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Segata
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Re: Games Beaten 2018

by Segata Fri Mar 30, 2018 10:48 pm

His wardrobe change was in Y0. He basically explains in a cutscene living the more moral life hasn't done shit for him so fuck it he's going to have fun being crazy.
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Sarge
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Re: Games Beaten 2018

by Sarge Sat Mar 31, 2018 12:20 am

Do you enjoy fairly decent-looking, but rather bland beat-'em-ups? Well, have I got the game for you! Go play Riot Zone for the Duo. Honestly, I was expecting a bit more from Westone. Ah well. Some of the backgrounds are pretty slick, but there's a lot of enemy recycling. The combat doesn't really feel like it has much impact, which also dampens enjoyment a bit. Oh, and a lot of tunes get reused a lot. I'd say... maybe a 5.0? I've certainly played worse, but there are a ton more great brawlers worth playing over this.
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Ack
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Re: Games Beaten 2018

by Ack Sat Mar 31, 2018 10:48 am

1. Jungle Book (SNES)(Platformer)
2. Metal Combat: Falcon's Revenge (SNES)(Light Gun Shooter)
3. Might and Magic VI (PC)(RPG)
4. Revenant (PC)(RPG)
5. Neo Turf Masters (NGPC)(Sports)
6. Fatal Fury: First Contact (NGPC)(Fighter)
7. Pac-Man (NGPC)(Action)

8. Golden Axe (Genesis)(Hack and Slash)
9. Blood and Bacon (PC)(FPS)
10. Gain Ground (Genesis)(Strategy)

11. Flicky (Genesis)(Platformer)

If you haven't been involved in this year's Together Retro offerings, you really should be. It has provided a lot of interesting game options and pushed me to try a lot of things I wouldn't have normally sought out. I beat Flicky for this month's TR, just as I did with Gain Ground and Golden Axe, and I'm happy I took the time. Most of what I'll post here about Flicky I have already posted in the TR thread for this month, but I definitely encourage folks to join in whenever they can.

Once again, I'm pleased to say I found yet another game I probably would not have normally played had it not been for this month's Together Retro. As I've said many times, I'm not a big fan of platformers, and considering I'd have been forced to track down an arcade platformer port for the Sega Genesis...yeah, it wasn't in the cards for me. Yet with access to a version that Sega has put up on Steam, I gave it a go, and I'm happy I did. It's a cute little game, easy on the eyes, and with a simple premise that is complicated by slippery ledges, floaty jumps, and some wicked stage design at times built around hammering you based on how slippery everything is. Some levels you rush through in a few seconds. Others provide a nasty challenge, and while there are some levels I consider difficulty spikes, in general things progress smoothly in an upwards ramp that the game prepares you for.

While Flicky is 48 levels long, 15 or so of those are bonus levels meant to increase your score and help you earn extra lives. The game also has a win screen at 48 but then starts throwing old levels at you with added difficulty from new enemy additions. While it's technically endless, I'm considering this one done since I reached that win screen and then did a couple of levels beyond.

Did I ever find things excruciating? Yes. I've mentioned the slipperiness, and this is further compounded by speed and by the bounce of the walls; a narrow ledge can be a harrowing encounter because you may underjump in a bid to make it or you may hit a wall beyond and ricochet right off the ledge into a worse position you were in. More than one level has traps built around this where you can end up in narrow vertical corridors where a misstep will send you to the bottom while enemies close in. That's where Flicky gets stressful. Yet, removing such features would also likely eliminate much of the challenge, so I can't criticize it as shoddy platforming design; it was a definite choice, and it does make things tougher.

I still don't care for platformers, and Flicky did not change that. But, perhaps surprisingly, I did find myself enjoying Flicky immensely. I can't help it, there is just something about the game I liked.
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Exhuminator
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Re: Games Beaten 2018

by Exhuminator Sat Mar 31, 2018 2:20 pm

Ack wrote:If you haven't been involved in this year's Together Retro offerings, you really should be. It has provided a lot of interesting game options and pushed me to try a lot of things I wouldn't have normally sought out.

