Games Beaten 2018

[BoneSnapDeez]

@null

Yes we have an Ys thread in the RPG section!

@President

Maps are similar in this version compared to others, though I think the ruins have been tweaked just a bit.

Oh and I love Famicom Ys III, better than the SNES version.

[Segata]

Lost Sphear-Nintendo Switch.

Not a whole lot I can say. It's a decent game and enjoyable. It's a 16-bit era RPG on modern systems. If you played I am Setsuna you basically know what to expect. I do like that this game you have mechs. Music is decent but nothing that memorable. It's a nice length of around 30 hours. Yes, that is twice as long as something like Chrono Trigger which these games are often compared to. You don't have to grind so that's a plus. Battles are not random and there are none on the overworld, just dungeons. No sidequests. It's not a 50 dollar game despite what it demands. it's a 20 dollar game. I don't regret my purchase at full price as I got a physical copy out of it. I think this game means more if you need a new RPG on Switch released recently while PS4 just had Hackers Memory and World release. I liked it but don't expect a whole lot from this game.

[Sarge]

Thanks for the confirmation that I need to wait on Lost Sphear. I wasn't very impressed by the demo.

[Ack]

1. Jungle Book (SNES)(Platformer)
2. Metal Combat: Falcon's Revenge (SNES)(Light Gun Shooter)
3. Might and Magic VI (PC)(RPG)

Well, that is another Might and Magic down. Might and Magic VI changes up the formula considerably from the 3-5 era, introducing a new 3D game engine, limiting the party size and restricting the player to only humans, and introducing new means of engaging in combat, casting spells, and building up skills. To say it's radically different is an understatement. That said, it still features many of the hallmarks of the series, such as fusing fantasy with science fiction elements. M&M6 may also change how combat works, but it's a game that can still be abused just as easily for an advantage as the previous entries in the series, so while I feel some things deserve to be criticized, it also doesn't feel like it's as much of a massive departure as it appears to be.

The 3D world is of course the first thing that fans will notice; instead of dedicated towns and a large grid-like world to explore, you're now exploring subsections of the map with towns openly accessible to wander. Of course, your foes can do this too, so you'll need to stay on your toes in the beginning so a goblin or something doesn't come mess you up when you aren't expecting it. Random NPCs wander around, which the game generates on each load screen. Houses can also be entered, with preset characters who offer advice, dispense quests, buy specific items, and in some cases offer training in skills or improvement in them.

Players also have access to far more information, including bonuses to dice rolls and general damage calculations, something that makes a welcome addition to the series. Archery also returns, and those stats are separate from melee. Want to get better in combat? Find ways to boost stats and also raise skills by unlocking them and then putting skill points into them. While each new level of a skill requires one more point than the last, leveling your character will earn them the points necessary. Get beyond level 50, and you earn more skill points to help with the higher levels too. For added benefit, skills can be raised to Expert and Mastery levels, which are vital for magic abilities and useful for just about anything else. Add to this a general inventory and a paper doll for equipping items, and Might and Magic VI tackles old problems quite well.

At least until you get to combat. This is where the quirks of the engine lie, and combat will likely make or break people's experience with the game. M&M6 offers up a real time and a turn-based approach. Real time lets you fire off volleys of arrows like they were nothing and move around, but turn-based lets you take time and slows down the enemies, which can often save your butt and keep foes from getting to the party, especially in the early game. This is a key point, because the game starts by throwing you up against groups, some of which toss around status effects like nobody's business. Utility spells take some time to gain access to, so to begin this way feels like a dick move at times. Use turn-based mode, and fewer enemies will get to you. This is, until you get to casters, who are more than happy to use that time to blast you into oblivion. Since turn-based means everyone gets a turn, fighting a group of casters like this means you're going to become toast very quickly. Instead, I would charge single casters, flip into turn-based, slaughter would I could with three of my four characters, and then flip back to real time and run off to avoid spells. This was the only tactic that seemed to work against legions of warlocks, archers, and whatever other nasty critters that used range offensively and with regularity.

