by alienjesus Tue Jul 23, 2019 5:19 am
I've been pretty bad at posting on the forums lately, so I'm way behind on Summer updates:
So here's where I'm at.
Strikethrough = done, bold = in progress
1. ActRaiser (SNES)
2. Fire Emblem: Seisen No Keifu (SFC)
3. GoldenEye 007 (N64)
4. Mario Party (N64)
5. Mario Tennis (N64)
6. Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (GBA)
7. Mother 3 (GBA)
8. The New Zealand Story (SMS)
9. Shenmue 2 (DC)
10. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3)
Some updates since last time:
Mario Party:
This one has been in progress since the very beginning of this years challenge, but I'm coming up to the end now. I have to play 3 more boards to unlock the credits, although I might need to play a few more for extra coins to buy the final board. I still think the game is better than I expected, but the mini-games are very hit and miss and there just isn't enough variety with only 50 of them. Will be glad to finally wrap this one up soon.
Fire Emblem 4:
Yeah, I've not really made any progress here. The big maps are interesting but actually really work against me in terms of wanting to play - I don't feel like I'll make enough of a dent in them in my limited gaming time so I end up doing something else instead - even though I could have made plenty of progress by doing a bit at a time. It's a psychological thing I guess.
Shenmue 2:
I'd started this game for last year's summer challenge, so I picked up this year where I left off - at the start of disc 3, in Kowloon walled city. In all honesty, I have some real issues with disc 3 - there are far, far too many QTEs which make you replay and rewatch long cutscenes or difficult battles, and a few of the scenes felt a little uncomfortable and tonally inconsistent with other parts of the series - such as Ryo barely passing comment as a man is murdered in front of him. Disc 4 is a real change in tone afterwards which I honeslty quite enjoyed - it was slow paced but relaxing. The ending of disc 2 really turns the series on it's head a bit though, and makes me sure there's no way Shenmue 3 is going to advance the plot too far towards it's conclusion - the ending of 2 made the entirety of the first 2 games feel more like a prologue. Either way, I have to say I didn't really enjoy Shenmue 2 much - I felt the first game was superior, and even then I'd describe it as more 'interesting' than 'enjoyable'. Sorry guys, I know there's a few hardcore fans out there on the forums, but it's not for me.
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon:
I'm using the US title to save confusion, but this game is actually just called Castlevania in the UK. Anyway, I reckon I'm about halfway through this game - I've recently defeated Adrammalech in the cathedral tower area and destroyed all the statues in the game. I like the game well enough, the DSS card system is interesting. I'm not sure about the use of the whip for attacking vs the likes of the sword in Symphony or the glyphs in Ecclesia though - my main issue is that the wind up animation and the way it stops you in place when you attack makes combat feel kinda stilted for a metroidvania title. Still, I'm having fun, and I don't think it should take too long to work through the other half of the game or so I still have left to play.
