Games Beaten 2018

[bigpunisha]

Off the top of my head red dead redemption, crash bandicoot, call of duty, and tekken there are a few more, but I can't think of them off the top of my head.

[pook99]

Did you find the bonus level that is The Great Giana Sisters In it’s enirety?

Agree, though. Solid game. The re-imagining, Twisted Dreams, is also OK, but really, really hard.

I really enjoyed twisted dreams, I am a sucker for games with world changing mechanics and really thought they implemented it very well. The game is definitely challenging, the last boss in particular kicked me ass for a solid hour or so before I finally beat it.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Did you find the bonus level that is The Great Giana Sisters In it’s enirety?

Agree, though. Solid game. The re-imagining, Twisted Dreams, is also OK, but really, really hard.

I really enjoyed twisted dreams, I am a sucker for games with world changing mechanics and really thought they implemented it very well. The game is definitely challenging, the last boss in particular kicked me ass for a solid hour or so before I finally beat it.

Nice work!

I made it about 1/3 of the way through the game before I gave up. I really should go back to it sometime. I recall some scrolling issues (I.e., I couldnt see where I was going), but those may have been remedied in later versions.

[Ack]

1. Jungle Book (SNES)(Platformer)
2. Metal Combat: Falcon's Revenge (SNES)(Light Gun Shooter)
3. Might and Magic VI (PC)(RPG)
4. Revenant (PC)(RPG)
5. Neo Turf Masters (NGPC)(Sports)
6. Fatal Fury: First Contact (NGPC)(Fighter)
7. Pac-Man (NGPC)(Action)
8. Golden Axe (Genesis)(Hack and Slash)
9. Blood and Bacon (PC)(FPS)
10. Gain Ground (Genesis)(Strategy)
11. Flicky (Genesis)(Platformer)
12. Zombie Shooter 2 (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)
13. Phantasmagoria (PC)(Point and Click)
14. SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighter's Clash - Capcom Version (NGPC)(Card Game)
15. Toonstruck (PC)(Point and Click)
16. Riven (PC)(Point and Click)
17. Dragon Wars (PC)(RPG)
18. Dungeon Hack (PC)(RPG)
19. SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium (NGPC)(Fighter)
20. Portal 2 (PC)(Puzzle FPS)
21. Goat Simulator: Waste of Space (PC)(Action)
22. Goat Simulator: Payday (PC)(Action)
23. Goat Simulator: MMO Simulator (PC)(Action)
24. Goat Simulator: GoatZ (PC)(Action)
25. Goat Simulator (PC)(Action)
26. Streets of Rage 2 (Genesis)(Beat 'Em Up)
27. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (PC)(Action Platformer)
28. Deadlight (PC)(Platformer)
28. Antichamber (PC)(Puzzle FPS)
29. S.C.A.R.S. (N64)(Racing)
30. Anvil of Dawn (PC)(RPG)
31. Earth Defense Force 4.1 (PC)(Action)
32. Inherit the Earth (PC)(Point-and-Click Adventure)
33. Wolfenstein 3D: Spear of Destiny (PC)(FPS)
34. Wolfenstein 3D: Return to Danger (PC)(FPS)

Return to Danger is the first of two 21-level mission packs from FormGen based on the Wolfenstein 3D expansion campaign Spear of Destiny. While FormGen had handled the distribution of Spear of Destiny, Return to Danger was the first time they branched out with Wolf3D to develop their own levels. They also performed a lot of sprite edits to change up how enemies, weapons, and wall textures appear, but unfortunately the result is lackluster and weird. In fact, the entire mission pack doesn't feel as well designed as either Wolf3D or Spear of Destiny.

Where does it fall apart? Well, the first issue is that the changes in textures have turned almost everything blue. Early on, walls are blue, many enemies are blue, the weapons are all blue...it feels samey. Some of the changes I don't mind, such as ensuring consistency of blue weapons with enemies as well as yourself, and changing uniform colors on Nazis, even if I dislike the choices in some cases (why are basic infantry in green uniforms?). But the dogs are now blue, which makes no sense to me. Also, mutants are now bats armed with miniguns...for some reason. I don't get it.

My second issue with Return to Danger is that level design quality suffers demonstrably. In Wolf3D and Spear of Destiny, levels were often chains: you'd start out, have to seek out one key, have to seek out the second, before being able to leave. This would generally carry you throughout the level. Unfortunately, RtD doesn't do this nearly as well. Often you don't need to gather any keys and can simply advance to the exit. I managed to beat one level in 30 seconds without firing a single shot, but the par on it was 6 minutes. There really was never a reason to explore once you found the exit beyond making sure you topped off your health and ammo. Also, while some levels can nearly be skipped outright, some require seeking out secrets to advance, which is more frustrating. If you can't find the one wall you need to click on, well, you're done. That's a pain.

