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dsheinem
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Re: Games Beaten 2019

by dsheinem Tue Jul 02, 2019 12:35 am

Games Beaten 2019

Kentucky Route Zero Act 1 - PC
All Our Asias - PC
Shape of the World - Switch
Hidden Folks - PC
Hyrule Warriors - Wii U
Onrush - PS4
Assassin's Creed Origins - X1
Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown -360
Metro Exodus - PS4
Split/Second - 360
Far Cry: New Dawn - PS4
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon - X1
Marvel vs Capcom Infinite - PS4
Rage - PC
Red Faction: Armageddon - 360
Momonga Pinball Adventure - Switch
Psycho Soldier - Arcade/Vita
Super Mutant Alien Assault - Vita
Burly Men at Sea - Vita
Sigil - PC
Fat Princess - PS3 *new*
Borderlands 2: Commander Lilith and the Fight for Sanctuary - PC *new*
Monster World IV - Genesis (PS3) *new*

Total: 23


Previously: 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

Fat Princess' campaign is a bit more tedious than it probably needs to be for what is essentially a glorified multi-level tutorial to prepare folks for multiplayer, but the characters/world are very cute (they remind me of Behemoth's work a bit), and I enjoyed my time with this one enough to want to check out the other entries in the series at some point.

Commander Lilith is more Borderlands 2 and I was glad to have an excuse to head back to Pandora. If its goal was to whet my appetite for the upcoming sequel...then that mission was accomplished. Borderlands 2 is probably my favorite game of its era (roughly the "heyday" years of the last console gen 2006-2013), and so this meaty freebie (it took me about as long to beat as most of the longer DLC from BL2) was a pleasant surprise.

Monster World IV is the first game in the series I have spent any serious time with and I adored it. The spritework is large and lovely, it pushes the limits of Genesis programming in some interesting ways, and the level design is generally challenging but fair...and also regularly inventive and colorful. I certainly recommend it to anyone who likes action-platformers with some light RPG/Metroidvania elements.

At the half way point of the year I am not even on track for 50. My lowest year so far since starting all this tracking was 65 total. I suppose I should step up my game and shoot for that, at least...
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prfsnl_gmr
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Re: Games Beaten 2019

by prfsnl_gmr Tue Jul 02, 2019 8:50 am

@DSH

Monster World IV is solid. I actually enjoyed Wonder Boy in Monster World a bit more from a gameplay perspective, though. You should give that a shot if you are interested in the series. Also, have you not yet played Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap? That is the series’ crown jewel, and I loved it.
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Ack
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Re: Games Beaten 2019

by Ack Tue Jul 02, 2019 9:47 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)
15. BioShock Remastered (PC)(FPS)
16. BioShock 2 (PC)(FPS)
17. BioShock 2: Minerva's Den (PC)(FPS)

18. Blood (PC)(FPS)
19. Blood: Cryptic Passage (PC)(FPS)
20. Blood: Post Mortem (PC)(FPS)

21. Shadow Warrior (PC)(FPS)
22. Shadow Warrior: Twin Dragon (PC)(FPS)
23. Shadow Warrior: Wanton Destruction (PC)(FPS)

24. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin (PC)(FPS)
25. F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn (PC)(FPS)

26. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines (PC)(RPG)
27. Men of Valor (PC)(FPS)
28. Ultima III: Exodus (PC)(FPS)
29. Albedo: Eyes from Outer Space (PC)(Point and Click)

30. Midnight Ultra (PC)(FPS)
31. Amid Evil (PC)(FPS)

I've just completed my play through of Amid Evil, and seeing as Popo pretty much nailed all my thoughts, I don't have a lot to really say. It's Heretic fused with Hexen and Painkiller, it provides a wealth of different worlds and enemies to kill, and it really does encourage the use of all of its weapons and the soul mode variations to kill things effectively throughout.

Every world comes with its own challenges, designs, and aesthetics, and while I didn't always find them all to be spectacular in every regard, the overall piece flows together into a cohesive product that fills the craving we have for the current wave of indie retro FPS. One thing that I appreciate is that Amid Evil provides enough variation, that you might find a world you find incredibly frustrating followed by one you absolutely adore. A case in point: I disliked many of the enemies found in the Arcane Expanse world but absolutely loved the level design and mellow music (perfect for a mage cathedral floating in space), but then followed this with The Sacred Path world and got a massive kick taking on solar-based knights in well lit fortresses. Every locale feels unique, from the industrial ironworks of The Forge to the bizarre unreality that makes up The Void.

