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pierrot
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Re: Games Beaten 2013

by pierrot Sun Jan 06, 2013 10:43 pm

Kirby Mass Attack - (DS)

I put this away into the 'games not beaten' category last year, frustrated with the controls, and I really didn't think I was going to get back to it, but I ended up beating it over the last two days. Overall, it's a pretty good game; Not my favorite of the Kirby series. The kirbies in Mass Attack just have too much free will, and while that doesn't make it a difficult game, it certainly has a tendency to make maneuvering 10 kirbies through tight spaces pretty aggravating.

On the plus side, there's a mini game collection, that you can unlock as you progress through the game, that could have almost been a DS game in itself.
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Re: Games Beaten 2013

by Ack Sun Jan 06, 2013 10:52 pm

J T wrote:Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PC) 1/5


I recently purchased this because it was fairly cheap, but I haven't played it yet. The last one I played in the series was the first Modern Warfare, so I'm a little behind the times. But after hearing your talk on Spec Ops: The Line, I think it sounds like I would enjoy it more.

Anyway, on to beaten games.

1. Sniper Elite V2 (PS3)(TPS)
2. Teen Agent (PC)(Point and Click Adventure)


So for those of you who are unaware, I enjoy a good stealth-based game from time to time, and that is what the Sniper Elite series goes for, only as opposed to dropping in with a sword a la Rikimaru in Tenchu, wearing a variety of costumes to infiltrate a locale while hunting my target via Hitman, or relying on an array of gadgetry and personal skill like in Splinter Cell, Sniper Elite expects you to be able to do it with a non-suppressed rifle. So missions mostly entail you making your way to a firing position and then making a well-placed shot...though you usually have to kill quite a few people to get there.

The plot in Sniper Elite V2 is a pessimistic take on the end of World War 2: you're a lone American sniper, sent in to Nazi-held Berlin in the closing days of the war to assassinate five scientists who worked on the V2 rocket before they can defect to the Soviet Union. But Berlin is steadily collapsing, so you will have to navigate its deteriorating cityscape as battles break out street to street between the Nazis and Soviets...neither of which like you. Sure, the USSR was with the Allies...but not really. In fact one of the missions is to stop the Soviets from launching a chemical weapon at London so they can claim the Nazis did it and end WW2 with Britain in a much weaker position to stop the spread of Communism. So in reality, Sniper Elite V2 is not a WW2 game, it's a game about the Cold War and how it was being waged even before the death of Hitler.

But hey, it's still WW2. So rifle scopes don't have a ridiculous number of zooming levels, the only suppressed weapon you get is a British bolt-action pistol, and what you carry is taken from whatever you can scrounge off dead soldiers from both enemy armies. There are snipers in every building, tanks drive up and down the streets, and machine gun nests are as common as cockroaches. Probably the worst point of breaking this feeling was with your binoculars, which let you tag and track enemies and also display personal data about each soldier's rank, what they are wielding, and what their attitude is in regards to you. Admittedly a good sniper would know his enemies rank insignias and firearms of choice, so it's just a way of displaying that info to the player, but it feels like a severance from the time period.

There are a couple of other problems. The game suffers from some minor control issues, such as button prompts appearing when you are still too far away to perform an action. I was never able to climb on the first attempt. And there were several points where enemy AI would just go haywire, such as one level where a group of Russians decided to never leave their truck, but I had to kill them all to proceed. That was annoying.

Oh, and remember how the latest Mortal Kombat would show you x-rays of people getting devastated under your onslaught? There's a bullet cam that does that in Sniper Elite V2. It is disturbingly satisfying to see the damage you do with a well placed shot to a piece of the human body, being it watching their teeth go flying in a fountain of gore, their eyes pop as you slam a round through, or their heart and lungs tearing apart from a bullet you just fired. I severed one poor bastard's lower spine, and the round and bone fragments then tore through his intestines. I had to pause and set the controller down for a few minutes for that. I intentionally avoided testicular shots, but the game will show you those rupturing too.

Perhaps the coolest feature of the game, at least for me, is its focus on realistic bullet physics. As you play on higher difficulties, you must pay more attention to bullet drop, wind direction and resistance, and the possibility of a ricochet, as a shot not properly taken may bring both the Brownshirts and the Reds down on top of you. There is a lot of waiting in Sniper Elite V2, and impatience will more often get you killed then taking a steady hand and heart to your bloody business.

And now on a completely different note...

