Games Beaten 2016
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alienjesus
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 8776
- Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2009 7:10 pm
- Location: London, UK.
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Juan Aguacate
- 24-bit
- Posts: 193
- Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2016 10:49 pm
Re: Games Beaten 2016
I remember actually having a rough time with some of the stages in Rhythm Thief. And I've played games like PaRappa, Space Channel 5, Bust a Groove, and UnJammer Lammy without any issues
I also didn't like having to constantly tap on the screen to find stuff in Rhythm Thief. I'm not gonna say it's a bad game, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped I would
I also didn't like having to constantly tap on the screen to find stuff in Rhythm Thief. I'm not gonna say it's a bad game, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped I would
Re: Games Beaten 2016
January:
February:
March:
April:
May:
June:
July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:
159) Rise of the Tomb Raider - Lara's Nightmare (PS4) (DLC)
160) Titanfall 2 (PS4)
161) Soul Blade (PSX)
162) Axiom Verge (PC)
163) Owlboy (PC)
164) Nitro Ball (ARC)
165) Desert Breaker (ARC)
166) Dead Connection (ARC)
167) Crystal of Kings (ARC)
168) Crime Fighters (ARC)
169) Vendetta (ARC)
170) Super Contra (ARC)
171) Contra (ARC)
172) Sunset Riders (ARC)
173) Rastan Saga (ARC)
174) Growl (ARC)
175) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (ARC)
176) Red Clash (ARC)
177) Dreaming Sarah (PC)
178) Crimson Clover WORLD IGNITION (PC)
179) Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (PS4)
180) Adventures of Mana (AND)
Finished off Adventures of Mana. The easiest way to sum up the game is to ask this question: Did you enjoy Final Fantasy Adventure? If you did, you'll enjoy this, particularly if you're looking at a new playthrough. If you didn't, this won't change your mind. It's a new coat of paint, a higher-res PSX-era look for a game that started the Mana series. It's just as snappy and simple as it was on the original Game Boy.
Just make sure you keep keys stocked, and save often. This is so much of a port that you can actually get stuck in one of the dungeons if you run out of keys, a level design flaw that was also in the original game. You'll also want to keep Mattocks on hand until you get the Morningstar.
You can also customize your build, through Warrior/Monk/Sage/Wizard levels. These add to the four main stats, in different amounts. All level-up choices give at least one point to MND and VIT, with Sage and Monk giving two points to those stats, respectively. Warrior and Wizard give two points to STR and INT, to the exclusion of each other. If you're looking to min/max (i.e. grind to the highest level), you'll want to stick to STR/INT level-ups, since you'll always get points in MND and VIT. I pretty much went nearly full strength, only taking INT every now and then to get my MP pool up. Ignoring VIT will make you a little bit of a glass cannon on some bosses, but some of the special moves shred them so well that it won't matter. That spinning sword attack is legit.
I should also point out the game is pretty darn easy. I know there's a little bit of auto-lock on some weapons, and I'm assuming that's for touchscreen players. I played with a Moga, and it made for a nice experience. I really don't remember how aggressive enemies were in the original, but the ones in the last area really didn't attack too much, so it might be a good bit easier than the original. I need to revisit the game, it's probably been 20 years since I last beat it. Just... not now, obviously.
By the way, the remixed music is great, but if you're feeling really nostalgic, you can switch to the original GB music.
It's on sale right now, or at least it was when I bought it. $6.99 for around ten hours of entertainment ain't bad at all. 8/10.
February:
March:
April:
May:
June:
July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:
159) Rise of the Tomb Raider - Lara's Nightmare (PS4) (DLC)
160) Titanfall 2 (PS4)
161) Soul Blade (PSX)
162) Axiom Verge (PC)
163) Owlboy (PC)
164) Nitro Ball (ARC)
165) Desert Breaker (ARC)
166) Dead Connection (ARC)
167) Crystal of Kings (ARC)
168) Crime Fighters (ARC)
169) Vendetta (ARC)
170) Super Contra (ARC)
171) Contra (ARC)
172) Sunset Riders (ARC)
173) Rastan Saga (ARC)
174) Growl (ARC)
175) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (ARC)
176) Red Clash (ARC)
177) Dreaming Sarah (PC)
178) Crimson Clover WORLD IGNITION (PC)
179) Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (PS4)
180) Adventures of Mana (AND)
Finished off Adventures of Mana. The easiest way to sum up the game is to ask this question: Did you enjoy Final Fantasy Adventure? If you did, you'll enjoy this, particularly if you're looking at a new playthrough. If you didn't, this won't change your mind. It's a new coat of paint, a higher-res PSX-era look for a game that started the Mana series. It's just as snappy and simple as it was on the original Game Boy.
