Anything that is gaming related that doesn't fit well anywhere else
pook99
128-bit
 
Posts: 788
Joined: Thu Aug 10, 2017 11:27 pm

Re: Games Beaten 2019

by pook99 Tue Apr 02, 2019 8:18 pm

34. VOID
35. Ravva and the cyclops curse
36. Devil May Cry 5
37. Outrunner 3

Home sick today, woke up at 5am and just laid around playing video games all day. Not going to write full reviews but a quick snippit about each:

34. Void: retro mega man inspired game. Pretty fun game overall, uses a password feature instead of a save which is just dumb, and there are 2 playable characters one can shoot and one cannot, I can't imagine picking the one that cant shoot but maybe there is something im missing. The game covers every video game trope you could ever want it to, an ice level that controls horribly, a dark level where you are blind jumping everywhere, trampolines, lava, you name it and its here. Its dirt cheap so maybe pick it up if your bored, I will always remember it for having the worst last level in video game history.

So you know how sometimes the last level is a hodgepodge of challenges from old levels? Like you will play through a part similar to level 1, level 2 and so on. This game takes that concept to a new level of idiocy as the lest level is just divided into 10 levels you have already played before, thats right, you get to play one level from each of the worlds in the game with no changes. doesnt that sound fun!!! and of course they pick the most annoying part of each level so you get to relive the worst parts of every level all at once with limited lives, then the last 2 parts of the level are just random trampoline jumping. Really poorly done.

35. Ravva and the cyclops curse: I'll just copy and paste my steam review, and as a nice coincidence the game has familiars so it fits this months together retro

The game starts out with a short story cutscene, done in a very nice style and is reminiscent of games like astyanax or ninja gaiden. The story is simple and to the point, mama summoner gets turned to stone by a cyclops, so baby summoner sets out on a quest to defeat the cyclops to save his mother.

Your summoner controls nicely with a variety of different attacks. You have a standard attack, a freeze attack, a bomb attack, an attack that shoots diagonally upwards, and an eye that helps you uncover secrets. You can switch between these attacks by pressing the triggers and you will need to use all of the attacks at different points in the game, very often having to switch between attacks on the fly to deal with different situations. The control is tight and responsive but I can't help but think that rather than cycling through all the attacks using the triggers, each attach should have been assigned to a different button. Constanttly cycling through can get really annoying and there is more than enough buttons for each attack to have its own button.

The graphics have a very nice 8-bit look and would fit right at home on the NES. The levels are generally fun to play with lots of hidden secrets to look for and some solid platforming. There are only 2 bosses, one in the middle of the game and the final boss. Both bosses are well designed and I wish there were at least one more boss in the game.
The challenge level is on the easier side. You have 2 lives and unlimited continues. One hit kills you but when you die you immediately
respawn from where you died if you have an extra life, if not, back to the start of the stage. Veteran gamers should not have too much trouble finishing this game, and there is a hard and easy mode to adjust the challenge as you see fit.

I beat the game in about an hour, but for the price it is definitely worth it, if you are a fan of 8-bit style platformers you will enjoy this game.

36. Devil May cry 5

AMAZING!!! Best game in the series, one of the best action games ever made, took me about 12 hrs to beat, wish it was longer. All 3 characters are tons of fun to use and each character has so many different ways to play. This game is giving you new moves and weapons all the time and there are so many ways to use everything. Can't wait for part 6

37. Ourtunner 3:

short 35 level hard indie platformer that looks like an atari 2600 game. Took me about 25 minutes to beat, but the game only cost a dollar and I had a good time with it so it is worth the money.
User avatar
ElkinFencer10
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 8582
Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:34 pm
Location: Henderson, North Carolina

Re: Games Beaten 2019

by ElkinFencer10 Tue Apr 02, 2019 9:39 pm

Games Beaten in 2019 So Far - 18
* denotes a replay

January (12 Games Beaten)
1. Army Men 3D - PlayStation - January 1*
2. Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished - NES - January 4
3. Mega Man - NES - January 6
4. Mega Man 2 - NES - January 6
5. Mega Man 3 - NES - January 6
6. Mega Man 4 - NES - January 7
7. Dr. Discord's Conquest - NES - January 7
8. Mega Man 5 - NES - January 26
9. Just Cause 3 - PlayStation 4 - January 26
10. Mega Man 6 - NES - January 27
11. Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight - Vita - January 27
12. Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space - PlayStation 2 - January 27


