Games Beaten 2016

Post by **Ack** » Tue Jul 19, 2016 10:52 am

1. Metal Slug (MVS)(Run and Gun)
2. Puzzle Link (NGPC)(Puzzle)
3. Illusion of Gaia (SNES)(RPG)
4. Warhammer 40,000: Rites of War (PC)(Strategy)
5. Shadowrun: Dragonfall (PC)(RPG)
6. Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss (PC)(RPG)
7. Drakkhen (SNES)(RPG)
8. Flight of the Amazon Queen (PC)(Point and Click Adventure)
9. Shadowgrounds: Survivor (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)
10. Lufia & The Fortress of Doom (SNES)(RPG)
11. BioShock (PC)(FPS)
12. Jeopardy! Sports Edition (SNES)(Game Show Sim)
13. Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (PC)(FPS)
14. Thief Gold (PC)(Stealth)
15. Call of Duty 2 (PC)(FPS)
16. Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra (PC)(RPG)
17. Alone in the Dark (PC)(Survival Horror)
18. Silent Hill (PS1)(Survival Horror)
19. Sanitarium (PC)(Point-and-Click Adventure/Horror)
20. Gauntlet: Slayer Edition(PC)(Hack and Slash)
21. Mortal Kombat 3 (SNES)(Fighting)

Well, it took a bit less time than I was expecting, but I successfully defeated Shao Kahn and saved Earth Realm from his onslaught. I did it by cheesing the game, which I don't feel entirely thrilled about. In fact now that I think back on it, my experience playing Mortal Kombat's original 2D releases can all pretty much be summed up with cheese. It's about being cheap more than being good. Now a human opponent? Yeah, you should be good to go up against real folks. But the AI in early MK has pretty much always been ridiculous and problematic, so getting through is less a matter of actual skill and more about exploiting weaknesses.

What do I mean by that? Well, let's talk about MK3's problematic AI. If you win a match, the AI opponent in the next match will immediately attempt to brutalize you, regardless of the difficulty. I tested this on various difficulties and noted no difference between Very Easy and Very Hard for this first attempt at a match after a victory. Losing and continuing is where I noticed a difference, as on lower difficulties enemies were more prone to standing still and waiting for you, but even on Very Hard after a continue the AI never fought with the ferocity of the first match. Also regardless of difficulty, the first match of the Novice/Warrior/Master tree is pretty much always a joke, where the enemy just stands there and lets you hit them.

To get anywhere, you have to learn how to fight back. This took me a bit because of changes in the blocking controls from MK2(the R button is now used for running instead of blocking), so instead I adapted tactics for the character I was using(Sektor) to get off a cheesy 2-hit combo(starting with a homing missile) that knocked my opponent to the ground. I'd then rinse and repeat this over and over again for victory or mix it up with projectile spams. Often the enemy would just stand still for this, as MK3's non-first match AI tends to prefer a wait and see approach as opposed to the hyper offense of MK2's AI. Yet certain enemies much preferred to run in when in range, and I found these rushers like Nightwolf and Kabal a bit harder to deal with because they would set the tone of the match and put me on the defensive, as opposed to projectile spammers like Kano or Sonya Blade.

In general MK3 opponents don't seem to get caught up over jumpkicks the way they did in previous games...mostly. The first boss, Motaro, an ugly horned centaur, is still highly susceptible to jumpkicking, which is great since he appears to be immune to projectiles. Once taking to the air against him, the only real threat he tends to pose is via his throws, which can be devastating. However Shao Kahn is not such a pushover and immediately tended to go on the offensive with moves that stun even blocking opponents. I eventually resorted to spamming freezes with Sub-Zero to beat him. I don't feel like I accomplished anything beating these bosses this way. I just gamed a broken system.

