Games Beaten 2018

[prfsnl_gmr]

1. Bastion (iOS)
2. LaserCat (360)
3. Zombie Incident (3DS)
4. Bye-Bye BoxBoy! (3DS)
5. Monument Valley 2 (iOS)
6. Zenge (iOS)
7. Master of Darkness (Game Gear/3DS)
8. Wonder Boy (SMS)
9. Full Throttle Remastered (iOS)
10. Adventure Island (NES)
11. Adventure Island II (NES)
12. Adventure Island (GB)
13. Super Adventure Island (SNES)
14. New Adventure Island (TG16)
15. Adventure Island III (NES)
16. The Legend of the Ghost Lion (NES)

I played The Legend of the Ghost Lion for Together Retro because it was released in the 1980s and the protagonist is a female. Otherwise, it is a slow-paced DQ clone, and it is a complete slog even when played at 160 FPS (i.e., four times normal speed). The dungeons are simple; the cryptic fetch quests are boring; and the battles are repetitive. Moreover, you gain levels by finding items, not by battling enemies; so, while the battles can be challenging and while the game actually has some interesting “summon” battle mechanics, all of the battles are ultimately pointless. (You do earn “rubies” in battle, but by the game’s mid-point, I had more than I could ever spend.) The game has deeply weird aesthetics, and it has good graphics. I can’t really recommend it, however.

[Jagosaurus]

I just wrapped up Dead Rising 2 last night. This is the most fun I've had with a "mindless" game in a long time. There was actually much more depth that I expected with always being against the clock, finding your daughter medicine, the variety of missions and side quests, RPG elements, combinging crazy weapons, and constant health/weapon inventory management as weapons break.

I've invested roughly 20 hours into this one and was at level 34 (max is 50) when the credits rolled. I met everything needed to unlock the additional Overtime cases. There are 7 to 10 endings in DR2 depending on how you count them. I just Googled the secondary "S" special ending FMV that plays after beating the extras. I think I'm okay just knowing that. Not looking to invest another 3 to 5 hours, if not more. Essentially I got Ending "A" with the opportunity to play another bonus day. I have enough I want to play that I'll likely move on to something else on my backlog.

As you can see below, I have been very Xbox heavy this year. Likely going to boot up a retro strategy RPG next. I should probably pick some shorter games

2018 Games Beaten:
1. Halo: Combat Evolved (oXbox)
2. Kameo: Elements of Power (360)
3. Halo 2 (oXbox, played upscaled on 360)
4. Dead Rising 2 (360)

[BoneSnapDeez]

1. Antarctic Adventure (Famicom)
2. Nuts & Milk (Famicom)
3. Commando (Atari 2600)
4. Binary Land (Famicom)
5. Devil World (Famicom)
6. Disney's Aladdin (SNES)
7. Popeye (NES)
8. Super Mario Land (Game Boy)
9. Ys: The Vanished Omens (Sega Master System)
10 Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished - The Final Chapter (Famicom)
11. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest (SNES)
12. Lunar: The Silver Star (Sega CD)
13. Otenba Becky no Daibouken (MSX)
14. Metroid (Famicom Disk System)

I'll always remember Metroid as one of those "second wave" Nintendo classics. Released after the "black label" quick plays had come and gone, it's one of the earliest "complex" NES games, though its cover art still sports that definitive pixel art look. My experience with this game back in the day was analogous to my relationship with Zelda II. I'd throw Metroid in the ol' gray brick every other Sunday or so, get hopelessly lost, get boned, and then eventually quit in favor of something more palatable like Bases Loaded or Bad Dudes. As an adult I finally "buckled down" and finished this beast - multiple times - in a sort of reverse order: first on the GBA (with online level maps perpetually open before me), the NES, and finally, the subject of this very review, the Famicom Disk System.

Yes, much like Super Mario Bros. 2 (either one), the first two Zelda and Castlevania games, and Kid Icarus, Metriod was released on disk format in Japan. As Famicom cart technology eventually "caught up" with disks, don't expect FDS Metroid to be much different than the version released in the West. There's no compelling reason for someone residing outside of Japan to play this, unless you're a completionist giga-nerd like myself. The biggest difference found here is that the disk original supports three save files. To delete a file one must select "KILL MODE." Yikes.