Now manipulating the combat system this way seems like it may be wrong, but it's no worse than previous games, where you could avoid enemy spells simply by backing up into opponents; if you never saw them, they never saw you, so doing this meant you cut down on having to protect against ranged spells. M&M6's 3D geometry also imposes limits on range, so I'd often find ways to get enemies stuck on objects where they couldn't fight back while I unloaded arrow after arrow into them. It may be cheap, but it was effective. This abuse of the engine isn't limited to combat either; you could actually wallhack your way down pits and off ledges by pushing yourself into them as you fell. I used this technique to get into open windows or safely traverse holes and elevator shafts I had to travel through, allowing me to occasionally avoid tough sections of dungeon or access areas from new angles that gave me a combat advantage. That said, the 3D can also screw you, as aerial enemies are more than happy to get right over you where you can't attack them. Swapping to real time allowed me to reposition and avoid this, but there were a couple of times where I'd take clear a room only to find one jerk was sitting on top of my head.

There are some pacing issues with M&M6 too, particularly with the western portion of the world, which I never felt like I spent much time with. Enemies are ridiculously difficult out there, and they're in numbers far greater than I ever wanted to deal with, but more importantly, few quests ever bother to send you in that direction. Yes, there are a couple of reasons to go on massive world tours, particularly to find the obelisks, but I still don't feel like I got to see those areas anywhere near as much as the areas around New Sorpigal, Mist, or Free Haven. Mobility spells helped ease the burden, but I was surprised at the restrictions placed on Town Portal until I reached Mastery level in the required magic skill, and even then, its limited in use to a handful of towns that only make up roughly half the map squares. Lloyd's Beacon has also been changed so one character can now set multiple points, but again, it's not worth using unless you master the required magic skill, because there is no way to set a permanent beacon unlike in previous games. Lloyd's Beacon was a lifesaver in previous Might and Magics. Here, it's merely useful.

And then there is the end of game rush, for which you are given blasters and rifles. While these weapons are required to beat the game, they also fire fast enough that the final dungeon basically consists of clicking a whole bunch. It's...not fun. Ridiculous in its own way, but suddenly I felt like I was rushing, and the game was encouraging me to do so too. Yet there were also a couple of dungeons I never took the time to really explore because the game never sent me there for any official reason, I only saw them while I was passing through. I like this aspect, as it makes the world feel larger than what I saw. There were also rumors and talk of other game elements I never found, like the Fountain of Youth. I don't know if this is actually in the game anywhere, but some folks mentioned it, so maybe it was. I appreciate how this made things feel alive, even as I then turned around and blast away fireball-shooting demons with my blaster rifles.

Overall, Might and Magic 6 is hard to compare to the high point that was 3, 4, and 5. They're not quite the same animal. I think 6 stands out on its own merits, and while it is flawed, I found myself enjoying it just as much as I had the previous entries. It's certainly better than Swords of Xeen, which is now my favorite whipping boy of the series and will probably remain that way until I get up through the likes of 8 and 9. I'm planning to step away from the series for a bit now, but hopefully not for too long. These games are fun, and the worlds I discover in each are why I keep coming back for more.

[MrPopo]

You were clicking to use the blasters? You could just hold down A and go bzzzzzzzzzt til things were dead. As long as you kept haste up, of course.

[Ack]

I could, but I didn't want to just hold down a single button. At least with the clicks I felt like I was somehow involved.

[dsheinem]

Games Beaten 2018

Darkwing Duck - NES (PS4)
DuckTales - NES (PS4)
DuckTales 2 - NES (PS4)
Talespin - NES (PS4)
Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers - NES (PS4)
Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers 2 - NES (PS4)
Scarecrow - PS1 (Vita)
The Heart of Dark - PS1 (Vita)
Justice - PS1 (Vita)
Caligo - PC
Tomb Raider (2013) - X1
Nephise Begins - PC *new*
Diablo III: The Darkening of Tristam - PC *new*
Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams - X1 *new*

Total: 14

Previously: 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010


Nephise Begins is a nice enough looking game that is, unfortunately, boring as hell with a dull story and annoying gameplay that boils down to "look around the map and find these things...and that's it." I thought it would be more of a compelling "walking simulator" style of game...but instead this was a kind of adjacent experience that gives those games a bad name amongst some gamers.