Many of MK3's most interesting features are hidden as secrets, locked behind required cheats at specific points. Cheats are necessary for unlocking secret characters, but also for unlocking Tournament Mode so multiple players can duke it out. Surprisingly the ability to pause the game is locked behind a cheat code. I hate this idea and find it ridiculous. Sure, the arcade lacks a pause. The arcade isn't also in my living room, and I'm much more likely to get called away to take out the trash in the middle of a match at home than I am while surrounded by a cheering crowd in a bar. Other options include the ability to increase health, turn off certain types of moves, change recovery periods for certain attacks, black out the screen, extend Fatality time, cause characters to change every few seconds, and even play a knock off version of Galaga. Even when enabling some of these features, they are only available in multiplayer, such as the ability to play as bosses Motaro or Shao Kahn.

There were also heavy roster changes in MK3, with a variety of old characters not appearing in this particular entry, including my main Scorpion. Between the roster changes, the weird AI, and the need to use cheats for at least one option I consider a basic necessity at home, I really don't care much for MK3. It feels less like I learned how to play the game and more how to cheese it. It is pretty though, and the audio is generally solid. I believe Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 improves on the visual appeal further at the expense of some loss of audio and changed attacks...but it gives me Scorpion back along with Ermac, Rain, and Noob Saibot, so I'll take it.

One more NTSC-U SNES fighting game down. Four to go.

Post by **dsheinem** » Tue Jul 19, 2016 2:09 pm

Games Beaten 2016

Spirits of Xanadu - PC
Tales From the Borderlands: Episode 1 - PC
Operation C - Game Boy
That Dragon, Cancer - PC
Contra - NES
Super C - NES
Contra III - The Alien Wars - SNES
Tekken - PS1
The King of Fighters '99 - PS1
Street Fighter Alpha - PS1
Call of Duty: Black Ops III - PS4
Three Fourths Home - PC
Firewatch - PS4
Street Fighter V - PS4
Far Cry: Primal - PS4
Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax - PS3
BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma EXTEND - Xbox One
Android Assault Cactus - PS4
Table Top Racing - Vita
The Room - iOS
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle - PS3
The Room 2 - iOS
Broforce - PS4
Toybox Turbos - PC
Peggle 2 - PS4
R-Type (R-Type Dimensions) - 360
The Room 3 - iOS
Rampage - SMS
Doom (2016) - PS4
Dungeon Siege III - - 360
Uncharted 4 - A Thief's End - PS4
NES Remix - Wii U
Moon Chronicles: Episode 1 - 3DS
Outrun 3D - 3DS
Box Boy - 3DS
Splatoon - - Wii U
Nano Assault Neo X - PS4
Mamorukun Curse! - PS3
Hyperburner - iOS
The Beginner's Guide - PC
Halo 5: Guardians - Xbox One
POP: Methodology Experiment 1 - PC
Amplitude - - PS4
Slave of God - PC
Power Drift 3D - 3DS
Bio-Hazard Battle - Genesis
Thunder Force II - Genesis *new*
Thunder Force III - Genesis *new*
Lightening Force - Genesis *new*

Total: 49

Previously: 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

So after playing Bio-Hazard Battle and digging it, I decided I should probably play this little "Thunder Force" series that's been sitting on my shelf for years but with which I've never spent more than a few minutes. I know that people rave about the games, and so I figured "no time like the present" to give them a go.

I must say, after spending much of the last week with the series, I don't think I can be counted in the "OMG THUNDER FORCE!" camp. In fact, I really don't care for the series much at all. Despite some nice music and visual production across some of the levels (including most of those in IV), the gameplay really just didn't do it for me. There's no new hook, no interesting gimmick, no memorable encounters, and there are too many levels where you are forced to fight with either environmental or "gravity-based" obstacles that are cheap and annoying. I will say I generally like how the series progresses - I fired up an emulator and spent an hour or so with the horrid first Thunder Force game before seeing some nice refinement of its ideas in TFII. The hori levels in II are vastly improved upon in III, and the low difficulty curve of III is well adjusted (and perhaps over-adjusted) in IV. As a whole, though,I really think these games are more representative of the laziness seen in the deluge of shmups in the 90s than they are of its bright spots. Give me a Toaplan or Compile shmup any day over these. The Aleste series, the Gradius or R-Type games, and even stand-alone stuff like Gaiares and the aforementioned Bio-Hazard Battle are all better than the best that this series seems to offer.