February (2 Games Beaten)
13. Earth Defense Force 5 - PlayStation 4 - February 2
14. Fallout 76 - PlayStation 4 - February 3


March (4 Games Beaten)
15. Octopath Traveler - Switch - March 2
16. Resident Evil 0 - PlayStation 4 - March 9
17. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered - PlayStation 4 - March 10
18. Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade - Game Boy Advance - March 30


18. Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade - Game Boy Advance - March 30

Image

One of the ironic things about the sixth Fire Emblem game, Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, is that despite the fact that the inclusion of a character from the game - the protagonist, Roy - in Super Smash Bros. Melee is a big part of what got Westerners talking about Fire Emblem, it's never received an official English translation. Fortunately for SRPG aficionados likes me, Fire Emblem has a pretty dedicated fanbase which produced a high quality fan translation patch for the series's handheld debut.

ImageImage

he first game in the Fire Emblem series to get a Western release was the seventh game, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade (simply titled "Fire Emblem" in the West), but that was actually a prequel to this previous game. In Binding Blade, the game centers around Roy, the son of the seventh game's Lord Ephiram, as he sets out to discover why the nearby neighbor of Bern has launched a war of aggression and shattered the peace that the continent had worked so hard to maintain. Most Fire Emblem games follow a fairly similar story structure, but in typical Fire Emblem fashion, the quality of the storytelling and the absolutely fantastic character development make up for the relatively generic nature of the story itself.

ImageImage

From what I've read about the game's development, Intelligent Systems tried to make Binding Blade more forgiving than the previous entry in the series, the Super Famicom's Fire Emblem: Thracia 776. That alone makes me terrified to play Thracia 776 eventually as Binding Blade already had more than its share of challenges. The game's overall difficulty was tough but fair, but there were a few bosses and individual levels that were absolutely brutal if you didn't have a weapon that could exploit a specific weakness. I appear not to be alone in that opinion as Blazing Blade and the 8th game in the series, Sacred Stones, both saw the overall difficulty toned down a bit.

ImageImage

Binding Blade had an interesting development cycle having started its life as Fire Emblem: The Maiden of Darkness on Nintendo 64 before being virtually completely scrapped and moved to Game Boy Advance with only the protagonist, Roy, and a swordmaster character, Karel. Beyond the scrapped development of Maiden of Darkness, though, Binding Blade ended up introducing its own new spins on the series. First and foremost was the introduction of the magic triangle. Since the Super Famicom era, Fire Emblem games have had a weapon triangle; sword beats axe, axe beats lance, and lance beats sword. Binding Blade expanded that mechanic to magic in a system where anima (elemental magic) beats light magic, light magic beats dark magic, and dark magic beats anima. Binding blade wasn't technically the first game in the series to have this sort of advantage system - that would be Genealogy of the Holy War, the fourth game - but whereas Genealogy only had the dis/advantage affect accuracy, Binding Blade expanded that to have an effect on both accuracy and damage, making it much more crucial to the development of effective strategies.

ImageImage

All things considered, Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade made about as impressive a debut on the handheld scene for the series as one could want. The game isn't perfect as there are some minor quality of life things that I found annoying - the inability to use non-combat items like Speedwings and Hero Crests from the pre-battle prep screen, for example - but those are nit picks at best. The only real complaint I have is that the game's balance could have used a little bit of tweaking, but at no point does it feel unbalanced to the point of being broken. I'm not willing to say that Binding Blade is the best game in the Fire Emblem series, but it definitely is the best of the first six games that saw retail release.
Exhuminator wrote:Ecchi lords must unite for great justice.

Image
User avatar
prfsnl_gmr
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 12199
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 10:26 pm
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina

Re: Games Beaten 2019

by prfsnl_gmr Tue Apr 02, 2019 10:31 pm

These reviews rule. Keep it up team!
User avatar
MrPopo
Moderator
 
Posts: 23908
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 1:01 pm
Location: Orange County, CA

Re: Games Beaten 2019

by MrPopo Wed Apr 03, 2019 12:43 am

I feel the need to point out that Seisen no Keifu already introduced a magic triangle along with the weapon triangle. Fire beats wind, wind beats lightning, lightning beats fire. Light and dark beat the three elements.
Image
Blizzard Entertainment Software Developer - All comments and views are my own and not representative of the company.
User avatar
BoneSnapDeez
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 20116
Joined: Mon May 02, 2011 1:08 pm
Location: Maine

