Games Beaten 2018

[prfsnl_gmr]

@Ack

Goat Simulator is so much fun. I haven’t beaten it yet either, and I’m not sure I ever will. My children love it, though, and it will probably teach them how to use a controller.

@Bone

Awesome write up on Ninja Kid. If it wasn’t for all of the untranslated DQ clones, I might make an attempt at running it...

[dsheinem]

Games Beaten 2018

Darkwing Duck - NES (PS4)
DuckTales - NES (PS4)
DuckTales 2 - NES (PS4)
Talespin - NES (PS4)
Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers - NES (PS4)
Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers 2 - NES (PS4)
Scarecrow - PS1 (Vita)
The Heart of Dark - PS1 (Vita)
Justice - PS1 (Vita)
Caligo - PC
Tomb Raider (2013) - X1
Nephise Begins - PC
Diablo III: The Darkening of Tristam - PC
Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams - X1
Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest - SNES
Forza Horizon 3 - X1/ PC
Elbub - PC
Tekken 4 -PS2
Injustice 2 -PS4
Apollo 11 VR - PSVR
Star Wars Battlefront II -PS4
Unearthing Mars - PSVR
Jenny of the Prairie - C64
Part Time UFO - - iOS
Marvel vs Capcom Infinite - PS4
War of the Monsters -PS2
Far Cry 5 - PS4
Uncharted: Lost Legacy - PS4
Soul Calibur 2 - GCN
God of War (2018) - PS4 *new*
Orcs and Elves - NDS
Tekken 7 - PS4
House of the Dead 4 Special - PS3 *new*
S.A.R. (Search and Rescue) - PS3
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR - PSVR
Time Crisis: Razing Storm - PS3 *new*
Time Crisis IV - PS3 *new*

Total: 37

Previously: 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

Time Crisis: Razing Storm and Time Crisis IV seem to be using the same engine, but IV is a vastly superior experience. Both are fun. I played both games with the PS move pistol, which works pretty well for a home lightgun experience..

I had initially planned to play through the Time Crisis series for the first time this weekend (in reverse order), but I stopped at Time Crisis III when I discovered I don't have any GunCon 2's laying around so I will stop here for now and seek out a new gun...

[elricorico]

1. Captain Toad Treasure Tracker (WiiU)
2. Minecraft (Xbox360)

3. Phantasy Star (SMS)

Here is a game that I've been meaning to play for years, but never committed to it. When Eighties Ladies Night came up as the theme of Together Retro I had my motivation. I didn't manage to beat it within the month, but I almost beat it within the month of Dungeon Crawlers, so I feel like this was almost a TR double whammy.

Today I had an empty house to myself and only the last two dungeons to clear, and it went smoothly. The ending is simple and very eight-bit in its depth, but I really enjoyed how the credits were presented in the dungeon crawling view. There was a definite sense of accomplishment in bringing this game to a conclusion as it lived up to its reputation as one of the great RPGs of the time.

There were only a few things I didn't like about this game, and those are largely symptoms of its age. It was a bit more grindy than I was hoping for. I felt for a significant portion of the game I was trying to make money to keep up with the best available equipment. It was also a bit obtuse in progression. At about 60% through I recognized that I would never finish this in any reasonable time if I didn't keep myself making progress by checking a walkthrough.

For an eight-bit RPG I would suggest this was the most visually pleasant I've played. The sound grew on me (I had early complaints about one or two sound choices, but those seemed to be mostly apparent in the first few hours of the game). The music likely won't stay in my head the way the songs of Final Fantasy do, but there's a definite nostalgia advantage for FF, as it was the first RPG I ever finished and I have very fond memories about that childhood experience. Gameplay held up well as the dungeon crawling made this a little different from other console RPGs back then and the combat was fairly efficient and well paced.

Since the Together Retro that drove me to play this required a female hero, I feel that I should share my thoughts on how the game presented in that perspective. I think that-given the time and the medium-this game was truly respectful and ahead of the curve with respect to how it treated Alis as a character. First of all, she is designed in a manner that suggests she is an attractive woman, but she is never sexualized. Her clothing makes as much sense as anyone else's in the game. Second, she is truly the main character and nothing about the plot seems to take away from that. She is always the party leader. She is always effective in combat throughout the game. She doesn't join the male characters, they join her. The "manliest" of the party's characters is rescued by Alis.

8-bit RPGs tend to be pretty light on story, so the lead female character doesn't have any deep development or conflicts, but what the game gives I think produces a prime example of an Eighties Lady done right.