The Darkening of Tristam was fine. The low-res sprites are a cool idea and the game feels as solid as Diablo III, but it isn't quite what I had expected (a remake of D1), so I walked away quite disappointed. Oh well, at least it was short!

Maybe I am late to the party, but I can't figure out why more people aren't in love with Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams. This was my first time playing a GS game (I never played the original C64 title), and I was super impressed. It should easily be counted amongst the finest 2D platformers of the past few years (even in an era where there's a deluge of them). It had spot on controls, captivating art, a great sense of movement and timing, thoughtful and studious level design, and a generous system of progression (collect-a-thons are optional, checkpoints are perfectly placed to force you to work on the game in sections, etc.). The boss fights left something to be desired, but otherwise this was a real pleasant surprise. I plan to play the DLC sometime soon, and I truly hope that they make another! I suppose in the meantime, I should check out the DS game?

[BoneSnapDeez]

The DS game is based off of the original, and is pretty fun. It's really repetitive though. Like a "zone out" game I'd play with the TV on in the background and/or wife in the room.

[alienjesus]

Well, I suppose I should finally get round to posting, huh. I've actually beaten 5 games so far this year and posted about 0 of them here

Games Beaten 2018
1. Letter Quest Remastered Switch eShop *NEW*
2. Batman NES *NEW*
3. Little Nemo: The Dream Master NES *NEW*

Letter Quest Remastered



Letter Quest Remastered is a puzzle game of sorts for Switch, but let’s face it, it’s actually a puzzle game for tablets. It looks like a mobile game, it plays like a mobile game, and it feels like it had a budget that was intended for a mobile game.

That’s not to take away from the game though, which is a fun time waster. You play a grim reaper character who is trying to find pizza but is being accosted by evil bunnies for reasons which are never elaborated upon. Fighting enemies is done by making words out of 15 randomised tiles. The longer the words, the more damage you will do, and the harder to use the letters in it are, the more damage they’re do. Thus, a word like Judgement will be exponentially more powerful that a word like Lair.



However, Letter Quest also has a layer of RPG-light mechanics baked in on top of this word puzzle gameplay. Enemies will attack you after each of your turns, and these can leave status effects on your tiles – rock tiles are unusable for a few turns, spike and poison tiles hurt you if used, tornado tiles change to a new letter each turn, virus tiles duplicate themselves (which sucks if a Q becomes viral) and more. This makes you carefully think about what words to play – sometimes taking damage is worth it to pull off a big attack, and at other times doing minimal damage to clear a problematic status effect tile is worth it too.



In addition, you can get crystals which are used to upgrades stats and provide buffs. There’s the obvious hp, defence and attack buffs, but also more weird effects such as ‘healing when you use the letter E’ or ‘Doing more damage if the word contains the same letter twice in a row’. You can also buy potions with your crystals to heal yourself in a pinch.

The game is fairly short at 30 stages, but each stage features 4 variations – the standard mode, a time attack version, a version with a limiting rule (like ‘enemies do double damage’ or ‘Only letters from M-Z are available’) and a hard mode version where enemies all have some kind of buff too (like ‘only takes damage if 2 or more corner letters are used’ or ‘takes no damage from words containing the letter A’).



Letter Quest is simple and fun, but it does get repetitive after a while. I found myself using the same words regularly too (Quince was a favourite!). It’s worth a shot and is a great time filler, but don’t expect a lot of depth. The art and music is kinda odd too and I’m not fond of the style. That said, I enjoyed my time with the game and it was a great game to play on my train journeys around Christmas and New Year. It’s worth a crack if you like this kind of thing.



Batman



This was the first game I beat for Together Retro this month, and like all of the games I had picked out to play through, I was somewhat apprehensive about it. I’d played it a little bit before and found it very difficult, so I wasn’t sure how it would go.

Well, I needn’t have worried, because once you get into the groove, Batman isn’t too bad difficulty wise. It’s also a ton of fun to play, thanks to the versatility of Batman’s moveset. Besides the usual running and jumping, Batman can also walljump, which is used extensively throughout the game. You also have a choice of 4 weapons, each of which has different uses. The punch is powerful and uses no ammo, so you’ll use it a lot. Obviously the downside is it’s range. Batarangs are fairly weak but can hit multiple times and have better range, but use 1 ammo a throw. The harpoon gun or whatever it is used 2 ammo and shoots right across screen, but it’s slow and weak. I found it mostly worthless. Luckily, the spread shot, which uses 3 ammo, is fairly powerful, covers the length of the screen, and is incredibly useful, despite being an ammo hog.