Just make sure you keep keys stocked, and save often. This is so much of a port that you can actually get stuck in one of the dungeons if you run out of keys, a level design flaw that was also in the original game. You'll also want to keep Mattocks on hand until you get the Morningstar.
You can also customize your build, through Warrior/Monk/Sage/Wizard levels. These add to the four main stats, in different amounts. All level-up choices give at least one point to MND and VIT, with Sage and Monk giving two points to those stats, respectively. Warrior and Wizard give two points to STR and INT, to the exclusion of each other. If you're looking to min/max (i.e. grind to the highest level), you'll want to stick to STR/INT level-ups, since you'll always get points in MND and VIT. I pretty much went nearly full strength, only taking INT every now and then to get my MP pool up. Ignoring VIT will make you a little bit of a glass cannon on some bosses, but some of the special moves shred them so well that it won't matter. That spinning sword attack is legit.
I should also point out the game is pretty darn easy. I know there's a little bit of auto-lock on some weapons, and I'm assuming that's for touchscreen players. I played with a Moga, and it made for a nice experience. I really don't remember how aggressive enemies were in the original, but the ones in the last area really didn't attack too much, so it might be a good bit easier than the original. I need to revisit the game, it's probably been 20 years since I last beat it. Just... not now, obviously.
By the way, the remixed music is great, but if you're feeling really nostalgic, you can switch to the original GB music.
It's on sale right now, or at least it was when I bought it. $6.99 for around ten hours of entertainment ain't bad at all. 8/10.
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ElkinFencer10
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 8621
- Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:34 pm
- Location: Henderson, North Carolina
- Contact:
Re: Games Beaten 2016
Games Beaten in 2016 So Far - 130
January (20 Games Beaten)
February (8 Games Beaten)
March (8 Games Beaten)
April (13 Games Beaten)
May (6 Games Beaten)
June (13 Games Beaten)
July (7 Games Beaten)
August (15 Games Beaten)
September (8 Games Beaten)
October (10 Games Beaten)
November (6 Games Beaten)
December (16 Games Beaten)
130. Weapon Shop de Omasse - 3DS - December 27
Weapon Shop de Omasse is a very unique game. To some folks, that isn't going to be a good thing. I wasn't sure how I felt about it for the first 30 or 45 minutes, but the game grew on me after a while. It ended up being a good kind of "unique" for me. It's another of Level 5's games, so you know it's going to be creative if nothing else. I can safely say that I've never played another game quite like it.
So you play as an apprentice blacksmith working in his master's shop to fill weapon orders on a rental system. Apparently demand for weapons has soared SO MUCH amidst fears of the Evil Lord's return that the raw materials for weapons have dried up, making supply unable to keep up. The way around this is to use what materials blacksmiths can afford to make weapons to rent rather than to sell. Weapon Shop de Omasse is a unique blend of tycoon sim, rhythm game, and RPG. You decide what weapons to make across different types (sword, axe, spear, dagger, etc) and what stats to make weapons for (slash, pierce, or blunt). Different customers will prefer different types of weapons and fight enemies weak to different damage types, so you have to take that into consideration. You also lose the weapon and receive no money if the customer fails his or her quest, so you have to be selective with regards to who you rent weapons to and who you deny. This is where the tycoon sim aspect comes into play.
When you're actually making the weapons is the rhythm game aspect. When you forge a weapon, you get a hunk of superheated metal that you have pound into shape by tapping the touch screen in time with the rhythm of the background music (don't worry, they give you markers like any rhythm game). The longer your streak is, the better your weapon's stats are. This is my one grip with the game - there are certain places on the weapon that striking will give you diminished points (but still count as a hit for your streak) as well as certain places that you're not supposed to hit and count as a miss even if you're in time. The problem is that I couldn't figure out how to tell where you're supposed to hit and where you're not. I'm sure there is a way to tell, and the game probably even told me in the tutorial after I had gotten bored reading it, but I couldn't figure it out.
Now for the RPG element, both your customers and your weapons level up. Each time a customer completes a quest, he or she levels up, and every time a quest is completed with a particular weapon, that weapon gains experience points. When you polish your weapons, these points are added to its stats. You can also polish each weapon once after forging before it's used in a quest, and I made a point to do that when I had time, but the stat increase is marginal when it hasn't been used in a quest. That's where a bit of risk vs reward comes into play; do you send a particularly strong weapon with a customer on a quest or not? If you do, your customer will have a better chance of completing the quest, netting you money, materials, and more experience for your weapon; if the customer fails that quest, though, you lose your awesome strong weapon forever with nothing in return. Decisions, decisions.