The nice thing about the changing worlds is that they also required I swap out weapons, so everything in my arsenal got time to shine. Even the gear I didn't care for suddenly found places where it was the undeniable MVP, and in those worlds, I used those weapons liberally. My personal favorite? A shard-shooting crystal mace that hit with enough oomph to knock enemies back and pin them into walls. It's as satisfying as Painkiller's stakegun, and while I needed to be in closer range to maintain effectiveness, seeing an enemy go flying back with a splat was all I needed to make me a happy camper.

Look, the glut of old school-inspired FPS may have you feeling a little ill, and the trend doesn't seem to be slowing down. There are winners like Dusk and losers like Castle Werewolf, and it can sometimes be tough to find the quality among the chaff. Amid Evil is one of the winners, and if you love your FPS to be more medieval-themed, then it's well worth playing.
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MrPopo
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Re: Games Beaten 2019

by MrPopo Tue Jul 02, 2019 10:54 am

Did you ever find a situation where the lightning trident was awesome? Because I never did.

On my radar for awesome retro FPSs is Ion Maiden and Prodeus. Prodeus is scheduled to come out in a month or two and the gameplay videos have got me all excited.
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Ack
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Re: Games Beaten 2019

by Ack Tue Jul 02, 2019 12:26 pm

MrPopo wrote:Did you ever find a situation where the lightning trident was awesome? Because I never did.

On my radar for awesome retro FPSs is Ion Maiden and Prodeus. Prodeus is scheduled to come out in a month or two and the gameplay videos have got me all excited.

Yes, in The Forge. Those rolling spikeballs usually came as a group, and you could often get them to bunch and then take them out with the trident's overcharge. I also used it occasionally in the Arcane Expanse to hit enemies that didn't dodge so I could overcharge into the dodging wizards.

Also, the trident is the only hitscan weapon in the game, so it doubles as a sniping tool in the rare case where you need one. I used it against some enemies who were so far away, they never noticed me as I shot them.

I've got both Prodeus and Ion Maiden on my Steam wishlist at the moment. I have high hopes that they'll be awesome, but I've been burned before.
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pook99
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Re: Games Beaten 2019

by pook99 Tue Jul 02, 2019 12:57 pm

85. God of War 2 (nes hack)
86. Jackquest: tale of the sword
87. Owyns adventure
88. Fight n Rage
89. Invasher

85. God of War 2 (nes)

Gow 2 on NES is a hack of castlevania. Every sprite has been swapped out and the level designs are all completely different. Asthetically, this is very cool, Kratos looks like how you would imagine he look like in 8-bit and the levels/enemies all look like they belong in the GOW universe.

The difficulty has been ratcheted up to 1000 and there is constantly flying enemies everywhere. If your going to play it, use save states. Wether or not you should play it depends on how much you love castlevania and how good you are at it. If you are a master of the game then by all means give it a shot because this will definitely challenge you, but if your just looking for a fun castlevania hack more in line with the difficulty of the original there are far better options out there. I enjoyed it, but it definitely is not for everyone.

86. Jackquest: tale of the sword

Very short metroidvaniaish game. The whole game takes place in a cave and can be beaten in a little under 2 hours. The graphics have a nice 8 bit asthetic, and the controls are very tight. The game is short and easy but it is a good time.

87. Owyns adventure

Game boy style platformer, very short, very easy. I beat the game in about 20 minutes and while it might be a cute game for a young kid it definitely is too easy for the average gamer. Most of the game consists of very basic platforming and extremely easy puzzles.

88. Fight n rage

Pretty awesome beat em up that would have felt right at home in the 90's. 3 characters, each with a nice moveset and some cool combos, each one also has a different story attached though the levels are the same. The game has a ton of unlockables, 56 endings, and a bunch of branching paths. It can be played with up to 3 players in the arcade mode, but there is a cheesy vs mode that has tons of unlockable characters (think double dragon 1 on NES). Every levels is loaded with enemies and ends in a boss fight, the challenge is pretty solid and it definitely is worth checking out for fans of beat em ups.

89. Invasher:

Really fun mega man inspired game. The dialogue in the cutscenes is both laughably bad and gramatically horrible but the gameplay itself is tight and a lot of fun. Definitely on the easy side but I still had a good time with it. My only real complaint is that when you beat a boss there weapon unlocks in the shop and you have to pay to unlock it(like the bolts in Mega Man) Its on sale for 2.50 and you will definitely get your moneys worth if you are a fan of mega man.
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pierrot
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Re: Games Beaten 2019

by pierrot Tue Jul 02, 2019 9:34 pm

dsheinem wrote:Monster World IV - Genesis (PS3) *new*

Nice! What even prompted you to play this?
I like Monster World IV the best, but prfsnl is right, Dragon's Trap, and Wonder Boy in Monster World are also pretty great.
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pook99
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Re: Games Beaten 2019

