Games Beaten 2019

Post by **ElkinFencer10** » Fri Oct 04, 2019 11:31 am

Games Beaten in 2019 So Far - 59
* denotes a replay

January (12 Games Beaten)

February (2 Games Beaten)

March (4 Games Beaten)

April (3 Games Beaten)

May (8 Games Beaten)

June (5 Games Beaten)

July (12 Games Beaten)

August (5 Games Beaten)

September (5 Games Beaten)

October (3 Games Beaten)

59. Mario Kart Tour - Android - October 3

When I heard that Nintendo was releasing a Mario Kart game for cell phones, I was skeptical. Just a touch screen? No buttons? How will that work? When I downloaded this Mario Kart game for cell phones, I was skeptical. When I was starting the first race in this Mario Kart game for cell phones, I was skeptical. When I finished that first race in this Mario Kart game for cell phones, I had been converted into a born-again believer in the Word of Mario Kart Tour.

First thing's first - the game's not perfect. The controls feel kinda awkward. The motion control works pretty well, and it does give you two basic control schemes - "basic" controls that lets you turn your kart normally and "drift" controls that offer more precision but are a bit tougher to get the hang of by making every turn into a drift - but neither scheme ever felt particularly "good" in my opinion. That said, however, it does work very well; it's just not ideal. Honestly, though, with just a touch screen and no actual buttons or control sticks, it works way better than I expected. There's no accelerating to worry about; that's done automatically. The game pretty much keeps you on the track and out of the grass or sand or whatnot for the most part. What you need to do is focus on collecting and using items, getting on jumps for the boost, and maneuvering your way around the tracks.

Visually, the game isn't as nice looking as some modern smartphone games I've seen, but keeping in mind that Nintendo has always focused largely on accessibility and likely wanted to keep the required specs fairly low so more folks could play, it looks pretty good. The sound design is fantastic and feels right at home with the Mario Kart series. Being a freemium game, it's naturally filled with microtransactions as well as a "Gold Pass" subscription that unlocks extra rewards, but I was able to play through every tour and have a FANTASTIC time with the game without spending a penny on it. As far as I can tell, almost everything can be unlocked for free in-game (although that would take a looooong time), and while not purely cosmetic, I wouldn't call the things that can be unlocked more easily via microtransactions pay-to-win, per se. Yeah, the ruby unlocks are pretty much just loot boxes, but it doesn't feel quite as scummy as Battlefront II's loot boxes. Maybe that's the Nintendo fanboy in me talking, but that's the impression I got from the game's unlock system.

Your opponents in the tours are AI controlled versions of other players' accounts, and while PvP is supposedly on the way, that won't be available until the future update. Still, though, with tracks being relatively short and only lasting two laps, this is a great game to play while pooping (or pretending to poop) at work, and it's undeniably enjoyable. The amount of characters and karts that can be unlocked is pretty expansive, too, but I'll always be loyal to my ol' faithful, Koopa Troopa. I'm not the biggest fan of mobile games, and given the portability of the Switch, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still obviously a VASTLY superior portable Mario Kart experience, but if you either don't have the time for full fledged Mario Kart or don't have your Switch with you (because if you just plain don't have a Switch, shame on you), this is a good, solid stand-in. Especially with the low price tag of $0.00, I can't think of anyone to whom I wouldn't recommend this game.

Post by **isiolia** » Fri Oct 04, 2019 3:05 pm

ElkinFencer10 wrote:As far as I can tell, almost everything can be unlocked for free in-game (although that would take a looooong time), and while not purely cosmetic, I wouldn't call the things that can be unlocked more easily via microtransactions pay-to-win, per se. Yeah, the ruby unlocks are pretty much just loot boxes, but it doesn't feel quite as scummy as Battlefront II's loot boxes. Maybe that's the Nintendo fanboy in me talking, but that's the impression I got from the game's unlock system.

To me, the downsides seem more like something that'll develop over time. Similar to the Fire Emblem mobile game - the initial release is limited in scope, so the low-tier characters and so on were fine. What may become a long-term issue is that, just like that game, this is a gacha fest that's already somewhat frustrating. It's not just the ruby boxes, but it all plays into the system that's less about racing as it is about points. You get a nice point bonus for coming in first, second, or third, but the game barely cares about that by itself. It's all about the point total Sorta like you mention, building that takes using items, hitting jumps, etc...but you also get a good chunk of your total by having the right driver/cart/glider for benefits on the track, and leveled up to get a larger starting bonus for points. It's much easier to rack up a point total getting three items at a time instead of one, and so on. Quite a lot of that comes from grinding rewards, though it caps out per day, or by...spending real money.

Theoretically, enough ranks on stuff, and you'd have the points to basically clear races by default. While it's currently playable enough without spending a dime, as the necessary point totals climb, it does get harder to succeed simply by running a good race. Which makes me wonder about how it'd be going forward -again, Fire Emblem quickly got to the point of really not being able to hang if you didn't have high tier, ranked up characters in your roster, then having a number of them...and it got harder and harder to do that for free. Which seems like the way this is going to end up. Especially if/when real PVP arrives.

It does give a bit of the feel of playing Mario Kart, limited controls and all, but it's almost beside the point. You end up running the same handful of tracks, remixed a little, with a higher and higher point standard to break by collecting and grinding (or buying) levels on drivers, carts, and gliders. That's the real game, and it's a shameful cash grab - probably one that would only be mentioned here to lambaste mobile pay-to-win mechanics, were it not for the IP.

Post by **dsheinem** » Sun Oct 06, 2019 12:04 pm

Games Beaten 2019

Kentucky Route Zero Act 1 - PC
All Our Asias - PC
Shape of the World - Switch
Hidden Folks - PC
Hyrule Warriors - Wii U
Onrush - PS4
Assassin's Creed Origins - X1
Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown -360
Metro Exodus - PS4
Split/Second - 360
Far Cry: New Dawn - PS4
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon - X1
Marvel vs Capcom Infinite - PS4
Rage - PC
Red Faction: Armageddon - 360
Momonga Pinball Adventure - Switch
Psycho Soldier - Arcade/Vita
Super Mutant Alien Assault - Vita
Burly Men at Sea - Vita
Sigil - PC
Fat Princess - PS3
Borderlands 2: Commander Lilith and the Fight for Sanctuary - PC
Monster World IV - Genesis (PS3)
Marvel's Spider-Man - PS4
Mega Man X4 - Switch
Armored Warriors - Switch *new*
Battle Circuit - Switch *new*
Borderlands 3 - PS4 *new*

Total: 28

Previously: 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

I picked up the Capcom Beat Em Up Collection and started with two I’ve never played through before. Both are pretty enjoyable, but I was psyched to find out that Armored Warriors is connected to the excellent PS1 fighter Cyberbots, which is probably my favorite “hidden gem” fighter of that era. It was fun seeing some of those same robots in a sidescroller.