I also played around with TFV, which I found to be less than inspired.

Is there any reason to toss VI in the PS2 before I put it up for sale?

Post by **Violent By Design** » Tue Jul 19, 2016 2:53 pm

prfsnl_gmr wrote:
Sarge wrote:Yeah, I agree, they're all good. It's like comparing the best Zelda game.

It's actually Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. (If you disagree or have trouble beating it, it is because you are bad at video games and because video games hate you so much.)

Also, Ghost Babel is really, really solid. It plays very similarly to the MSX games.

Punny

Post by **BoneSnapDeez** » Tue Jul 19, 2016 10:33 pm

1. Tenchi Sōzō (Super Famicom)
2. Eternal Senia (Steam)
3. Tombs & Treasure (NES)
4. Magic Knight Rayearth (Super Famicom)
5. Zelda no Densetsu: The Hyrule Fantasy (Famicom Disk System)
6. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES)
7. Seiken Psycho Caliber: Majū no Mori Densetsu (Famicom Disk System)
8. Deep Dungeon: Madō Senki (Famicom Disk System)
9. Deep Dungeon II: Yūshi no Monshō (Famicom Disk System)
10. Suishō no Dragon (Famicom Disk System)
11. Dandy: Zeuon no Fukkatsu (Famicom Disk System)
12. Lagoon (SNES)
13. Contra (NES)
14. Super C (NES)
15. Wonder Boy (Sega Master System)
16. OutRun (Sega Master System)
17. OutRun (Genesis)
18. Ninja Gaiden (NES)
19. Written in the Sky (Steam)
20. Wendy: Every Witch Way (Game Boy Color)
21. Mario Bros. (NES)
22. Popeye (NES)
23. Super Mario Bros. (NES)
24. Super Mario Bros. 2 (Famicom Disk System)
25. Phantasy Star II Eusis's Text Adventure (Steam - Sega Mega Drive & Genesis Classics)
26. Phantasy Star II Nei's Text Adventure (Steam - Sega Mega Drive & Genesis Classics)
27. Phantasy Star II Rudger's Text Adventure (Steam - Sega Mega Drive & Genesis Classics)
28. Phantasy Star II Anne's Text Adventure (Steam - Sega Mega Drive & Genesis Classics)
29. Phantasy Star II Huey's Text Adventure (Steam - Sega Mega Drive & Genesis Classics)
30. Phantasy Star II Kinds's Text Adventure (Steam - Sega Mega Drive & Genesis Classics)
31. Phantasy Star II Amia's Text Adventure (Steam - Sega Mega Drive & Genesis Classics)
32. Phantasy Star II Shilka's Text Adventure (Steam - Sega Mega Drive & Genesis Classics)
33. Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic (Famicom Disk System)
34. Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)
35. Super Mario Advance (Game Boy Advance)
36. Gunman Clive (Nintendo eShop)
37. Zaxxon (Xbox 360 - Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection)
38. Zaxxon (Atari 2600)
39. Zaxxon (Intellivision)
40. Zaxxon (ColecoVision)
41. Cosmic Avenger (ColecoVision)
42. Mr. Do! (ColecoVision)
43. Pepper II (ColecoVision)
44. Kirby's Dream Land (Game Boy)
45. Sakura Spirit (Steam)
46. Ys Eternal (PC)
47. Moon Patrol (Game Boy Color - Arcade Hits: Moon Patrol & Spy Hunter)
48. Ember Kaboom (Steam)
49. Hoshi no Kābī: Yume no Izumi no Monogatari (Famicom)

Another request from my daughter. This is simply the Japanese Famicom Kirby's Adventure. She prefers this version because the cartridge is pink.

One of the best platformers ever.

HLTB · Post by **Xeogred** » Tue Jul 19, 2016 10:50 pm

BoneSnapDeez wrote:49. Hoshi no Kābī: Yume no Izumi no Monogatari (Famicom)

Another request from my daughter. This is simply the Japanese Famicom Kirby's Adventure. She prefers this version because the cartridge is pink.

