Games Beaten 2016

Post by **MrPopo** » Sun Oct 09, 2016 10:33 pm

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

I told myself I wasn't going to buy this; I'd heard it was more of the new style and lots of people were disappointed with it. Then they put the game on super deep sale and I said what the hell. I kinda wish I had left it unpurchased; the game isn't BAD, it's just not what I want in any way, and it doesn't even resolve story threads like Resident Evil 5 did.

So the game is another new-style RE game, and it continues the trend of recent RE games of having a partner. In this game you get to pick at the start of your playthrough which person in the partnership you want to play as. As a result they actually managed to make the pair of characters not feel like one is primary and one is just there for co-op. At many points the two characters need to split up, and the game does a good job of making the amount of instances partner A needs to save partner B equal the number of times the roles are reversed. Additionally, they've balanced the partner AI extremely well. The partner knows how to do whatever things only that character can do, and your partner is effectively invincible and has unlimited ammo. This means unlike Sheva your partner is a good combat helper as well, and you don't need to worry when you split up. In fact, the only major time when it would have been much easier to have a human is Chris's last boss fight if you control Chris due to the fight mechanics that involve timing the AI isn't very good at pulling off. The partner system is definitely a strong part of RE6.

The game is divided into four chapters, each following a thread of the intertwined story. You definitely need to play them all in order to really understand what's going on with the story. Each chapter does play differently. Leon's plays closest to RE4, with a focus on melee zombies and the occasional elite that requires more work. Chris's focuses massively on combat, with many of the setpieces having additional AI partners throwing out fire. Sherry's (it's not Jake's dammit, he's the newcomer) takes some cues from Nemesis, at least in terms of one of the story pieces, and in terms of combat it's an amped down version of Chris's. And then Ada's ends up being more about some stealth and a lot of acting from the shadows. Ada's also ends up having the only actual puzzles in the game.

I want to touch a bit on the thing that really turned me off on the game; the J'avo. This latest RE enemy is a human that has a virus that causes him to potentially mutate if a body part takes critical damage. For example, dealing damage to the arm might make the arm turn into a combat tentacle. If they haven't mutated yet then they'll just shoot you a bunch, and since they're zombies in a modern game they can survive several headshots. This is the point where modern RE fully abandons survival horror and just goes with Call of Duty: Zombies. It's incredibly disappointing.

The other thing that utterly drove me crazy was how often the game decided to switch camera control from a fixed over the shoulder to a straight fixed camera while leaving the controls to be camera relative. Sometimes this is just annoying, like when the game wants you to notice something but you're still trying to check for loot boxes. Other times it's a massive liability, like when it's doing a chase sequence and then changes the camera on you for maximum cinematics; meanwhile you run into a wall and deal with your character bouncing off. The devs elected to have players actively rebound off the wall rather than just slide along it. I had several deaths due to this system, and it felt like utter bullshit each time.

I'm just really glad to have this over with. I'm still super cautiously curious about RE7, since it seems to not involve "lets shoot all the zombies", but we'll see. I'm worried it might wrap all the way around to completely forced stealth instead. I want a puzzle game like the old RE games, dammit. The zombies should be obstacles to be dodged or worked through, not the focus of the gameplay.

Post by **MrPopo** » Mon Oct 10, 2016 10:50 pm

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

Well this was a nice palette cleanser after RE6. Knuckles Chaotix is the Sonic game for the 32X expansion. In addition to not featuring either Sonic or Tails, the thing that makes it unique is the rubber band gameplay. Now, normally when you hear rubber band you think of how the AI in Mario Kart will ALWAYS be right on your heels. However, in this game it's much more literal. The game is played with two characters with the second available for either CPU control or player control. These two characters each hold a golden ring, and these two rings are connected to each other by a magic force that acts like a rubber band. This is the unique gameplay gimmick that the entire game is built around.

For an idea of how it works, let me describe what the B button does, which is the most important button in the game. If you hold down B while you are not near your partner your partner will hold in place. Sometimes you'll use this to cancel their momentum, but usually you'll use it to set up something. As an example, if you are having your partner hold and then run past them, slowly stretching out the rubber band until its at its limit, then release B, your partner will slingshot in the direction you're moving, giving you a burst of speed. A slightly more advanced but even faster trick is to stretch in the opposite direction you want to go. Then, you release the D-Pad first, then as you move past your partner you release the B button. This gives you an immense amount of speed; when you get going this actually ends up being the fastest 2D Sonic game. The other use of the B button is to grab ahold of your partner while you are standing next to them. This will allow you to throw your partner. This can give you boosts through platforms, as many floors can be jumped through. Additionally, if your partner is on a platform above you and you are hanging free you can hold down to stretch the rubber band, then release to rocket up. Properly managing this new set of physics is the main goal of the game.