Borderlands 2 is a “god-tier” game for me - probably in my top 3-5 games of all time. Borderlands 3 offered some improvements and some regressions over its predecessors, but all in all is still a great FPS/RPG hybrid that accomplishes again what the series has always done best. There’s no dramatic shakeup to the Borderlands formula, the writing is good but not great, the gunplay feels even better than prior entries (I played BL2 on PC, consoles, and Vita - the combat here is generally improved over all of those versions), and the game feels a little easier with easier campaign bosses than the series typically offers. I’ll def dive into some post-game content and DLC when it comes around. It feels good to have a new Borderands game to keep coming back to.

Post by **Markies** » Sun Oct 06, 2019 3:57 pm

Markies' Games Beat List Of 2019!
*Denotes Replay For Completion*

1. Power Stone 2 (SDC)
2. Radiata Stories (PS2)
3. Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball (NES)
***4. Saiyuki: Journey West (PS1)***
5. Shining In The Darkness (GEN)
***6. Metropolis Street Racer (SDC)***
7. Half-Life 2 (XBOX)
8. Soul Blazer (SNES)
9. Mario Party (N64)
10. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (GCN)
11. Street Fighter Collection (PS1)
12. Pokemon Stadium 2 (N64)
13. Burnout (PS2)
14. Phantasy Star III (GEN)
15. Batman: The Video Game (NES)
16. X-Men Legends (XBOX)
***17. Final Fantasy VII (PS1)***
18. Maximum Pool (SDC)
19. Puzzle Quest (PS2)
20. Jet Moto (PS1)
21. The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition

I beat The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition for the Nintendo GameCube this afternoon!

After beating The Wind Waker, I was looking for my next Zelda game to purchase. After doing some research, I saw two collections that looked rather interesting. One was Ocarina of Time Master Quest and the second was the Zelda Collector's Edition. I had already played all four of the games on their original consoles, but I'm always a sucker to replay some Zelda games. So, I decided to take a break from the 'new' Zelda games and play some of the older games first.

The first game on the Collector's Edition was the original Legend of Zelda. Thankfully, I have a Hori Controller used for GameBoy games to play on the GameCube and that worked for this game, so I got to play the game with a regular D-Pad. The original Zelda is one of my favorite games of all time and it felt wonderful to go back and play again. Though, I always feel ashamed when I die in that game, which I did a few times.

Zelda II was up next and I had played the game for the first time a few years ago. The was one that I wasn't looking forward to as it beat me down. If I didn't have the Hori Pad, I don't think I would have beaten the game. The game is innovative and unique, but damn is it tough.

Ocarina of Time followed as we skipped Link to the Past. I had also played through Ocarina of Time recently, so I went through this one as quickly as possible. The extra sensitive thumb stick made the game rather interesting than what I was used to with the N64 stick. Also, the C-Stick and C Buttons took some getting used to for that particular game.

Finally, I played Majora's Mask, which was probably the game I was looking forward to the most. The last time I played it, I was in college and I couldn't beat the Water Temple, so my roommate did it for me. I felt like I needed to beat the game myself and do it without collecting every item. It was much more difficult and I don't think the game is intended to play it that way, but I did finally do it.

The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition is a great way to play four amazing games. I would always recommend playing the games on their original console first, but this collection will do in a pinch. Make certain that you find a better D-Pad than the GameCube's for Zelda II or you will loose your mind. It is always fun to replay Zelda games, no matter what the platform and I was glad to take a trip down memory lane.

Post by **BoneSnapDeez** » Mon Oct 07, 2019 2:12 pm

72. Surround (Atari 2600)
73. Borderline (SG-1000)
74. Omega Race (VIC-20)
75. Star Battle (VIC-20)

Surround

When I was much younger I used to play a "snake" game on my graphing calculator. The game starred a snake moving around a field, eating randomly appearing items. Each time the snake consumed an item it grew longer, eventually twisting its way across the bulk of the playing field. The goal was to gobble up as much as possible, without running into the outer border, or smacking the snake's head against its ever-increasing body. It just so happens that there was another variation of "snake" that made some waves in the late 1970s. This foodless one-on-one variant pits two players (or a single player and a computer) against each other. The "snakes" grow automatically as they continuously move, the goal being to trap (or simply outlast) the opponent - whoever smacks into something loses. Several arcade games showcased such gameplay, though Atari brought the action home with their launch title Surround.

Unsurprisingly, Surround features multiple "modes" of gameplay, fourteen to be exact. Though two modes feature a computerized opponent, this is certainly best played with a duo of human players. While the AI isn't completely incompetent (like that of Street Racer or Air-Sea Battle) it's still pretty lame, and incredibly exploitable. Grab a buddy, and a second joystick. Seriously. The default gameplay mode has two players face off in a closed-in arena. You'll have to use some imagination to envision any reptiles: each player takes control of a square that leaves a winding "wall" behind as it moves. First one to hit any wall is toast. Movement is four-directional, and some simple beep-beep sound effects play as maneuvering occurs. Strategies vary based on the skills of the two playing. You can be aggressive and try to envelop an opponent as soon as possible, play the "long game" by making huge loops around the outer edges of the screen while slowly closing in, or just "hide" as best as possible while waiting for the opponent to make a critical error. Two skilled opponents make for some tense matches; first player to hit ten points is declared the overall winner.

As for those other gameplay modes, they change the rules a little. One causes the snakes to speed up as they make progress (the audio also speeds up each time a "gear shifts" which is pretty cool). Another eliminates the arena wall and allows for "wrap-around" movement. Yet another allows for eight-directional movement instead of four. Lastly, the players can choose an "eraser" mode, where the fire button toggles track-laying on and off. Of course, we reach fourteen total modes by allowing the players to combine said attributes. Mode 12, for example, allows the players to wrap around the screen, speed up, move diagonally, and elect to stop laying track. It's total chaos!!!

