Games Beaten 2016

[Xeogred]

Markies, look two posts back for REmake.

That would be a good one to hit up next.

[Sarge]

January:

1) Bonk's Adventure (NES)
2) Little Samson (NES)
3) Holy Diver (NES)
4) Holy Diver (NES) (legit!)
5) Mitsume Ga Tooru (NES)
6) TMNT II: The Arcade Game (NES)
7) Mighty Final Fight (NES)
8] Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES)
9) Monster In My Pocket (NES)
10) Battle of Olympus (NES)
11) Gunstar Heroes (GEN) (repeat)
12) Dragon Age: Inquisition (PS4)
13) Dragon Age: Inquisition - Trespasser (PS4)
14) Captain America and the Avengers (NES)
15) StarTropics (NES)
16) Double Dragon II: The Revenge (NES) (save states)
17) Double Dragon II: The Revenge (NES) (legit)
18) Crisis Force (NES)
19) Esper Dream 2 (NES)
20) Felix the Cat (NES)
21) Moon Crystal (NES)
22) Panic Restaurant (NES)
23) Frankenstein (NES)
24) Crystalis (NES)
25) Nekketsu Kakutou Densetsu (NES)

February:

26) Killer Instinct (GB)
27) Mashin Hero Wataru Gaiden (NES)
28) Sly Spy (ARC)
29) The Red Star (unreleased XBOX, also on PS2)
30) Adventure Island 4 (NES)
31) Cocoron (NES)
32) Batman: Arkham Knight (PS4)
33) Xeodrifter (VITA)
34) Doom 2 (PC)
35) Brandish: The Dark Revenant (PSP)
36) Magical Pop'n (SNES)
37) The Ninja Warriors (SNES)
38) Phantasy Star (SMS)
39) Phantasy Star III (GEN)
40) Super Smash Bros. for 3DS (3DS)
41) Brandish: The Dark Revenant (Dela Mode)

March:

42) Freedom Planet (Milla, 82 lives lost) (PC)
43) Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (PC)
44) Lara Croft Go (AND)
45) Oniken (PC)
46) Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (3DS)
47) Batman: The Video Game (GB)
48) Batman: The Video Game (NES)
49) Super Spy Hunter

April:

50) Mega Man 2 (NES)
51) Mega Man 4 (NES)
52) Mission: Impossible (NES)
53) Mega Man 6 (NES)
54) Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
55) Sword Master (NES)
56) DuckTales 2 (NES)
57) Rush'n Attack (NES)
58) Mega Man 3 (NES)
59) Mega Man 5 (NES)
60) Mega Man (NES)
61) S.C.A.T. - Special Cybernetic Attack Team (NES)
62) TaleSpin (NES)
63) Double Dragon III (NES)
64) Donkey Kong (NES)
65) Astyanax (NES)

May:

66) Master Chu and the Drunkard Hu (NES)
67) The New Ghostbusters II (NES, proto)
68) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PSP, via Dracula X Chronicles)
69) Revenge of Shinobi (GEN)
70) Shinobi III (GEN)
71) Shadow Dancer (GEN)
72) El Viento (GEN)
73) Earnest Evans (GEN)
74) One Must Fall 2097 (PC)
75) A Nightmare on Elm Street (NES)
76) Hebereke (NES)
77) Contra (NES)
78) Wario Land: Shake It! (WII)
79) Gimmick! (NES)
80) Ninja Gaiden (GG)
81) Wai Wai World 2 (NES)
82) Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II (NES)
83) Uncharted: Golden Abyss (VITA)
84) Double Dragon (SMS)

June:

85) Astra Superstars (SAT)
86) Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (360)
87) Star Wars: Dark Forces 2 - Jedi Knight (PC)
88) Star Wars: Dark Forces (PC)
89) VVVVVV (PC)
90) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist (GEN)
91) Broforce (PS4)
92) Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight (PC)
93) The Terminator (SCD)
94) Aban Hawkins and the 1001 Spikes (PC)
95) Electronic Super Joy (PC)
96) Golden Axe (GEN)
97) Double Dragon (GB)
98) Double Dragon II (GB)
99) Double Dragon III (GB)
100) Super Mario Land (GB)
101) Kirby's Dream Land (GB)

July:

102) Vapor Trail (GEN)
103) King Colossus (GEN)
104) Kirby: Planet Robobot (3DS)
105) Curse of Issyos (PC)
106) Alisia Dragoon (GEN)
107) Curse of the Crescent Isle DX (PC)
108) Tales of Hearts R (VITA)
109) Flashback (SCD)
110) Rayman Legends (VITA)
111) Wonder Boy in Monster World (GEN) (via 360)
112) Altered Beast (ARC)
113) Altered Beast (GEN)
114) Song of the Deep (PS4)

August:

115) Tatsunoko vs. Capcom (WII)
116) Another Metroid 2 Remake (AM2R) (PC)
117) Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (GEN)
118) Streets of Rage (GEN)
119) Technobabylon (PC)
120) Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (GB)
121) Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe (GG)

September:

122) Xenoblade Chronicles X
123) Final Fight (ARC) (via Final Fight: Double Impact)
124) Magic Sword (ARC) (via Final Fight: Double Impact)
125) Castlevania: Circle of the Moon

Ah, the first post-SotN Castlevania game. Despite its little quirks, it's a solid entry in the series. Default movement speed is far too slow, and double-tapping to run can get old, but otherwise exploration is pretty solid. The high jump is actually much improved.