There are two types of customers that you'll encounter. You've got your main customers, and each of them have distinct personalities - a pair of acrobatic twins, an adorable old grandmother who was a kick ass warrior in her youth, a stereotypical warrior guy, an overzealous Frenchman, a samurai, a lady pirate, and a drag queen with way too much ass showing (he used male pronouns, so he wasn't transgender). You also have your NPCs, and that's actually what they're called - NPC E, NPC R, NPC A, etc. They're very aware of their status as NPC in a fourth wall shattering sort of way; if you give on a really strong weapon, he'll say "Wow, you sure you don't want to save this one for a real character?" and after completing a quest, some will say "I'll be back later! I'm going to go walk in circles saying the same thing over and over again." It's funny, but it doesn't break the 4th wall so much that it's irritating.
Weapon Shop de Omasse is a longer game than you would expect, but it's charming. Within the first hour, you'll probably know whether or not it's a game that you'll like. I, personally, loved it, and I definitely recommend it, especially if you want a more laid back management game. It's not a fast paced action game, but it is a clever game that shows you the OTHER side of role playing games.
January (20 Games Beaten)
February (8 Games Beaten)
March (8 Games Beaten)
April (13 Games Beaten)
May (6 Games Beaten)
June (13 Games Beaten)
July (7 Games Beaten)
August (15 Games Beaten)
September (8 Games Beaten)
October (10 Games Beaten)
November (6 Games Beaten)
December (16 Games Beaten)
130. Weapon Shop de Omasse - 3DS - December 27
Weapon Shop de Omasse is a very unique game. To some folks, that isn't going to be a good thing. I wasn't sure how I felt about it for the first 30 or 45 minutes, but the game grew on me after a while. It ended up being a good kind of "unique" for me. It's another of Level 5's games, so you know it's going to be creative if nothing else. I can safely say that I've never played another game quite like it.
So you play as an apprentice blacksmith working in his master's shop to fill weapon orders on a rental system. Apparently demand for weapons has soared SO MUCH amidst fears of the Evil Lord's return that the raw materials for weapons have dried up, making supply unable to keep up. The way around this is to use what materials blacksmiths can afford to make weapons to rent rather than to sell. Weapon Shop de Omasse is a unique blend of tycoon sim, rhythm game, and RPG. You decide what weapons to make across different types (sword, axe, spear, dagger, etc) and what stats to make weapons for (slash, pierce, or blunt). Different customers will prefer different types of weapons and fight enemies weak to different damage types, so you have to take that into consideration. You also lose the weapon and receive no money if the customer fails his or her quest, so you have to be selective with regards to who you rent weapons to and who you deny. This is where the tycoon sim aspect comes into play.
When you're actually making the weapons is the rhythm game aspect. When you forge a weapon, you get a hunk of superheated metal that you have pound into shape by tapping the touch screen in time with the rhythm of the background music (don't worry, they give you markers like any rhythm game). The longer your streak is, the better your weapon's stats are. This is my one grip with the game - there are certain places on the weapon that striking will give you diminished points (but still count as a hit for your streak) as well as certain places that you're not supposed to hit and count as a miss even if you're in time. The problem is that I couldn't figure out how to tell where you're supposed to hit and where you're not. I'm sure there is a way to tell, and the game probably even told me in the tutorial after I had gotten bored reading it, but I couldn't figure it out.
Now for the RPG element, both your customers and your weapons level up. Each time a customer completes a quest, he or she levels up, and every time a quest is completed with a particular weapon, that weapon gains experience points. When you polish your weapons, these points are added to its stats. You can also polish each weapon once after forging before it's used in a quest, and I made a point to do that when I had time, but the stat increase is marginal when it hasn't been used in a quest. That's where a bit of risk vs reward comes into play; do you send a particularly strong weapon with a customer on a quest or not? If you do, your customer will have a better chance of completing the quest, netting you money, materials, and more experience for your weapon; if the customer fails that quest, though, you lose your awesome strong weapon forever with nothing in return. Decisions, decisions.