Graphically, the game looks rather plain and many of the color choices are questionable. It's like the developers were trying to show off how many colors the console could support, and some stage backgrounds are quite gaudy as a result. There are some "video graffiti" modes tucked into the tail end of the cartridge, which allow players to "draw" onscreen. Slightly amusing for the time, but also rather slow and tedious. Overall, this is a good outing for Atari. The compelling two-player showdowns make Surround one of the more interesting launch titles.

Borderline

Growing up, I always assumed that the Genesis was Sega's first console. It was the only one I had been aware of, plus its very name suggested a debut of sorts. My mind was blown years later when, in an attempt to play the first Phantasy Star game, I discovered an 8-bit Sega console: the Sega Master System. My mind was doubly blown when, as an adult with disposable income and a game collecting habit, I discovered yet another ancient Sega system known as the SG-1000. The SG-1000 is indeed Sega's first piece of home console hardware. It had the unfortunate luck of being released in Japan on the exact same day as Nintendo's legendary Famicom. While the Famicom achieved even further success with its NES variant, the SG-1000 saw only a limited release and faded quietly, quickly superseded by the Master System. It never even made it to the shores of North America. Though the SG-1000 helped usher in the third generation of gaming consoles, it feels very much like a second gen system, with its joystick controller and hardware specifications that greatly resemble those of the ColecoVision. Unsurprisingly, a huge portion of the SG-1000 library consists of Sega arcade ports, including the system's launch title: Borderline.

Borderline is an "action" title that, to use the game's own terminology, consists of a single looping "round" which is then broken down into a series of segments. First comes a vertically-scrolling "driving" section that's vaguely reminiscent of Bump 'n' Jump, but with more of an emphasis on combat. Enemies fly out of the walls that line both sides of the screen. The selection here is a little disappointing: the only thing to shoot down are these plain white triangular "missiles." Pressing either joystick button executes an attack: the player's jeep emits bullets from the left or right side of its hood. The shot types alternate, which is something to consider while aiming, though good old-fashioned button-mashing usually does the trick regardless. There's a fuel meter that acts as a de facto timer; shooting red gas tanks will replenish it. The scrolling is a bit choppy, and pulling back on the joystick will slow things down. Surprisingly, it is possible to shoot left and right by holding the joystick in one of those directions while shooting. This maneuver is essentially required to hit the fuel tanks, and tricky to pull off without also careening headlong into a wall.

Following the driving segment comes a series of "digging" sections. Dig Dug is the obvious comparison here, though in the arcades Borderline actually predates Namco's classic monster-popper. These single-screen challenges adhere to more standard action game controls: no screen scrolling and top-down four-direction movement. The "dirt" provides cover from enemy fire, as only the player's jeep is capable of digging. There are also rigid unmovable walls to contend with. The goal throughout the trio of digging segments is to destroy the enemy "reactors" which are guarded by tanks. The tanks aren't especially fearsome. Slow and lumbering, their incoming shots can also be taken out by the player's bullets. It's a testament to the uneven difficultly that characterizes Borderline: while the driving segments can be daunting, mainly owing to the controls, the digging segments take almost no effort to complete.

The game looks acceptable (and yes, incredibly similar to what was on the ColecoVision in North America), but the massive monochrome chunks of brick and soil leave something to be desired. A musical ditty plays throughout, which is competent enough if not especially memorable. Sega was really fighting an uphill battle here. Nintendo launched their Famicom with arcade royalty in the form of Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Junior. Meanwhile, Borderline made little splash in the arcades and this port isn't enough to make anyone a believer. Had the difficultly been smoothed out and the controls tightened we'd perhaps have a winner on our hands. Instead, this stands mostly as an intriguing piece of history rather than a compelling play. And given the rarity (and accompanying prices) of SG-1000 cartridges, Borderline is best left to the most dedicated Sega devotees.

Omega Race

I can't be the only one that assumed Omega Race would be a racing game, right? It really isn't. Omega Race is a shooter, released in the arcades by Midway in 1981, subsequently ported to multiple home consoles and computers. This isn't your typical fixed shooter though (Midway did have one of those, called Gorf); Omega Race is more akin to Atari's Asteroids and Sega's Space Fury. In other words, the player's ship has a free range of movement, the joystick is used to rotate and align the ship's nose, and a "thrust" command is used to accelerate forward. The most common variant of Omega Race is on the 2600. That particular port came packaged with a special controller (actually, it's a very odd "adapter" for the standard joystick) with two buttons: one for fire and one for thrusting. It's an interesting idea, and rather faithful to the arcade original's control scheme, but ultimately unwieldy and frustrating. Instead, I'd opt for something like the Commodore VIC-20 port, which uses the traditional "up for thrust" mechanic.

Gameplay is self-explanatory. Steer the ship and blast all enemies in sight. There are flying UFOs to contend with, along with stationary mines. Enemies get more aggressive if allowed to linger onscreen, with the ominous background music speeding up to serve as a warning. An occasional "death ship" appears, which needs to be blasted quickly as it can outrun and outmaneuver the player's ship with ease. The game's a "looper" with one repeating piece of scenery, perfectly suited for high score chasing.

Despite the obvious inspiration, Omega Race doesn't stick too closely to the the Asteroids formula. There's no screen wrapping; hitting the edge of the screen causes the player's ship to "bounce" off. This can be detrimental, as the closed-in arena makes it tougher to avoid certain enemies, but a well-timed bounce is a great way to reposition. Additionally, the game's score/life display isn't contained within the typical horizontal bar situated at the screen's top or bottom. Instead, it's housed within a rectangle set dead in the screen's center. This rectangle is also "bouncy" and makes the battlefield resemble a large racetrack. And while playing it feels like you're constantly "running laps" with the ship. Kind of like a ..... hey, wait a minute.

The graphical style is interesting. This was Midway's only arcade release to utilize vector graphics, a look that was carried over into the VIC-20 port. This means that the game's entirely in black & white (minus the title screen), with every sprite resembling some sort of hard-angled geometric shape. The lack of detail won't please everyone, though I personally adore the stark unambiguous visuals. Why this wasn't ported to the Vectrex (the console to actually use vector graphics exclusively) is beyond me, though a homebrew port was apparently crafted many years after the game's initial relevancy.