Yes, Teen Agent is free on GOG, which is the only reason I played it. I'm glad I did, as I thought the plot did make me chuckle occasionally, which allowed for some lightheartedness after finishing Sniper Elite V2. But it's a bizarre point-and-click game that doesn't always make sense in how you are supposed to go about things. Perhaps that is part of its quirky charm, but titles like Monkey Island managed to do things much better in my opinion. Ds, this is definitely not one that will change your mind.
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Re: Games Beaten 2013

by Luke Sun Jan 06, 2013 11:22 pm

dsheinem wrote:...TM Black are games I played a TON of in college and grad school and I know the maps like the back of my hand



A few months ago I plugged in TM:B thinking I could beat the game with every player in an hour or so like I did back in college. I was ever so wrong. Unlike you, I forgot every single power up station and secret areas. But boy, what a great, great game.
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Blu
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Re: Games Beaten 2013

by Blu Sun Jan 06, 2013 11:46 pm

dsheinem wrote:Twisted Metal - PS1 *new*
Twisted Metal 2 - PS1 *new
Twisted Metal III - PS1 *new*

Total: 3


I received the new Twisted Metal (2012) game for Christmas, but before I fire it up for the first time I want to replay the original games so they are fresh in my mind. TM 1-3 and TM Black are games I played a TON of in college and grad school and I know the maps like the back of my hand, but it has been a considerable amount of time since I have actually played through any them. More than that, it had been a VERY long time since I played the single player campaigns since I more often than not played these with roommates.

I forgot how punishing the difficulty in TM2 can be, how wacky TM1's stories were, and how slow TM3 was comparatively. A decade ago i probably would have argued that each game got a bit better, despite the change to 989 for TM3...but replaying them all again I think I'd say TM2>TM3>TM1. I know that a lot of people hate TM3, but I really like what it added to the formula, the stages are fun, and though it is slow it looks great.

I am actually quite psyched for the next two on the agenda: Twisted Metal 4 (I can't recall ever playing this) and Twisted Metal: Small Brawl (which I have never touched). After that I'll get to Black, Head-On, and Head-On: Extra Twisted Edition before finally trying the newest entry.

Does anyone know if the servers for Black, Head On: ETE, or Head-On (PSP) are still online? I'd love to play a bit with some folks if we can get it up and running...


Did you enjoy the nostalgia of Twisted Metal 3 and its Rob Zombie soundtrack? :)
I have a PS2 with Black, though I doubt the servers are still up. However--Star Wars Battlefront 2 still has PS2 servers up so I could be wrong.

Anywho,

1. Assassin's Creed 3 - 1/6/2013 I had high hopes for this game, though I think Desmond's storyline was disappointing at best. Connor was a decent protagonist, but I think they played into a few stereotypes of social identity, which I didn't enjoy. However, it was neat to see a few homages, like the same War Club of a weapon used by Chingachgook in Last of the Mohicans. For reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zJLfojG3BU However, like Flex Wood said, there were some definite mechanics broken. I don't see how someone would frustrate themselves over trying to get the perfect game, when the controls at times were very finicky. 7/10.
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Re: Games Beaten 2013

by dsheinem Mon Jan 07, 2013 12:05 am

Luke wrote:
dsheinem wrote:...TM Black are games I played a TON of in college and grad school and I know the maps like the back of my hand



A few months ago I plugged in TM:B thinking I could beat the game with every player in an hour or so like I did back in college. I was ever so wrong.


Wait, you are saying you can beat the full game of about 12 stages with all 12 or so characters in an hour? Unless you beat each level in about 30 seconds, that seems a bit of a stretch...or did you mean that you can run through the game with one character in an hour? (That seems more reasonable, but still impressive.)
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Re: Games Beaten 2013

by Gamerforlife Mon Jan 07, 2013 8:08 am

alienjesus wrote:
Gamerforlife wrote:1. Thomas Was Alone - PC
2. Sam & Max Save the World Episode 3 The Mole, the Mob, and the Meatball - PC
3. Sam & Max Save the World Episode 104: Abe Lincoln Must Die!

Sam & Max Save the World Episode 105 Reality 2.0
Sam & Max Save the World Episode 106 Bright Side of the Moon

First Season complete

I had a bit of frustration with episode 105, due to a puzzle that I couldn't solve. I later discovered that this was due to a glitch in the game and that I had forgotten to apply the patch that came with the game when I downloaded it from GOG. So I had to play through the episode again from the beginning since the patch wipes out your save, but I didn't mind. This episode was fantastic! It was full of retro gaming humor and had some fun puzzles. Sadly, the season peaks here

Episode 106 sucked. It wasn't as funny as the hilarious two episodes preceding it. The story was ridiculous even by Sam & Max standards and the final "boss fight" was so fucking ridiculous. Not only that, but the puzzle for completing it is IMPOSSIBLE to figure out, which means you'll only pass that part through luck or trial and error. Basically it's once of those keep clicking on every goddamn thing until something happens puzzles. All the other puzzles in this episode made some kind of sense. Either the game gave you a clue or you just had to make creative use of what was in your inventory.