This is a landmark game, and a genre-creator. See, Metroid is a non-linear game; while most of this ilk released prior were RPG dungeon-crawlers or top-down action-adventure games, Metroid is instead a non-linear platformer. With the aid of Castlevania II (1987) the "Metroidvania" genre was thus born. No, these weren't the first two games created in this style, not by a longshot, but they refined the mechanics in such a way that inspired generations of imitators. Note that unlike many similar games that emerged during this golden era, Metroid is decidedly not an action-RPG. Problems can't be solved by level-grinding here; to guide Samus Aran to journey's end one must rely solely on their own wits and reflexes, plus the occasional power-up

Samus Aran: she's the hero of this game and all sequels to follow. Yes, she -- Samus is an early Japanese female protagonist, and undoubtedly the most important. Her debut role is a bit muddled however, as she dons a cybernetic space suit throughout her quest. Her sex can be revealed in-game, presented as a "reward" of sorts in a move that now feels a bit crass and dated. In later installments her character develops more into the hardened alien-destroyer we know and love today. Her mission is simple: infiltrate the planet Zebes and destroy the hostile alien entity known as "Mother Brain."

Aesthetically, this game is bulletproof. It opens with what I submit, in my factual opinion, is the best title screen sequence ever before seen in a video game. A bold blocky title gives way to shooting stars, and then a simple paragraph of text emerges to relay the story. The spacial sky is empty save for a few twinkling stars; the terra firma a vague crusty mass. Accompanying the visuals is the first of Hirokazu Tanaka's brilliant compositions: simultaneously menacing and soothing. Upon game start, Samus finds herself in Brinstar, the first segment of Zebes. Great attention was paid to creating distinct corridors of the hostile planet. Brinstar is stony, replete with lava and platforms resembling petrified wood. Norfair is a colorful and frothy death swamp. Bosses reside in clinical mechanical futuristic hideouts, and the final area (Mother Brain's Tourian) showcases a cold black and white palette reminiscent of Ganon's lair in the original Zelda. Aside from the aforementioned title screen, the backing sky remains a stark black through the entire game, aiding in the creation of a feeling of utmost isolation. Tanaka's soundtrack deftly and slowly reveals itself: the game begins with a thumping percussion driven song as Samus sets off, eventually giving way to creepy alien (no pun intended) pieces that punctuate the terrors that lie ahead. Clocking in at a scant thirteen or so minutes, every bit of the soundtrack is a necessity, with each track inextricably linked to its given environment.

Samus begins her foray into Zebes comically underpowered, equipped with a short range three-directional arm cannon and possessing a scant thirty energy points (out of a then-possible maximum of 99). Success in Metroid is predicated on item acquisition. Immediately to the left of Samus' initial spawn point is the Maru Mari: an item that allows Samus to roll into a ball and navigate tight passages. Future equipment upgrades are obtained in special rooms, held aloft by the iconic Chozo avian-alien statues. Gun upgrades are a necessity, along with bombs, an armor boost, a high-jump power-up, and the signature screw attack. In addition to the "key" items are energy tanks and missiles found in droves: the former increases Samus' health bar permanently while the latter add to her cache of more powerful ammo. Missiles are queued up by pressing select, and are useful against bosses and tougher foes, and are also needed to blast open the otherwise impervious red door bubbles.

The game controls like a dream; it's shockingly fluid for 1986 standards. There are two different jumps, standard and spin, their initiation determined by the order of button presses (pressing jump and then a direction vs. pressing them together). The spin jump can be upgraded into a screw attack, whereupon Samus can demolish enemies mid-flight. Weapons are fun to play around with. There's an ice beam, which can predictably freeze enemies -- once in stasis foes can be used as impromptu platforms. There's also a wave beam that lacks the freeze capabilities but travels across the screen in a massive sine wave type of motion. Perfect for mowing down huge swaths of enemies at once. Bombs (laid while in ball form) are effective against ground enemies, as well as revealing the locations of hidden passages. They can also be used as a boost, propelling balled-up Samus into the air into otherwise unreachable corridors. There's a bit of a "loosey goosey" feel to Samus' overall maneuverability. The game is highly exploitable. Items can easily be gathered in the "wrong" order, areas uncovered well before the "appropriate" conditions have been fulfilled, and so on.