One thing that can definitely be said about this one is that it's got some teeth to it. I played a bit rushed, and I have to admit I save-stated against Dracula a lot just to get it done. I was woefully underleveled, so it was pretty tough. I don't feel bad about doing so, as I beat this on an original GBA fifteen years ago in every single mode, and I've got a 100% playthrough on the original. It's always interesting to see what you remember and what you forget when you wait that long between replays.

Anyway, don't let its reputation scare you if you haven't played it yet, it's a good one.

[Xeogred]

One of my favorites actually. I like that it has a distinct look, unlike the five that followed which basically just rehash SoTN's style. CoTM looks like something that would have come out on the SNES/Genesis.

[PartridgeSenpai]

The game is utterly flawless. There were only a few small areas where I was frustrated with the controls. At every single moment, I felt like I was in complete control. I never felt like I was too under powered or even over powered. The progression is simply phenomenal as the enemies never felt too difficult. Only one boss really felt cheap in the entire game.

Which one was that, if you don't mind me asking? There was a boss or two that I just immediately RPG'd in the face (once I actually learned when they were vulnerable), so I didn't really have a chance to fight them properly.

Also, the story is rather intriguing. You never notice that large chunks of the game are one large escort mission. It is implemented so well that it goes off without a hitch. Plus, Ashley is never a pain and never gets in your way. It is done so well that you do not even notice it.

Having also played through this recently, I must give a dissenting opinion that Ashley is never a pain or gets in the way. There were multiple defense sections that were well designed, that I will admit (especially in the castle, tough but not unfairly so), but Ashley really needed a "Get the fuck over here"-button. There were many times (one arena in particular) where her AI just kept on getting killed over and over because of how she's programmed (instantly ducking if you pull out your gun while she isn't behind you is a very annoying mechanic at times). Especially since she instantly dies if she's hit by the tiniest piece of your shrapnel (which is ridiculous compared to the beatings she can take from other enemies) so it's nearly impossible to use heavy firepower to get her out of a crowded situation that she gets into, made the Ashley sections my least favorite parts of that game.

[Markies]

Markies, look two posts back for REmake.

That would be a good one to hit up next.

It's funny, but the more modern entries into the series are the ones that I would be interested in. I wouldn't mind playing RE5 or RE6 and the ReMastered versions look interesting as well. But, alas, I don't have any modern machines...

I have heard good things about the GameCube Remakes and I should look into those as they may have fixed some of the issues I had with them.

The game is utterly flawless. There were only a few small areas where I was frustrated with the controls. At every single moment, I felt like I was in complete control. I never felt like I was too under powered or even over powered. The progression is simply phenomenal as the enemies never felt too difficult. Only one boss really felt cheap in the entire game.

Which one was that, if you don't mind me asking? There was a boss or two that I just immediately RPG'd in the face (once I actually learned when they were vulnerable), so I didn't really have a chance to fight them properly.

Also, the story is rather intriguing. You never notice that large chunks of the game are one large escort mission. It is implemented so well that it goes off without a hitch. Plus, Ashley is never a pain and never gets in your way. It is done so well that you do not even notice it.

Having also played through this recently, I must give a dissenting opinion that Ashley is never a pain or gets in the way. There were multiple defense sections that were well designed, that I will admit (especially in the castle, tough but not unfairly so), but Ashley really needed a "Get the fuck over here"-button. There were many times (one arena in particular) where her AI just kept on getting killed over and over because of how she's programmed (instantly ducking if you pull out your gun while she isn't behind you is a very annoying mechanic at times). Especially since she instantly dies if she's hit by the tiniest piece of your shrapnel (which is ridiculous compared to the beatings she can take from other enemies) so it's nearly impossible to use heavy firepower to get her out of a crowded situation that she gets into, made the Ashley sections my least favorite parts of that game.

The boss fight that really annoyed me was the El Gigante fight, especially with the Dog. No matter what I did, he was always on top of me and I could never get a good shot off. I beat him with one sliver of health left with no extra healing items.

There is a 'Stay Here Ashley' and a 'Get over here Ashley' button. That helped a ton. There was one part, I don't remember where, when I had a little trouble. However, most of the time, I either had her hide somewhere or she was fine right behind me. The times when you have to snipe her to safety was rather enjoyable. But, I really never had a problem with her. I just took it really slow and made sure to have my back to the wall so that she was well protected.