Overall, Omega Race is a solid effort from Midway and Commodore. The "track" playing field subtly adds a layer of intrigue and strategy that would be missing from your bog standard Asteroids knock-off. It's a quick play, but a memorable one. To reiterate, I'd steer clear of that Atari port in favor of this (everyone has a VIC-20, right??).

Star Battle

Star Battle is a space-themed fixed shooter released for the Commodore VIC-20 in 1981. There are seemingly millions of games just like this, so what makes Star Battle different? Well, it was programmed by the late Satoru Iwata. Yes, that Satoru Iwata, the one of HAL Laboratory, later to become president and CEO of Nintendo. This particular game dates back to his pre-HAL days, when he was involved with Commodore Japan. Who knew?

Don't get excited though. This isn't come obscure Japanese hidden gem that somehow slipped into the Commodore library (check out Curse of Babylon on C64 if you do desire such things). No, Star Battle is simply an attempt to recreate Namco's Galaxian for the VIC-20 computer. It's an unauthorized "clone" game, if you will. All the core elements of Galaxian are present. One or two (alternating) players control a spaceship firing vertically into a horde of alien fiends. The blue, purple, red, and yellow extraterrestrials all adhere to slightly different attack patterns, and move at varying rates of speed. In addition to firing their own projectiles, aliens will frequently swoop down in a kamikaze fashion, attempting to make direct contact with the player's ship. Points are gained upon defeating the bad guys, and the game "ends" only when all lives are depleted. The iconic "flags" to mark stage progress have been retained here as well.

Now, Galaxian is an excellent game, offering up a simple but addictive dose of score-chasing, with a steadily climbing difficulty curve. Had Star Battle competently emulated Galaxian we'd have a real winner. Unfortunately, it falters in many places. While the alien sprites look correct when still, they move in a rather choppy fashion. There's plenty of sprite flickering, which can lead to some frustrating missed shots. Sound effects are terrible: alternating between staticky thumps and shrill whines. The shortcomings of Star Battle make it a difficult game to contend with, and there's little incentive to keep practicing.

These copycat games were common on old computers, probably because the publishers either couldn't (or didn't want to) obtain proper licensing rights. Anyone who's delved into the VIC-20 library has likely encountered Star Battle -- along with Avenger, Jupiter Lander, and Radar Rat Race (which copy Space Invaders, Lunar Lander, and Rally-X, respectively). One could argue that Star Battle may have served a purpose as a compromised but playable "substitute" for Galaxian, for those 80s gamers that owned a VIC-20 but no gaming console. However, Galaxian did receive a proper VIC-20 port via Atarisoft, a few years after Star Battle hit the scene. This essentially renders Iwata's creation moot, though it's undeniably a cool historical oddity. Kirby would be willing to inhale it, I bet.

Post by **prfsnl_gmr** » Mon Oct 07, 2019 3:44 pm

BoneSnapDeez wrote:

1. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (Famicom)
2. Dragon Scroll: Yomigaerishi Maryuu (Famicom)
3. Ninja-kun: Majou no Bouken (Famicom)
4. Hello Kitty World (Famicom)
5. Galaxian (Famicom)
6. Esper Dream 2: Aratanaru Tatakai (Famicom)
7. Ninja Jajamaru-kun (Famicom)
8. Jajamaru no Daibouken (Famicom)
9. Front Line (Famicom)
10. Field Combat (Famicom)
11. Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken (Famicom)
12. Mississippi Satsujin Jiken: Murder on the Mississippi (Famicom)
13. Space Harrier (Famicom)
14. Geimos (Famicom)
15. Attack Animal Gakuen (Famicom)
16. Sky Destroyer (Famicom)
17. Ripple Island (Famicom)
18. Oishinbo: Kyukyoku no Menu 3bon Syoubu (Famicom)
19. Bird Week (Famicom)
20. Baltron (Famicom)
21. Yie Ar Kung-Fu (Famicom)
22. Challenger (Famicom)
23. Ikki (Famicom)
24. Dough Boy (Famicom)
25. Atlantis no Nazo (Famicom)
26. Bio Senshi Dan: Increaser tono Tatakai (Famicom)
27. Yume Penguin Monogatari (Famicom)
28. King Kong 2: Ikari no Megaton Punch (Famicom)
29. Congo Bongo (Atari 2600)
30. Coconuts (Atari 2600)
31. Arcade Archives: Donkey Kong (Switch eShop)
32. Dragon Quest V: Tenkuu no Hanayome (Super Famicom)
33. Johnny Turbo's Arcade: Super Burger Time (Switch eShop)
34. Fire Fly (Atari 2600)
35. Fire Fighter (Atari 2600)
36. Space Jockey (Atari 2600)
37. Airlock (Atari 2600)
38. Makai Hakkenden Shada (PC Engine)
39. Squeeze Box (Atari 2600)
40. Lagoon (SNES)
41. Atlantis (Atari 2600)
42. Xak III: The Eternal Recurrence (PC Engine CD)
43. Blue Blink (PC Engine)
44. Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys (PC Engine CD)
45. Cally's Caves 3 (Steam)
46. Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet (Steam)
47. Contra (NES)
48. Arcade Archives: Vs. Super Mario Bros. (Switch eShop)
49. Arcade Archives: Moon Cresta (Switch eShop)
50. Johnny Turbo's Arcade: Joe and Mac Caveman Ninja (Switch eShop)
51. Ice Hockey (Atari 2600)
52. Indy 500 (Atari 2600)
53. Video Olympics (Atari 2600)
54. Fast Eddie (Atari 2600)
55. Muv-Luv (Steam)
56. Air-Sea Battle (Atari 2600)
57. Combat (Atari 2600)
58. Street Racer (Atari 2600)
59. Food Fight (Atari 7800)
60. Galaga (Atari 7800)
61. Donkey Kong (ColecoVision)
62. Cosmic Avenger (ColecoVision)
63. Mouse Trap (ColecoVision)
64. Zaxxon (ColecoVision)
65. Armor Battle (Intellivision)
66. Armor Ambush (Atari 2600)
67. Basic Math (Atari 2600)
68. Astrosmash (Intellivision)
69. Astroblast (Atari 2600)
70. Donkey Kong (Intellivision)
71. Beauty & the Beast (Intellivision)

72. Surround (Atari 2600)
73. Borderline (SG-1000)
74. Omega Race (VIC-20)
75. Star Battle (VIC-20)

Surround

When I was much younger I used to play a "snake" game on my graphing calculator. The game starred a snake moving around a field, eating randomly appearing items. Each time the snake consumed an item it grew longer, eventually twisting its way across the bulk of the playing field. The goal was to gobble up as much as possible, without running into the outer border, or smacking the snake's head against its ever-increasing body. It just so happens that there was another variation of "snake" that made some waves in the late 1970s. This foodless one-on-one variant pits two players (or a single player and a computer) against each other. The "snakes" grow automatically as they continuously move, the goal being to trap (or simply outlast) the opponent - whoever smacks into something loses. Several arcade games showcased such gameplay, though Atari brought the action home with their launch title Surround.