Unfortunately, the level design ends up being pretty flat. The levels are incredibly maze like, but in a bad way. The design is very poor at giving you an idea of where to go, and the multiple paths available thanks to character abilities or nailing various tricks means you're always afraid you're going in the wrong way, or going a long way around when there was a faster way just next to it. Additionally, the levels feel very samey. While aesthetically they are differentiated pretty well in terms of layout they all feel very similar. Other Sonic games do an excellent job of making each level play differently, while here all the levels play the same.

One of the weird things about this game is that instead of going through a linear sequence of acts and stages here you have five acts divided into five stages each. You pick each stage by stopping a roulette wheel, and after each stage you repick. So you might go 1-1, then 2-1, then 1-2, then 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, etc. The fifth stage is a boss stage, but like Sonic 1 it's a full stage before the boss. This results in a much flatter difficulty curve, as the roulette moves fast enough that a casual player is not going to be able to pick stages in order. So while a later stage in an act does increase the difficulty a bit, it's a very gradual growth, and it resets for every act. Additionally, this is the hardest Sonic to die in. There are no pits, very few spikes, not many enemies, and you only die if you take a hit when you have no rings and no partner; when you take a hit with no rings your partner goes off screen for 5ish seconds before coming back. There was one boss where it was literally impossible for me to die due to the mechanics (you always had to use your partner to hit it, he couldn't hit you on the ground, and you couldn't reach him without your partner). This is also the easiest final boss in a Sonic game; it actually starts you with 10 rings (as in, it gives it to you without you picking them up) and only one form has a reasonable shot of doing damage to you. The final form can't even hit you unless you jump into its death beam.

The game also has bonus stages, earned by getting 50 rings at the goal and jumping in the giant ring (like Sonic 1). It's similar to the special stages of Sonic 2 in that you have a 3D tunnel to run through. Here you collect blue spheres, if you don't have enough at the goal you repeat the segment, and rings act as your timer; there are rings in the tunnel and you come in with the number of rings you ended the stage with. These quickly get hard and the payoff isn't there; all you get is a different ending graphic on the credits.

Knuckles Chaotix is a pretty fun platformer but it's definitely the weakest of the 2D Sonic games. I'd say it's not worth buying a 32X for, but if you have a 32X you should definitely get it.

Post by **Flake** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 6:56 pm

3/19: Sonic Generations (3DS)
3/22: Sonic Colors (Wii)
4/10: Sonic Adventure DX (GCN)
4/17: Knuckles in Sonic 2 (SG/WiiVC)
6/15: Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness (PSP/PSTV)
8/4: Metal Slug (Arcade/PS4)
8/5: Metal Slug 2 (Arcade/PS4)
8/5: Metal Slug X (Arcade/PS4)
8/5: Metal Slug 3 (Arcade/PS4)
8/22: Megaman X (SNES/GCN)
8/29: Megaman X2 (SNES/GCN)
9/3: Megaman X3 (SNES/GCN)
9/3: Megaman X4 (PSX/GCN)
9/4: Megaman X5 (PSX/GCN)
9/5: Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (PSN/PS3)
9/6: Street Fighter V (PS4)
9/10: Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo (PSX)
9/17: Dragonball Xenoverse (PS4)
10/1: Metal Gear Solid (PSX/PS3)
10/09: Marvel vs Capcom 2 (Dreamcast)

I strongly doubt I have anything to say about MvC2 that has not been said.

Here is an idea I don't get: Having lost access to SNK, Marvel, or Tatsunoko characters, why is Capcom not making a pure Marvel vs Marvel game? Red Earth, Rival Schools, Street Fighter, Lost Planet, Megaman, ect. The damn thing would print money.

HLTB · Post by **Xeogred** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 7:28 pm

Capcom is on life support. They can only put out a 25% finished Street Fighter, new Resident Evil games, and remasters. :lol:

Post by **ElkinFencer10** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 8:44 pm

Xeogred wrote:Capcom is on life support. They can only put out a 25% finished Street Fighter, new Resident Evil games, and remasters.

I'm hoping Resident Evil 7 will be amazing and breathe new life into the series.

Post by **PartridgeSenpai** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 9:46 pm

Xeogred wrote:Capcom is on life support. They can only put out a 25% finished Street Fighter, new Resident Evil games, and remasters.

It really is sad not only how afraid to take risks they've become, but also how much of their old talent they've lost. It's just a result of how bad the economy is and has been in Japan though. Big companies like that are just getting too afraid to take risks with how much games cost to make and how much more competition for gamers' attention there is nowadays

HLTB · Post by **Xeogred** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 10:28 pm

I'm really disappointed that their Souls-esque game Deep Down is probably all but dead. But who knows, I've been hearing that Nioh actually started development like a decade ago and was scrapped over a few times, now that one looks amazing. Maybe Capcom will go back to Deep Down again someday...

