Games Beaten 2016

Post by **Exhuminator** » Tue Dec 06, 2016 2:23 am

129. Sylphia | PCECD | 1993 | 8/10

So here's a fantasy themed shmup for those of you who enjoy stuff like Legendary Wings or Valkyrie no Densetsu. It's a Japan only release for the PCECD, but don't let that stop you from importing Sylphia if you enjoy the genre. Nothing earth shattering here, just a very well made shmup about being a fairy and blasting magic at all kinds of mythological monsters. I enjoyed how well balanced this was, the difficulty was never too hard or too easy. A full run took me about an hour. I really loved each and every boss fight, great fun! Level designs remained imaginative with enough variety to keep things interesting. The OST was rather low key, and the graphics didn't blow me away, but the whole package was entirely competent. Tonkin House actually made a good game* :shock:

, I never would have believed it had I not played Sylphia.

*Although there's some evidence to suggest Sylphia was actually developed by Compile:
http://www.videogameden.com/cdrom.htm?syl

Post by **PartridgeSenpai** » Tue Dec 06, 2016 7:52 am

ElkinFencer10 wrote:
Exhuminator wrote:I for one appreciated the tight swimsuits and naughty bits, but I'm just simple like that.

Isn't this the point of the whole Sakura series?

Yes. Yes it is (for absolutely all of them). I know someone who plays ALL of them, and from her descriptions, it would appear that they tend to be okay-ish games when they're actually games, but for the large part its just all about TNA. If you don't like TNA, you're best off playing better games :lol:

Congratulations on beating Wiz N' Liz, Key! I've never beaten that one. I love the gameplay, but it's just SO hard XP

That is one of the few games I still physically own for Genesis though, because I like it that much

Post by **alienjesus** » Tue Dec 06, 2016 8:01 am

51. Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X PSN Vita
52. Um Jammer Lammy PSN PS3
53. Space Channel 5: Part 2 PSN PS3
54. 3D Fantasy Zone: Opa-Opa Bros. 3DS eShop
55. Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryuu To Hikari No Tsurugi Famicom
56. Castlevania NES
57. Halo 3 XBox 360
58. Grabbed By The Ghoulies XBox
59. Genpei Touma Den: Kan No Ni PC Engine
60. Mugen Senshi Valis: The Legend of a Fantasm Soldier PC Engine CD
61. Shenmue Dreamcast
62. Kuri Kuri Mix PS2
63. Pokémon Link: Battle! 3DS eShop
64. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile PS1 Classics (Vita)
65. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice 3DS eShop
66. Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 1: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal PC
67. Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 2: The Siege of Spinner Cay PC *NEW*
68. Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 3: Lair of the Leviathan PC *NEW*
69. Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 4: The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood PC *NEW*
70. Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 5: Rise of the Pirate God PC *NEW*

Tales of Monkey Island Chapters 2-5
Tales of Monkey Island was game (were games?) T in my incredibly drawn out Alphabet Marathon. So, I already talked about Chapter 1 of these games. I'll keep this short, as there's not too much to add.

The chapters are all of a decent quality, althought I'd be hard pressed to decide which one was the best. None were perfect, as they all had their frustrating moments, but I feel like the 5th chapter was the weakest - despite a good premise, the chapter was bad at telling you what you were actually meant to be doing, and the final battle against the villain was incredibly frustrating - a call back to the final battle against the villain in Monkey Island 2, which I also hated.

The plot of the story is interesting enough, but it feels like it was trying to lead up to something bigger in a potential Tales of Monkey Island 2. Well, 7 years later, LucasArts is gone, TellTale only make The Walking Dead clones now and the whole plotline regarding Morgan Le Flay and the Voodoo lady has been left open ended and unsatisfying. I guess this is how people felt after the ending of Monkey Island 2.

Overall, I enjoyed these games. They were fun, the characters were charming and the puzzles were mostly enjoyable to figure out. The Graphics were severely lacking, and the constant reuse of character models was incredibly lazy seeming, but it didn't sour the experience.

Compared to TellTales Sam & Max games, which I also love, I'd rate this higher than Season2, and about on par with Sam & Max season 1. Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse is still Telltales Magnum Opus IMO though - screw their new stuff!

