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PartridgeSenpai
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Re: Games Beaten 2019

by PartridgeSenpai Mon Nov 04, 2019 5:36 pm

MrPopo wrote:It did take me a little while to realize that you can just spam it.


I have also never once used companion abilities since I never remember they exist XP
I identify everyone via avatar, so if you change your avatar, I genuinely might completely forget who you are. -- Me
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MrPopo
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Re: Games Beaten 2019

by MrPopo Tue Nov 05, 2019 12:48 am

First 50:
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
36. Project Nimbus - PC
37. Hardcore Mecha - PC
38. Grey Goo - PC
39. Giants: Citizen Kabuto - PC
40. Wolfenstein: Youngblood - PC
41. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Switch
42. Metal Wolf Chaos XD - PC
43. Ion Fury - PC
44. Final Fantasy Adventure - GB
45. Astral Chain - Switch
46. Rebel Galaxy Outlaw - PC
47. Blasphemous - Switch
48. Daemon x Machina - Switch
49. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - Switch
50. Borderlands 3 - PC

51. Valfaris - Switch
52. Unreal: Return to Na Pali - PC
53. The Outer Worlds - PC
54. MechWarrior 4: Black Knight - PC
55. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - PC
56. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided: System Rift - PC

System Rift is some DLC for Mankind Divided that came out not too long after the game released and features the return of Prichard, your pissy hacker friend. It's standalone DLC, so you start with a fixed number of Praxis Points and then can earn some more through gameplay. The basic goal is to break into a high security datacenter because there is suspicion of one of the clients being extra evil (compared to everyone else being normal evil). But first you need to do some ground work to get access to the place. The DLC continues to give you options on how to approach everything, whether it be shooting up the place or going full stealth. I found I needed to do a ton of takedowns early (nonlethal), but in the second half I was able to go full ghost. It ends up not taking too long, and mostly serves as a way of adding more hooks to the original Deus Ex's story and giving you a bit of a challenge mode (as you don't have a ton of augs unlocked).
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Ack
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Re: Games Beaten 2019

by Ack Tue Nov 05, 2019 11:41 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)(RPG)
29. Albedo: Eyes from Outer Space (PC)(Point and Click)

30. Midnight Ultra (PC)(FPS)
31. Amid Evil (PC)(FPS)
32. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (PC)(RPG)
33. Betrayer (PC)(Horror)

34. Borderlands 2: Commander Lilith & the Fight for Sanctuary (PC)(FPS/RPG)
35. Far Cry 2 (PC)(FPS)
36. Apocryph (PC)(FPS)
37. Eye of the Beholder III: Assault on Myth Drannor (PC)(RPG)

38. Menzoberranzan (PC)(RPG)
39. TimeShift (PC)(FPS)
40. Heretic Kingdoms: The Inquisition (PC)(RPG)
41. Shadowgate (PC)(Point and Click)

42. Might & Magic Book One (PC)(RPG)
43. Miasmata (PC)(Adventure)
44. Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (PC)(FPS)
45. Legendary (PC)(FPS)
46. Hedon (PC)(FPS)

Hedon is a new FPS released this year that is in truth something much older; it's the first ever game commercially released that was built in GZDOOM. Yep, it's a Doom total conversion mod that got big enough, the creator decided to fully develop it into its own release. This has some folks in the Doom mod community upset, but more importantly, is it worth considering paying $10 for it?

Well, truth be told, I'd say yes. I bought it on sale, but after completing what is currently billed as only the first episode, I'd say it's worth the $10...mostly. First and foremost, it is more than a simple slap of paint put over Doom. Yes, you can definitely see where certain classic Doom enemies were converted over for the game, but the creatures that these hellspawn got turned into now feel more like something out of Hexen. You have grotesque worms, cultists, magic-shooting mages, three-headed dogs, horned demons with shields, and so on. Sure, the three-headed dog was once an imp, I can tell from how they leap a la Brutal Doom, but when all three heads start spitting fire, it becomes a different story.

Your weapons are a mix of high fantasy and futuristic, including an assault rifle that shoots crystals, a shotgun/flamethrower hybrid, a potion thrower that can spit out gas canisters or acid, an exploding crossbow, and an ax...that can be thrown with alt fire. It is incredibly satisfying to leap into a horde of enemies with just the ax, butcher them all except two, hurl the ax at one, and then jump kick the other in the face. Yes, even the melee is done right, which is extremely important because there is actually an alternative melee-only mode where all of the weapons are changed to fit the theme, giving you a whole new slate of stuff to smack down demons with.