The various labyrinths of Zebes are inhabited by some devilishly fearsome extraterrestrial foes. There is the requisite display of palette swapping, sure, but that doesn't diminish the creativity of these creature designs. "Crawlers" stick to whatever surface they encounter, looping endlessly around scenery until destroyed. There are flying monsters that emerge from pipes in an ceaseless spamming procession. Mutant arthropods swoop and swing from surfaces. Dragons inhabit lava, popping up to deliver a flaming breath. The eponymous "Metroids" appear late-game, intent on rapidly sucking HP from Samus. Defeating these bubbled and clawed monstrosities requires both a freeze attack followed by a steady barrage of missiles. Only a trio of bosses inhabit the planet. Though fearsome in design, they're a bit of a letdown in terms of strategy -- they're bullet sponges, easily (but tediously) dispatched if Samus initiates combat with an ample supply of health and missiles.

Metroid has some issues. It's an oft-repeated cliché (and one I use rarely), but the game has aged poorly. There are nagging flaws, not due to any developer sloth or malice, but instead owing to the typical game design of the era. There's no in-game map. Not a deal-breaker in and of itself, but the world of Zebes is extraordinarily difficult to self-map proportionately as it's not laid out in the grid-like structure found in old RPGs (and Zelda for that matter). Key items are well-hidden to the point of absurdity. One must employ a "shoot every wall" strategy to uncover some of the trickier energy tanks, for instance. Certain lava pits are inescapable, while others are comprised of false lava. There's no inventory screen, and gaining one weapon upgrade overrides the previous one. In fact, during the course of a "standard" playthrough one is expected to get ice, wave, and then ice again -- it's odd. Then there's the extremely harsh Game Over penalty -- wherein Samus retains her upgrades and max HP stat, but her actual HP is reduced back to 30. A fair bit of "grinding" is then required to get back on track. Like Zelda and other early lengthy Famicom and FDS titles, saving the game is essentially synonymous with a Game Over, with the same "penalties" applied upon rebooting. And there are no save points either, so saving itself is initiated upon loss of life or pressing the correct combo of buttons on the second controller.

Small annoyances aside, Metroid is more than worthy of its status as an all-time legend. Its atmosphere is unmatched and the creepy perilous character and environmental designs remain ever-relevant. The game still ranks higher than most of its respective sequels, and is also one of the finest gems of its genre. While the earliest examples of, say, platformers and RPGs now feel a bit questionable when viewed through a modern lens, anyone wishing the experience all the "Metroidvania" genre has to offer would do well to head back to the origins.

[MrPopo]

Did you ever play Metroid II on the GB? That one I think suffers even more from the lack of a map, because it's much larger and the map doesn't logically work (whereas all of Metroid's map fits together into a single rectangle).

[prfsnl_gmr]

Metroid II on the Gameboy is like that. Its saving grace, ironically, is that it is so linear.

.....

1. Bastion (iOS)
2. LaserCat (360)
3. Zombie Incident (3DS)
4. Bye-Bye BoxBoy! (3DS)
5. Monument Valley 2 (iOS)
6. Zenge (iOS)
7. Master of Darkness (Game Gear/3DS)
8. Wonder Boy (SMS)
9. Full Throttle Remastered (iOS)
10. Adventure Island (NES)
11. Adventure Island II (NES)
12. Adventure Island (GB)
13. Super Adventure Island (SNES)
14. New Adventure Island (TG16)
15. Adventure Island III (NES)
16. The Legend of the Ghost Lion (NES)
17. Part Time UFO (iOS)
18. Adventure Island II: Aliens in Paradise (GB)