Unsurprisingly, Surround features multiple "modes" of gameplay, fourteen to be exact. Though two modes feature a computerized opponent, this is certainly best played with a duo of human players. While the AI isn't completely incompetent (like that of Street Racer or Air-Sea Battle) it's still pretty lame, and incredibly exploitable. Grab a buddy, and a second joystick. Seriously. The default gameplay mode has two players face off in a closed-in arena. You'll have to use some imagination to envision any reptiles: each player takes control of a square that leaves a winding "wall" behind as it moves. First one to hit any wall is toast. Movement is four-directional, and some simple beep-beep sound effects play as maneuvering occurs. Strategies vary based on the skills of the two playing. You can be aggressive and try to envelop an opponent as soon as possible, play the "long game" by making huge loops around the outer edges of the screen while slowly closing in, or just "hide" as best as possible while waiting for the opponent to make a critical error. Two skilled opponents make for some tense matches; first player to hit ten points is declared the overall winner.

As for those other gameplay modes, they change the rules a little. One causes the snakes to speed up as they make progress (the audio also speeds up each time a "gear shifts" which is pretty cool). Another eliminates the arena wall and allows for "wrap-around" movement. Yet another allows for eight-directional movement instead of four. Lastly, the players can choose an "eraser" mode, where the fire button toggles track-laying on and off. Of course, we reach fourteen total modes by allowing the players to combine said attributes. Mode 12, for example, allows the players to wrap around the screen, speed up, move diagonally, and elect to stop laying track. It's total chaos!!!

Graphically, the game looks rather plain and many of the color choices are questionable. It's like the developers were trying to show off how many colors the console could support, and some stage backgrounds are quite gaudy as a result. There are some "video graffiti" modes tucked into the tail end of the cartridge, which allow players to "draw" onscreen. Slightly amusing for the time, but also rather slow and tedious. Overall, this is a good outing for Atari. The compelling two-player showdowns make Surround one of the more interesting launch titles.

Borderline

Growing up, I always assumed that the Genesis was Sega's first console. It was the only one I had been aware of, plus its very name suggested a debut of sorts. My mind was blown years later when, in an attempt to play the first Phantasy Star game, I discovered an 8-bit Sega console: the Sega Master System. My mind was doubly blown when, as an adult with disposable income and a game collecting habit, I discovered yet another ancient Sega system known as the SG-1000. The SG-1000 is indeed Sega's first piece of home console hardware. It had the unfortunate luck of being released in Japan on the exact same day as Nintendo's legendary Famicom. While the Famicom achieved even further success with its NES variant, the SG-1000 saw only a limited release and faded quietly, quickly superseded by the Master System. It never even made it to the shores of North America. Though the SG-1000 helped usher in the third generation of gaming consoles, it feels very much like a second gen system, with its joystick controller and hardware specifications that greatly resemble those of the ColecoVision. Unsurprisingly, a huge portion of the SG-1000 library consists of Sega arcade ports, including the system's launch title: Borderline.

Borderline is an "action" title that, to use the game's own terminology, consists of a single looping "round" which is then broken down into a series of segments. First comes a vertically-scrolling "driving" section that's vaguely reminiscent of Bump 'n' Jump, but with more of an emphasis on combat. Enemies fly out of the walls that line both sides of the screen. The selection here is a little disappointing: the only thing to shoot down are these plain white triangular "missiles." Pressing either joystick button executes an attack: the player's jeep emits bullets from the left or right side of its hood. The shot types alternate, which is something to consider while aiming, though good old-fashioned button-mashing usually does the trick regardless. There's a fuel meter that acts as a de facto timer; shooting red gas tanks will replenish it. The scrolling is a bit choppy, and pulling back on the joystick will slow things down. Surprisingly, it is possible to shoot left and right by holding the joystick in one of those directions while shooting. This maneuver is essentially required to hit the fuel tanks, and tricky to pull off without also careening headlong into a wall.

Following the driving segment comes a series of "digging" sections. Dig Dug is the obvious comparison here, though in the arcades Borderline actually predates Namco's classic monster-popper. These single-screen challenges adhere to more standard action game controls: no screen scrolling and top-down four-direction movement. The "dirt" provides cover from enemy fire, as only the player's jeep is capable of digging. There are also rigid unmovable walls to contend with. The goal throughout the trio of digging segments is to destroy the enemy "reactors" which are guarded by tanks. The tanks aren't especially fearsome. Slow and lumbering, their incoming shots can also be taken out by the player's bullets. It's a testament to the uneven difficultly that characterizes Borderline: while the driving segments can be daunting, mainly owing to the controls, the digging segments take almost no effort to complete.

The game looks acceptable (and yes, incredibly similar to what was on the ColecoVision in North America), but the massive monochrome chunks of brick and soil leave something to be desired. A musical ditty plays throughout, which is competent enough if not especially memorable. Sega was really fighting an uphill battle here. Nintendo launched their Famicom with arcade royalty in the form of Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Junior. Meanwhile, Borderline made little splash in the arcades and this port isn't enough to make anyone a believer. Had the difficultly been smoothed out and the controls tightened we'd perhaps have a winner on our hands. Instead, this stands mostly as an intriguing piece of history rather than a compelling play. And given the rarity (and accompanying prices) of SG-1000 cartridges, Borderline is best left to the most dedicated Sega devotees.

Omega Race

I can't be the only one that assumed Omega Race would be a racing game, right? It really isn't. Omega Race is a shooter, released in the arcades by Midway in 1981, subsequently ported to multiple home consoles and computers. This isn't your typical fixed shooter though (Midway did have one of those, called Gorf); Omega Race is more akin to Atari's Asteroids and Sega's Space Fury. In other words, the player's ship has a free range of movement, the joystick is used to rotate and align the ship's nose, and a "thrust" command is used to accelerate forward. The most common variant of Omega Race is on the 2600. That particular port came packaged with a special controller (actually, it's a very odd "adapter" for the standard joystick) with two buttons: one for fire and one for thrusting. It's an interesting idea, and rather faithful to the arcade original's control scheme, but ultimately unwieldy and frustrating. Instead, I'd opt for something like the Commodore VIC-20 port, which uses the traditional "up for thrust" mechanic.