There are two types of customers that you'll encounter. You've got your main customers, and each of them have distinct personalities - a pair of acrobatic twins, an adorable old grandmother who was a kick ass warrior in her youth, a stereotypical warrior guy, an overzealous Frenchman, a samurai, a lady pirate, and a drag queen with way too much ass showing (he used male pronouns, so he wasn't transgender). You also have your NPCs, and that's actually what they're called - NPC E, NPC R, NPC A, etc. They're very aware of their status as NPC in a fourth wall shattering sort of way; if you give on a really strong weapon, he'll say "Wow, you sure you don't want to save this one for a real character?" and after completing a quest, some will say "I'll be back later! I'm going to go walk in circles saying the same thing over and over again." It's funny, but it doesn't break the 4th wall so much that it's irritating.
Weapon Shop de Omasse is a longer game than you would expect, but it's charming. Within the first hour, you'll probably know whether or not it's a game that you'll like. I, personally, loved it, and I definitely recommend it, especially if you want a more laid back management game. It's not a fast paced action game, but it is a clever game that shows you the OTHER side of role playing games.
Exhuminator wrote:Ecchi lords must unite for great justice.
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prfsnl_gmr
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 12202
- Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 10:26 pm
- Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Re: Games Beaten 2016
I am glad to see the positive reviews for Shantae 1/2 Genie Hero. I picked up a copy of the game a couple days ago, and I am playing through it with my children right now. I love playing it, and they love watching it. It looks great; it sounds great; and it is overflowing with charm (even if it is a bit too easy).
.....
Elkin: I am glad that I am not the only one who plays through ridiculous, completely random 3DS eShop games. My collection on that system is completely out of control, and if you are ever looking for any recommendations, please let me know.
.....
First 50
51. Armillo (WII U)
52. Human Resource Machine (iOS)
53. Alone in the Dark (iOS)
54. The Room 3 (iOS)
55. Monument Valley (iOS)
56. Hysteria Project (PS3/PSP)
57. Azarashi (iOS)
58. Pink Hour (iOS)
59. Kero Blaster (iOS)
60. Pink Heaven (iOS)
61. Severed (iOS)
62. Rex Rocket (iOS)
63. Potatoman Seeks The Troof (iOS)
64. Bloo Kid (iOS)
Well...It's official...I have now beaten ten other games while playing through DQVII. I'll reach the end eventually...
.....
Rex Rocket is a Mega Man-inspired, hard-as-nails action platformer with light "metroidvania" exploration elements and an amazing soundtrack. I really appreciated the game's design, and I certainly appreciated its tough-but-fair difficulty. I spent so much time fighting the touch controls, however, that it soured my experience somewhat. I also never felt compelled to "explore" all the game had to offer, and I completed it with only 80% or so of the items and upgrades hidden throughout the game. (If every section of the game had not been so grueling, I might have found exploration a little more fun.) Accordingly, I would heartily recommend this game to anyone that can play it with the tactile controls, but I have a hard time recommending the iOS port.
Potatoman Seeks the Troof is a surreal platformer that is to Pitfall! (2600) what Hotline Miami is to Metal Gear (NES). That is, it is an approximation of playing a classic game on acid, peyote, Mountain Dew Baja Blast, etc. It only lasts about 40 minutes, and I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. (In addition to Pitfall!, the game reminded me a bit of the drastically underrated 3DS eShop title 50 Pinch Barrage. I recommend it to anyone seeking a short diversion.
I picked up Bloo Kid because Bloo Kid 2 is the game after Bloody Vampire in my 3DS eShop collection and because I hate playing series out of order. It ended up being a remarkably fun and challenging single-screen, hop-and-bop platformer that, while looking and sounding like the wretched DOS platformers of my youth, plays drastically better than any of them. In it, clearing a level of all the enemies grants you one star and the ability to move to the next level, picking up the star that drops at the end of a level grants you an additional star, and clearing the level without taking any damage grants you a perfect, three-star score. You have to accumulate a set number of stars to open up each of the games eight worlds, and simply clearing all the levels is insufficient to proceed. It is not too challenging to acquire perfect scores in the first world, but I settled into being satisfied with two-stars about half-way through the second. Each world consists of 15 standard levels and a challenging boss battle, and while the gameplay is not the least bit varied, the game throws enough new challenges at you to keep things interesting through all six of its worlds (i.e., all 96 of its levels). I enjoyed it, and I am actually really looking forward to playing through its sequel (with tactile controls!).
.....
EDIT: I just realized how may "metroidvania" games I played this year. Here is my ranking of all the 2D ones I played this year:
All of them are good, and I recommend all of them to fans of the genre. (Ninja Smasher! was the genre's biggest surprise, and despite its low ranking, I was quite satisfied with Bloody Vampire.) I am also certain that Rex Rocket would have edged out both Dust and Ninja Smasher! if I had played it with tactile controls.
.....
