Games Beaten 2017

[Xeogred]

The funny thing is I liked Diablo 3 but I absolutely hate MMO's and anything under the "loot" genre nowadays like Destiny or half of Ubisoft's stuff. I also couldn't get into Torchlight 1-2 at all either.

I know this genre is better with friends, but I'm mostly a single player kind of guy so that's another big factor against them for me. That said I did play pretty much of all Diablo 3 with friends. So I think all the puzzle pieces fell into place at the right time at the right place and I enjoyed it. But I've never really made much effort to go back to it.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Repetitive grind/loot hack and slash ARPGs are tricky. Get the atmosphere, mechanics, and aesthetics right and you're looking at a highly addictive game. Get off track and it's pure tedious boredom. I do like the Diablo games, but nothing executes this formula as well as Phantasy Star Online.

[Exhuminator]

36. Battle Shark | Arcade | shmup | 1989 | 17m | 6/10



Battle Shark is a submarine themed shmup from 1989, produced by Taito. It was unique in one aspect; the cabinet included a physical periscope you would view the game's world from, as well as fire torpedoes with. The action is first person view, with some nice scaling sprites and lots of digitized voice samples. As you fire torpedoes your stock diminishes, and eventually you run out of ammo and have to wait for it to replenish. You are vulnerable during this recharge time, so being strategic with shots is important. I enjoyed the underwater theme (and the above water parts too), plus the enemy design was mostly aquatic mech stuff and that's always rad. However the gameplay gets stale about 1/3rd of the way through, and by the time the game's over you'll be glad it is. I still give Battle Shark points for originality with the whole periscope thing though.



And no I did not 1CC this. Took about 15 credits. I could probably get that down to 5 easily enough.

[Ack]

1. Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide (PC)(Action)
2. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (SNES)(Fighting)
3. DRAGON: The Bruce Lee Story (SNES)(Fighting)
4. Eradicator (PC)(FPS)
5. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (PC)(FPS)
6. D-Force (SNES)(SHMUP)
7. Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon (PC)(RPG)

Before I get into the meat of this, you should know that I played Eye of the Beholder II using a party that I ported over from the original EotB. I do intend eventually to try out Eye of the Beholder III using the same party, because I love seeing how powerful the characters get and how the adventure evolves over multiple games. That said, as a result I started with higher levels, better equipment, and more spells than the typical fresh-faced party, so I had an easier time. Eye of the Beholder II is a challenging game at times, and I do recommend playing with a previous party if at all possible...which you should all do anyway, since Eye of the Beholder is so much fun to begin with.

So, how does the sequel compare to the original? Well, it's the same engine and bones, so the core gameplay is still there. The EotB series are true dungeon crawlers, not bringing much new to the template set by the likes of Dungeon Master but refining it further to near perfection for its genre at the time. Combat operates exactly the same way in real time, the party still starts with four characters and can gain up to six by finding NPCs, and starvation is a constant worry. Characters level up and gain new spells or abilities as per Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition rules. The interface, controls, and various menus are all navigated the exact same way as the original. And yet the world building and level design is much stronger, and the characters make comments that give them a life the original sorely lacked, making EotB2 superior to the original.

In Eye of the Beholder 2, the party is tasked with entering the Darkmoon Temple to investigate a missing spy. Once they arrive, they discover the clerics inside are actually evil, and the temple features a dungeon and multiple towers which must be explored to fend off that evil and save the nearby town of Waterdeep. While the levels are not as sprawling as those of the original game, they're put together in a way that feels much more realistic as you explore the structure. Puzzles are also incorporated but rely less on spinners and dirty tricks; they're still there, but far less often, and the player characters will often react when stepping on one with words of warning. In fact party members will often call out secret switches or doors to help the player navigate the various puzzles in the temple, and they'll add a bit of flavor and personality as well.

Unfortunately there are also legions of monsters standing between the party and their ultimate goal, and these monsters offer a variety from the D&D bestiary that is very nice to see. Yes, the traditional skeletons are there, but so are huge insects, gorgons, salamanders, giants, beholders, hell hounds, and even dreaded mind flayers. With nearly every level comes a new kind of enemy, and while most will simply walk up and attack, many use spells or inflict status effects that can swiftly bring the party down. The final boss fight is no slouch either; he's a challenging opponent who only gets harder as the fight progresses, and his presence is a wonderful masterstroke to round out the first two games.

Of course Eye of the Beholder II is not perfect. The cleric is still the most vital class, almost brokenly so. A single cleric has nearly all the utility you will ever need and significantly reduces the challenge. A traditional D&D party offers a fighter, rogue, wizard, and cleric, but here the rogue is not nearly as important(though admittedly a rogue is much more important here than in the original, where the class was pretty much never needed). Of course you want front row fighters or tanks of some kind, but a middle row wizard gives plenty of fire power, and the cleric will keep an entire party going, and the few times you actually need a rogue, you can find one and go use him. Beyond that...consider a paladin for an alternate tank, but that's it. The team I brought included a fighter, paladin, wizard, and rogue, and as a result, I suffered until I could find an NPC cleric to fill the void. I rounded out the party with an NPC fighter in the back row to throw objects and take hits if something surprised me from the rear.