Then you've got your equipment: healing potions, stoneskin potions, potions of haste, timestop crystals, sentry guns, dog collars that boost your melee attack damage, even the possibility of creating a potion with random buffs. Often I don't rely on these items in FPS, preferring to stick to my own gunplay and quickdraw skills, but with some of the mass combats you come across, I was relying on some of this gear by the end to help whittle down the opposing forces. Hell, I don't think I would have beaten the final boss battle without chugging a ridiculous variety of chemicals before unloading on his face. There's more to that, so hold on.

While I was playing on normal, it's worth noting that the different difficulties do affect things like enemy health and damage, but also how notes display important information for puzzles, whether the map displays keys or locked doors, ammo distribution, and even weapon distribution. On higher difficulties, the game will actually give you better weapons faster to ensure you have a fighting chance. And again, with some of the sizes of combat, you're gonna need it.

Levels in Hedon are massive and sprawling. We're talking an hour to beat at least on your first run through. Hell, the final level's par time is something like an hour and a half. Yes, levels get the post-Doom level percentage treatment, but more importantly, they feel like they connect and make sense for this fantasy world. A couple feature an amount of backtracking to previous areas, though it's limited in the context of the current level you're on. But a lot of work went into these, and some of the resulting areas are actually pretty awesome. One snow-covered area has you battle your way through a mountain pass to a hidden grove, then onto stone bridges through enemy checkpoints where some of the foes have actually frozen to death waiting for you to arrive. Then you storm the dwarven fortress that the cultists and demons have overrun, smelt a key, bust your way down into the dungeon, and cure the poisoned lone survivor there with a bottle of grog you bring him. That's just one level, and I left out some of it. Add in the copious amount of lore you find, and the world feels like it makes consistent sense...which it should, as the game dev has been building up his own fantasy world for over a decade now.

The one downside? The sprites all look like something off of DeviantArt, and while some aren't bad, they're still not really an art style that I'm into. Also...this whole thing got going because the dev was into drawing muscular orc ladies. He's got a fetish, and while it led to a genuinely fun game, it's kind of creepy to see so many massive bulging orc thighs. I'm not into green lady bodybuilders, but to each their own I suppose. The music however does an awesome job of distracting from this when it kicks in, and it backs the action up immensely. Hell yes, I want to shotgun flamethrower a bunch of demons in the face in a giant underground city while guitar riffs blast over my headphones.

Also, there are two boss fights in this one episode, one of which involves a flying mage lady who can shoot seeking projectiles, while the other is a massive demon whose head explodes when you kill it. That second fight alone took me half an hour of running and gunning down both him and his constantly respawning minions while ducking through broken stainglass windows, seeking cover from his fireballs and flamethrower attacks, and chugging potions. And then the game ends with a cliffhanger for the second episode. It provides closure for the additional side characters, but this world ultimately gets left in a dark place. Bravo, now I'm curious about the second episode.

Hedon: come for the gunplay, stay because you're actually kinda interested in seeing how this turns out. Fap to some orc lady's abs if you're into that kind of thing, but if you are, I think you're a pervert.
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Markies
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Re: Games Beaten 2019

by Markies Tue Nov 05, 2019 11:41 pm

Markies' Games Beat List Of 2019!
*Denotes Replay For Completion*

1. Power Stone 2 (SDC)
2. Radiata Stories (PS2)
3. Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball (NES)
***4. Saiyuki: Journey West (PS1)***
5. Shining In The Darkness (GEN)
***6. Metropolis Street Racer (SDC)***
7. Half-Life 2 (XBOX)
8. Soul Blazer (SNES)
9. Mario Party (N64)
10. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (GCN)
11. Street Fighter Collection (PS1)
12. Pokemon Stadium 2 (N64)
13. Burnout (PS2)
14. Phantasy Star III (GEN)
15. Batman: The Video Game (NES)
16. X-Men Legends (XBOX)
***17. Final Fantasy VII (PS1)***
18. Maximum Pool (SDC)
19. Puzzle Quest (PS2)
20. Jet Moto (PS1)
21. The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition (GCN)
22. Dead Or Alive 3 (XBOX)

23. Growlanser III: The Dual Darkness

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I beat Growlanser III: The Dual Darkness on the Sony Playstation 2 this evening!