I'll second this notion.

Ack wrote:I still don't care for platformers, and Flicky did not change that. But, perhaps surprisingly, I did find myself enjoying Flicky immensely. I can't help it, there is just something about the game I liked.

If you ever feel like playing another bird-based 8-bit platformer(-ish) game, check out Bird Week on Famicom:

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It's pretty fun. I've played a fair bit of it myself.
PLAY KING'S FIELD.
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alienjesus
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Re: Games Beaten 2018

by alienjesus Sat Mar 31, 2018 5:21 pm

Games Beaten 2018
1. Letter Quest Remastered Switch eShop
2. Batman NES
3. Little Nemo: The Dream Master NES
4. Mickey's Wild Adventure PS1
5. Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros. 3DS
6. Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy 3DS
7. Nier Automata PS4 *NEW*

Nier Automata

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Nier Automata is a crazy action adventure RPG developed by Platinum Games and directed by Yoko Taro, one of the most interesting game designers out there right now imo. You play as androids 2B and 9S, who are part of YoRHa, a group of androids who are trying to reclaim the Earth for the human race. You see, aliens invaded Earth and unleashed an army of fighting robots to kill mankind, and the survivors fled to the moon.

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This is the premise for Nier Auomata, and it’s a ride that only gets weirder from there. Despite the very extravagant sci-fi premise, Nier Automata is game that explores what makes us human, through the medium of robots. The game’s narrative takes you through a string of odd situations and encounters where you start to question what is human and what’s not, and where you see the various highs and lows that human society can bring.

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Nier Automata has an interesting set up for it’s main plot where actually beating it requires you to beat the game 3 times. Mild spoilers ahead here by the way. On the first play through, you play as 2B, a combat Android, with gameplay very reminiscent of platinums titles. You can shoot continuously with R1, dodge with R2, use square and triangle to attack with light and heavy strikes, and jump with X. This playthrough has it’s twists, but it is a far more standard playthrough of the game.

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However, upon beating the game and starting over, you’ll begin the second playthrough from the perspective of 2B’s support partner – 9S. As a Scanner android, 9S has the ability to hack enemies to defeat them, which takes the form of a small twin stick shooter mini-game. It’s also much faster than fighting properly, which allows you to whizz through this playthrough and experience all the new twists and discoveries that take place from 9S’s perspective – changing your understanding of what you thought you knew from the first time around.

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Playthrough 3 has you switching between 2B, 9S and another rogue android named A2 and continues the plot where it ended in the first 2 playthroughs – this might as well be an entirely knew game as twists abound, the content is all new and it sure is a ride.

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I loved Nier Automata. I soaked up the world, did most of the sidequests and obtained 25 of the 26 endings (most of which are stupid joke endings obtained by ignoring goals or dying in silly ways). Despite being somewhat repetitive, I found the gameplay compelling and I wanted to see what happened next. I won’t talk too much more about Nier Automata as I believe it’s finest moments have to be seen for yourself, but I highly encourage everyone to go out and do so.


Required listening:

The Nier Automata soundtrack is excellent and has won many deserved awards. Here’s 2 of my favourite tunes from the game to enjoy!

Click the images below to listen to the tracks:

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Xeogred
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Re: Games Beaten 2018

by Xeogred Sat Mar 31, 2018 7:12 pm

Probably my favorite newer gen game since Demon's Souls. Best newer OST next to Xenoblade.

Big spoilers, so for AJ:
The ending credits had me tearing up. NEVER GIVE UP. Everything about this game resonated with me so strongly and the end got so meta, as this monumental celebration of not only this incredible game itself, but of the gaming medium in general, justifying my favorite hobby of all time. Man it was epic! And shockingly in all that Yoko existential dread, the finale was actually quite positive and uplifting.
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PartridgeSenpai
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Re: Games Beaten 2018

by PartridgeSenpai Sat Mar 31, 2018 8:30 pm

Xeogred wrote:Now that we have most of the Yakuza saga here in the West, I really hope Sega comes through on Hokuto Ga Gotoku as well. I'm a huge Hokuto no Ken fan and it looks absolutely incredible. I might just import this one if it comes to it.