Gameplay is self-explanatory. Steer the ship and blast all enemies in sight. There are flying UFOs to contend with, along with stationary mines. Enemies get more aggressive if allowed to linger onscreen, with the ominous background music speeding up to serve as a warning. An occasional "death ship" appears, which needs to be blasted quickly as it can outrun and outmaneuver the player's ship with ease. The game's a "looper" with one repeating piece of scenery, perfectly suited for high score chasing.

Despite the obvious inspiration, Omega Race doesn't stick too closely to the the Asteroids formula. There's no screen wrapping; hitting the edge of the screen causes the player's ship to "bounce" off. This can be detrimental, as the closed-in arena makes it tougher to avoid certain enemies, but a well-timed bounce is a great way to reposition. Additionally, the game's score/life display isn't contained within the typical horizontal bar situated at the screen's top or bottom. Instead, it's housed within a rectangle set dead in the screen's center. This rectangle is also "bouncy" and makes the battlefield resemble a large racetrack. And while playing it feels like you're constantly "running laps" with the ship. Kind of like a ..... hey, wait a minute.

The graphical style is interesting. This was Midway's only arcade release to utilize vector graphics, a look that was carried over into the VIC-20 port. This means that the game's entirely in black & white (minus the title screen), with every sprite resembling some sort of hard-angled geometric shape. The lack of detail won't please everyone, though I personally adore the stark unambiguous visuals. Why this wasn't ported to the Vectrex (the console to actually use vector graphics exclusively) is beyond me, though a homebrew port was apparently crafted many years after the game's initial relevancy.

Overall, Omega Race is a solid effort from Midway and Commodore. The "track" playing field subtly adds a layer of intrigue and strategy that would be missing from your bog standard Asteroids knock-off. It's a quick play, but a memorable one. To reiterate, I'd steer clear of that Atari port in favor of this (everyone has a VIC-20, right??).

Star Battle

Star Battle is a space-themed fixed shooter released for the Commodore VIC-20 in 1981. There are seemingly millions of games just like this, so what makes Star Battle different? Well, it was programmed by the late Satoru Iwata. Yes, that Satoru Iwata, the one of HAL Laboratory, later to become president and CEO of Nintendo. This particular game dates back to his pre-HAL days, when he was involved with Commodore Japan. Who knew?

Don't get excited though. This isn't come obscure Japanese hidden gem that somehow slipped into the Commodore library (check out Curse of Babylon on C64 if you do desire such things). No, Star Battle is simply an attempt to recreate Namco's Galaxian for the VIC-20 computer. It's an unauthorized "clone" game, if you will. All the core elements of Galaxian are present. One or two (alternating) players control a spaceship firing vertically into a horde of alien fiends. The blue, purple, red, and yellow extraterrestrials all adhere to slightly different attack patterns, and move at varying rates of speed. In addition to firing their own projectiles, aliens will frequently swoop down in a kamikaze fashion, attempting to make direct contact with the player's ship. Points are gained upon defeating the bad guys, and the game "ends" only when all lives are depleted. The iconic "flags" to mark stage progress have been retained here as well.

Now, Galaxian is an excellent game, offering up a simple but addictive dose of score-chasing, with a steadily climbing difficulty curve. Had Star Battle competently emulated Galaxian we'd have a real winner. Unfortunately, it falters in many places. While the alien sprites look correct when still, they move in a rather choppy fashion. There's plenty of sprite flickering, which can lead to some frustrating missed shots. Sound effects are terrible: alternating between staticky thumps and shrill whines. The shortcomings of Star Battle make it a difficult game to contend with, and there's little incentive to keep practicing.

These copycat games were common on old computers, probably because the publishers either couldn't (or didn't want to) obtain proper licensing rights. Anyone who's delved into the VIC-20 library has likely encountered Star Battle -- along with Avenger, Jupiter Lander, and Radar Rat Race (which copy Space Invaders, Lunar Lander, and Rally-X, respectively). One could argue that Star Battle may have served a purpose as a compromised but playable "substitute" for Galaxian, for those 80s gamers that owned a VIC-20 but no gaming console. However, Galaxian did receive a proper VIC-20 port via Atarisoft, a few years after Star Battle hit the scene. This essentially renders Iwata's creation moot, though it's undeniably a cool historical oddity. Kirby would be willing to inhale it, I bet.

Awesome reviews, Bone. I really appreciate these. They’re such a great window into the world of second generation gaming.

Post by **MrPopo** » Tue Oct 08, 2019 2:00 am

1. Octopath Traveler - Switch
2. Dusk - PC
3. Forsaken Remastered - PC
4. Tales of Eternia - PS1
5. Resident Evil 2 (2019) - PC
6. Pokémon Trading Card Game - GBC
7. Metro Exodus - PC
8. Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales - PC
9. Project Warlock - PC
10. Magic: The Gathering - PC
11. Ghost 1.0 - PC
12. Call of Duty 2 - PC
13. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - PS4
14. Revelations: The Demon Slayer - GBC
15. Mechstermination Force - Switch
16. Shadow Warrior Classic Redux - PC
17. Lost Sphear - Switch
18. Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal - PC
19. Dragon Quest III - NES
20. Rage 2 - PC
21. Blood - PC
22. Harvest Moon 64 - N64
23. Battlefield V - PC
24. Sigil - PC
25. Shining Force III: Scenario 2 - Saturn
26. Shining Force III: Scenario 3 - Saturn
27. Borderlands 2: Commander Lillith and the Fight for Sanctuary - PC
28. Gato Roboto - Switch
29. Timespinner - Switch
30. Amid Evil - PC
31. Pillars of Eternity II: Beast of Winter - PC
32. Pillars of Eternity II: Seeker, Slayer, Survivor - PC
33. Pillars of Eternity II: The Forgotten Sanctum - PC
34. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - Switch
35. Orphan - PC
36. Project Nimbus - PC
37. Hardcore Mecha - PC
38. Grey Goo - PC
39. Giants: Citizen Kabuto - PC
40. Wolfenstein: Youngblood - PC
41. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Switch
42. Metal Wolf Chaos XD - PC
43. Ion Fury - PC
44. Final Fantasy Adventure - GB
45. Astral Chain - Switch
46. Rebel Galaxy Outlaw - PC
47. Blasphemous - Switch
48. Daemon x Machina - Switch
49. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - Switch
50. Borderlands 3 - PC

Borderlands 3 is the fourth main entry in the looty shooty franchise (yay for Pre-Sequel fucking up the numbering). It serves as an iterative entry that doesn't bring as many new things as Borderlands 2 and Pre-Sequel did. But what it does do is strip off most of the things that tended to be tedious about previous entries (though not 100% of them, though I'd argue it brings it down to the level of "I don't mind").