Admittedly this class issue is more of a problem with Dungeons & Dragons in general, where a well-built cleric can be nigh-indestructible compared to other classes and can serve many of the basic party roles while also healing better than any other job. I've seen some sick clerics in my D&D days.

Enough of this though. The point of this whole thing is to say that Eye of the Beholder II is even better than Eye of the Beholder, and fans of RPGs should check out the series. I look forward to getting around to Eye of the Beholder III some day, even though I've read it's nowhere near as good as the first two. Maybe after the summer is over.

[MrPopo]

I'm sure I've asked you this before, but have you played Lands of Lore? You might want to add that to your list if you haven't, as it's by the same team as did EotB I & II. Then publisher shenanigans happened and they went off and did Lands of Lore while the publisher hired someone else to do EotB III.

[Ack]

I have not, but I have read the stories. It's on my radar to check out in the future, but before I get there I have a bunch of other RPGs to polish off: Albion, Betrayal at Krondor, the Dark Sun games, Dungeon Hack, more Ultimas, Dragon Wars...lots of RPGs.

[Exhuminator]

Nice to see Ack beating real games again.

I hope you play Ultima Underworld II before EotB3.

[Ack]

Nice to see Ack beating real games again.

I hope you play Ultima Underworld II before EotB3.

Hahaha, yeah, I wouldn't call D-Force a "real game" either.

Maybe I'll do Ultima Underworld II first. It is on the list of stuff I own to play.

[Exhuminator]

37. ThunderJaws | Arcade | action adventure | 1990 | 35m | 5/10

A secret agent is on a mission to stop the mad mutation experiments of deranged Madame Q, but is required to venture through aquatic laboratories and bases to find and eliminate her. There are two types of gameplay throughout each stage. The first is an underwater zone, where the player dives and swims through the level and looks for an exit to reach the other type of gameplay; the base zone, where the player walks and jumps across platforms (similar to Rolling Thunder) until an important destination is reached. The player is armed with a standard speargun to eliminate enemies but can acquire better weapons with limited ammo either found on the ground or randomly from an enemy killed. Enemies consist of divers, mutants and robots. At the end of various levels, the player is faced with a boss, defeated by repeatedly shooting its weak points.

I give ThunderJaws points for originality to an extent for its diving bits, but the side scrolling walking bits are torture. Even with unlimited virtual quarters ThunderJaws is very hard. That's because when you die, you get reset back to the beginning of whatever section you are in. And you will die a lot. It's hard to get mad when you're fighting cyber-sharks, robot dogs, and mutant fish ladies though. Plus when you die your secret agent diver man yells; "Heinous dude!" ThunderJaws would have made for a better b-movie than a c-game, but I still enjoyed it for what it was. I'd have preferred the entire thing been nothing but the diving parts, 'cause those were like bodacious man.

[dsheinem]

Games Beaten 2017
Inside - PS4
Street Fighter V - PS4
TIMEframe - PC
Rituals - PC
Mother Russia Bleeds - PC
Horizon: Zero Dawn - PS4
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Switch
Here They Lie - PSVR
Dexed - PSVR
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard - PSVR
Last Voyage - iOS
Ghost Blade HD - PS4
What Happened to Edith Finch - PS4
Fast RMX - Switch
Puyo Puyo Tetris - Switch
Garou: Mark of the Wolf - Vita
Star Wars: Republic Commando - PC
Battlefield 1 - PS4
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Switch
Shock Troopers - PC (Arcade)
Shock Troopers 2nd Squad - PC (Arcade)
Gravity Bone -PC
A Thousand Flights of Loving - PC
Forza Horizon 3: Hot Wheels - PC/X1
Eve: Valkyrie- PSVR
Farpoint - PSVR
Painkiller: Battle Out of Hell - PC *new*
Ghost Squad - Wii *new*

Total: 28

Previously: 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

Painkiller: Battle Out of Hell is the expansion to the first Painkiller game. It has a few great levels (A war-torn Leningrad, a creepy carnival level, a Romanesque colosseum) and a bunch of interesting enemies, but it also has a lot of levels that are sorta "bleh". I found it to be easier and less enthralling than the main game (which I played a year or two ago), though I did dig the new weapons quite a bit. I hope to play through more of this series later this year...

I just sold my copy of Ghost Squad and realized I had never played it...so I played it this morning to bid it a fond farewell. It is ok - not one of my favorite Sega or Wii light gun games, but it has some nice campy/cheesy moments and controls well, feels good etc. Worth a look for genre fans, for sure.