One thing I noticed when looking up maps of Return to Danger levels is that they include things like giant swastikas or the German eagle insignia. One even has a set of initials, which might be the mapmaker's. The trouble with this is that, while it might look cool to a designer from up high, the maps are not well thought out and tend to either fall apart or become slogs that just throw enemies at you all at once.

A third issue I experienced was that my HUD vanished, though I played the game using ECWolf (which offers some phenomenal modern resolution choices), so that may not be a part of Return to Danger.

Funny enough, there were apparently some things that could not be changed by FormGen. Return to Danger still displays Spear of Destiny at its title screen. The ending of the games are exactly the same. The music is also set for levels from Spear of Destiny, though I never much paid attention to it. The game also has similar final levels: kill a boss, get the Spear, and then end up in a final level fighting a projectile-lobbing enemy while avoiding Nazi ghosts. To FormGen's credit, I found their final level and boss a lot harder than the one in Spear of Destiny. It attacked faster, took more hits, and also had more ghosts nearby, so I had to dodge incoming projectiles while also keeping an eye out for the steadily approaching haunts. I did appreciate that and will praise FormGen for upping the ante.

I'm now looking into playing FormGen's other mission pack, Ultimate Challenge. I hear the final boss is exactly the same, and I know the changed textures and sprites, missing HUD, and Spear of Destiny wrapper are all there. I'll just have to see if the levels are better designed or if this is more of the same. I hope not.

[ElkinFencer10]

Just fyi to the couple of yall who actually follow my reviews, I DO have some coming, but I'm pulling an AlienJesus and getting hella backed up. I have six reviews that should be coming at some point in the next couple weeks:

30 Great Games (Wii U)
Nurse Love Addiction (Vita)
XCOM 2: War of the Chosen (PS4)
Life is Strange: Before the Storm (PS4)
[TellTale] Game of Thrones (PS4)
[2013 movie tie-in] Star Trek (Steam)

Had to take some largely internet-free time to myself this month, but I'm getting back in the swing of things.

[nullPointer]

Had to take some largely internet-free time to myself this month, but I'm getting back in the swing of things.

Glad to see you around Elkin! Hope all is well on your end, and I look forward to reading your thoughts on these games. I'm slightly backlogged on reviews myself!

[noiseredux]

Spoiler: war of the Chosen rules.

[nullPointer]

The List So Far:

1. To the Moon [PC/Steam]
2. Super Mario All-Stars: Super Mario Bros. 3 [SNES]
3. The Goonies [Famicom] [Together Retro - 01/2018]
4. Disney's Kim Possible: Revenge of Monkey Fist [GBA] [Together Retro - 01/2018]
5. The Addams Family [SNES] [Together Retro - 01/2018]
6. The Adventures of Batman & Robin [SNES] [Together Retro - 01/2018]
7. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy: Justice for All [3DS]
8. Mickey Mousecapade [NES] [Together Retro - 01/2018]
9. Assassin's Creed II: Discovery [NDS]
10. Half-Life: Source [PC/Steam]
11. The Great Giana Sisters [Amiga] [Together Retro - 03/2018]
12. The Colonel's Bequest [PC/GOG] [Together Retro - 03/2018]
13. Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions [PSP] [Together Retro - 02/2018]
14. The Guardian Legend [NES] [Together Retro - 03/2018]
15. Rush'n Attack [NES]
16. A Fork in the Tale [PC/Win9X] [Together Retro - 04/2018]
17. Formula One: Built to Win [NES]
18. Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus: Salamander [PSX]
19. The Dame Was Loaded [PC/GOG] [Together Retro - 04/2018]
20. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 [GEN]
21. Kyūyaku Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei [SFC][Translation: DDSTranslation] [Together Retro - 05/2018]
22. Operation C [GB]

23. Call of Duty: Finest Hour [PS2]


Ah … the ubiquitous 6th gen WWII FPS, the genre equivalent of white bread to a console generation that birthed a glut of them. I won't lie; I've put off put off reviewing Call of Duty: Finest Hour after having beaten it because I couldn't imagine what I might say about it that couldn't be applied to half a dozen other games from this time period. But much like Sisyphus and his boulder, it's time to storm that beach one more time.



Call of Duty: Finest Hour does in fact have the distinction of being the first CoD game to appear on a home console. The series had already had a successful PC release one year prior to Finest Hour, but in many ways it was this title that really brought CoD to the masses, as it were. So how well did the franchise handle its first foray into 'consolization'? Well … not half bad, though there are certainly concessions present. In order to compensate for some slightly sluggish moment and aiming, it seems that health (and in some cases ammo) drops are more plentiful in Finest Hour than in the previous PC title. Likewise it seems that you can take a bit more damage in Finest Hour. This allows for a bit more of a 'run and gun' play style than the first PC title which often required a more tactical and strategic style of play. Interestingly enough though, checkpoints here seem to be considerably more sparse than in the PC title which not only had more frequent checkpoints but allowed for quick saves as well.