Several years ago, my friend and I used to make monthly trips to game stores and come home with a good stack of games. One of them had the widest selection of JRPG's for any consoles with an excellent emphasis on the PS1 & PS2. One day, while out shopping, he had picked up the Growlanser Generations games and I instantly became interested in the games. Later on, I picked them up myself with the thought of playing through them together. We played through the first game together a few years ago. With me adding the next game in the series recently and Working Designs being the next Together Retro Month, I figured now would be a good time to play the next game and finish off Growlanser Generations.

There really is no big difference between Growlanser II and III. They have the same graphics, engine, game play style and interface. They took everything about Growlanser II and pasted it onto Growlanser III, the good and the bad. There are some rather large additions that separate the games. Growlanser II was more akin to Fire Emblem with warring nations fighting over land and political intrigue. Growlanser III takes a more traditional JRPG approach with a bad guy gone crazy. There is fighting and political intrigue, but that becomes the back story rather quickly. In Growlanser III, you can move freely around the map and in towns. You are no longer just navigating menus as it feels like a real world. With that in mind, they added dungeons that are randomized and you can now explore. This is really interesting and adds a unique twist to the game.

My main issue with the game is the same from Growlanser II and it becomes more prevalent because of the small dungeons. Your characters cannot walk through each other and bounce off each other all the time. In tight corridors, one character can only attack while the others sit there doing nothing.

Overall, Growlanser III is much the same as Growlanser II, which isn't exactly a bad thing. The game is a bit more forgettable and you really don't have too much variety when it comes to the characters choice of attack. It's either sword or long range attack. With that in mind, the game plays like a whole new story and an expansion to Growlanser II. It kind of feels like Majora's Mask to Ocarina of Time. Both games uses the same engine, but Majora goes a little more in depth and plays with it more. If you like Growlanser II, then you should play Growlanser III.
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dsheinem
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Re: Games Beaten 2019

by dsheinem Wed Nov 06, 2019 12:31 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
Borderlands 2: Commander Lilith and the Fight for Sanctuary - PC
Monster World IV - Genesis (PS3)
Marvel's Spider-Man - PS4
Mega Man X4 - Switch
Armored Warriors - Switch
Battle Circuit - Switch
Borderlands 3 - PS4
Hyper Dyne Side Arms - (PS3/Arcade) *new*
Legendary Wings - (PS3/Arcade) *new*
The Outer Worlds - X1 *new*

Total: 31


Previously: 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010


Spent some time playing through a few arcade shmups on the PS3 Capcom Arcade collection. Fun times. I actually think I prefer the PCE and the NES versions of both of these, oddly, but probably because I spent a lot more time trying to actually get good at those versions (plus, both are nice specimens of tech excellence for their time).

The Outer Worlds is - double checks - the first game from Obsidian I have beaten since Dungeon Siege III (I did dabble in PoE1 a bit, though). It certainly has a Fallout New Vegas vibe, and the lack of jank is impressive, but on the default difficulty the game was a cakewalk (I boosted handgun and persuasion skills as much as I could early on, then boosted defense and tech skills in the back half). I basically killed everyone on the last two planets, which was partially out of a general sense of DGAF-ness with the story.It looks great, even on my standard Xbox One S, but I can't see going back to it aside from some learning of some well-reviewed DLC. Still, if you like recent Fallout games, this is probably more engaging (if a little more shallow) than F3/NV/F4 and you should dig it.
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PartridgeSenpai
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Re: Games Beaten 2019

by PartridgeSenpai Wed Nov 06, 2019 4:50 am

Partridge Senpai's 2019 Beaten Games:
Previously: 2016 2017 2018
* indicates a repeat