Part Time UFO Is a delightful little game from HAL in which you guide a little UFO as he studies Earth’s work culture by taking on some part-time jobs. He has a little claw arm - similar to the one you use to pick up stuffed animals in the various incarnations of the claw game - and you use it to do things like build a temple, go fishing, stack pancakes, pick vegetables, etc. As you earn money, you can buy outfits for you little UFO, and you unlock more levels by earning medals on each level. (You earn medals by completing the jobs quickly, going above and beyond your job duties, and uncovering Easter eggs. There are three medals for each job, and the game offers clues regarding how to obtain them.) The game is the definition of short-but-sweet, and it never wears out its welcome. It also oozes charm, with a cameo from Boxboy to graphics and sound that mimic late GBA releases. I highly recommend this game.

Adventure Island II: Aliens in Paradise Is another example of the portable Adventure Island games being drastically better than their NES counterparts. It is also an example of how small concessions to the player can alter a game’s quality tremendously. In this case, Adventure Island II: Aliens in Paradise is drastically better than Adventure Island III and mostly because it features: (1) an overworld map indicating when levels have secret exits; and (2) a password feature. (It also controls slightly better and toned down its counterpart’s difficulty a bit.) I had a great time with this game, and I think it deserves a spot with SML2 as one of the system’s very best platformers. Highly recommended.

Only three more Adventure Island games to go before I have run the series. I have Adventure Island IV, a late Famicom “metroidvania” up next, and I am really looking forward to it.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Did you ever play Metroid II on the GB? That one I think suffers even more from the lack of a map, because it's much larger and the map doesn't logically work (whereas all of Metroid's map fits together into a single rectangle).

Yes, that's the first game in the series I beat. Way back when, I probably haven't played it in about 20 years. I lost my original copy, but just obtained a replacement so I'll hit it up soon.

Incidentally, I think the reason I was able to get through the second (but not the first) game as a kid was because of whatever Nintendo Power issues I happened to own. Coverage of the first Metroid probably predated my subscription.

I have no recollection of the world map so I just looked it up and... wat.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/gameboy/5 ... faqs/28694

@prfsnl_gmr
Nice job knocking those Adventure Island games off. I had no idea there were so many.

[MrPopo]

I have no recollection of the world map so I just looked it up and... wat.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/gameboy/5 ... faqs/28694

Yup. There's a reason AM2R and the 3DS game both had to do some refactoring of the map to maintain the spirit of the original but still have everything fit logically together.

[BoneSnapDeez]

1. Antarctic Adventure (Famicom)
2. Nuts & Milk (Famicom)
3. Commando (Atari 2600)
4. Binary Land (Famicom)
5. Devil World (Famicom)
6. Disney's Aladdin (SNES)
7. Popeye (NES)
8. Super Mario Land (Game Boy)
9. Ys: The Vanished Omens (Sega Master System)
10 Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished - The Final Chapter (Famicom)
11. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest (SNES)
12. Lunar: The Silver Star (Sega CD)
13. Otenba Becky no Daibouken (MSX)
14. Metroid (Famicom Disk System)
15. Mahou Kishi Rayearth (Game Boy)

"Magic Knight Rayearth" (or, "Mahou Kishi Rayearth") was a mid-90s shoujo "magical girl" manga & anime series created by the all-female artistic collective known as CLAMP. It's a story of three impossibly long-legged and brightly-colored schoolgirls who, on a field trip to Tokyo Tower, find themselves sucked into a fantasy world where they're soon dubbed the chosen ones responsible for saving one Princess Emeraude and restoring peace to the land. It's a fine series, beautifully crafted and illustrated, with plenty of action and subtle humor. The series was quite popular, apparently, as no less than seven licensed games were developed -- all released in 1994 or 1995. If that sounds too much for one developer, you'd be right. Four Rayearth titles were made by Sega for Sega consoles (there was even a special limited edition red Rayearth Game Gear), while the other three were developed by Pandora Box and published by Tomy for Nintendo systems. Pandora Box won't ring any bells for most, though those familiar with the fan translation scene may recognize them as the developer of Arabian Nights (Super Famicom). Game Boy Mahou Kishi Rayearth is the first of the Pandora Box installments, and the second Rayearth game overall. There's a partial English fan translation available. The English text is all loaded into the opening hour or so. After that the game humorously descends into this weird English/Japanese mishmash before giving way to pure Japanese.