One of the best platformers ever.

Yes.

And I'm jealous we didn't get a pink cartridge.

Post by **BoneSnapDeez** » Tue Jul 19, 2016 11:04 pm

Famicom carts look so much better in general. They all have unique shapes and colors. No dead air space inside the carts.

The only (huge) downside is that there's no convenient way to open them.

Post by **Sarge** » Wed Jul 20, 2016 12:29 pm

January:

February:

March:

April:

May:

June:

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)

I have always held a fascination for Flashback. Ever since seeing the awesome screenshots of the game in GameFan (again, GameFan made almost everything look cool, though), as well as the Nintendo Power coverage, I've wanted to play through it. However, much like many games of its ilk, the controls always kept me from really getting into it, and after dying a few times, I would just give up and move on.

Not this time! Oh, no, this time I decided to really take more time to suss out the controls. And they are certainly obtuse, but eventually it makes sense. It, much like Prince of Persia, is a much more deliberate game than most. The animations are absolutely stellar, but this also creates a sort of unresponsiveness that can be infuriating. It's also remarkable how good it looks for a Genesis/Sega CD game, with the graphic design being really, really solid throughout.

There are lots of influences here from other movies, and I'll probably miss a few. Earth looks a lot like Blade Runner, you start the game in a very Total Recall-like manner, there's a mission that has you tracking down a replicant, a Running Man-esque game show sequence, and so on. Eventually, you foil an alien plot to take over the world, because of course you do!

So most of the game revolves around precision platforming and gunplay. You have a running jump, a standing one that's a bit counter-intuitive, ledge grabs, and other such chicanery. Your pistol is blessed with infinite ammo, thankfully. You've also got a nice dodge roll that will be necessary to succeed. There is also a force field that erects a barrier from shots for about a second, and it too will be necessary in one area in particular to hope to survive. You've also got a shield device that will save you from four hits, and the fifth will kill you. This can be replenished at recharge stations that are occasionally strewn through the levels. And you'll need them. There are also save points through the levels, but these are only temporary checkpoints, and you must clear an entire level to get a password. This is usually not problematic, but the second mission in the game is the absolute longest, and it can be pretty frustrating when you're ready to put it down, and it just keeps going and going and going. (Seriously, it has you taking various odd jobs, and it probably took me a couple of hours to clear.)

There's a longplay out there that finishes the game in under two hours, on hard. You're not going to do that the first go. Double or triple that time, because you'll be trying to figure out where to go, or recovering from deaths. Most of the puzzles revolve around finding keys or hitting switches, and while it can sometimes be frustrating, all of the puzzles have a sort of "video game logic" that won't stump veterans for very long.

Really, it is a very solid game, although clearly one from its time. The original versions were very impressive because they had polygonal cutscenes on a cartridge. That was actually one of the selling points. Of course, there were eventual CD versions, and they bumped up the models for the videos, but they look hilariously outdated (and really grainy on Sega CD), and it's certainly not as impressive as seeing what they implemented in cart form. However, I chose the Sega CD version as its often touted as the best iteration of the game, which apparently found its way to many, many platforms (PC, Amiga, Jaguar, Genesis, Sega CD, SNES, 3DO). I'd say it's solid 7/10 territory, but more impressive because of the graphical fidelity, which still holds up today. For my money, Blackthorne was more fun, but this is certainly a solid way to spend around five hours.

Post by **Exhuminator** » Wed Jul 20, 2016 12:50 pm

Flashback is one of my all time favorite childhood games. When it first released I begged my mom incessantly to buy it for me, eventually I got it. I had the Genesis version. For its time, it blew me away. The graphics were crazy amazing for its platform, the action fluid and deep, and the story was far above average for its genre. Around the same time I also had Out of this World on SNES. These were two games I would break out to blow my friends away when they came over.

Anyway, very glad you got to play through Flashback, Sarge. It's one of the greatest cinematic platformers ever.