Phantasy Star 4 was my first Phantasy Star and still sits high on my all time favourite game list. I'm glad I finally got around to experiencing the beginning of the franchise. It was gaming time well spent.

[Ack]

@Ack

Goat Simulator is so much fun. I haven’t beaten it yet either, and I’m not sure I ever will. My children love it, though, and it will probably teach them how to use a controller.

Yeah, I have one thing left to do in the base game: Flappy Goat. Ugh.

Beyond that, there are only two achievements left to get in GoatZ, and I'll be done.

[ESauced]

I didn’t realize Goat Simulator was something you beat. I played it for a bit and I thought it was just about messing around in a sandbox.

[Ack]

I didn’t realize Goat Simulator was something you beat. I played it for a bit and I thought it was just about messing around in a sandbox.

For the most part, it is, but there are challenges in each of the worlds to knock out along with achievements to earn. At this point, I have three achievements left to completely wrap things up.

[MrPopo]

1. Ultima V - PC
2. Ultima VI - PC
3. Might and Magic VI - PC
4. Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny - PC
5. Pool of Radiance - PC
6. Curse of the Azure Bonds - PC
7. Secret of the Silver Blades - PC
8. Pools of Darkness - PC
9. Gateway to the Savage Frontier - PC
10. Treasures of the Savage Frontier - PC
11. Champions of Krynn - PC
12. Death Knights of Krynn - PC
13. Dark Queen of Krynn - PC
14. Into the Breach - PC
15. Lords of the Realm - PC
16. Dark Sun: Shattered Lands - PC
17. Lords of the Realm II - PC
18. The Alliance Alive - 3DS
19. Shattered Steel - PC
20. Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition - PC
21. Battletech - PC
22. Pillars of Eternity: The White March Part I - PC
23. Pillars of Eternity: The White March Part II - PC
24. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon - Switch
25. Pillars of Eternity II - PC
26. Dragon Ball FighterZ - PS4

Those of us of a certain age had their first anime experience with Dragon Ball Z. And even though we later discovered better paced shows, DBZ will always be remembered fondly. Finally, in 2018, Arc System Works graced us with what is essentially the experience of creating your own episode of the show. The engine is gorgeous and gives you the look and feel of moving 2D animation. And they even have custom particle effects that are the animated explosions, rather than actual lighting effects like in regular games. It's a fantastic achievement, and this is exactly what I hoped a DBZ game would be from the moment I saw the show.

The game is both very newbie friendly and has some depth to it. There's a dial a combo system which is flashy and satisfying to use, but also has a lot of options for coming out of it. It uses a 3 on 3 team system, with you being able to combo into switching, up to and including chaining super moves. Almost every character special move is quarter circle forward or back. And the game uses three attack strengths and a dedicated energy shot button. The whole thing is a lot of fun to play, and as you get deeper you get more options available.

The story mode is about 8-9 hours. It gives a story explanation for the game mechanics (everyone has been depowered, and you are a disembodied soul that can possess people to let them fight, hence you needing to fight one on one with tag out). It's split into three arcs, each of which is an alternate retelling of the same events based on who your soul gets tethered to first. If you tether to Goku you get the first arc, the second arc is you tethered to Frieza (which has a darker take on things), and the third arc tethers you to Android 18 and goes deeper into how the events started in the first place (which is a bit more mysterious in the other two). It's a mix of random fights and some boss fights with story segments. It's ok, but things start to drag in the later parts of the second two arcs, as it becomes more of the same. The CPU ramp up is pretty good too; by the end the enemies can trash you if you give them an opening, but they never reach SNK boss territory.

If you're a fighting game fan or a DBZ fan you should definitely pick this up.

[Sarge]

Whew. Solo Zangetsu run down in Curse of the Moon. That definitely starts heading toward Castlevania difficulty. Zangetsu just doesn't get the sorts of tools he needs to deal with a lot of threats easily. (He gets some, but the areas that involve moving lifts, conveyor belts, or that terrible final area with the frogs end up nearly overwhelming him.)

[Xeogred]

TRUE solo without killing anyone else for the power ups? That's the run I'm working on now, just knocked out the first two levels before I hop in bed. I can tell it's going to be tough, though I've got some of the bosses down perfectly.

Other than that, I just need to beat Nightmare and Boss Rush for the last achievements.

[Sarge]

Yup, just walked right past. Not getting the movement abilities really ups the challenge, on top of no extra life meters as well as no health/attack/defense boosts.