I can understand where you are coming from as sometimes it straddles the line between fair and unfair. But, it never went to far into cheap territory. It was always manageable and I really couldn't tell the difference between Ashley sections and non-Ashley sections.

[Exhuminator]

I'm now curious to try other entries and see if they are like this.

RE4 is the best in the series. I doubt you'll find another RE that reaches that height for you again. But... Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil (GameCube remake), and Resident Evil Revelations are worth playing.

[MrPopo]

Just a note, only RE1 had a GC remake. The other GC games were bare bones ports (except 0, which was a brand new title). And RE1's remake probably doesn't change anything that bothered you; the graphics were redrawn in high rez (compared to PS1), the story aspects actually got a budget, and a few of the tricks and traps were altered to catch old hands off guard. It's still tank controls, and there's actually a new type of zombie that's fast and likes to fuck your shit up if you don't know how to handle them.

[noiseredux]

But REmake is still amazing and should be played. Play it.

[PartridgeSenpai]

Just a note, only RE1 had a GC remake. The other GC games were bare bones ports (except 0, which was a brand new title). And RE1's remake probably doesn't change anything that bothered you; the graphics were redrawn in high rez (compared to PS1), the story aspects actually got a budget, and a few of the tricks and traps were altered to catch old hands off guard. It's still tank controls, and there's actually a new type of zombie that's fast and likes to fuck your shit up if you don't know how to handle them.

+1

RE's 1-3, even the REmake, are nothing like RE4 mechanically. The closest one I can think of is RE Revelations, and the Revelations 2 if you still want that style of RE (and both Revelations are also very good games, which helps). Then, if you still want that balance of resource management and horror with really good action, I'd say just play the original Dead Space.

[Exhuminator]

104. Umihara Kawase Shun: Second Edition|PS1|2000|platformer|37m|7/10



The Umihara Kawase series started on Super Famicom, continued onto the DS, and 3DS eShop and I think it's even on Steam now. I can't keep up with the ports. What I can tell you is that all of the games in the series are basically the same thing. You play as a high school girl walking around a strange aquatic themed world, filled with dangerous sea creatures who also walk around. To maneuver you must use your springy fishing rod to attach to surfaces and swing around. It's a bit like Bionic Commando, but more chaotic with weirder rubber band physics. You can also catch the sea creatures with your rod, and capture them into your backpack for points. To finish a level you must swing around, avoid getting killed by fish/spikes/bottomless pits, and find an exit door. It's simple in concept.



However understanding this game and playing this game successfully are very different things. The original Umihara Kawase is legendary for its difficulty, and the PS1 sequel is even harder. If you don't master this game's wonky physics and strange swinging mechanics, you'll never get far. And even then, there are wicked bosses to deal with. Honestly I enjoyed the Super Famicom original more than this PS1 sequel. The PS1's physics feel a little sloppier, and the polygon based levels sometimes obscure edges in a way that's not entirely fair to the player. What I did love was the OST. Both the PS1 and the SFC games have amazing chillax OSTs, that will help calm your nerves when you want to rage. And you will rage.



So if you're in the mood for a quirky and challenging platformer, give Umihara Kawase Shun: Second Edition a try. Play it on PS1 as an import, or import the DS version instead, which includes this game along with the SFC original. Even if you don't enjoy the gameplay, the music alone is worth it. And if you do enjoy the gameplay, these are games to be mastered for speed runs (there's a speed run system built in). Also a fair amount of replayability as there are multiple paths of progression, leading to different stages and bosses (this is true for the SFC original as well). I can't recommend this series to just anybody, but you true platformer lovers should try an Umihara Kawase game at least once.

For more information on the series: http://kawasefan.net/umihara-kawase-media

---
How hard is this game? Well GameFAQs lists it as the number 3 hardest PS1 action game:



And here's what HG101 has to say about the first game's difficulty:

"The game is also draconian in difficulty. Everything kills you in one hit, bottomless pits haunt your existence, and the game demands incredibly crazy stunts just to barely survive. There's no continue or save game function, so once you're out of lives, you need to start from scratch. And yet it's all very possible with some practice; veterans can make this game look really easy, which seems a bit unfair to the rest of us amateurs, and it's a favorite amongst speed runners."

And what HG101 had to say about this more difficult sequel:

"Once again you must trust in your fishing pole to spring, bounce, pull, and swing you around every deadly corner. This game has more bottomless pits, more spikes, more stunts, and less mercy. In other words, the perfect update for fans of the original. The new gameplay challenges you to learn every old trick in a new way. Fortunately, once mastered, this game is actually easier for pulling off stunts. And that's a good thing too, because this sequel has no shortage of crazy challenges, especially if you take the more obscure paths."

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/umihara/umihara.htm