Elkin: I am glad that I am not the only one who plays through ridiculous, completely random 3DS eShop games. My collection on that system is completely out of control, and if you are ever looking for any recommendations, please let me know.
.....
First 50
51. Armillo (WII U)
52. Human Resource Machine (iOS)
53. Alone in the Dark (iOS)
54. The Room 3 (iOS)
55. Monument Valley (iOS)
56. Hysteria Project (PS3/PSP)
57. Azarashi (iOS)
58. Pink Hour (iOS)
59. Kero Blaster (iOS)
60. Pink Heaven (iOS)
61. Severed (iOS)
62. Rex Rocket (iOS)
63. Potatoman Seeks The Troof (iOS)
64. Bloo Kid (iOS)
Well...It's official...I have now beaten ten other games while playing through DQVII. I'll reach the end eventually...
.....
Rex Rocket is a Mega Man-inspired, hard-as-nails action platformer with light "metroidvania" exploration elements and an amazing soundtrack. I really appreciated the game's design, and I certainly appreciated its tough-but-fair difficulty. I spent so much time fighting the touch controls, however, that it soured my experience somewhat. I also never felt compelled to "explore" all the game had to offer, and I completed it with only 80% or so of the items and upgrades hidden throughout the game. (If every section of the game had not been so grueling, I might have found exploration a little more fun.) Accordingly, I would heartily recommend this game to anyone that can play it with the tactile controls, but I have a hard time recommending the iOS port.
Potatoman Seeks the Troof is a surreal platformer that is to Pitfall! (2600) what Hotline Miami is to Metal Gear (NES). That is, it is an approximation of playing a classic game on acid, peyote, Mountain Dew Baja Blast, etc. It only lasts about 40 minutes, and I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. (In addition to Pitfall!, the game reminded me a bit of the drastically underrated 3DS eShop title 50 Pinch Barrage. I recommend it to anyone seeking a short diversion.
I picked up Bloo Kid because Bloo Kid 2 is the game after Bloody Vampire in my 3DS eShop collection and because I hate playing series out of order. It ended up being a remarkably fun and challenging single-screen, hop-and-bop platformer that, while looking and sounding like the wretched DOS platformers of my youth, plays drastically better than any of them. In it, clearing a level of all the enemies grants you one star and the ability to move to the next level, picking up the star that drops at the end of a level grants you an additional star, and clearing the level without taking any damage grants you a perfect, three-star score. You have to accumulate a set number of stars to open up each of the games eight worlds, and simply clearing all the levels is insufficient to proceed. It is not too challenging to acquire perfect scores in the first world, but I settled into being satisfied with two-stars about half-way through the second. Each world consists of 15 standard levels and a challenging boss battle, and while the gameplay is not the least bit varied, the game throws enough new challenges at you to keep things interesting through all six of its worlds (i.e., all 96 of its levels). I enjoyed it, and I am actually really looking forward to playing through its sequel (with tactile controls!).
.....
EDIT: I just realized how may "metroidvania" games I played this year. Here is my ranking of all the 2D ones I played this year:
All of them are good, and I recommend all of them to fans of the genre. (Ninja Smasher! was the genre's biggest surprise, and despite its low ranking, I was quite satisfied with Bloody Vampire.) I am also certain that Rex Rocket would have edged out both Dust and Ninja Smasher! if I had played it with tactile controls.
Re: Games Beaten 2016
I can't even imagine playing Rex Rocket without a pad. Oof. How'd you manage that?
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BoneSnapDeez
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 20118
- Joined: Mon May 02, 2011 1:08 pm
- Location: Maine
Re: Games Beaten 2016
prfsnl_gmr wrote:All of them are good, and I recommend all of them to fans of the genre. (Ninja Smasher! was the genre's biggest surprise, and despite its low ranking, I was quite satisfied with Bloody Vampire.) I am also certain that Rex Rocket would have edged out both Dust and Ninja Smasher! if I had played it with tactile controls.
I have played bits of Ninja Smasher! and Bloody Vampire this year and have enjoyed both. They're both very "nostalgic" games - Ninja Smasher! has graphics that look ripped straight from Kirby and Bloody Vampire is a bit like Popful Mail. I'd like to finish both next year.
I'm new to the whole phone/tablet gaming scene. I really need to figure out which of my games can support controllers because I loathe touch controls.
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prfsnl_gmr
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 12202
- Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 10:26 pm
- Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Re: Games Beaten 2016
Sarge wrote:I can't even imagine playing Rex Rocket without a pad. Oof. How'd you manage that?
I had to restart a lot...