Post by **Stark** » Wed Jul 20, 2016 2:55 pm

Games Beaten in 2012 = 32
Games Beaten in 2013 = 34
Games Beaten in 2014 = 30

1/22 Emily Is Away (PC)
1/29 Dishonored Definitive Edition (XB1)
1/31 Rise of the Tomb Raider - Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch (XB1)
2/2 Dishonored - The Knife of Dunwall (XB1)
2/8 Dishonored - The Brigmore Witches (XB1)
2/16 MURDERED: SOUL SUSPECT (PC)
3/7 Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (PSV)
3/10 The Witness (PS4)
3/22 Far Cry 3 (PC)
3/22 Far Cry 3 - Monkey Business (PC)
5/22 Prune (WP)

Games Beaten = 10
DLC = 6

6/21 Monument Valley (iOS)
6/21 Monument Valley - Forgotten Shores (iOS)
6/21 Monument Valley - Ida's Dream (iOS)

Monument Valley is a gorgeous little isometric, perspective puzzler for iOS (actually I think it is for Android and Windows Mobile as well.) You control a princess and you swipe to move fiddly bits on the screen to get her from one place to another. It isn't super challenging, but watching the level unfold like a pop-up book and seeing all the animations is really worth it. The main game is 10 levels that get longer and longer as you get through it. Forgotten Shores adds another stretch of levels (I think it was 5 or so) and ups the challenge quite a bit, so it's a great add if you wanted the main game to be a little harder. Ida's Dream is one level that has multiple parts so almost like 3 levels or so and is also a great challenge pack. Highly recommended!

6/30 Frog Fractions (Web) - http://twinbeard.com/frog-fractions/

I listen to the Video Game Hotdog podcast and the guy who made Frog Fractions, Jim Crawford is a co-host and I realized the other day that I never actually finished this wacky game. The time where this is subversive may have passed, but it is an interesting and very weird game that devolves into many things before it is done (rhythm game, wealth management sim, etc.) Just a weird thing that takes 30 minutes of your time, you have to see it if you haven't checked it out. P.S. The sounds in this game are highly amusing.

7/5 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors (DS)
This is the first game in the Zero Escape series and while the style takes a bit to get used to, I found it highly engaging by the end. Basically 999 is a Visual Novel plus puzzle escape rooms. The basic conceit is that you have been abducted and placed on what appears to be a ship with 8 other people and told you have to play "The Nonary Game" to escape. You end up having multiple choices throughout and you have to play through it several times to see everything. There are a couple of interesting things about playing through it again. First of all, your character retains some memory of the events of previous playthroughs and this changes and adds to the story elements of the interactions that would otherwise be the exact same as last playthrough. Second, you can fast forward through content you've seen before, but only if you have seen it before, so you'll be skimming along and it will suddenly stop, because you've not seen this before. Pretty cool mechanic. I really enjoyed the characters and the sci-fi story.

Post by **Sarge** » Wed Jul 20, 2016 3:26 pm

Exhuminator wrote:Flashback is one of my all time favorite childhood games. When it first released I begged my mom incessantly to buy it for me, eventually I got it. I had the Genesis version. For its time, it blew me away. The graphics were crazy amazing for its platform, the action fluid and deep, and the story was far above average for its genre. Around the same time I also had Out of this World on SNES. These were two games I would break out to blow my friends away when they came over.

Anyway, very glad you got to play through Flashback, Sarge. It's one of the greatest cinematic platformers ever.

Oh, yeah, it's definitely a step above many of its peers in presentation. It looks even better in motion than it does from stills, and the stills are pretty good! For some reason, Out of this World didn't appeal as much to me aesthetically, but Flashback always looked amazing to me. I'm very glad I stuck with it, because once I finally figured out the controls, it was relatively easy to play. One of my larger gripes is that some enemies really take advantage of your limited mobility, or worse, tend to sandwich you in when fighting in tight quarters, because the dodge roll will have you hit a wall (holstering your weapon in the process), stand up, unholster your weapon, then finally be able to turn to the threat, which generally has already hit you.

The worst are the Morphs. Really, so much of the game is about threat management. The combat is fun if you can stay on top of it, but things can snowball really fast.

racketboy.com

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