The game doesn't follow the manga/anime at all. While CLAMP's work focused on the three girls bonding and developing friendships to overcome obstacles, Game Boy Rayearth immediately separates the ladies into three separate scenarios. Hikaru Shidou, the small, naïve, tomboyish, redheaded "main" character finds herself in a village of winged beings. Initially convinced she is a demon, Hikaru must gain the trust of the townsfolk and complete a brief series of trials to escape the area. Umi Ryuuzaki, the bold and nurturing "rich girl" is stuck in a forest. She's tasked with entering a giant sentient tree to clear it of monsters. Finally, there's Fuu Hououji, the mellow and logical member of the trio. Her quest is something of a dungeon-crawler, filled with switches and locked doors. The three scenarios can be completed in any order, and once wrapped up the girls reunite for the final confrontation.

The manga/anime was clearly inspired by JRPGs, even going so far as to poke fun at the genre from time to time. Appropriately, most of the Rayearth video game adaptations ended up as JRPGs themselves. This one proceeds in that classic Dragon Quest style, but the mechanics have been stripped down to the point of absolute absurdity. This may be the simplest and easiest JRPG I've ever encountered, and I've played a downright embarrassing number of these. The game is linear to a fault. Forget side quests, there's not even a hint of exploration to be found. Combat is turn-based with three options: attack, magic, and run. Attacking is self-explanatory, each magic knight has only a single spell available, and running away is almost always successful. Enemies present no challenge. Virtually every single foe, even the bosses, can be taken out with a single blast of magic. Both HP and MP are replenished by walking around outside of battle, and the random encounters are initiated so infrequently that one is guaranteed to have full HP and MP at the start of each skirmish.

Menus are reduced to the bare basics as well. HP and MP are represented by bars rather than numerically. Experience "stars" are earned rather than points; a level increase occurs once a bar of stars is filled. The game features no shops, currency, or inventory. Items exist but are used automatically. The only "challenge" that ever presents itself involves said items: many are found by "searching" very specific spots, invisible to the naked eye. Also note that Fuu's dungeon-crawl would prove tricky for those that lack Japanese knowledge, as success is predicated on interpreting scattered "hints" found on the lower floors.

In-game graphics are mostly dull and utilitarian. There are a few nice cutscene stills, however, and the character animations displayed during dialogue sequences are well-crafted. Keep playing and you'll eventually encounter an adorable dance scene, too. The game was optimized for the Super Game Boy, and five various color borders alternate during the course of single playthrough. These are undoubtedly the best visuals in the game. Music is humdrum overall, though a few standout tunes were reused for the Super Famicom Rayearth release; they sound much punchier on Nintendo's home console.

Ultimately, Game Boy Rayearth is a lackluster experience. As a fan of the source material I'll admit to cracking a few smiles throughout, but I can't imagine this would appeal to anyone who isn't already invested in the series. There is something of a silver lining at the end of it all: the Super Famicom and Saturn Rayearth games turned out to be quite competent and I'd recommend both. Especially the latter, if you can get over the sticker shock.

[Markies]

Markies' Games Beat List Of 2018!
*Denotes Replay For Completion*

1. The Granstream Saga (PS1)
2. Perfect Dark (N64)
*3. Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete (PS1)*
4. Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (XBOX)
5. Donkey Kong Country (SNES)
*6. Pikmin (GCN)*
*7. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time (N64)*
8. Shining Force II (GEN)
*9. X-Men Vs. Street Fighter (PS1)*



I completed X-Men Vs. Street Fighter on the Playstation 1 this evening!

X-Men Vs. Street Fighter is the very first entry into the very popular Marvel Vs. Capcom series and integral Capcom Vs. Franchise. For being the first game, it nails the feel of the game perfectly. It doesn't get too technical nor is it too crazy like the later installments. It strikes that perfect balance that makes it enjoyable along with a boss who isn't too cheap. You regain health way too fast and the PS version is lacking in so many ways, but it's still a great Vs. Capcom game.