Next up: I'm finishing up Pokémon Sun, and I'm partway into Prinny: Can I Really Be The Hero? too. The next game in my Marathon will be Undertale, and I need to play this month's Together Retro game - Star Control II - as well. So, some of those most likely!

Post by **BoneSnapDeez** » Tue Dec 06, 2016 9:59 pm

First 50:

51. Akumajō Dracula (Famicom Disk System)
52. Castlevania (NES)
53. Classic NES Series: Castlevania (Game Boy Advance)
54. Guardian Heroes (Xbox Live Arcade)
55. Metal Slug (Neo Geo MVS)
56. Metal Slug 2 (Neo Geo MVS)
57. Metal Slug 3 (Neo Geo MVS)
58. Soul of Darkness (DSiWare)
59. Code of Princess (3DS)
60. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
61. Super Mario Land (Game Boy)
62. The Legend of Zelda 2: Link no Bōken (Famicom Disk System)
63. Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst (PC)
64. Shan Gui (Steam)
65. Space Fury (ColecoVision)
66. Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle (ColecoVision)
67. Gateway to Apshai (ColecoVision)
68. MURI (Steam)
69. Pink Hour (Steam)
70. Pink Heaven (Steam)
71. Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet (Steam)
72. Princess Remedy in a World of Hurt (Steam)
73. Haunted House (Atari 2600)
74. Gremlins (Atari 2600)
75. Alien (Atari 2600)
76. Xenophobe (Xbox - Midway Arcade Treasures 2)
77. Frankenstein's Monster (Atari 2600)
78. Ghost Manor / Spike's Peak (Atari 2600)
79. Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.1 Onikakushi (Steam)
80. Dracula II: Noroi no Fūin (Famicom Disk System)
81. Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (NES)
82. Beneath the Cherry Trees (Steam)
83. Voices from the Sea (Steam)
84. Mushihimesama (Steam)
85. Sonic CD (Steam)
86. Shovel Knight (Wii U)
87. Super Mario World (SNES)
88. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (Game Boy)
89. Operation C (Game Boy)
90. Metroid (Famicom Disk System)
91. Metroid (NES)
92. Breath of Fire (SNES)
93. Elisa: The Innkeeper - Prequel (Steam)
94. Cally's Caves 3 (Steam)
95. eden* (Steam)
96. Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis)
97. The King of Dragons (PlayStation 2 - Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2)

Think I'm gonna round out the year by playing some of Capcom's RPG / beat 'em up hybrids. (How much would you hate me if I started calling these RPG 'em ups?)

The King of Dragons was released in the arcades in 1991, and is now easy accessible on several compilations. There's also a SNES port I can't afford.

The game has a swords & sorcery setting, with a selection of several stock fantasy characters to play as. I chose the fighter, who deals decent damage but is weaker in magical prowess.

There are 15-20 (can't quite recall) total stages here, though several take only a minute or two to traverse. Combat is very simple - no combos but plenty of jumping and slashing. Items are numerous - some of them level up weapons and armor while others provide XP. Yes, characters themselves can level up which results in an increased health bar.

The monsters are pretty cool. Lots of orcs and skeletons and the like. The variety is admittedly kept to a minimum and the battles fought at end-game feel identical to those seen in the first stage. Bosses are impressively huge beasts, with the game concluding with a fight against an all-powerful Smaug-like dragon.

I typically suck at these games. Oddly enough though, I don't find this one particularly difficult. Enemies are kinda slow and it's easy enough to switch "planes" quickly to avoid their attacks. Even the bosses don't provide a tremendous challenge, save for the flying ones which can be tough to hit.

Graphics are top-notch. Music? Hard to say. I can't be the only one who has trouble hearing the soundtracks of arcade games - the sound effects drown everything out.

Pretty swell game overall. The "RPG" elements are admittedly window dressing but anyone looking for a solid fantasy romp should seek this out.

HLTB · Post by **Xeogred** » Tue Dec 06, 2016 10:06 pm

Is that the two in one DnD beat em' ups on Steam? Looks very similar.

Post by **BoneSnapDeez** » Tue Dec 06, 2016 10:11 pm

Totally different game! Also developed by Capcom though.