Truthfully, playing without a pad required me to really, really learn the bosses patterns and to think a little differently about the game's obstacles. I had to approach them a little more cautiously, and I had to plan my way through each section very carefully since: (1) my inputs would failed with some frequency; (2) I often had to use my eyes to ensure that I was pressing the right button; and (3) I had trouble pulling off some maneuvers that would have been easy with tactile controls.
It took a while to get used to them - and gaining the teleportation ability through me for a bit of a loop since I had to use even more buttons - but I eventually took down Lauren without too much difficulty. (The Crusher Bot gave me the most trouble.)
BoneSnapDeez wrote:I'm new to the whole phone/tablet gaming scene. I really need to figure out which of my games can support controllers because I loathe touch controls.
They're actually surprisingly great for adventure games, puzzle games, and RPGs, and they're not bad for shmups. Platformers, however...
Re: Games Beaten 2016
First 50:
51. Ori and the Blind Forest - Xbox One
52. AM2R - PC
53. Total Annihilation - PC
54. I Am Setsuna - PS4
55. Planetary Annihilation Titans - PC
56. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - PC
57. Dark Reign - Rise of the Shadowhand - PC
58. Dragon Age Inquisition - Jaws of Hakkon - PC
59. Dragon Age Inquisition - The Descent - PC
60. Dragon Age Inquisition - Trespasser - PC
61. The Witcher 3 - Hearts of Stone - PC
62. The Witcher 3 - Blood & Wine - PC
63. ReCore - Xbox One
64. Final Fantasy Tactics - PS1
65. Resident Evil 6 - PC
66. Knuckles Chaotix - 32X
67. Assault Suit Leynos - PS4
68. Might & Magic 2 - Gate to Another World - PC
69. Might & Magic 4 - Clouds of Xeen - PC
70. Might & Magic 5 - Darkside of Xeen - PC
71. Might & Magic 4&5 - World of Xeen - PC
72. Rise of the Triad - PC
73. Batman Arkham Knight - PC
74. Rise of the Triad (2013) - PC
75. Dishonored 2 - PC
76. TIS-100 - PC
77. Tyranny - PC
78. StarCraft II - Nova Covert Ops - PC
79. Raiden Fighters 2 - Xbox 360
80. Pokémon Omega Ruby - 3DS
81. Turok: Dinosaur Hunter - PC
82. 7th Dragon III Code VFD - 3DS
83. World of Final Fantasy - PS4
84. Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished - TG-CD
85. Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished - The Final Chapter - TG-CD
86. Duke Nukem 3D 20th Anniversary World Tour - PC
87. Titanfall 2 - PC
88. Final Fantasy - NES
89. Eradicator - PC
90. Final Fantasy II - NES
Final Fantasy II builds on what Square learned with Final Fantasy and is bigger in every way. It's also the single most broken entry in the series, even moreso than VIII in some ways. But on the flip side, if you're not breaking it you'll have a hard time with it due to the underlying system.
So most people know that Final Fantasy II is based around a system of "exercise it to increase it". If you swing with your sword your sword skill and strength go up. If you cast magic your spell level and int go up. If you lose a lot of health or MP those stats go up. If you get attacked a lot the relevant evasion multiplier goes up. All well and good. But at least on the NES version the balance is completely out of whack. Weapon/spell levels and evasion multipliers gain exp at the end of a battle, and once that reached 100 it levels up. However, the experience gained in a battle has the general formula of Uses - CurrentLevel + MonsterLevel + Bonus. So uses would be number of times you decided to attack someone/cast a spell at someone or the number of times an enemy attacks you/casts a spell at you. The bonus can be positive or negative; the bonus for spell experience is +3 (which encourages you to cast a bunch of magic in a single battle for a lot of total experience) while the bonus for physical evasion multiplier is -3 (so you need to be attacked a lot and only enemies count). MonsterLevel is a number from 1-7 that indicates approximately how hard enemies are; goblins aren't worth much to you compared to Malboros. The net result is that for these stats you tend to have a fairly solid progression through the game, as if fights keep lasting about the same amount of rounds then you're going to rise to a skill level that marches in step with the increasing monster difficulty. However, there's a bug with the weapon and skill levels. A use is defined as you selecting an attack or spell and then confirming it, so the control moves to the next character. If you then cancel and go back to the first character, you can repeat the action and get a second use. If you think this means you can guarantee a level up for your weapon in every single fight, you're right (cap is 16). You can do the same thing with spells, but it is much more tedious because there is a lot more menuing.
