Games Beaten 2015

[Sarge]

The Famicom version of Kid Dracula can be pretty tough in a couple of places. Did you save state or legit run? I'm trying to remember, for some reason I think I did try to go legit. That being said, I think it was really easy to get extra lives in the minigame, so that mitigates a lot of the challenge.

Also, the Game Boy version is just different enough to make it worth playing.

[Exhuminator]

I took it down oldschool style. There were only two parts that gave me trouble. The moving subway part with all the Jason masked machete wielding guys in tandem with the mohawk throwing street punks. And the space elevator part was tricky too. But this was mitigated by the fact that it's super easy to rack up lives. I nabbed lots of extra lives from the skeleton stabbing minigame and the one where you have to guess the color of the panties of the can can dancers. I did lose twice to the quiz show statue of liberty also, because I didn't know how to buzz in and answer questions about Japanese satellites properly. I'm making the game sound way funner than it actually is here.

[CFFJR]

1.Alien Isolation - Xbox One
2.Super Mario Bros. 3 - NES
3.Popful Mail - Sega CD
4.Final Fantasy - PSP
5.Super Mario 3D World - Wii U
6.Actraiser - Snes
7.Final Fantasy IV - PSP
8.Batman: Arkham Origins - Xbox 360
9.Contrast - Xbox 360
10.Deus Ex - PC
11.Ghouls 'N Ghosts - Genesis

First game down for Summer Game Challenge.

Talked about it a bit here

[fastbilly1]

1. Spelunky
2. Race the Sun
3. Renegade Ops
4. Orcs Must Die 1
5. Gun Point
6. Rogue Shooter
7. Space Quest 1
8. Battle Arena Toshinden GB
9. Tail Gator
10. SSF2TR -GBA
11. Greed Corp
12. Broken Age

Broken Age Part 2 was not as good as Part 1, but it was very enjoyable. Alot of backtracking though, more than needed. My only complaint is that there were alot of puzzles you could not figure out without jumping between the kids and taking screenshots. That was a bit much.

[BoneSnapDeez]

First 50:

1. Grandia (PlayStation)
2. Jungle Hunt (Xbox - Taito Legends)
3. Jungle Hunt (Atari 2600)
4. Jungle Hunt (Plug & Play - ColecoVision Flashback)
5. Donkey Kong (Atari 2600)
6. Donkey Kong (Intellivision)
7. Donkey Kong (ColecoVision)
8. Bubble Bobble (NES)
9. Side Arms: Hyper Dyne (PSP - Capcom Classics Collection Remixed)
10. 1941: Counter Attack (PSP - Capcom Classics Collection Remixed)
11. Ys: The Ark of Napishtim (PSP)
12. The Ninja Kids (Xbox - Taito Legends)
13. Neutopia (TurboGrafx-16)
14. Golden Axe Warrior (Xbox 360 - Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection)
15. Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2 (Dreamcast)
16. Growl (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)
17. Arabian Magic (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)
18. Dungeon Magic (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)
19. Gekirindan (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)
20. Ys II (Saturn - Falcom Classics II)
21. Darius Gaiden (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)
22. G Darius (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)
23. Giana Sisters DS (DS)
24. RayStorm (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)
25. Mr. Do! (ColecoVision)
26. Beauty & the Beast (Intellivision)
27. Boxing (PlayStation 2 - Activision Anthology)
28. Crystalis (NES)
29. Dragon Warrior (NES)
30. Faxanadu (NES)
31. Tombs & Treasure (NES)
32. Kirby's Dream Land (Game Boy)
33. Kirby's Adventure (NES)
34. Kirby Super Star (SNES)
35. Hoshi no Kirby 64 (Nintendo 64)
36. Kirby: Triple Deluxe (3DS)
37. Dig Dug (Wii - Namco Museum Megamix)
38. Phoenix (Xbox - Taito Legends)
39. Phoenix (Atari 2600)
40. Pleiads (Xbox - Tecmo Classic Arcade)
41. Kangaroo (Atari 2600)
42. Final Fantasy Adventure (Game Boy)
43. Gorf (Atari 2600)
44. Richard Scarry's Huckle and Lowly's Busiest Day Ever (Pico)
45. Mickey's Blast Into the Past (Pico)
46. Secret of Mana (SNES)
47. Psycho Soldier (PSP - SNK Arcade Classics 0)
48. Genshi-Tou 1930's (PSP - SNK Arcade Classics 0)
49. Datsugoku: Prisoners of War (PSP - SNK Arcade Classics 0)
50. SAR: Search and Rescue (PSP - SNK Arcade Classics 0)

51. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)
52. Tic-Tac-Toe / Shooting Gallery / Doodle / Quadra-Doodle (Channel F)
53. Robot War / Torpedo Alley (Channel F)
54. Pinball Challenge (Channel F)
55. Elevator Action (Xbox - Taito Legends)
56. Elevator Action II (PlayStation 2 - Taito Legends 2)
57. Altered Beast (Xbox 360 - Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection)
58. Congo Bongo (Xbox 360 - Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection)
59. International Soccer (Commodore 64)
60. Out of this World! / Helicopter Rescue! (Odyssey²)
61. Alien Invaders - Plus! (Odyssey²)
62. Ice Hockey (Atari 2600)
63. River Raid (Atari 2600)
64. Frankenstein's Monster (Atari 2600)
65. Ys II (Famicom)
66. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (Turbo CD)

Decided to step out of my comfort zone and play a couple of Ys games.

Since I've already discussed these titles (briefly, from time to time) on the forums I'll just touch on what makes these ports unique.

Falcom wasn't directly involved with the Famicom Ys ports - instead development was farmed off to the Advance Communication Company. Not exactly a name that inspires confidence. Their version of the first Ys game is notoriously bad and borders on the unplayable. So how about Ys II? Well, it's a lot of fun actually! This time the game follows the source material closely. Controls are fluid, difficulty is well-balanced, and the renowned OST sounds great even in 8-bit. This is probably one of the strongest action-RPGs on the NES/Famicom, but it's still far from the best port of Ys II. That would be the one for the TurboGrafx CD (PC Engine CD).

Speaking of which... Turbo Ys III. This absolutely obliterates the Genesis and SNES ports. The hit detection is actually functional here and the soundtrack is awe-inspiring. I mean holy shit srsly. The entire game just flows better than its cartridge counterparts. It's less obtuse and grindy - and remember that insanely annoying final boss? That battle has been totally reworked and feels so much more balanced. Any Ys fan who wrote the game off due to the SNES/Gen versions needs to seek this out. The only negative aspect is the voice-acting. It's shockingly bad. And yeah, it's funny at first but gets old quickly as every damn character has something to say and they all sound like incompetent doofuses. The cutscenes are beautiful though. Dat late-80s pixelated anime.

[Exhuminator]

66. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (Turbo CD)The cutscenes are beautiful though. Dat late-80s pixelated anime.

I agree the final cutscene was amazing, this one had a great ending. I actually had more fun beating Ys III on TGCD than I did Oath in Felghana on PC. I think the original is better than the remake. But only the TGCD version. To have played this in 1989 would have been phenomenal, but it still holds up today.

[Key-Glyph]

1. Pokémon SoulSilver (DS)
2. Sushi Academy (DS)
3. Alcahest (SFC)
4. Comix Zone (GEN)
5. Lost Vikings (GEN)
6. Beautiful Katamari (360)
7. Toejam & Earl (GEN)*
8. Final Fantasy Legend III (GB)
9. Toejam & Earl [2-player] (GEN)*
10. Mass Effect 1 (360)*
11. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (N64)
12. Pokémon Diamond (DS)

13. Donkey Kong Country (SNES) -- Summer Games Challenge!

Copypaste from the other thread:

Verdict on Donkey Kong: I enjoyed it, and can definitely see myself replaying it until I've mastered the individual levels.

This must have been the perfect game for kids back in the day. Back when we only got games through the kindness of paying adults on special occasions, here's a title that could keep a young'un entertained for months before they started dreaming about their next wishlist item. It's the kind of game that probably made parents feel proud about having bought. Everybody gets their mileage out of it, both financially and entertain...edly.

