. Also while there are slots for 10+ squad members I never found myself using more then 5-8 since there aren't any time constraints on missions, their complexity sets a combined level cap which is never above 10 and there are only 2-3 dispatch(text based noninteractive) missions between each main mission which can easily be handle by 3-4 agents since they also complete as you do the side missions that open up between main missions .

The story on the other hand sucked in my opinion. The characters just weren't that great in my opinion and the overarching story quality while having a few interesting twists was pretty so-so in a lot of areas. I especially didn't like the main character Carter especially for the last quarter of the game and the ending was just crap . I think the place where the game did best was the side missions which came in at around 20-30 minutes in length and were much more interesting in my opinion. It was also nice that the locations were different for each mission and each one had elements that added to the mini story surrounding the events that took place there.

[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 *new*
The Order: 1886 - PS4 *new*

Total: 23

Previously: 2014 | The First 400 Games

Goddamn these PS2 MK games are pretty great. I think I liked Deception even more than Deadly Alliance. I also spent a lot of time with this one on its PSP port ("Unchained"), though only cleared it on a reasonable number of credits on the PS2. I feel like they have made bosses much harder than they ever were on the 2D games. I can get straight to them without dying and then have to really struggle to not get wiped out.

The Order: 1886 is a solid game in the fine tradition of stuff like Resident Evil 4 and Dead Space, but set in a steampunk late 19th Century London against a Jack the Ripper, Arthurian, and Lycan mythos. Oh, and Nikola Tesla is basically Q to your 007, so that's cool. I don't get the hate that this game has engendered. It was a well-paced game with interesting characters, a memorable world, solid writing reminiscent of its pulpy influences, and top-notch voice acting and sound. It is also the best looking console game I've played. The combat is fast, fun, and has a lot of various weapons that are each unique. Yes, it is only 6-8 hours long. In my book, that's a sweet spot for a game like this and it is perfect for a weekend romp. I'd give it a solid 8.5/10. I wouldn't call it a system seller, but if you have a PS4 you owe it to yourself to jump on this one ASAP.

[jmbarnes101]

My oldest daughter, 11, just beat Attack of the Friday Monsters: A Tokyo Tale and really enjoyed it. She's playing the post credits game now and continuing to battle others as she really enjoys the monster card game. This game was very short, about 4 hours, but has a nice art style and quality story based gameplay.

[Exhuminator]

January
1. Devil's Attorney (Android) (good game)
2. Resident Evil 5 (360) (good game)
3. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (360) (good game)
4. Dragon Quest VIII (PS2) (great game)
5. Gears of War (360) (decent game)

February
6. Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Vita) (decent game)
7. Orcs & Elves (DS) (good game)
8. From The Abyss (DS) (decent game)
9. Army of Two (360) (decent game)

Army of Two is about one thing; cover shooting, cover shooting, and definitely cover shooting. If you're into that, you will find this game is extremely adept at that style of combat. The challenging enemy AI is above average, gunplay feels solid, and the controls are simple. The standout feature of Army of Two is its aggro mode in tandem with split-screen co-op; making a mediocre game far more entertaining if played as such. However the threadbare plot, lack luster graphics, and one trick pony gameplay means this is certainly not an army for one.

[noiseredux]

1. Beavis And Butt-Head In Virtual Stupidity (PC)
2. Renegade Ops (PC)
3. Arena Of Octos (Apple II)
4. Beauty And The Beast (Intellivision)
5. Chivalry (Apple II)
6. Donald Duck's Playground (C64)
7. Left 4 Dead (PC)
8. Left 4 Dead 2 (PC)
9. Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered (PC)
10. Forward To The Sky (PC)

This is a nice little indie game that can be tackled in a sitting. Took me 2 hours. Sort of a mix between 3D Zelda combat and the sort of puzzle/platforming you'd see in a game like Ico. It has a nice fantasy anime look to it. It's nothing amazing or new, but it's certainly a quaint little game. I'd suggest scooping it up on sale sometime anyway.