The plot is not terribly dissimilar from that of 2, where there is a villain who wants to open the vaults for massive power and they spend a lot of time dicking you over as you try to stop them. What sets Tyreen and Troy apart from Handsome Jack is that they are basically YouTube stars who have weaponized their legion of followers, quite literally. Their fans, the Pandoran bandits, are utterly devoted to them and refer to them as the God Twins, and the twins feed them through the magic of social media. It never gets quite to the level of social commentary; rather, it has just the right amount of parody to current trends in social media engagement. There's riffs on a lot of the clichés for YouTube stars, and frankly it's just real enough to be amusing. Tyreen's voice actress also totally has the cadence down of a YouTube star, and overall I think her character is more consistent than Handsome Jack (though he still has higher highs).

Borderlands 3 plays mostly like a refined Borderlands 2; the new stuff rom Pre-Sequel has been dropped, mostly due to not being in the venue of the moon (though there is one level that brings back the low gravity). The two main gameplay expansions are to the skills and to the guns. On the skill front you now have a different skill for each of the trees, and you can pick which one to equip. You'll unlock more as you go deeper in the trees, and you'll also unlock enhancements to the skills that you get for free once you're deep enough in the tree. This provides a lot more variety to the gameplay compared to the previous games, and serves as the best improvement to the gameplay. The improvement to the weapons is in making the weapons even more distinct than they already were. While for the most part in Borderlands 2 the differences in weapons was in the sorts of stat ranges they had (and things like Tediore reloading as grenades, Maliwan always being elemental, and Jakobs never being elemental), now weapons tend to have a variety of secondary effects. Many of them have some sort of toggle to a secondary ammo type that provides utility. Maliwan let you swap between elements, while Atlas lets you fire a tracking dart that causes your shots to auto aim onto the target. Dahl swaps between semi-auto and burst fire, while Torgue has your shots turn into stick bombs that explode for extra damage after a second. It all combines to keep the gameplay fresh, as you'll still be upgrading your guns throughout the game as you get higher statted gear, but you need to adapt to changing weapon properties and handling. You can never get too complacent with the gameplay, which is important. Also, it seems that the Legendary drop rate was jacked up compared to previous entries; I ended the game with 30+ Legendaries collected and it keeps the "oooo, this is fun" factor going. It's similar to how Diablo 3 realized that giving out interesting Legendaries more often made for better overall gameplay when you don't need PVP balance.

The changes to quests ends up being the biggest improvement over previous games, in my opinion. The previous games suffered from a major amount of backtracking; you would do a story mission that sent you to a combat area, you'd clear it out, then go back to the friendly area only to find that there are now three or four quests sending you back to that combat area (where everything has respawned). It's the sort of thing that tends to drain you, as it feels like obvious padding. That sort of backtracking is mostly gone. The number of overall sidequests has been greatly diminished, in favor of various collectable-esque challenges on the maps. These are consistent things that can be checked ahead of time; finding three voice logs from the first Vault Hunter so you can find a super loot cache, stealing vehicles to get vehicle upgrades, and killing a named monster, to name a few. Not every one is on every map, but they serve to get you to explore a bit and the rewards are worthwhile. The sidequests that remain, for the most part, send you to areas you wouldn't see if you just follow the main quest line, and they tend to be the source of the standard Borderlands quirkiness. There are a handful that do have you repeat an area, but these are almost always justified by the story behind the quest. This keeps them from feeling too much as padding, and as a result I didn't mind the few times it came up.

The game does start off a bit slow, story wise. It's not until you're nearly finished with the first couple maps that the engagement with the villains picks up, and at that point the game gets fun, and not just "yeah, yeah, more Borderlands". That's also about the time that you have gotten enough skill points to start to feel the benefits of the customization. So if you're a fan of the previous games and aren't impressed at the start, stick with it. It will pay off, and this game does the most to fill out the backstory of the Borderlands IP, which was a very welcome thing.

Post by **Markies** » Tue Oct 08, 2019 10:50 pm

Markies' Games Beat List Of 2019!
*Denotes Replay For Completion*

1. Power Stone 2 (SDC)
2. Radiata Stories (PS2)
3. Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball (NES)
***4. Saiyuki: Journey West (PS1)***
5. Shining In The Darkness (GEN)
***6. Metropolis Street Racer (SDC)***
7. Half-Life 2 (XBOX)
8. Soul Blazer (SNES)
9. Mario Party (N64)
10. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (GCN)
11. Street Fighter Collection (PS1)
12. Pokemon Stadium 2 (N64)
13. Burnout (PS2)
14. Phantasy Star III (GEN)
15. Batman: The Video Game (NES)
16. X-Men Legends (XBOX)
***17. Final Fantasy VII (PS1)***
18. Maximum Pool (SDC)
19. Puzzle Quest (PS2)
20. Jet Moto (PS1)
21. The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition (GCN)
22. Dead Or Alive 3 (XBOX)

I beat Dead or Alive 3 on the Microsoft XBOX this evening!

Dead or Alive is probably my favorite 3D fighting game franchise with Soul Calibur coming up a very close second. I just love the flow of the battle and the counter system adds a layer of depth instead of just mashing buttons. I was introduced to the series via DOA2, but I went backwards afterwards playing the original and then the original DOA2 on the Dreamcast. With those out of the way, it was finally time to play DOA3, which was one of the main reasons I bought a XBOX. With the Racketboy forums having a monthly theme of Launch Games, I figured now would be great time to finally play the next installment in the series.