I admit I had a love-hate relationship with the difficulty. On the one hand, I liked that progression was hard-earned and that I wasn't exactly blowing through every level. The game's demand for skill in certain areas practically taunts you into becoming a wiz, too -- I felt compelled to utterly conquer some areas I'd barely escaped by the skin of my teeth the first time, just because. It's a challenge to inspire that sentiment in a game, I think.

On the other hand, throwing fifteen lives out the window on one stupid jump or because you can't switch Donkey to the front of your party to take out heavier enemies is really discouraging -- especially when the long stretches between star barrel continue markers require you to re-do a bunch of junk before you even get to practice your one problem area again.

My frustration would have been incredibly diminished if two things were changed: the save system and the lives issue. Getting stuck on one level is really stressful when you haven't gotten to Candy's latest Save Point, and I often delayed much-needed relaxation breaks because I felt I couldn't bear abandoning my progress. Couple this with the fact that lives don't save on the cart, and I sometimes pressured myself to continue when my enjoyment was being outweighed by my annoyance.

Also, why are there next to no covers of Candy's Love Theme out there? Madness!

All that said, the game generally threw in a visit to Cranky Kong right when I was about to lose my cool, which always made me laugh out loud. Something about Cranky bragging about how much harder games were in his day just after I'd gotten ticked enough to start torquing the controller never failed to reel me back in.

Now that I'm done and the pressure is off, I really look forward to going back and improving that end-game percentage... whatever it is. I'm still waiting for the manual to arrive, so there are a lot of things I'm probably still in the dark about!

New insights:

Well, it seems there are certain details about this game that I was missing, and which would make a big gameplay difference. For example, there were certain enemies I thought Diddy Kong couldn't take out at all because he was too light, which was incorrect. Apparently a cartwheel would have worked. I was also unaware of the extended jump mechanic, meaning that you can cartwheel or somersault off a ledge, then jump mid-flight as if you were standing on a platform. That explains a lot of banana placements I thought were just sadistic un-gettables.

This is why manuals are important. And why I'm extra aggravated that I'm still waiting for that eBayer to deliver me the manual I ordered weeks ago. (I'm pretty close to requesting a refund at this point.) Grah!

* = replay

[dogman91]

^ I'm glad you thought it was better the second time around (at least... discovering Diddy Kong's mechanics). BTW you can switch Kongs by pressing X on the controller... definitely should have read that manual. The difficulty seems perfect to me; hard but attainable... it's not as hard as Battletoads by any stretch or even games like Contra to put it in perspective. I find DKC ridiculously easy though because I grew up with it.

[BoneSnapDeez]

66. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (Turbo CD)The cutscenes are beautiful though. Dat late-80s pixelated anime.

I agree the final cutscene was amazing, this one had a great ending. I actually had more fun beating Ys III on TGCD than I did Oath in Felghana on PC. I think the original is better than the remake. But only the TGCD version. To have played this in 1989 would have been phenomenal, but it still holds up today.

Felghana feels like fan service for those who love the original Ys III. It doesn't quite have the same impact, I agree.

Now play Book I & II!

[Ack]

1. Renegade Ops (PC)(Multidirectional Shooter)
2. Borderlands 2 (PC)(FPS/RPG)
3. Gunpoint (PC)(Puzzle Platformer)
4. Robotrek (SNES)(RPG)
5. The Tick (SNES)(Beat 'Em Up)
6. Alien vs Predator (SNES)(Beat 'Em Up)
7. X-Kaliber 2097 (SNES)(Action Platformer)
8. Metal Slug (MVS)(Run and Gun)
9. Shadowrun (SNES)(RPG)
10. Quake II (PC)(FPS)
11. The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang (SNES)(RPG)
12. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (PC)(Action)
13. A Story About My Uncle (PC)(Platformer)
14. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (PC)(FPS)
15. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith (PC)(FPS)
16. Catacomb (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)
17. Catacomb Abyss (PC)(FPS)
18. Catacomb Armageddon (PC)(FPS)
19. Catacomb Apocalypse (PC)(FPS)
20. The Catacomb (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)
21. Catacomb 3-D (PC)(FPS)
22. EarthBound (SNES)(RPG)
23. Quake II: Ground Zero (PC)(FPS)
24. Quake II: The Reckoning (PC)(FPS)
25. Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader (PC)(RPG)
26. The 7th Guest (PC)(Puzzle)