The level design in Batman is pretty basic, and the design of the levels is not very exciting, but they offer lots of ways to use all of Batman’s skills creatively to proceed. Health is limited, but later levels offer respawning enemy points which you can farm, Metroid style, to recover live and ammo. These can be frustrating though, as it’s easy to get hit and lose some of your hard work.

Bosses are unfortunately not very inspired, and I found just spamming attacks was often the best strategy – even bosses who killed you before you could kill them had to make use of some spamming, and accepting you would take a few hits along the way.



Unfortunately despite my earlier comments about difficulty, the last stage of Batman does ramp it up considerably with an absolutely brutal gauntlet of wall jump through tiny gaps surrounded by damaging hazards and around dangerous enemies which ups the difficulty considerably. This is followed by 2 boss fights, both of which are rather challenging unfortunately, and were easily the worst part of the game. The Joker was definitely the worst, with inconsistent movements, hitboxes and damage output which meant that you could do the same thing on 2 separate ones, and have completely different levels of performances. A game over meant back to the start of the brutal final level, and that really sucked.



However, this brutal end gauntlet is an unfortunate blemish on a generally solid game. Sunsoft’s music output on NES is fantastic, and this is another bit of evidence to support that statement. The gameplay is smooth, if demanding towards the end, and the level design is well constructed if a bit uninspired visually. Batman is a fun licensed game that’s worth your time. But bring some patience, because that last level can hurt.



Little Nemo: The Dream Master



Here’s the second game I beat for this months Together Retro, and it’s another one I was concerned about the difficulty of. And it can be pretty tough – enemies are pretty aggressive, and nemo can’t hurt them at all a lot of the time.



In Little Nemo, you play as Nemo on a quest to save Dream Land, which you do by feeding the local wildlife sweets. When certain animals eat 3 sweets, they start snoozing, and then you can jump into them to benefit from their powers. Sometimes you ride on the animals back, and sometimes you wear their skin in a slightly horrific way. Animal powers offer many benefits – some can attack, some can fit through small spaces, some can fly, or climb walls, or break blocks. You need to make use of all of these skills in order to scour the level thoroughly – because unfortunately, this game requires you to find hidden items to beat the levels. Most stages require you to find 5-8 hidden keys scattered throughout, and getting to the end of the level minus one key is all too common and depressing.



And it’s this mechanic that killed off any enjoyment I had with this game initially. I found the aggressive enemy placement and the forced exploration gelled badly, and at a more basic level I just didn’t find searching out the keys very fun. Eventually I gave up trying to play through this game legit, and came back armed with level maps to show where I could find the keys.

Armed with this information, Little Nemo started to become fun. Knowing where to go meant that the focus was on how to get there and not where to go in the first place, and swapping animal skills and progressing through the levels became far more enjoyable as a result.



The game still had it’s flaws. I swear there are a few instances where I just couldn’t see how avoiding damage was possible (a part where you climb a wall as the mouse whilst evil homing dandelion seeds rain down on you comes to mind), and the difficulty level was inconsistent too, with a spike during the last level, where you’re forced to fight bosses for the first time using a magic wand.



However, thanks to unlimited continues, some persistence saw me through, and I saved the world of Dream Land and got a nice kiss which Nemo didn’t seem to appreciate much. Whilst I enjoyed the game in the end, I still swear by the fact that playing it with maps is far more enjoyable, so if like me you can’t get into the game legitimately, give that a go.

Overall, Little Nemo isn’t a must own classic in my eyes, but it’s a decent, affordable platformer that offers up some solid challenge on the NES. It’s at least worth giving it a go.

[REPO Man]

Diet Go Go for Arcade (via FBAlpha on RetroPie), a really fun single-screen platformer in the vein of Snow Bros and Bubble Bobble.

I must have died SO MANY TIMES! Thank God for free play!