That is a game I am absolutely importing eventually. It's more of a question on when do I wanna spend that money, not if or how :lol:
I identify everyone via avatar, so if you change your avatar, I genuinely might completely forget who you are. -- Me
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alienjesus
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Re: Games Beaten 2018

by alienjesus Sun Apr 01, 2018 6:02 am

Xeogred wrote:Probably my favorite newer gen game since Demon's Souls. Best newer OST next to Xenoblade.

Big spoilers, so for AJ:


Absolutely enormous spoilers ahead, if you haven't played the game do not read:

Did you delete your file at the end? I didn't yet because I intend to go back and get that last ending at some point.

And the finale might have been positive and uplifting, but man, sucks to be a member of YorHa or a peaceful robot in this game huh? I actually thought it was weird that the game made you fight Operator 21O as a boss fight but Operator 6O was dealt with pretty matter of factly at the start of the third playthrough - because 21O had been made to seem like a bit of a jerk, but 6O was really likeable.
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Xeogred
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Re: Games Beaten 2018

by Xeogred Sun Apr 01, 2018 8:52 pm

alienjesus wrote:
Xeogred wrote:Probably my favorite newer gen game since Demon's Souls. Best newer OST next to Xenoblade.

Big spoilers, so for AJ:


Absolutely enormous spoilers ahead, if you haven't played the game do not read:

Did you delete your file at the end? I didn't yet because I intend to go back and get that last ending at some point.

And the finale might have been positive and uplifting, but man, sucks to be a member of YorHa or a peaceful robot in this game huh? I actually thought it was weird that the game made you fight Operator 21O as a boss fight but Operator 6O was dealt with pretty matter of factly at the start of the third playthrough - because 21O had been made to seem like a bit of a jerk, but 6O was really likeable.

I got the platinum, so I was content after doing just about everything content wise and then erased my files. I played Nier so I already knew this was coming, but the impact was still there and watching the game slowly delete my 50 some hour run was an experience to say the least. I almost think this move shows character in a person... sacrifice for your fellow gamers, or be selfish and only worry about yourself not deleting it! haha, but as a simple game I understand you or others wanting to go back and finish up other quests. Definitely can't wait to replay it again someday!

In comparison, the original Nier is 10x more depressing. I think overall I might like the main three characters of Nier more, but for everything else Automata took it to the next level and reminded me a LOT of Xenogears in ways that I love. Just hit all the right notes perfectly for me.


The game has sold 2.5mil at this point. I don't want Square Enix to milk Nier, but it would be nice to see them take Yoko more seriously from here on too. The producer Yosuke Saito seems buddy buddy with Yoko and just got promoted in Square Enix. Along with all these rewards Keiichi Okabe is reeling in, I'm hopeful for more bigger budget Yoko games going forward. I don't need AAA level, but Automata was perfect and just so much better than Drakengard 3, or Nier, etc, quality control wise. I think the real winning formula was him being able to team up with Platinum though, seemed like a match made in heaven.

Apparently one of his original ideas for Drakengard sequels or Nier at some point was space dragons... if they do another one and go further sci-fi, space... and dragons... yeah that would be incredible. :lol:
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alienjesus
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Re: Games Beaten 2018

by alienjesus Mon Apr 02, 2018 2:52 pm

Games Beaten 2018
1. Letter Quest Remastered Switch eShop
2. Batman NES
3. Little Nemo: The Dream Master NES
4. Mickey's Wild Adventure PS1
5. Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros. 3DS
6. Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy 3DS
7. Nier Automata PS4
8. Legacy of the Wizard NES *NEW*
9. The Legend of Zelda (starring Zelda) NES *NEW*

Legacy of the Wizard

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Legacy of the Wizard is a game with a weird history. It’s one of the very, very (very, very) convoluted Dragon Slayer series, and in Japan it was known as Dragon Slayer IV: Drasle family (Drasle is an abbreviation of DRAgon SLEyer ohohoho, very clever guys). In it you play as a family who must find all of the crowns which allow you to find the Dragon Slayer sword and defeat the evil dragon who is about to be resurrected or some such.