by pook99 Thu Jul 04, 2019 9:38 am

91. Darkwing Duck -New levels (nes Hack)

Darkwing Duck has always been one of my favorite nes games. Although I watched all the disney afternoon shows as a kid, and I enjoyed them all, Darkwing Duck was always my favorite, and as good as all the NES titles were based off these shows, Darkwing Ducks game was also my favorite hands down. For those of you who don't know DD was essentially a reskinned mega man, it is made by capcom and plays just like the blue bomber, minus the boss weapons, and it adds an ability to hang on various surfaces which is used in all manner of platform challenges.

Darkwing Duck never got a sequel, and outside of the terrible turbografx game, this was the only dd game ever made. I've played the original to death and it is one of the many titles that are on my annual playlist but I always wanted a new game, luckily due to the magic of romhacking, I finally did. Apparently there are at least 3 good DD hacks so I am excited to try all of them.

DD - new levels is exactly what you would expect based on the title. It is the NES game only with new levels, and although the bosses are the same, most of them have some differences in their stage layout which makes fighting them feel fresh. The levels are designed to be much harder than the original, but this is not one of those rom hacks that are unfairly difficult. It is tough, but it is mostly fair. The one gripe I have about this hack is that there are a huge number of jumps that are the maximum distance away from each other, in order to make these jumps you need to inch up to the edge of the platform, it is amazing how far dd can go before falling off a platform. Basically you have to inch up so that only your backfoot is on the platform then make the jump. This was initially off putting to me, but after a few attempts you learn the distance and these jumps actually become very easy.

Overall though this is a fun hack. The levels have been completely redesigned and even though the backgrounds are familiar and the enemies are all the same each level is 100% new. If you are a fan of the original like I am this hack is definitely worth your time, the challenge level is high, but the redesigns are fun and really keep you on your toes.
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MrPopo
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Re: Games Beaten 2019

by MrPopo Thu Jul 04, 2019 5:24 pm

1. Octopath Traveler - Switch
2. Dusk - PC
3. Forsaken Remastered - PC
4. Tales of Eternia - PS1
5. Resident Evil 2 (2019) - PC
6. Pokémon Trading Card Game - GBC
7. Metro Exodus - PC
8. Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales - PC
9. Project Warlock - PC
10. Magic: The Gathering - PC
11. Ghost 1.0 - PC
12. Call of Duty 2 - PC
13. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - PS4
14. Revelations: The Demon Slayer - GBC
15. Mechstermination Force - Switch
16. Shadow Warrior Classic Redux - PC
17. Lost Sphear - Switch
18. Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal - PC
19. Dragon Quest III - NES
20. Rage 2 - PC
21. Blood - PC
22. Harvest Moon 64 - N64
23. Battlefield V - PC
24. Sigil - PC
25. Shining Force III: Scenario 2 - Saturn
26. Shining Force III: Scenario 3 - Saturn
27. Borderlands 2: Commander Lillith and the Fight for Sanctuary - PC
28. Gato Roboto - Switch
29. Timespinner - Switch
30. Amid Evil - PC
31. Pillars of Eternity II: Beast of Winter - PC
32. Pillars of Eternity II: Seeker, Slayer, Survivor - PC
33. Pillars of Eternity II: The Forgotten Sanctum - PC
34. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - Switch
35. Orphan - PC

So a while back I played through Limbo, and while I loved the aesthetic, the gameplay was not my cup of tea; it was very based on trial and error and you'd die a lot for reasons you couldn't foresee. Then I saw a trailer for a game called Orphan, which had the same aesthetic, but now you get a gun. And that sounded like exactly what I wanted Limbo to be. I snagged it during the Steam sale and was on the final boss before going on a short holiday; now that I'm back I was able to finish the last boss and wrap it up.

Orphan is a platformer with some exploration elements; the paths you take will eventually keep bringing you back to a central point (which has some story significance), but it's more in the Elder Scrolls dungeon sense, rather than a Metroidvania "you got the mobility upgrade" thing. See, the thing is, you play an 8 year old, and that's about the level of mobility you will ever have. You'll gain a few tools along the way which will let you progress, but they're more in the form of keys. Your pitiful jump and roll are all the mobility you'll ever have. It's also not a long game; I knocked it out in under 3 hours apparently (or the achievement is bugged and the 4.2 hours Steam says is the correct one, but that probably includes deaths).