Damn it! Can I ever get through a single PC adventure game series that doesn't have some stupid puzzle in it somewhere that doesn't make sense? It's the bane of this genre. What a disappointment. Such a solid season, and it ended with a whimper. Episode 104 and 105 were tough acts to follow though. Those were the most inspired episodes of the whole season.


I pretty much agree with your opinion, although I didn't find the final puzzle of 106 to be quite that bad. 104 and 105 were the definite highlights of the season. The totally random boss is pretty true to how Sam and Max is aswell, so it didn't bother me.

Season 2 is certainly weaker, but stick through it - it has it's good moments, particularly Night of the Raving Dead. The final puzzle of season 2 is the weakest in the entire series though imo.

The Devil's Playhouse makes up for Season 2 totally imo - it's awesome. Certainly my favourite season, even if the change to the controls is a little irritating.


Well I finished two more episodes. Season 2 does seem a bit uneven. I have a been more to say below

1. Thomas Was Alone - PC
2. Sam & Max Save the World Episode 3 The Mole, the Mob, and the Meatball - PC
3. Sam & Max Save the World Episode 104: Abe Lincoln Must Die!
4. Sam & Max Save the World Episode 105 Reality 2.0
5. Sam & Max Save the World Episode 106 Bright Side of the Moon

Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space Episode 1 Ice Station Santa
Sam & max Beyond Time and Space Episode 2 Moai Better Blues

Episode 1 was fun. I wasn't expecting a Christmas episode so it felt kind of fresh and I like Xmas themed stuff so I was kind biased towards it right from the get go. It wasn't amazing, not as great as Abe Lincoln Must Die! or Reality 2.0, but enjoyable overall. It opens real strong. Plus, they took the story in a direction I didn't expect and I felt clever when I figured out the friendly demon song puzzle, as well as the trivia game puzzle. I got a chuckle or two at some of the jokes too. The changes to the environment were a nice change being that it's the second season and all, and I liked the new character as well. I feel like you have to deliver when you do a holiday episode of a TV show, and this series is kind of like watching an animated comedy series. I think they delivered. Overall I'd give this one a thumbs up

Episode 2...I hated. Yup, I really, really, REALLY hated it. It wasn't funny and one of the puzzles irritated me so much that I resorted to a faq. That's the second time since I started playing the series that I had to use a faq for a puzzle and I HATE that. It really tarnishes my feelings on an episode when it forces me to use a faq. So I pretty much knew from that point on that nothing was going to make me like this episode. I didn't like the theme. I didn't like the overabundance of celebrity references either. This one felt a tad too high brow for a Sam & Max game. I don't know. I just hate this episode

So yeah, mixed feelings about season 2 so far. Started out good, then got really bad. On a more positive note, it's cool that this season supports widescreen. I was really getting tired of that full screen crap, but I'm playing the GOG PC versions. I heard they got widescreen on Wiiware.
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Seriously. Screw you Shao Kahn I'm gonna play Animal Crossing.
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Re: Games Beaten 2013

by alienjesus Mon Jan 07, 2013 9:39 am

Gamerforlife wrote:Episode 1 was fun. I wasn't expecting a Christmas episode so it felt kind of fresh and I like Xmas themed stuff so I was kind biased towards it right from the get go. It wasn't amazing, not as great as Abe Lincoln Must Die! or Reality 2.0, but enjoyable overall. It opens real strong. Plus, they took the story in a direction I didn't expect and I felt clever when I figured out the friendly demon song puzzle, as well as the trivia game puzzle. I got a chuckle or two at some of the jokes too. The changes to the environment were a nice change being that it's the second season and all, and I liked the new character as well. I feel like you have to deliver when you do a holiday episode of a TV show, and this series is kind of like watching an animated comedy series. I think they delivered. Overall I'd give this one a thumbs up

Episode 2...I hated. Yup, I really, really, REALLY hated it. It wasn't funny and one of the puzzles irritated me so much that I resorted to a faq. That's the second time since I started playing the series that I had to use a faq for a puzzle and I HATE that. It really tarnishes my feelings on an episode when it forces me to use a faq. So I pretty much knew from that point on that nothing was going to make me like this episode. I didn't like the theme. I didn't like the overabundance of celebrity references either. This one felt a tad too high brow for a Sam & Max game. I don't know. I just hate this episode

So yeah, mixed feelings about season 2 so far. Started out good, then got really bad. On a more positive note, it's cool that this season supports widescreen. I was really getting tired of that full screen crap, but I'm playing the GOG PC versions. I heard they got widescreen on Wiiware.