It's funny that Platinum Games do so much more than Capcom nowadays, when they were kind of ex-Capcom from the start. Only disappointing thing about them is that they get stuck with a lot of licensed work that doesn't really interest me... but it probably helps them fund other better projects. Very excited to see them developing Nier 2 with Square's money, I'm way more interested in that than Scalebound even.

At the very least I get the sense that Capcom tries to care though, unlike Konami. I'll keep supporting their ports/remasters/collections since I find so many of their classics to be some of the most replayable games ever, but yeah. Hope they can make a comeback eventually. Their Westernized plan of the previous gen probably almost tanked them completely.

Post by **Markies** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 10:54 pm

1. Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader (GCN)
2. Max Payne (XBOX)
3. Eternal Poison (PS2)
4. Dragon Warrior III (NES)
5. Arkanoid: Doh It Again(SNES)
6. Super Mario Brothers 2 (NES)
7. Phantasy Star Online (DC)
8. Power Stone (DC)
9. Bare Knuckle 3 (GEN)
10. Thousand Arms (PS1)
11. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (GCN)
12. Mega Man 5 (NES)
13. Ninja Gaiden (NES)
14. Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (XBOX)
15. Mega Man 6 (NES)
16. Metal Saga (PS2)
17. Mafia (XBOX)
18. Parasite Eve (PS1)
19. Shining Force (GEN)
20. San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing (N64)
21. Bushido Blade 2 (PS1)
22. Street Fighter Alpha Anthology (PS2)
23. ActRaiser (SNES)
24. Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
25. Mario Power Tennis (GCN)
26. Crimson Skies: High Road To Revenge (XBOX)

I beat Crimson Skies: High Road To Revenge on the Microsoft XBOX this evening.

I don't have too much experience with flying games. Hell, I didn't like flying until a few years ago. The only flying games that I really enjoyed were the Rogue Squadron series. With that in mind, I had heard several good things about Crimson Skies. I remember the reviews and the price is dirt cheap, so I decided to give it a shot.

The setting and story are really interesting. You play a sky pirate with an Indiana Jones type attitude in a bizarre twist on American History. After the Depression, the nation became divided and people took to the skies. It's an interesting concept and one I wish they did more with.

However, the game play is utterly fantastic. This is the best flying game I have ever played. It is fast, furious and I never once felt out of control. I had a complete handle on my plane and I was moving at free will.

The story is a bit hackneyed at times and the missions can get a bit repetitive. However, I never noticed it while playing the game. It's just too much fun to play. It was quite enjoyable and comes recommended for anybody that has interest.

Post by **PartridgeSenpai** » Wed Oct 12, 2016 9:37 am

Partridge Senpai's 2016 Beaten List
1-50

51. Axiom Verge
52. Otomedius Excellent
53. JUMP Ultimate Stars
54. Dynasty Warriors 3

55. Fire Emblem if: Byakuya (Birthright) (3DS)

This was a really good game, and a very smart evolution over Awakening in many ways. I'm going to keep this fairly short and sweet comparatively to my other reviews, since I don't really feel I have that much to say that hasn't already been said about this game mechanically.

The change-up to the support system took a LOT of getting used to (like more than half of the game), but it's a nice change. It actually forces you to think tactically about your units' positioning short of just "put fat guy in front and squishies in back." Awakening made it far too easy to just make fat guy-mobile guy pairs that could just run around and fuck everything with impunity, so it's nice that I never ran into that here.

The story was also very good. I mean, this IS Fire Emblem we're talking about, so it did feel a little drawn out at times, although I would say markedly less than other installments (especially Awakening which has a serious identity crisis with what it actually wants the narrative to be about when it basically totally changes the plotline halfway through and then changes it back at the very end). The heartfelt moments really felt it, I genuinely didn't see the twists coming, and the voice acting was actually very good and was never annoying. This is a good time to clarify that I DID play the Japanese version, and am very well aware of the god-awful terrible English voice over they shat this game out with.

Verdict: Highly Recommended. If you're a fan of strategy games or Fire Emblem, then you've probably already played this. If you haven't somehow or have been intimidated by the series' difficulty up to now, then this is a great entry point, as things like Phoenix mode really put the game on some fantastic training wheels that just let you experience the story at your leisure.

(Onto Anya! (Conquest))

Post by **pierrot** » Wed Oct 12, 2016 10:43 pm

1-50

51: Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II (FC)
52: Biohazard 2 (DC)

I beat Leon's story in Biohazard 2, yesterday. I wasn't too impressed with it while hanging around the police station, but after fighting the first boss, I started to really enjoy it a bit more. I kind of forgot how terrible tank controls are, and it felt like all of the enemies were always in much closer proximity, compared to the first game--I couldn't seem to, "nope," out of bad situations, or run by enemies as easily, anyway. I think I'll probably play through Claire's ura mode, but I'm on the fence about going through the other two. Is there really much difference in going through Claire's story to Leon's ura?

One thing that really bothered me about Leon's story, though:

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