The 7th Guest is a puzzle game, it just has horror point-and-click trappings to navigate the mansion which serves as a hub world. Old Stauf the toymaker invited over 6 guests to his creepy old house and hid 21 puzzles throughout, so now you have to navigate them to discover why the 6 were invited and who is the 7th. Solving the puzzles reveals bits and pieces of the story, often out of sequential order, and in a few cases with red herrings tossed in to make you doubt portions, but always showing something.

The game is also nice enough to give you a hint book for your puzzles hidden in the library, and if you return to it three times for any particular puzzle, it will automatically solve it for you, though at the expense of costing you the scene for beating the puzzle on your own. That's ok though, as there are still plenty of other little scenes hidden throughout the house, such as a haunted painting, a doll that asphyxiates a baby, and Chuckles, the clown with a red balloon. I think Chuckles is my favorite part of the game. He would terrify several friends of mine.

Of note is the use of CG to make the house and FMV with live action actors to explain the story, often with some visual effects which range from goofy, such as suddenly getting a long tongue, to creepy, such as phases sometimes turning into skulls but in a sort of haze to make you question whether you really saw it. Of particular note is the magician, who ended up my favorite character. It's a shame he didn't survive, but then no one did, so it can't be helped. The acting is often hit or miss, and the video is low resolution, so it can often be hard to see exactly what is going on. The volume on the dialogue is good, but it can often suddenly fluctuate with an ear-piercing scream, which made me wish for two things: subtitles, and a volume control. Seriously, this game is loud, so for most of it I just hung my headphones around my neck to avoid going deaf. That said, the music is actually quite nice, and a definite high point for me.

But the puzzles are the real meat of the game, so I suppose I should talk about them. All of them are apparently designed on children's puzzles from the 19th century, and they have a lot of variety, though you will see a couple of ideas repeated. Some are quite easy, some are just time consuming, some are ridiculously cryptic, and one in particular is considered nearly impossible at this point because you have to play a AI.

There are two problems I had with the puzzle design: 1. There is often little instruction, and 2. you are often stopped to hear voice clips from either your character or Stauf. These voice clips generally provide the only instruction you will get in solving the puzzle, unless you consult the hint book up to two times. Sometimes these hints are helpful, but not always, and there were a few times I really wish the game had flat out told me that I could not do something. The bishop puzzle in particular annoyed me, mainly because at no point did the game say that the bishops could not be on a diagonal line with each other. If I had known that when I did the puzzle, I could have saved an hour of frustration. A few puzzles can be cheesed as well, such as the skeleton coffins and Stauf's portrait puzzles, since they start out with random arrangements.

As for the nearly impossible puzzle, it is a game similar to Go called Infection played against an AI that is hidden in a microscope. Unfortunately the AI was apparently designed to plan ahead based on your processor speed. This was intended for folks with a 486 processor to make it challenging but not too difficult. Unfortunately processors have gotten just a tad bit faster, so the AI is now able to do all the necessary calculations to plan ahead. Think of it as playing the equivalent of Deep Blue, only you're not Gary Kasparov. You're going to lose. A lot. Thankfully the hint book can skip it. I highly recommend doing that.

So, does 7th Guest hold up? Well...yes and no. The puzzles themselves offer a lot of variety and were based on old designs anyway, so beyond the issue with the microscope, they're pretty much fine and still challenging. You will find some easy and some hard simply based on how you think, so what I found hard, you might find easy, and vice versa. The use of live actors is hokey and something we don't do much anymore, and the game's lack of audio options really serves as my biggest annoyance, but I can see why this was such a huge deal in 1993. It was quite technically impressive for it's time, and it was fun finally playing through such a pivotal artifact of gaming history.