1. Night Slashers (Switch)
2. Bye-Bye BOXBOY! (3DS)
3. GTA4: The Ballad of Gay Tony (Xbox 360)
4. Katamari Forever (PS3)
5. Detention (PS4)
6. Donkey Kong 64 (N64) *
7. OctoDad: Dadliest Catch (PS4) *
8. FlintHook (Switch)
9. God of War (PS4)
10. God of War HD (PS3)
11. Tiny Barbarian DX (Switch)
12. God of War 2 HD (PS3)
13. Starlink (Switch)
14. Shin Gundam Musou (PS3)
15. Battle & Get! Pokemon Typing DS (DS)
16. Banjo-Kazooie (N64) *
17. Super Mario 64: Rumble Edition (N64)
18. Mario Party 3 (N64) *
19. Paper Mario (N64) *
20. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES) *
21. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX (GBC) *
22. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (GBC) *
23. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (GBC) *
24. Yoshi's Island (SNES) *
25. Super Mario World (SNES) *
26. Super Mario RPG (SFC) *
27. Kaeru No Tame Ni Kane Wa Naru (GB)
28. Final Fantasy VI (SFC) *
29. Final Fantasy IV (SFC) *
30. Final Fantasy V (SFC)
31. Final Fantasy III (Famicom)
32. Mother 2 (SFC) *
33. Mother 3 (GBA) *
34. Hebereke (Famicom)
35. Donkey Kong Country 2 (SFC)
36. Donkey Kong Country 3 (SFC)
37. Donkey Kong Country (SFC) *
38. Wario's Woods (Famicom)
39. Paper Mario: Color Splash (Wii U)
40. Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (3DS)
41. Luigi's Mansion (3DS) *
42. Paper Mario: Sticker Star (3DS)
43. Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga & Bowser's Minions (3DS)
44. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story & Bowser Jr's Journey (3DS)
45. Tomato Adventure (GBA)
46. Corpse Party (PSP)
47. Rave Master: Fighting Live (GC)
48. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (GBA) *
49. Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (GBA)
50. Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (GBA) *

51. New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS)

I found this hella cheap at Book Off last week and decided to finally pick it up. I'd previously always heard it was the weakest of the series, so had always been a bit tepid towards it, but for 900 yen I couldn't pass it up. That said, AJ told me it was the 2nd best in the NSMB series under NSMBU (which I agree is the best), so I went in hoping to be pleasantly surprised and I absolutely was! It took me around 9.5 hours to 100% the Japanese version of the game (but not getting the million coins, goodness no) on a NEW 2DS XL.

What's there to say premise-wise other than that it's more New Super Mario Bros. Introducing things from the 3D games like wall jumping and triple jumps into a 2D Mario formula that just works. This time around, they ditched the propeller and penguin suits (which were always kinda crap, imo) from the Wii entry in favor of revamping the Mario 3 raccoon tail. Instead of mashing the button to fly, you just hold it down, which makes this a lot easier to play considering you have to use a handheld XP. The mini mushroom and mega mushrooms are both present, but rare, with only 2 or 3 levels respectively containing each (another thing I think is a good choice).

The game plays as well as you'd come to expect from a Mario series across its 9 worlds (two of which are secret and one of which you gotta collect a bunch of star coins to unlock). It took me a little while to get used to having to press towards the wall to do a wall jump instead of just touching it and jumping, but after that I was golden. The new power up is a callback to Mario 3, and so is a decent portion of the rest of the game, in a way. From the raccoon tail to the snake block (remember that?) to rotating platforms, this game has mechanical callbacks to Mario 3, Mario World, and even Yoshi's Island. It spices up the gameplay and makes each level feel special and not just a new twist on something the game has done before.

The only real negatives I could say against it are more down to perspective than anything else. This is a good 2D Mario game, a damn good one, but it IS just another 2D Mario game in the NSMB series. If those have never done it for you or are getting tired for you, this likely isn't gonna change your mind, but if you like those kinds of games, this is a fantastic entry. The other thing is the coin collecting gimmick. The whole marketing push around this game was that it was all about collecting some absurd number of coins, even introducing a new power up that's a golden fire flower that turns enemies and blocks into coins. If you're really looking for it, I think it could bother you as a consistent gimmick, but if you view it as just a Mario game, it's never really intrusive. It's ultimately a clever way to make the game a bit more forgiving in giving the player a lot of extra lives (I finished with over 500 extra lives, they honestly might as well not even be there).