[pook99]

85. Castlevania: rondo of blood (tg 16 cd)
86. Castlevania: Dracula x (snes)

I decided to play these 2 games back to back, I have played both of them before and I consider rondo to be the most over rated castlevania game of all time while dracula x is the most under rated castlevania of all time.

As we all know, 16 bit konami multiplatform games were often entirely different, turtles in time vs hyperstone heist, alien wars vs. hard corps, super castlevania 4 vs bloodlines, tiny toons games, and I'm sure there are a few that I am forgetting. Continuing this trend konami released 2 very different castlevania games, the snes one was dracula x and the tg16 cd one was rondo of blood which was never officially released in the US until they remade it for the psp.

In the age of youtube rondo of blood has elevated to godly heights among retro castlevania fans, some crazies even claim it is better than super castlevania 4, which after recently playing rondo, is laughable. There is also this strange bitterness that exists for dracula x. Many complain that we got the inferior port, but that is not a fair statement, rondo and x are 2 completely different games.

What separates these 2 games from the sea of other konami multiplatorm games is that rondo and x do share a lot of things: graphically they are the same, they follow the same storyline of richter belmont hunting dracula, they control in a very similar way, and share many conventions not found in other castlevania games(ie: whip never needs to be upgraded, you can jump on and off stairs, the heart supply in these games is far greater than any other castlevania game, no double and triple shot upgrades, more plentiful one ups, more plentiful meats, a useless item crash move that takes 15 hearts and does virtually no damage, and the stopwatch is virtually non-existent in both games)

Upon looking at the games and initially picking up the controller it is easy to mistake the 2 for ports, richter feels the same in both games, control in both games is smooth and you have some control over richter mid-air(but not as much as simon from castlevania 4). The soundtracks are very similar, and feature largely remixed tracks of classic castlevania songs along with the same sound effects. Both games having a phenomenal sound track is not surprising, the turbo game is a cd and the snes is renowned for having an amazing sound chip. The game also largely features the same basic enemies, this is not surprising in of itself, after all most castlevania games share the same enemies, but the enemies found in this game behave identically to each other. (ex: the axe armor in both games rushes you as well as throwing axes)

The levels are completely different from each other, and most of the bosses are completely different as well. Both games share the werewolf fight, and their is a wizard in rondo who takes the shape of a skull in x, other than that all the bosses are different, and while they obviously both feature dracula as a final boss, those fights are radically different. Level design in both games is solid, rondo features lots of familiar environments remixed for a new game. It is super cool to walk right past the area where you fought the bat and medusa from the original castlevania and really gives you the sense that you are in the same castle from the first game. Rondo also features branching paths and secrets to unlock. Dracula x has its own set of unique levels, but outside of one part, is entirely linear and plays like you would expect a classic castlevania to play.

Challenge wise they are both very difficult, but they are fair. It is hard for me to say which one is harder, I played rondo first so by the time I got into dracula x I was already very used to the way richter handles, how the sub weapons feel, and I was also acclimated to all the enemy patterns. This of course made dracula x feel easier for me but I am unsure that it is easier. A few things I can objectively say is that the werewolf boss is harder in x than rondo(he has some extra moves when he gets weaker), the skull boss is much harder than his magician counterpart in rondo, and dracula in x is one of the hardest fights in the series while dracula is pretty laughable in rondo. To rondo's credit it has one boss rush level that is impossibly hard and actually made me not want to play through the game again since it scarred me the first time I played it.

Which one do I like better? I honestly do not know, I started this post by calling rondo the most over rated vania game ever and x the most under, after playing both back to back I will stand by that statement. Does that mean rondo is a bad game? No, rondo is an absolute masterpiece and is one of the best in the series, but dracula x gets pooped on way too much. X is a great game, with tight controls, awesome music, great levels, and a really solid challenge. Neither are better than castlevania 4 and both are better than bloodlines. Both games are must plays for any castlevania fan, I just wish x would get the credit it deserves.