Re: Games Beaten 2019

by BoneSnapDeez Wed Apr 03, 2019 3:02 pm

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)
Image
Well, I personally was thrilled to see Donkey Kong appear in the Nintendo Switch eShop. Despite being arcade royalty, Nintendo has been very stingy about rereleasing the Golden Age classic. Emulation is presented courtesy of Hamster, who wanted to make sure consumers got the most out of their eight dollar purchase. No less than three separate arcade game variations are present. The 'Early Version' of the game apparently features some bugs (exploitable for high score purposes), as well as some awkward English phrasing. The 'Later Version' is much more polished, on both counts, while an 'International Version' shuffles the level order and is seemingly more difficult. For continuous play, I recommend the Later Version.

Donkey Kong is important for several reasons. First of all, it refines (or at the time, "perfects") some of the more advanced elements that had been creeping into arcade games prior. Like Pac-Man, there's a story integrated into the experience, told via post-stage animated vignettes. The hero of the tale, Mario (or "Jumpman") is hot on the heels of an ape named Donkey Kong, who has captured Pauline (or "Lady"). Rescuing her requires that Mario scale a rather eclectic construction project, in 25 meter increments. "How high can you get?" Donkey Kong asks (or taunts). Should Mario succeed at that dizzying 100 meter height, Donkey Kong plummets, the lovers reunite, and the game begins again in the olde arcade fashion: faster, harder, with the high score intact.
Image
Donkey Kong is one of the earliest arcade games to showcase distinct stages. Sounds elementary now, but the vast majority of Kong predecessors consisted a single looping "board" (think Space Invaders). And while Kong had a few stage-based contemporaries, such as Phoenix and Gorf, those games merely featured a static background with increasingly complex and varied enemy "waves." In contrast, Donkey Kong has Mario traverse a small but diverse cluster of environments. Virtually any seasoned retro gamer can instantly conjure up a mental image of the game's first challenge. Mario begins chillin' at the bottom of jumbled mass of reddish girders and white ladders. Kong and Pauline are situated up top, with Kong tossing down a series of barrels that must be destroyed or avoided. Stall too long, and Mario may also fall victim to the sentient fireballs that emerge from a flaming oil drum. A couple of hammers can be grabbed, to grant Mario some temporary attack capabilities. While hammers are useful for racking up points, they prohibit Mario from climbing ladders, and can potentially leave him in a much more cluttered and difficult situation. It's here that the player first gets a taste of Donkey Kong controls. 2D platformers were barely "a thing" at this juncture; thankfully Nintendo seemed to understand the genre nuances from the get-go. Mario walks (or waddles) at a measured pace, with the single action button executing a fixed-arc jump. Success in the game is predicated on timing, knowing when to leap or wait, when to hover in a safe zone or keep moving. There is a time limit to take note of, and Mario (and the player) must remain wary of the dreaded "fall damage."

Stage two - the one deemed too sophisticated for most home conversions - takes a different approach. Flat walkways have been transformed into conveyor belts, and ladders expand and contract at will. The sentient flames are now the main foil, though the cement pies (what?) on belts must also be dodged. The third stage introduces moving platforms into the mix, along with bounding springs tossed by Kong. This is the area where one is most likely to encounter the aforementioned fall damage, should Mario's jumps be timed improperly.

The game changes the rules for the climatic final challenge. Instead of making a simple ascent to the top, Mario must instead pull a series of rivets from the girders. Easier said than done, as the flame AI now becomes extremely aggressive. Donkey Kong begins to feel like a classic "maze game" here, requiring all sorts of tricky weaving and bobbing around foes. This can be a tough game, generally speaking. It demands that the player practice and hone their skills, but provides no shortage of rewards for those who do take up the challenge. Maybe one day you'll see me on the online leaderboards (ha!).
Image
Manage to defeat Kong and the game loops. What makes Donkey Kong such a compelling score chaser is that the difficulty increases gradually, in ways that are tangible and fair. Take that first stage, for instance. The second time around, barrels will no longer plod passively in Mario's general direction. Rather, they'll make a quick beeline towards him, sometimes utilizing ladders and other times cascading straight through the girders themselves.