There's also a Coin Rush mode which can even be played competitively against a friend, but having no friends, I couldn't try the game's competitive or co-op campaign mode (which is a really neat concept). The coin rush is some remixed normal levels that are time attacks for how many coins you collect. They add towards that grand total of a million coins and it's a good way to grind them out if you really wanted to, and if you were so inclined it's apparently possible to do it in about 2 hours using a specific part of a coin rush level and the golden fire flower. All it does it change the title screen though, so nothing honestly worth worrying about unless you're someone who absolutely has to do everything in a game to feel satisfied with it.

Verdict: Recommended. If you can find it sub-$20, this is a damn fine Mario game to kill time with. Not gonna convert anyone who wasn't already digging the feel of the New Super Mario Bros. series, but it's got fun levels and a good difficulty curve for anyone who's interested. It's only real issue is that it's a great 2D Mario game in a field of other great 2D Mario games (it does have the Koopalings in it though, so that's a plus in my book <3 )
I identify everyone via avatar, so if you change your avatar, I genuinely might completely forget who you are. -- Me
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ElkinFencer10
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Re: Games Beaten 2019

by ElkinFencer10 Thu Nov 07, 2019 8:53 am

Games Beaten in 2019 So Far - 63
* 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


April (3 Games Beaten)
19. Moemon - Game Boy Advance - April 5
20. Yoshi's Crafted World - Switch - April 10
21. Wargroove - Switch - April 26


May (8 Games Beaten)
22. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen - Switch - May 5
23. Battlefield V - PlayStation 4 - May 9
24. Timespinner - PlayStation 4 - May 12
25. Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain - PlayStation 4 - May 17
26. Shenmue - PlayStation 4 - May 19
27. Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht - PlayStation 2 - May 26
28. Team Sonic Racing - Switch - May 29
29. Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse - PlayStation 2 - May 30


June (5 Games Beaten)
30. Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprache Zarathustra - PlayStation 2 - June 2
31. Gato Roboto - Switch - June 3
32. Katana Zero - Switch - June 4
33. The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct - Wii U - June 8
34. Dark Savior - Saturn - June 12


July (12 Games Beaten)
35. The Elder Scrolls V: Skryim - Switch - June 7
36. The Elder Scrolls V: Skryim: Dragonborn - Switch - June 7
37. The Elder Scrolls V: Skryim: Dawnguard - Switch - June 7
38. Tiny Troopers - Switch - July 8
39. Tiny Troopers 2: Special Ops - Switch - July 8
40. Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth - 3DS - July 10
41. Super Robot Wars T - Switch - July 13
42. Super Mario Maker 2 - Switch - July 13
43. Command and Conquer - Saturn - July 16
44. Command and Conquer: Covert Operations - PC - July 16
45. Super Neptunia RPG - PlayStation 4 - July 18
46. My Girlfriend is a Mermaid!? - Switch - July 19


August (5 Games Beaten)
47. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Switch - August 10
48. Wolfenstein Youngblood - Xbox One - August 24
49. Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem - DS - August 27
50. Metal Wolf Chaos XD - PlayStation 4 - August 31
51. Fire Emblem: Archanean War Chronicles - SNES - August 31


September (5 Games Beaten)
52. Golf Story - Switch - September 2
53. Red Dead Redemption - PlayStation 3 - September 7
54. Far Cry 4 - Xbox One - September 14
55. Muv-Luv Extra - Vita - September 19
56. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - Switch - September 23


October (7 Games Beaten)
57. Muv-Luv Unlimited - Vita - October 1
58. Panty Party - Switch - October 2
59. Mario Kart Tour - Android - October 3
60. Muv-Luv Alternative - Vita - October 10
61. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Switch - October 25*
62. Resident Evil 2 (Leon) - PlayStation 4 - October 28
63. Resident Evil 2 (Claire) - PlayStation 4 - October 31*


62. Resident Evil 2 (Leon) - PlayStation 4 - October 28
63. Resident Evil 2 (Claire) - PlayStation 4 - October 31*

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Resident Evil has always been one of my favorite horror series, and Resident Evil 2 was, for a long time, my favorite game in the series. While my "Top X Resident Evil games" list has changed over the years, Resident Evil 2 - preferably played on my Sega Dreamcast - has remained near and dear to my zombie loving heart. When I heard that Capcom was releasing a remake, I was ecstatic. Granted, I didn't buy it right at launch because North Carolina refuses to pay its teachers well, and I didn't play it immediately when I did get it because I wanted to wait to make it my Halloween 2019 game, but when I finally did start it, I immediately got sucked back into the zombie infested Raccoon City police station and was met with a horror that the original game's 240p visuals just couldn't convey as well as the remake's 2160p visuals can.