I love those D&D games. I'll be (re)playing them soon. (I have the PS3 compilation).

Post by **Exhuminator** » Tue Dec 06, 2016 10:19 pm

I want to see Bone beat Dancing Sword for GBA. The hardest beat 'em up RPG hybrid I've ever played, thanks to its weird rhythm game magic stuff. I really enjoyed it as an import, but never finished the game because I have no rhythm I guess.

Check out some gameplay Boney:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62FEq1u ... tu.be&t=33

Post by **BoneSnapDeez** » Tue Dec 06, 2016 10:22 pm

I have no rhythm either. You should hear my bass playing. Dear Lord.

That game looks rad but I know I would suck at it.

Post by **PartridgeSenpai** » Tue Dec 06, 2016 10:24 pm

Partridge Senpai's 2016 Beaten List
1-50

51. Axiom Verge
52. Otomedius Excellent
53. JUMP Ultimate Stars
54. Dynasty Warriors 3
55. Fire Emblem if: Byakuya (Birthright)
56. Fire Emblem if: Anya (Conquest)
57. Fire Emblem if: Invisible Kingdom (Revelations)
58. Stubbs the Zombie
59. Mori Mori Slime
60. Metal Slug 7
60. Dream Mix TV: World Fighters
61. Youkai Watch

62. Legacy of Ys: Book 1 (DS)

A lot of people seem to rave about Ys all the time (mostly just Exhumy and Bone, actually...), so they've gone and hyped me up for it pretty well. I knew there was a DS version, so I was waiting until I got that so I could play the first one first, and as I recently acquired a copy, that was my action game of choice for today. It's not a perfect game, but I certainly enjoyed it enough to finish it in basically a day (in about 5-ish hours).

You all seem to already know what's good about Ys (music, graphics, style, historical influence, etc.), so I'm just gonna keep this brief and talk about what I didn't really like about it. First off, the game isn't always as clear as it probably should be with your quest objectives, but this is probably down to the port, as I doubt the original had them. Like, when I first started the game, the quest goal it gives me is "talk to the villagers." I talk to them, and then nothing! So I wander out of town, and immediately get killed by a log-thing. Granted, I was doing the right thing and trying to go to the next town over (as the only purpose of the starting town appears to be that you start there and proceed to leave there), but the game just made me feel like I was doing something wrong. However, places where your quest objective are usually acceptable down to the fact that the game world just isn't that big. It's fairly easy to check off the list of things you could possibly do to solve where to go from where you are, and there's just about always SOMEONE out of the few important NPC's who will tell you what to do or where you should go. I really liked that more simple, but still open-ended approach to your quest.

Aside from that, there are some quests and backtracking which I felt were bullshitty. Things like the puzzle where the solution is literally do nothing, having to go down the entire Dahm Tower to get a quest mcguffin that you literally only need to open the boss door. Mostly just those two things, specifically. Lastly, I'm not the biggest fan of the bump-system, although, again, that may be down to the port I'm playing. Larger, tougher enemies are very big, and their hit-boxes don't occupy the space that their graphic does. As a result, it can be very tricky to judge when exactly you should swing your sword to go for a bump when attacking from the top, especially for boss battles. Although, that might just be how the DS port handles sprites badly. I couldn't say for sure. I'm just glad the game isn't that hard on Normal mode, because otherwise I'd have much bigger problems with it.

Verdict: Recommended. It's certainly one of the best older Action-RPG's I've played. It's an YS game through and through, from how you're really expected to grind for money and experience in the start to how Adol runs around so fast and doesn't actually speak (you're only told that he says things). I liked it, and if you can manage to find one of the many ports, I'd say it's at least worth a try

Post by **BoneSnapDeez** » Tue Dec 06, 2016 10:27 pm

Now play part two!!!

Games Beaten 2016

Re: Games Beaten 2016

Re: Games Beaten 2016

Re: Games Beaten 2016

Re: Games Beaten 2016

Re: Games Beaten 2016

Re: Games Beaten 2016

Re: Games Beaten 2016

Re: Games Beaten 2016

Re: Games Beaten 2016

Re: Games Beaten 2016