Aesthetically, the game is rock solid. It has a nice clean look to it: solid black with some bright colors chosen for environmental and enemy sprites. It's a "look" that would characterize all early Nintendo arcade titles, not to mention their initial round of NES hits. Animation is excellent, with a fine attention to detail. Pauline shouts a word bubble "HELP!" periodically; flames dance around in barrels. Especially impressive is Kong himself, who, despite being massive, moves around with fluid grace. Music is predictably scarce, though integrated well into the overall experience. Now-iconic sound effects punctuate the whole thing.

At the time of its release, Donkey Kong was probably the best thing going in the arcades. Enormously well-received, it was a fixture of every pizza parlor and sub shop in my hometown. Not only is the game a fascinating glimpse into video game history, but it stands on its own as an extremely engrossing experience. Vastly superior to every home conversion, this authentic arcade experience should be grabbed up by everyone with a Switch -- rest assured, this downloadable title (along with the digital shop it resides in) won't last forever.
User avatar
ElkinFencer10
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 8582
Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:34 pm
Location: Henderson, North Carolina

Re: Games Beaten 2019

by ElkinFencer10 Wed Apr 03, 2019 7:01 pm

MrPopo wrote:I feel the need to point out that Seisen no Keifu already introduced a magic triangle along with the weapon triangle. Fire beats wind, wind beats lightning, lightning beats fire. Light and dark beat the three elements.

I mentioned that in my review; what that game didn't do was have any affect on damage with that triangle, only accuracy. Binding Blade was the first to have damage output affected by the magic match-up.
Exhuminator wrote:Ecchi lords must unite for great justice.

Image
User avatar
MrPopo
Moderator
 
Posts: 23908
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 1:01 pm
Location: Orange County, CA

Re: Games Beaten 2019

by MrPopo Wed Apr 03, 2019 8:35 pm

ElkinFencer10 wrote:
MrPopo wrote:I feel the need to point out that Seisen no Keifu already introduced a magic triangle along with the weapon triangle. Fire beats wind, wind beats lightning, lightning beats fire. Light and dark beat the three elements.

I mentioned that in my review; what that game didn't do was have any affect on damage with that triangle, only accuracy. Binding Blade was the first to have damage output affected by the magic match-up.

The way I interpreted the paragraph, it was "added the magic triangle. Seisen did weapon triangle first, but now there's a +damage effect as well".

https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/Weapon_Triangle
https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/Trinity_of_Magic
Image
Blizzard Entertainment Software Developer - All comments and views are my own and not representative of the company.
pook99
128-bit
 
Posts: 788
Joined: Thu Aug 10, 2017 11:27 pm

Re: Games Beaten 2019

by pook99 Wed Apr 03, 2019 10:20 pm

38. Way of the passive fist

Imagine if I told you that there was a beat em up with no punch, kick, or jump buttons and your only means of attack is to defend against all the enemies. Sounds pretty terrible, right, a beat em up with no elbaorate combos, special moves, weapons, or anything else you have to come to expect from the genre. Thats what way of the passive fist is, an old style beat em up with no attack button, and it is amazing!!

If you watch the trailer for this game it looks like it would have been right at home in an arcade in the mid 90's, nice colorful graphics, a decent number of enemy types, complete with generic palette swaps. But as the name implies, this game is all about being passive. Your character has 3 moves, a block, a dodge, and a dash. Your job is to defend against the enemy attacks using these 3 evasive maneuavers, doing so tires them out and when they are completely out of stamina they bend down to catch their breath and you gently push them to the ground.

Every enemy has their own attack patterns and learning and reacting to these patterns is the key to success. The game has a very rythmic feel to it as you time every dodge and parry and you feel like a total badass shrugging off mobs of enemy attacks and then gently shoving them away as if they are completely worthless. The game is constantly introducing new enemy types and palette swaps of old enemy types and every different color has a different attack pattern. There are also enemies who throw objects at you that can be caught and thrown right back at them for an instant ko.

Despite the passive playstyle this game is actually pretty frantic. Like any good beat em up mobs of enemies come on the screen at the same time and there are many levels with environmental hazards that need to be avoided as well, these can also hurt enemies and can easily be used to your advantage. So dashing around the screen to get a good position is very important in this game. Luckily, enemies never attack more than one at a time, so you are never in a cheap or unavoidable position.

Earlier I said there was no punch or kick and that is partly true. You unlock special moves as the game progresses that can be unleashed after a few successful blocks. block 5 in a row and you can throw one punch that damages big enemies and kills smaller enemies, 12 in a row gets you a power slam that kills just about any enemy and damages the rest on the screen, 25 in a row gives you a screen clearing gravity crush attack. Use of these moves makes killing enemies quicker and are vital to damaging bosses.