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The overall layout of the police station and underground hallways are remarkable in how closely they match up to the original game. The puzzles themselves are largely identical, too, giving the game the feeling that it's as much an extremely impressive remaster as it is a full remake, and when I say that, I mean it as a HUGE accolade. One of my frequent pet peeves with remakes is changing things in the world, and Capcom kept faithful to the original game here. It's definitely not 100% identical, but it strikes a perfect balance of making quality of life improvements with keeping faithful to the world and design of the original game. In that respect, this is as as perfect a remake as the Switch's Link's Awakening.

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As with all great horror games, the atmosphere is a bigger part of the "scary" factor in Resident Evil 2 than the actual events of the game, and this remake nails that atmosphere perfectly. The lighting effects, the sound effects, and the timing of enemy appearances and jump scares are all perfectly done to maximize that unsettling feeling without desensitizing players the way that a lot of recent horror games do. The enemy designs, benefiting from having more than 81 times the pixel count of the original release, are truly horrifying in a way that very few games' enemies manage to be. Mr. X, the prototype Tyrant that pursues you throughout the game (especially if you're playing as Leon), is especially terrifying this go around, far more so than he was in the original release. During my playthrough, I tweeted, "It will be a miracle if I get through this game without peeing myself," and I stand by that sentiment; Mr. X is scary as shit, dude.

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For those who aren't familiar with the structure of the game from its original release, the game is divided into two campaigns that take place concurrently and largely in the same locations. In one - the story I played through first - you play as my all-time horror husbando, rookie RCPD cop Leon Kennedy, as he, like an idiot, travels to investigate the mysterious silence from Raccoon City in defiance of a "stay tf away" order. He meets up with a young woman named Claire Redfield, sister of the first game's Chris Redfield, who's traveling to Raccoon City to discover the whereabouts - or fate - of her brother. In Leon's campaign, your main foe is Mr. X, and you work with a cryptic woman named Ada Wong, allegedly with the FBI, as you seek to secure the G-virus and prevent the infection from spreading outside of Raccoon City. In Claire's campaign, your primary foe is a horrific monster mutated by the G-virus as you seek to take the young Sherry Birkin to safety outside of the zombie-infested city.

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I have a few minor complaints with Resident Evil 2, but all things considered, this is a virtually perfect remake by most of my metrics. It stays faithful to the original world while making some much needed quality of life improvements, it adds difficulty levels for those who need an easier time as well as those who want a more intense challenge, there are some extra scenarios for you play after you finish the main game, and the overall horror atmosphere of the original game has been brilliantly enhanced thanks to the technological advances that the PS4 Pro offers over the original PS1 hardware. I can only imagine that the game looks and plays at least as well if not a little better on PC and Xbox One X as it does PS4 Pro, and I was thoroughly impressed here. If you're a fan of horror games, zombie games, or the Resident Evil series, you absolutely owe it to yourself to give this game a play. It's a damn shame that Capcom hasn't seen fit to port it to Switch, but if you've got a PS4, an XB1, or a gaming PC, make sure you check this one out.
Exhuminator wrote:Ecchi lords must unite for great justice.

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Re: Games Beaten 2019

by Ack Thu Nov 07, 2019 4:15 pm

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)(RPG)
29. Albedo: Eyes from Outer Space (PC)(Point and Click)

30. Midnight Ultra (PC)(FPS)
31. Amid Evil (PC)(FPS)
32. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (PC)(RPG)
33. Betrayer (PC)(Horror)

34. Borderlands 2: Commander Lilith & the Fight for Sanctuary (PC)(FPS/RPG)
35. Far Cry 2 (PC)(FPS)
36. Apocryph (PC)(FPS)
37. Eye of the Beholder III: Assault on Myth Drannor (PC)(RPG)

38. Menzoberranzan (PC)(RPG)
39. TimeShift (PC)(FPS)
40. Heretic Kingdoms: The Inquisition (PC)(RPG)
41. Shadowgate (PC)(Point and Click)

42. Might & Magic Book One (PC)(RPG)
43. Miasmata (PC)(Adventure)
44. Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (PC)(FPS)
45. Legendary (PC)(FPS)
46. Hedon (PC)(FPS)
47. Last Rites (PC)(FPS)

Last Rites is an obscure FPS for DOS developed and released in 1997 by Ocean in the UK, France, and Germany. Somehow a few years ago, it managed to find its way onto Steam with a worldwide Windows release. There are fewer than 10 reviews for the game, so it looks like even on the bigger distribution network, it's unable to find much of an audience. That's a shame, as it's not a bad game if you're feeling the itch for some '90s FPS action.