Other than a couple of eccentricities, I didn't have any major issues with the gameplay in Finest Hour. If you've played any other halfway competent WWII FPS on a console, Finest Hour will feel likely feel very familiar. The selection of weapons is both familiar and adequate, and you'll likely settle on some favorites pretty quickly. For this WWII FPS vet, it's almost always some combination of M1 Garand and MP40. Unfortunately the operation of hand grenades in Finest Hour is a bit … basic. You cannot control the trajectory of your throw, nor can you 'cook' your grenades. So it's simply one press, one throw. I suspect that these gameplay features simply hadn't been adopted into console FPS at the time of this release, but that's purely guesswork on my part. These elements are certainly noticeable in their absence though, particularly in hindsight.



One of the distinguishing features of early Call of Duty titles is in the inclusion of vehicle based levels, and Finest Hour is no exception. You'll take command of a T-34 tank during the Russian campaign and an M4 Sherman tank during the American campaign. The British campaign in North Africa features a solitary on-rails shooting segment which has you manning a 50. Cal turret in the back of a moving Jeep. Interestingly I had a bit of an aiming issue in the tank segments. The game allows you to switch between a 'first-person in-the-tank' perspective and a 'third-person outside-the-tank' viewpoint. This may come down to personal preference, but I tend to heavily favor the 3rd person perspective for these levels as it makes it much easier to determine the orientation of both the tank and the turret since they move independently. Unfortunately I found the aiming reticule in 3rd person to be highly inaccurate. It took me a few tries before I realized that the 1st person aiming was dead on, even at ridiculous distances. So this necessitated (for me) a system that had me constantly switching viewpoints for movement and firing. It eventually became much easier, but it never felt exactly comfortable either.

After all this talk of gameplay, let's talk about the campaign for a moment. I believe(?) Call of Duty was the first WWII FPS to feature campaign elements for each of the principle allied forces (U.S., Great Britain, and Russia) in the same game with the player assuming the role of many various soldiers. Whereas previous CoD games had culminated with (fairly difficult) final levels occurring during the Russian Campaign, Finest Hour actually begins with the battle for Stalingrad. From there you will assume the role of various Russian soldiers culminating in a protracted armor assault (with those T-34s) on a German airfield as part of Operation Little Saturn. The British campaign takes you to arid Matamata in North Africa where you engage in light infantry commando raids and a daring rescue mission. Finally the U.S. campaign takes you back to the familiar settings of Operation Market Garden where you participate in the capture of the beautiful city of Aachen. Next up you'll lead an armor assault on the town of Tillet, and the final missions have you capturing the Ludendorff Bridge. Of all these campaigns, the North Africa section is a welcome change of pace. In a sea of WWII FPS, North Africa is still one of the lesser seen/played theaters. The other campaigns are nicely executed, albeit standard fare in this sort of game. Noticeably absent is an Invasion of Normandy segment, so in that regard Finest Hour slightly deviates from the standard WWII FPS playbook (though the Normandy landing is certainly present in other CoD games).



At the end of the day your enjoyment of Call of Duty: Finest Hour will come down to a rudimentary question. Do you (still) enjoy console based WWII FPS? If the answer is yes, you'll likely find something to enjoy in Finest Hour. If the answer is no, there's certainly nothing in Finest Hour that will change your mind. This is by-the-books, (pleasantly) flavorless meat and potatoes gaming, nothing more, nothing less.

[Gustie3]

As many have said already, i've beaten Red Dead Redemption. Thanks to the title i was able to get back into the genre. It's been a while since the open world fps could grab my attention so much.

Well, a bunch of old indie games beaten this year can't tell the count now, as i was accumulating ideas on my own game design. There were a few AAA games like:
God of War, Uncharted, Dark Souls 3 (on and off pc and consoles) and soon to be done with the dead cells any %.

[Stark]

HEY GUYS, I BEAT A GAME!!!!

Hollow Knight - Switch

This game is fantastic. HK is a metroidvania, which I use only because it immediately tells you whats going on. So platformer, unlock abilities, which opens more of the map, etc. Exploration, precision platforming, excellent controls, gorgeous! They definitely are inspired by Dark Souls, there is the Souls-esque thing where you collect a currency (Geo in this case) and it drops on your body when you die and then you have to do a "corpse run" and get your loot back, but if you die again it's wiped. This is definitely a challenge at first, but eventually you have more money then you know what to do with. Lore and tone are definitely Dark Souls inspired too, probably a little more BloodBourne then DS, it has the general feeling of corruption and infection taking place over time a la Yarnham. Any way loved it, controls are just perfect and I had a lot of fun getting the timing and what not down. Recommend.