Games Beaten 2016

[Sarge]

Oh man I totally missed that Batman GB clear. I still can't make it past 4-2, the auto scrolling area.

Honestly, I think I lucked out a bit. I came really close to dying a couple of times, and managed to just slip through. I think I cut 4-3 even closer, almost died a few times but went full-clutch until I got a heart pickup. Also, lots of Batarangs are awesome.

By the time I realized I had a no-death run going, I started feeling the jitters I usually get when things get tight. It's a good thing I was able to finish it quickly, otherwise I would have started fudging inputs like I often do when I get nervous.

[ElkinFencer10]

Oh man I totally missed that Batman GB clear. I still can't make it past 4-2, the auto scrolling area.

Honestly, I think I lucked out a bit.

I think that's a nice way of saying "I'm a thousand times better than you scrubs will ever be."

[Sarge]

I actually feel a little inadequate when I see what folks to do rip apart games like Battletoads or Ninja Gaiden III or whatever. I'm the one that looks like a scrub! I don't know if I'd ever be able to scale that mountain... or if I had the patience to stick to one game that long. Too many games to beat, ya know?

[MrPopo]

I actually feel a little inadequate when I see what folks to do rip apart games like Battletoads or Ninja Gaiden III or whatever. I'm the one that looks like a scrub! I don't know if I'd ever be able to scale that mountain... or if I had the patience to stick to one game that long. Too many games to beat, ya know?

Like that swordless NGIII run from AGDQ this year?

[jamesbuc]

Oops. Forgot to update this..

1. Cubot (Xbox One version)
2. Child of Light (Xbox One version)
3. Toy Story 3 (Xbox 360 version)
4. Tomb Raider Legend (Xbox 360 version)
5. Injustice: Gods Among Us (Ps4 version - Story mode completed and Arcade mode twice)
6. Never Alone (Ps4 Version - Main game and DLC)
7. Virtues Last Reward (Vita)
8. One Piece Pirate Warriors (Ps3)
9. The Last Door Season Two: Episode One (PC)
10. Adventures of Bertram Fiddle Episode One (PC)
11. Party Hard (PC)
12. Capcom Fighting Jam (Ps2 - Arcade mode completed twice)
13. Under the Skin (Ps2)
14. Rain (Ps3)
15. Lasercat (PC)
16. Adventure AdLib (PC)
17. Dogs Life (Ps2)
18. Dear Red - Extended (PC)
19. Maken Shao: Demon Sword (PS2)

20. Pac-Man Rally (Ps2)

One of the many various Mario-Kart esque titles that come out every so often. For the most part its fun enough, its speedy, it looks good and controls well... But its also just far too easy, Computer Players just dont happen to be aggressive enough, nor do they even attempt to use the shortcut system the game uses, turning each race into a one sided thing about a lap and a half in. The levels themselves are also pretty 'cartoon racer stock' like Namco just ticked off a list of common tropes and went 'Eh thats good enough'.

21. Broforce (Ps4)

This game starts out really good, its fast, frantic and full of silly action-movie references. Problem is, once you start hitting the last couple of levels, things just drag on, level sets get too large and the game itself starts suffering horribly from slowdown and a variety of irritating glitches and bugs. Not to mention the bosses soon start becoming totally unbeatable for certain characters, making the overall difficulty too random.

22. Guaclamelee Super Turbo Championship Edition (Xbox One)

Second time through, this time on hard. Overall its a very fun (if short) mix of metroidvania and beat-em-up. The difficulty is a little random (Bosses are often quite easy even on hard but the random arena fights seem to vary from stupid simple to ridiculously hard depending on how busy the screen is at any given tme)

[ElkinFencer10]

I actually feel a little inadequate when I see what folks to do rip apart games like Battletoads or Ninja Gaiden III or whatever. I'm the one that looks like a scrub! I don't know if I'd ever be able to scale that mountain... or if I had the patience to stick to one game that long. Too many games to beat, ya know?

I've beaten Battletoads, but I spent an entire semester playing a bare minimum of 3 hours a day every day with one of my friends my junior year of high school. We beat Battletoads/Double Dragon the same way. We definitely didn't "rip apart" those games, though; it was ball breaking level memorization and no small amount of luck.

[Exhuminator]

it was ball breaking level memorization

This is really what most of these oldschool hard assed games are about. Memorizing everything that's going to come at you, and remembering exactly when to react against the preconceived challenges. I'm not saying it still doesn't take good reflexes to make use of that memorization, but those reflexes are being used in tandem with dozens if not hundreds of previously failed attempts, which burn in the muscle memory of what's coming up.

Now that's not to discredit Sarge or Bootsy for their accomplishments, don't get me wrong. I'm just saying that if Bootsy had never played I Wanna Be The Guy, and sat down to do so, he would die left and right for a long time, until he memorized every bit of it, and then he'd suddenly seem magically gifted to someone seeing him play through it. Because they wouldn't be taking into account the hours and hours of practice it took to do so.

A while back I was working on a 2D platformer with randomly generated levels. The idea was to constantly present an ever changing challenge to the player. Meaning they could never get good at the game by sheer rote memorization, but rather actual skill in learning the finer mechanics of the experience. I didn't finish the game unfortunately, but I did let Sarge play a beta of it. I remember him saying it was really hard. Admittedly it needed more polish, but hey it was a beta.

[Sarge]

I actually feel a little inadequate when I see what folks to do rip apart games like Battletoads or Ninja Gaiden III or whatever. I'm the one that looks like a scrub! I don't know if I'd ever be able to scale that mountain... or if I had the patience to stick to one game that long. Too many games to beat, ya know?

Like that swordless NGIII run from AGDQ this year?

The insanity. Man. But just watching speedruns boggles my mind. Those folks are ridiculously good. The blindfolded Punch-Out!! was amazing as well. I'm thinking... the last time I beat that, it took me a good ten or so shots at it, and they're doing it live, while blindfolded. Just... wow.

And yes, it was hard, Ex.

Really, though, I alluded to it before, but there are so many times in the older platformers in particular that I've drawn from experience from all the others that I've played before. Certain techniques to avoid shots, techniques for tough jumps, all sorts of little tricks that, when you see the situation arise, you don't panic, you just say, "I got this."

Xumy isn't selling me short (thanks!); I still like to think I've got mad skills, just... not as mad as the best. I do wonder from time to time, though, if I'd ever be able to play just one game (say, Street Fighter) and get good enough to be competitive at the higher tiers.

And yes, I Wanna Be The Guy kicks my butt, too. That's what I consider to be a troll game, though. While many platformers are reliant on memorization, most of the good ones give you a bit of time to react. That's more of a "gotcha" platformer, taking your gaming instincts and making them work against you. I personally don't like games like that.

[Exhuminator]

Xumy isn't selling me short (thanks!); I still like to think I've got mad skills

Oh no no, definitely not decrying your abilities. You'd stomp all over my ass in a platformer contest. But I'd utterly annihilate you in an FPS arena. There is balance in the cosmos.

[ElkinFencer10]

Xumy isn't selling me short (thanks!); I still like to think I've got mad skills

Oh no no, definitely not decrying your abilities. You'd stomp all over my ass in a platformer contest. But I'd utterly annihilate you in an FPS arena. There is balance in the cosmos.

I stomp you both in the realm of irresponsible spending.