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Legacy of the Wizard was the first game I beat for March’s Together Retro theme – 80s ladies night. The game features 5 playable protagonists, 2 of which are ladies. Each of the 5 family members (Dad, Mum, Daughter, Son and weird monster Dog thing) have different attributes and can make use of different items, and using their skills is necessary to progress into specific areas of the dungeon where the crowns reside. The ladies are actually the best characters as they have some of the best magic and jumping abilities, although Pochi the monster dog is perhaps the most useful overall as he is immune to being hurt by random enemies in the maze.

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And when I say maze, I meant it – the map of Legacy of the Wizard is a convoluted mess, and like most things in this game, it’s ambition is undone by some frankly awkward design that seems to punish the player relentlessly –enemies constantly drop items you’ll need to pick up to progress, as magic is used to attack and uses MP. However, they also frequently drop poison which lowers your health and takes ages to disappear –however, most passages are 1 block high meaning you can’t pass them until they go. The game is also full of invisible walls, block puzzles that can be rendered unsolveable, forced drops which hurt you and all sorts of other shitty design choices which make the game less fun than it should be. This is compounded by the horrible map design which offers no guidance on where to go, making even the basics of finding the way to head next an absolute chore.

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Legacy of the Wizard is a game I thought was rendered playable with a walkthrough, but I don’t know that I’d fancy playing through it again. It’s a game which has it’s charms, and it’s certainly an ambitious title, but there are so many better games of this type you could enjoy that I’d strongly advise you just go and play those instead.

Required Listening:

The solid soundtrack is probably the best thing about this game. Enjoy this one, which plays during the Meyna's (the mother's) area:

Click the image below to listen

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The Legend of Zelda

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The Legend of Zelda is a game for the NES where you play as the hero Link and rescue the princess Zelda from the evil Ganon.

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Except when it’s not. I played this game for the Eighties Ladies Night Together Retro, with a patch installed that flipped the gender roles – the hero Zelda set out on a quest to rescue Link from the evil Ganon.

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The Legend of Zelda is a game I’ve played once before, quite a long time ago. I remember it being pretty tough, but this time I didn’t find most of the game so bad – the only really rocky moments were dungeon 6 and the final dungeon, both because of Wizzrobes – they deal way too much damage and are the hardest enemy to avoid too.

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Zelda is a momentous game, for sure, but it’s not really my favourite in the series. The dungeons are a bit simplistic – I preferred the puzzling they added in later games in the series, or the combat focus of Zelda 2 more – and the overworld is really obtuse. Secrets are hidden under trees or inside rock walls with no indication that something might be there – this really sucks without prior knowledge, as for most of the game burning down trees can only be done once per screen – meaning that checking each of the 20 or so trees on some screen means 20 tedious trips back and forth. Rock walls are even worse – no indication where to lay a bomb, and bombs are rarer drops, costly to buy and limited in supply. Frankly, I doubt most people would ever find some of the secrets or even some of the actual dungeons without help.

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Despite the flaws, I still find Zelda enjoyable, but there’s no doubt it’s been done better since. Seeing Zelda striding around the game with her own name on it was really cool, but not as cool as defeating ganon (with the bow, which is fitting considering Zelda’s weapon of choice in later entries) and walking into the next room to find Link awaiting rescue.

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Zelda is a fun game, and the Zelda starring Zelda mod is a fun little mod which I think will have a lot of meaning to long time fans of the series, male and female. At some point I plan to follow up this playthrough with it’s spiritual sequel – The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past - starring Zelda.


Required listening:

The main theme is great, but everyone knows it. I'm quite partial to the ending theme myself!

Click the image below to listen

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