Here's the deal: it's the near future, and there has been a zombie apocalypse. While mankind has developed new weapons and robotic defenses to help combat this undead menace, armed forces are still having to advance city by city, cleaning up and trying to find supplies. You're in a special forces group tied into this army, and at the start of the game, you're moving into a new city to set up shop, set up defenses, and wipe out the undead. The first half of the game follows this format, with you building a toehold for humanity, fighting off haywire turrets, hordes of zombies, and the odd mercenary warlord. And then mutant bugs show up, and there is suddenly a shift as you're now trying to build a super weapon and activate a portal to another dimension to take on some evil demigod who has unleashed the zombie plague on Earth. Seriously. No, this wasn't mentioned in the plot before, it just comes out of nowhere in level 7.

There are 10 levels and then the final boss fight, but there are only a handful of locale types: city streets, industrial-type facilities, and sewers. The city streets maps are basically just portions of the same map over and over, while the facilities get changed up to represent a mall, a research facility, a storage facility, and so on. The only level that really stands out is the final one, which is an alternate universe full of teleports, vanishing doors, and general weirdness in a frustratingly labyrinthine setup. It's an unusual design and features a bunch of enemy types that you only see in the final level. It's also a level with no ammo supplies, so what you bring is what you get to use. Hope you're ready.

The enemies you face vary in style. The zombies start out as mainly melee, though a few throw projectiles. Later they throw rats, which has some hilarious results, especially when they hit a wall and the game bugs. At one point I looked up to see about 20 rats flying through the air at me in a horde. There are also occasionally normal rats that attack you, and these are a pain in the ass because they're tough to hit. Killer robots are harder, as they either come as turrets or flying missile launchers, sometimes in tight corridors with lots of exploding objects nearby that will end your day quick. The mutant bugs that show up are easy to kill but only appear in hordes, and in the final level, you have flying explosive skulls and ghost enemies that fade into existence only to attack and then disappear. It's an odd set, sometimes humorous, sometimes freaky, and sometimes just flat out cheap.

Your weapons are also an odd mix of the traditional and the futuristic. Instead of a melee weapon, you get a pistol with infinite ammo, which I relied on for much of the game as a means of keeping my bullet cost down. Unfortunately, it's worthless against the ghosts in the final level, but it's still good enough to drop the exploding skulls, so you'll probably have a need for it throughout the game. Other weapons include your typical uzi, shotgun, and rocket launcher combo, as well as an extremely short-range flamethrower, a charging electro gun thingy, a stupidly useful plasma gun which shoots bolts that bounce off the walls, and finally the ultimate weapon, a grenade launcher with mini-nukes. This is the weapon that is needed to take down the boss, but it's only truly useful at max tech level. Yes, weapons have a weird stat called tech level that can be adjusted on the fly. It changes how your gear operates, such as making the big bad grenade launcher into a regular grenade launcher, thus making it useless. Honestly, the tech idea just feels like a bad attempt to throw in a special feature. It's the other special feature of the game that is more impressive.

It's 1997, and we have squad combat. Half of the levels, you've got at least one AI buddy and often up to 4 helping you out, mowing down anything that gets close, sometimes even wallhacking to kill an odd zombie. You have limited control over them (though there is a menu option related to them that I never figured out), and they have limited health, so if they die, they die. There are no real penalties to them dying though, and if they're close to you, they can get health back when you grab a first aid kit, so walk into a new room and let them run wild. I wish more games approached squad combat like this, especially when their AI is freaking dumb. Unfortunately, there are a couple of escort missions where you have to protect a little robot, and those missions are a pain in the ass because it moves fast, so it's best to memorize its route and run ahead to kill everything as quickly as you can. Thankfully, there are only two levels like that, one of which you have an AI squad to help mow things down and take fire, while the other it's only a part of the level.