[emwearz]

Games Beaten 2015

1. New Super Mario Bros. 2 - 3DS
2. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker - Wii U
3. God of War - PS2
4. Gunman Clive - 3DS
5. Dead Space 3: Awakened (DLC) - PC
6. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - DS
7. Rogue Legacy - PS4
8. Spinmaster - Neo Geo (Via Neo Geo X)
9. The Walking Dead: Season Two - PC
10. Transistor - PS4

Total Games for 2015: 10

Spinmaster - Neo Geo (Via Neo Geo X)
This game is completely awesome, it i like a far more platform centric Metal Slug, I actually played it through back to back it was so good. The first time cost me 9 credits, the second 5. Great game, I highly recommend it to anyone who has never played it.

The Walking Dead: Season Two - PC
I started playing when the episodes first rolled out, then after episode 4 came out I just got bored and was not excited, finally finished it. Best way to sum it up is as that, not exciting. Just a far weaker version of the first game and as it came out the same time as The Wolf Among Us, it really looked weak.

Transistor - PS4
Transistor is by the same studio that brought us Bastion and just like Bastion it has some beautiful visuals and some great narration (this time it is not a straight narrator like the first game). The game is also different, while looking very similar. It is not an action hack and slash like the first (it could be though, but much harder this way) it is much more akin to a strategy RPG, you must use limited actions with your move, when you use them all you have to run around on the fly until your meter fills again.

Great fun, though quite short.

[Exhuminator]

January
1. Devil's Attorney (Android) (good game)
2. Resident Evil 5 (360) (good game)
3. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (360) (good game)
4. Dragon Quest VIII (PS2) (great game)
5. Gears of War (360) (decent game)

February
6. Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Vita) (decent game)
7. Orcs & Elves (DS) (good game)
8. From The Abyss (DS) (decent game)
9. Army of Two (360) (decent game)
10. Psychic World (Master System) (subpar game)

Psychic World is a very forward thinking platformer held back by archaic difficulty choices. Forward thinking (for its time) in that the protagonist is female and uses psychic powers instead of guns to progress. Said psychic powers are used in multitudes of ways to solves puzzles throughout the game world, leading to a rather unique action platformer indeed. However the designers are quick to kill the player often in ways the player could not predict beforehand, leading to oldschool trial and error gameplay. Unless the player possesses their own ESP powers, it will take super human patience instead to see them through this game's challenging world.

[isiolia]

1.) Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (PC)
2.) Transistor (PC)
3.) Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death (PC)
4.) Wolfenstein: The New Order (PC)
5.) The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (PC)
6.) Dragon Age: Inquisition (PC)
7.) Guilty Gear Xrd Sign (PS4)

(Cleared arcade mode with standard cast, which netted the trophy for clearing it and unlocked all the videos. Watched story mode, did some tutorial/challenge stuff)

Thoughts:

Outside of getting access to the IP back, the big success seems to be in establishing a solid foundation for future entries. We've seen plenty of 2.5D fighters, but this is the first I've seen that looks near spot-on like HD sprites - until it shifts perspective. The look is right, the feel is right, and all on the Unreal engine to boot.

A likely common complaint though, is the lack of characters, especially when a lot of the not-yet-included are series staples, and two of the new characters are DLC (granted, one would have been "free" had I bought the game a couple weeks sooner). Given how Arc has handled those in the past, they'll likely be standard inclusions on the next release, but still. Only one of my regularly used characters made the cut this time.

The story mode also feels somewhat sparse. While it certainly runs on long enough, the only interaction is stopping every so often to let you save your progress. Basically, it's a several hour long cutscene, where previous ones (like those in the Blazblue series) take on more of a visual novel format with per-character paths and choices. Also, it picks up from Guilty Gear 2, which I haven't played

I don't doubt future entries will be increasingly packed with options and goodies, since that's what prior Guilty Gear and Blazblue games have done (or what, say, KoF XII to XIII did). Would have been nice if it was a teensy bit more robust out of the gate though.

[Ack]

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)

As per tradition, I beat Metal Slug at least once a year, but usually several times. I finally sat down(or stood up I should say) and played through it in 2015 in two player with a buddy of mine from college. 8 credits total spent. I've done better but am out of practice.