The other stats have a chance to go up at the end of combat under certain conditions. Strength, intelligence, and willpower will raise if a random number rolled between 1 and N is less than the number of times you attacked/cast black magic/cast white magic. N is 45 for strength, 25 for int, 15 for will. So if you select attack 46 times in battle then you get a guaranteed strength up. There's also a one in 8 chance that raising one of those stats will lower another. HP, Vit, MP, and Magic (which governs how much MP you gain on a level) have a chance of going up based on how much your ending HP/MP is compared to your starting HP/MP when compared to your max HP/MP. In other words, max HP divided by unhealed HP loss gives a number, then a random number is rolled and compared. Generally, losing half your HP/MP will pretty much guarantee a boost, and you need to lose at least 1/8th of your max for a chance. The way this can be exploited is the spell Swap, which trades your HP and MP with the target. A good target is the 6 HP goblins in the starting area. That will pretty much guarantee you get Vit up, HP up, Mgc up, MP up.
So as you can see, understanding the systems let you create this horribly buffed up characters that laugh at danger. I was completely immune to basic attacks and magic did pitiful damage to me. Occasionally high level status magic would get through, but my greatest danger ended up being some high level physical based attack "magic", things like rock throw, which broke through my defenses. I was regularly one and two shotting things, with the main exception being enemies whose defense was so high compared to my weapon power that I only got through damage on crits (it was clear the devs wanted me to use magic on them).
So moving past the hilariously broken game system, FFII focuses a ton on story. Your characters have portraits and speak and do missions for the princess as part of the rebellion against the empire. There's a system of learning keywords that is similar to Morrowind's conversation system, where speaking a keyword to someone can unlock additional information or cause them to join you. You also can sometimes use items to get someone's attention or activate something. Rather than FF1's "go on the quest to kill the four bosses" this game has objectives that make sense in the context of the rebellion. They've also updated how they handle general graphics; dungeons have taller walls and in general everything feels much larger. There's a clear evolution in the art.
I think if this game was a bit more traditional in terms of how character building worked that it probably would have been remembered better. FFIII uses the same combat algorithms and the same stats, it's just the growth is pretty much set in stone and tied to your level and job level. They even carry the stats into IV (though I don't know if the algorithms are all the same; the status screen definitely looks the same). FFII is also the place of a lot of firsts. You have the first appearance of several staples like Chocobos, Cid, Malboros, Couerls, Bombs, Flans, and Behemoths. The first boss music appears along with the Chocobo theme. And finally, the first appearance of the MP system.
51. Ori and the Blind Forest - Xbox One
52. AM2R - PC
53. Total Annihilation - PC
54. I Am Setsuna - PS4
55. Planetary Annihilation Titans - PC
56. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - PC
57. Dark Reign - Rise of the Shadowhand - PC
58. Dragon Age Inquisition - Jaws of Hakkon - PC
59. Dragon Age Inquisition - The Descent - PC
60. Dragon Age Inquisition - Trespasser - PC
61. The Witcher 3 - Hearts of Stone - PC
62. The Witcher 3 - Blood & Wine - PC
63. ReCore - Xbox One
64. Final Fantasy Tactics - PS1
65. Resident Evil 6 - PC
66. Knuckles Chaotix - 32X
67. Assault Suit Leynos - PS4
68. Might & Magic 2 - Gate to Another World - PC
69. Might & Magic 4 - Clouds of Xeen - PC
70. Might & Magic 5 - Darkside of Xeen - PC
71. Might & Magic 4&5 - World of Xeen - PC
72. Rise of the Triad - PC
73. Batman Arkham Knight - PC
74. Rise of the Triad (2013) - PC
75. Dishonored 2 - PC
76. TIS-100 - PC
77. Tyranny - PC
78. StarCraft II - Nova Covert Ops - PC
79. Raiden Fighters 2 - Xbox 360
80. Pokémon Omega Ruby - 3DS
81. Turok: Dinosaur Hunter - PC
82. 7th Dragon III Code VFD - 3DS
83. World of Final Fantasy - PS4
84. Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished - TG-CD
85. Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished - The Final Chapter - TG-CD
86. Duke Nukem 3D 20th Anniversary World Tour - PC
87. Titanfall 2 - PC
88. Final Fantasy - NES
89. Eradicator - PC
90. Final Fantasy II - NES
Final Fantasy II builds on what Square learned with Final Fantasy and is bigger in every way. It's also the single most broken entry in the series, even moreso than VIII in some ways. But on the flip side, if you're not breaking it you'll have a hard time with it due to the underlying system.