Look, Last Rites is a weird mixed bag, with some good ideas, some odd ones, and some that just don't work as well as they should. It's got some amazing artwork between levels, but its a dark game that's tough to look at on modern monitors. It runs well enough (I had one crash), and it can be set up to a more modern control scheme, though there are commands you can't change and aren't ever told about, like turning on/off the headlamp. But it's more obscure than it deserves to be. This isn't a bad game despite some of the quirks, and I'd happily play it over the cringe-inducing Shadow Warrior any time. It's not gonna win any awards, but it's good enough, and sometimes that's all I want.
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Re: Games Beaten 2019

by prfsnl_gmr Fri Nov 08, 2019 12:35 pm

First 50
1. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary (NDS)
2. Reigns (iOS)
3. Castlevania: The Adventure (GB)
4. Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge (GB)
5. Castlevania Legends (GB)
6. Yankai’s Triangle (iOS)
7. Mega Man III (GB)
8. Mega Man IV (GB)
9. Mega Man V (GB)
10. Sin & Punishment (N64)
11. Love You to Bits (iOS)
12. Mega Man Powered Up - Old Style (PSP)
13. Mega Man Powered Up - New Style (PSP)
14. Mario vs. Donkey Kong (GBA)
15. Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis (NDS)
16. Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! (NDS)
17. Detective Pikachu (3DS)
18. Super Fantasy Zone (Genesis)
19. Fantasy Zone Gear (GG)
20. Fantasy Zone - The Maze (SMS)
21. Fantasy Zone (Famicom)
22. Fantasy Zone (NES)
23. Kung Fu Master (2600)
24. Kid Dracula (Famicom)
25. Kid Dracula (GB)
26. Fantasy Zone (TG16)
27. Double Dragon V (SNES)
28. Fantasy Zone II (Famicom)
29. Street Fighter: The Movie (PS1)
30. Fire Fly (2600)
31. Pac Man (2600)
32. Extreme Sports with the Berenstain Bears (GBC)
33. Fantasy Zone (PS2)
34. Space Fantasy Zone (TG16)
35. Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf Fantasy Zone (Genesis)
36. Mega Man (GG)
37. Konami Pixel Puzzle (iOS)
38. Qix (Arcade/NES)
39. Congo Bongo (Arcade)
40. Phantasy Star Gaiden (GG)
41. Phantasy Star Adventure (GG)
42. Panzer Dragoon Mini (GG)
43. Spartan X-2 (Famicom)
44. BS The Legend of Zelda: The Ancient Stone Tablets (Super Famicom)
45. BS The Legend of Zelda (Super Famicom)
46. Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! (NDS)
47. Double Dribble (NES)
48. Super Pro Football (INTV)
49. Indy 500 (2600)
50. Tecmo Bowl (NES)

51. Ninja Gaiden (GG)
52. SonSon (Arcade)
53. Wonder Girl: The Dragon’s Trap (iOS)
54. Minit (iOS)
55. Ninja Gaiden (SMS)
56. Surround (2600)
57. Pocket Bomberman (GBC)
58. Shadowgate (iOS)
59. Kuru Kuru Kururin (GBA)
60. Metroid Prime Hunters - First Hunt (NDS)
61. Mekorama (iOS)
62. Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (PSP)
63. Akamajou Dracula Peke (TG16)
64. Darius Burst (iOS)
65. DoDonPachi Resurrection HD (iOS)
66. Vigilante (TG16)
67. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)
68. Oxenfree (iOS)
69. Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest (NES)

Randomly, I’d not beaten Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest (NES) until yesterday, but I’ve beaten it now. It’s pretty good, but nowhere near as good as its predecessor or sequel. It’s also much easier than the other NES Castlevania games, and the only thing that makes it difficult, at all, is its inscrutable design. The game does a horrible job telling you what to do, and I recommend reading through an old issue of Nintendo Power, like I did, before starting this game. Having a vague idea where to go and what to do makes the game drastically more enjoyable.
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Re: Games Beaten 2019

by BoneSnapDeez Fri Nov 08, 2019 5:53 pm

High IQ, based, and vampirepilled.

It's actually my favorite of the NES trilogy. Always felt like the stage design meshed well with Simon Belmont's slow dawdling movements. The design of the game world is indeed questionable though. I used the NES Game Atlas to get through it.
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