The main difference in DOA3 is the additions of unique environmental aspects to the stage. There are trees in the way and slippery ice, but the main aspect is stages with levels on them. You can now hit your opponent off the stage and they would land below dealing massive damage. These are all incredibly fun along with adding something to aim for. Besides that, the fighting is still pretty much the same. There is no real change in the core mechanics. Some new characters were added with their unique fighting style, some of them being better than others. The graphics, as always, are absolutely stunning. The game really shows the power of the console as the characters look completely gorgeous. There is also little effects like the snow being trampled upon as you walk over it that really pull you into the game.

The only negative I have about the game is the final boss. DOA is known for not having the fairest boss fights, but DOA3 takes it a step beyond. The entire fight is fought over the shoulder, which is the first and only time that is used in the game. He uses basically a double light saber, he shoots projectiles and the screens becomes blurrier the more damage you take. He can keep you at bay, break your combos and just completely break the game. In a way, it's more stupid and annoying than challenging.

Overall, Dead or Alive 3 delivers on exactly what I wanted in a DOA game. The game play is still fast paced and the fighting is still a perfect mixture of strategy and timing. The graphics are utterly stunning and the characters are simply beautiful. The final boss annoys me, but I can look over him and just enjoy the fighting system. Another great entry into one of my favorite fighting franchises.

Post by **prfsnl_gmr** » Thu Oct 10, 2019 9:52 am

First 50

51. Ninja Gaiden (GG)
52. SonSon (Arcade)
53. Wonder Girl: The Dragon’s Trap (iOS)
54. Minit (iOS)
55. Ninja Gaiden (SMS)
56. Surround (2600)
57. Pocket Bomberman (GBC)
58. Shadowgate (iOS)
59. Kuru Kuru Kururin (GBA)
60. Metroid Prime Hunters - First Hunt (NDS)
61. Mekorama (iOS)
62. Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (PSP)
63. Akamajou Dracula Peke (TG16)

Mekorama (iOS) is a cute little puzzler I’ve been playing on and off on my phone for years. It plays a lot like Captain Toad Treasure Tracker, but with smaller, simpler levels. Also, it’s free. I recommend it.

I played through Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (PSP) For this month’s TR. it is a solid 2.5D remake of one of the best Castlevania games. I really enjoyed it, and I wrote a lot more about it in the TR thread.

EDIT: Unlocked and beat Akamajou Dracula Peke (TG16). Only a few screens long. Not worth writing about, really.

Post by **ElkinFencer10** » Thu Oct 10, 2019 2:55 pm

Games Beaten in 2019 So Far - 60
* denotes a replay

January (12 Games Beaten)

February (2 Games Beaten)

March (4 Games Beaten)

April (3 Games Beaten)

May (8 Games Beaten)

June (5 Games Beaten)

July (12 Games Beaten)

August (5 Games Beaten)

September (5 Games Beaten)

October (4 Games Beaten)

60. Muv-Luv Alternative - Vita - October 10

Holy crap, my dudes. I thought I knew what the word "intense" meant. I mean, I played through the original Famicom Disk System Super Mario Bros 2. I've seen the effects of Operation British in Mobile Suit Gundam. I've read Stephen King's "IT." I've heard the heaviest songs that Cannibal Corpse has to offer. I've endured the psychological abuse to which Doki Doki Literature Club subjects its players. But this? The suspense and heart-wrenching events of the story in Muv-Luv Alternative give the word "intense" and all new meaning for me. I cheered. I screamed. I cried. I laughed. Okay, so there wasn't much laughing this time, but there was a solid chuckle or two. But DUDE. I wasn't prepared for how intense this game got. I know I keep reusing that word, but I truly can't think of a better way to describe the interaction between the fast and hard hitting events of the game and the emotional investment I had in this story, this world, and these characters.

Muv-Luv Alternative picks up immediately after the events of Muv-Luv Ultimate, the second of the two parts of the first Muv-Luv release. For the most part, the game works exactly the same way - it's a visual novel with the occasional choice here and there - but unlike Extra and Ultimate, Alternative really only has one real ending. The choices you make can have minor effects on a couple instances of character interactions in the story, but the main events of the story stay the same. In that respect, it gives much less agency than the previous game, but that's intentional because the tone and point are a little different here. There is no picking your best girl in Alternative. That's a luxury you can't afford with the BETA breathing down your neck. From start to finish, Alternative is a mad dash to pull humanity back from the brink of extinction and unravel the mysteries surrounding Takeru's ability to shift between worlds and timelines. This is not a happy feel-good story like Extra, and this is not an inspiring story of triumph in the face of adversity like Unlimited; this is a story of perseverance and duty in the face of unspeakable horror, hopelessness, and despair.

The first thing to keep in mind about Alternative is that it is MUCH longer than Extra or Unlimited. It's only 10 chapters, but each chapter takes several hours to get through. I didn't time myself or look up average playtimes to confirm this, but I'd hazard a guess that a single playthrough of Alternative will take longer than a playthrough of Extra and Unlimited combined. Granted, there isn't as much incentive for repeat gameplay in Alternative since you're not picking a best girl, but still, it's quite the hefty visual novel. It also answers a lot of the questions that I still had after Unlimited, and its focus on the world and the way the events of the story affect the characters rather than focusing largely on the effects of interactions between the individual characters serves to help you get really sucked into the world building and invested in the game's world and history.

The visuals are pretty much the same as in Extra and Unlimited, although there are some animated bits in Alternative and some sections where the text scrolls automatically regardless of your manual or auto settings to give the game a real sense of urgency and action. This is one of those few games where I really did find myself totally unable to put it down. Everything about the game perfectly accented the game's tone. The music was a perfect fit, the tonal inflections of the voice acting reinforced the emotions of the scenes, and the writing was exceptional. It may not be the best writing I've ever seen in a game, but it was absolutely top tier.

Muv-Luv - the entire trilogy - is one hell of a ride that I really can't oversell. It's incredible, and Alternative is an almost perfect conclusion. The tone and atmosphere are so dark and serious, and while it contrasts with the tone in Unlimited and especially Extra, it really reinforces the change in Takeru's mentality and personal goals. This definitely isn't a game you can play without playing the previous one first, but by the same token, I don't see how anyone can play the first game and not have an immediate NEED to play this one. My only complaint with Muv-Luv Alternative was that it had to end. I need more. There's an epilogue after the end chapter that leaves just enough questions to keep the door open for another true sequel down the line, so it's my fervent hope that âge sees fit to bless us with more Muv-Luv.

racketboy.com

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