202 is widely considered to be the worst episode altogether. 103 is normally a close second.

For what it's worth, I love 203 and found 204 to be fairly enjoyable and a bit different too. 205 I didn't like much though, and the final puzzle is the worst ever imo. I'm interested to see if you find it easier than I did though.
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Luke
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Re: Games Beaten 2013

by Luke Mon Jan 07, 2013 12:19 pm

dsheinem wrote:Wait, you are saying you can beat the full game of about 12 stages with all 12 or so characters in an hour? Unless you beat each level in about 30 seconds, that seems a bit of a stretch...or did you mean that you can run through the game with one character in an hour? (That seems more reasonable, but still impressive.)



The latter.

As with Tekken, I love unlocking character endings, and the endings in Black are quite something.
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Re: Games Beaten 2013

by FerretGamer Mon Jan 07, 2013 12:48 pm

New games in bold.

January:

1/2 - Spec Ops: The Line - PS3
1/3 - flOw - PS3
1/4 - Flower - PS3
1/7 - Journey - PS3

So, I finally got around to the third game in the Journey Collector's Edition set. I'm a total fanboy for thatgamecompany now.

Let me preface with a word from Keanu Reeves.

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I didn't know what to expect with Journey as I haven't read a single preview, review, or even looked at a screenshot of this game prior to playing it. I went into this journey with not a single expectation except knowing that this game has received a lot of praise since its release last year.

My journey begins on a barren desert with a marker in the distance pointing me down the proper path, which in many ways is similar to the first field in Flower. As I progress, I learn of the limited but useful abilities of this robed character I control with the most basic controls. Eventually, I reach a larger area where I must rebuild a bridge by activating "controls" with the powers of the robed traveler. As I explore, I encounter a stranger in the distance similar to myself. I think to myself, interesting, and begin to follow this robed stranger who seems to know the way to hidden nooks containing glyphs that may prove useful to me. Finally, I progress over a rebuilt bridge and move forward following this stranger into unknown lands.

Journey is completely minimalistic in nature. The controls are basic and you use the left analog stick to move your traveler while X and O act as the only two action buttons. You can choose to control the camera with motion using the sixaxis functionality or the right analog stick. Graphically, Journey has moments that are just simply breathtaking. The sand is quite impressive and I couldn't help but wonder how much fun the Prince of Persia would have in this beautifully crafted world by thatgamecompany. :) The soundtrack is perfectly scored in association with the imagery being displayed on the screen.

Now back to my journey! Along the way, I have lost strangers only to find new ones.
I knew that these were different travelers because their scarves were of different lengths compared to the prior ones. I also figured out that my scarf got longer each time I found a glyph which in turn allowed my abilities to last longer.
Slowly, I traveled from the barren desert I began in to the top of a mountain with snow and winds blowing with enough strength to push my fellow traveler and me back.

Finally, the game comes to and end and
you get to begin your journey again. I watched the credits roll and then a screen came up with travelers that I met along the way. I noticed that these names seemed to be user created like someones PSN name. At that moment, I figured it out. I have been working with fellow PSN players this entire time! I was blown away by the mere fact that essentially there was cooperation between complete strangers without even a word being spoken.
In the end, I can't wait to start this journey again!

I highly recommend this game especially if you haven't read anything about it!
Exhuminator wrote:Sega gonna Sega.
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Re: Games Beaten 2013

by noiseredux Mon Jan 07, 2013 12:51 pm

FerretGamer wrote:I didn't know what to expect with Journey as I haven't read a single preview, review, or even looked at a screenshot of this game prior to playing it. I went into this journey with not a single expectation except knowing that this game has received a lot of praise since its release last year.


wow man. Consider yourself super lucky to have managed to avoid any spoilers prior. I myself played the game very soon after its release, and fell in love with it. I knew very little about it too. Though I had at least seen screenshots.

Journey is on a list of games (like Shadow of the Colossus) that I wish I had never played... just so I could re-experience playing them for the first time.
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