The game is broken up into 10 levels, about half end in a boss battle. The bosses are all well done, some require you to build up energy on their cronies and then use that to smack them, some are just a straight up one to one brawl.

This is one of the most unique and fun games I have ever played. It retails for $15 which put me off initially because I was worried the game would be a gimmicky mess, but this game completely blew me away. It is tons of fun, leaves you feeling very zen, and there is honestly no game like it out there. It is absolutely something that every gamer who is into beat em ups or just want to try something original should check out.


It is definitely worth the $15 price tag but at its current sale price of $1.50 it is a steal and everyone should give it a shot.
User avatar
Ack
Moderator
 
Posts: 22287
Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2008 4:26 pm
Location: Atlanta, GA

Re: Games Beaten 2019

by Ack Thu Apr 04, 2019 10:55 am

1. Dusk (PC)(FPS)
2. Project: Snowblind (PC)(FPS)
3. Soldier of Fortune: Platinum Edition (PC)(FPS)
4. Ziggurat (PC)(FPS)
5. Wolfenstein 3D: Ultimate Challenge (PC)(FPS)
6. Destiny 2 (PC)(FPS/RPG)
7. Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris (PC)(FPS/RPG)
8. Destiny 2: Warmind (PC)(FPS/RPG)

9. Destiny 2: Forsaken (PC)(FPS/RPG)
10. Star Wars: Rebel Assault (PC)(Rail Shooter)

11. Castle Werewolf (PC)(FPS)
12. Project Warlock (PC)(FPS)
13. Castle Crashers (PC)(Hack and Slash)
14. This Strange Realm of Mine (PC)(FPS)

Ah, another bizarre FPS game.

Ever play Minecraft? Did you think to yourself, "This would be better with some FPS gunplay, amateur philosophy, and teenage poetry"? Well, someone did, because now we have This Strange Realm of Mine to play. I stumbled across it while digging through the dregs of FPS games available on Steam, and it is an interesting experience. It claims to be a mixture of FPS and psychological horror, though the horror elements are mostly lacking save for some attempts with ugly sprites. I don't mean they're badly made, I mean they're made to look nasty.

Here's the gist: you die. Now you're stuck traveling between a strange afterlife of alternate dimensions as you try to come to terms with your death, the ways of the universe, reincarnation, and the ultimate destruction of your ego until inevitable rebirth. Along the way you end up in a variety of locales and meet some folks with personal issues who are reflected on their own problems. You can choose to bring them back to your personal safe space, a tavern between worlds, or you can go it alone. Some levels offer gunplay, some offer some weird fetch quests, and there is a morality system based on your actions through the game. Killing tends to be bad, being friendly and helpful tends to be good. On my run, I ended up netting a near-perfect balance because I'm a nice guy who likes to murder anything that moves, but I'll do further runs at the extremes to see what happens.

If you're big on gunplay, you might not like what you find here. There are only a handful of the standard FPS guns: a pistol, uzi, rifle, and shotgun. Recoil is a major problem with the uzi, so it's best to go for short bursts. The shotgun will gib enemies in close range but loses effectiveness if it's any further out. There are also a couple of melee weapons, but they operate the same way. The one thing that might throw you off is a more realistic method to reloading; if you reload, you lose the bullets in the rest of the magazine. In short, it's not worth reloading, since you'll do it automatically once you run out. Just forget the R button is there.

I don't find the game to be particularly deep, since it's working through philosophical concepts that I struggled with as a teenager. But hey, maybe you are in the mood for some teenage poetry. Funny enough, the Rat's poetry in the game would probably work pretty well with a good beat behind it, so I can't knock it.

If you want something full of teenage philosophical angst and a little shooting of zombies, ghouls, aliens, etc., then this is a game for you. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry about it.
Image
User avatar
prfsnl_gmr
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 12199
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 10:26 pm
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina

Re: Games Beaten 2019

by prfsnl_gmr Thu Apr 04, 2019 11:07 am

Ack...Have you played Lovely Planet, Paranautical Activity, or Vector Wars? I have each of these budget FPS games on my Wii U, and I am curious as to your thoughts on them (since you are quickly becoming THE authority on this sub-genre).
Return to General Gaming

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 38 guests