So most people know that Final Fantasy II is based around a system of "exercise it to increase it". If you swing with your sword your sword skill and strength go up. If you cast magic your spell level and int go up. If you lose a lot of health or MP those stats go up. If you get attacked a lot the relevant evasion multiplier goes up. All well and good. But at least on the NES version the balance is completely out of whack. Weapon/spell levels and evasion multipliers gain exp at the end of a battle, and once that reached 100 it levels up. However, the experience gained in a battle has the general formula of Uses - CurrentLevel + MonsterLevel + Bonus. So uses would be number of times you decided to attack someone/cast a spell at someone or the number of times an enemy attacks you/casts a spell at you. The bonus can be positive or negative; the bonus for spell experience is +3 (which encourages you to cast a bunch of magic in a single battle for a lot of total experience) while the bonus for physical evasion multiplier is -3 (so you need to be attacked a lot and only enemies count). MonsterLevel is a number from 1-7 that indicates approximately how hard enemies are; goblins aren't worth much to you compared to Malboros. The net result is that for these stats you tend to have a fairly solid progression through the game, as if fights keep lasting about the same amount of rounds then you're going to rise to a skill level that marches in step with the increasing monster difficulty. However, there's a bug with the weapon and skill levels. A use is defined as you selecting an attack or spell and then confirming it, so the control moves to the next character. If you then cancel and go back to the first character, you can repeat the action and get a second use. If you think this means you can guarantee a level up for your weapon in every single fight, you're right (cap is 16). You can do the same thing with spells, but it is much more tedious because there is a lot more menuing.
The other stats have a chance to go up at the end of combat under certain conditions. Strength, intelligence, and willpower will raise if a random number rolled between 1 and N is less than the number of times you attacked/cast black magic/cast white magic. N is 45 for strength, 25 for int, 15 for will. So if you select attack 46 times in battle then you get a guaranteed strength up. There's also a one in 8 chance that raising one of those stats will lower another. HP, Vit, MP, and Magic (which governs how much MP you gain on a level) have a chance of going up based on how much your ending HP/MP is compared to your starting HP/MP when compared to your max HP/MP. In other words, max HP divided by unhealed HP loss gives a number, then a random number is rolled and compared. Generally, losing half your HP/MP will pretty much guarantee a boost, and you need to lose at least 1/8th of your max for a chance. The way this can be exploited is the spell Swap, which trades your HP and MP with the target. A good target is the 6 HP goblins in the starting area. That will pretty much guarantee you get Vit up, HP up, Mgc up, MP up.
So as you can see, understanding the systems let you create this horribly buffed up characters that laugh at danger. I was completely immune to basic attacks and magic did pitiful damage to me. Occasionally high level status magic would get through, but my greatest danger ended up being some high level physical based attack "magic", things like rock throw, which broke through my defenses. I was regularly one and two shotting things, with the main exception being enemies whose defense was so high compared to my weapon power that I only got through damage on crits (it was clear the devs wanted me to use magic on them).
So moving past the hilariously broken game system, FFII focuses a ton on story. Your characters have portraits and speak and do missions for the princess as part of the rebellion against the empire. There's a system of learning keywords that is similar to Morrowind's conversation system, where speaking a keyword to someone can unlock additional information or cause them to join you. You also can sometimes use items to get someone's attention or activate something. Rather than FF1's "go on the quest to kill the four bosses" this game has objectives that make sense in the context of the rebellion. They've also updated how they handle general graphics; dungeons have taller walls and in general everything feels much larger. There's a clear evolution in the art.
I think if this game was a bit more traditional in terms of how character building worked that it probably would have been remembered better. FFIII uses the same combat algorithms and the same stats, it's just the growth is pretty much set in stone and tied to your level and job level. They even carry the stats into IV (though I don't know if the algorithms are all the same; the status screen definitely looks the same). FFII is also the place of a lot of firsts. You have the first appearance of several staples like Chocobos, Cid, Malboros, Couerls, Bombs, Flans, and Behemoths. The first boss music appears along with the Chocobo theme. And finally, the first appearance of the MP system.
Blizzard Entertainment Software Developer - All comments and views are my own and not representative of the company.
Re: Games Beaten 2016
prfsnl_gmr wrote:They're actually surprisingly great for adventure games, puzzle games, and RPGs, and they're not bad for shmups. Platformers, however...
That's exactly it. I had a fun time with Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis on my tablet, and I'm sure I'd enjoy more adventure games in that capacity. However, my love for platformers cannot be sated on a system with no tactile feedback. And since I love really tough games quite often (like Rex Rocket), I need a consistent control mechanism. Often touch-based platformers have been simplified too much, so that I don't find them particularly compelling anymore.