The game has a very striking visual style. All foreground elements are flat black, though there is some strategic use of some lights for enemy eyes (your enemies are robots) and laser shots. The backgrounds do have color, but they tend to be muted. It's a nice aesthetic, and the game doesn't really do any evil stuff with having traps blending in with the foreground like Limbo is so fond of.

The basic premise is that alien robots invade Earth, destroying the protagonist's home and killing his parents. His immediate need is survival, as there are deadly robots between him and safety. After that he'll discover the means to fight back. So the game ends up being the hardest at the start, as it is some unforgiving stealth gameplay you need to go through. After you get your first weapon you still have to be mindful of your health and visibility, but you can fight your way out of trouble. After you get your gun I feel like the difficulty curve smooths out, and while things do get more challenging it's a proper curve. The final boss is a pretty major ramp up, though, at least until you understand all the phases and how to deal with the attacks. Especially on the final form; when I realized the intended way to do it I facepalmed, as I had be doing it the hard way.

The game is definitely more on the art side of things; I'm not sure it's a game you'd want to play multiple times. But it was fun while it lasted (and it didn't overstay its welcome) and since I got it on sale I felt the price was reasonable for what I got.
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marurun
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Re: Games Beaten 2019

by marurun Fri Jul 05, 2019 2:18 pm

  1. Blaster Master Zero -- Switch
  2. Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! -- DS
  3. Steamworld Dig -- Switch
  4. King of Dragons -- Switch
  5. Steamworld Dig 2 -- Switch

I actually beat both of these in mid-June, but have been busy and am only getting around to writing these now, so let's hope my memory is still good.

King of Dragons

I played this arcade title on the Capcom Beat 'Em Up Collection on Switch. I basically coin-fed, so I don't know that I played with exacting skill. That said, I did better than I thought I would and did get into a rhythm. As far as Capcom's fantasy-themed belt-scrollers are concerned, this title is pretty basic. You do level up and find better versions of your main weapon, but as the enemies get harder and harder, it mostly just seems to be a wash. Your move set is pretty small, meaning the core fighting mechanics get old fast. There are occasional magic screen-clears, and the different characters have different weapons and attack styles, but to modern sensibilities this is a pretty bare-bones title, even as arcade beat 'em ups go. The sound and music are decent and in-line with what one would expect from Capcom's arcade division at the time, but not especially memorable. It was a decently fun ride, but it did run a bit long in the tooth by the time I beat the game. And being an arcade title, there was definitely a lot of cheapness from some of the bosses. If you don't have nostalgia for this title I'm not sure it will really deliver, to be honest. If you're just looking for a solid brawler, look elsewhere. If you want that particular slice of early 90s Capcom brawler action, there are truthfully better titles to get that experience, too. I'm not going to say you should avoid this title, because it's not a bad game, but I can't really recommend it, either.

Steamworld Dig 2

I'm going to open with a spoiler. If this sort of thing ruins games for you, don't click the spoiler.

This is one of those rare games where
the GOOD ending involves the destruction of the planet you live on.


This game is a direct follow-up to the original Steamworld Dig. You are Dorothy, the daughter of the first shopkeeper you encounter in the first Steamworld Dig game and the buyer of all that protagonists ore. Only now you're not buying ore. You're on a quest to find the protagonist of the first game, Rusty. You arrive in a new town, with new mines in which to dig in search of ore, trying to find not only Rusty, but the source of the annoying earthquakes that keep shaking the landscape.

The gameplay loop is almost identical to the first game: dig ever downward in search of ore to sell for cash, and with that cash buy upgrades. Only this time, down isn't the ONLY way to go. There are also other areas, accessible from a top level map. It's like a little bit more of Metroid injected into the formula than before. You have almost all the same abilities present in the first game, unlockable and upgradeable, and a lot of new upgrades and perks to boot. Water management isn't quite as frustrating this time around, and with better graphics and slightly more forgiving controls, it's easier to interact with Steamworld Dig 2's world. As with the first game, there are movement enhancements as well as digging enhancements, but in this case they help you access new areas rather than simply continuing ever downward. This also means there are opportunities for sequence breaks, even accidentally. And the devs recognized this and planned for it, which is very cool.

The graphics are much nicer this time around, and the characters sort of warp and bounce in an almost Popcap/Flash/Camelot sort of way. Fortunately, the game is well animated and has lots of personality, so it's not a negative. The plot and characters are also a lot more interesting this time around. Whereas Steamworld Dig felt a little isolating, just one tiny town and one deep, deep mine, Steamworld Dig 2 feels a little more open and full. And it really fleshes out the world a lot.

On the whole, this game is recommended, though I think many players would have a better time playing the first game prior. That said, this game is perfectly intelligible, and still tons of fun without doing so.
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