Anything that is gaming related that doesn't fit well anywhere else
User avatar
Raging Justice
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 1287
Joined: Sun May 30, 2021 2:11 pm

Re: Games Beaten 2022

by Raging Justice Wed Jun 01, 2022 4:29 am

REPO Man wrote:Have you played the original? I think I played the original once iirc.


Nope. I was actually surprised to find out that this is a long running series given how bland this new one is. Again, it's not bad per say, just very average.

You know mascot platformers are one of the most fun genres to me. They bring out the kid in you and make you smile. Yet I found Kao the Kangeroo to be just...boring, and at times even annoying.

I mentioned New Super Lucky's Tale. That game doesn't re-invent the wheel or anything but the levels are FUN and the characters are charming and at times genuinely funny. Two similar games, yet only one did I actually have a good time playing. And the Astro Bot games, both the VR one and the follow up on PS 5 are just so ridiculously good.

Maybe I've just been spoiled. Lot of fun platformers out there, even 2d ones like Kaze and the Wild Masks. Kao the Kangeroo has no energy, no imagination, and no real charm. It's good in a very, by the numbers, generic, kind of way. Not the worst platformer in the world if you can get it cheap. To be fair, I think it's only 30 dollars, but I still think that's a bit steep for a very forgettable experience.
User avatar
Note
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 1259
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 4:39 pm
Location: NYC

Re: Games Beaten 2022

by Note Wed Jun 01, 2022 12:27 pm

1. Star Soldier: Vanishing Earth (N64)
2. Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike (Arcade)*
3. Metal Slug 6 (PS2)
4. Time Crisis II (PS2)*
5. Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown (360)
6. Shining the Holy Ark (SAT)

Image

7. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest (SNES)

My original encounter with Mystic Quest occurred back when I was a kid, and my father took me to a Software Etc to pick out a game as a birthday gift. I was deciding that day between Super Double Dragon and Mystic Quest, based solely on the box art and what I had heard about each franchise. I ended up choosing Super Double Dragon that day and was happy to have a two player beat 'em up on the system. However, I was curious about what I had missed out on all those years ago and eventually picked up a copy of Mystic Quest last year. After putting in a good 65+ hours on Shining the Holy Ark, I was still in the mood to play another RPG, but was hoping to play something a bit shorter, so Mystic Quest seemed to fit the bill.

Mystic Quest was originally designed to ease gamers in the west not familiar with RPGs into the genre. While I don't fit the bill, as I've finished a good amount of RPGs, I was still able to enjoy a lot of aspects of the game. From a party perspective, you only have one other partner at a time throughout your journey. Each additional party member has different abilities, which helps keeps things fresh as the journey progresses. The enemy sprites are quite large on screen and each enemy's sprite changes when they take a significant amount of damage. I think this is a nice detail about this game, and I wish other RPGs had implemented something similar. Also, the soundtrack is great! The battle music and some of the dungeon themes are really good!

Regarding weapons, the main character has access to a variety of different weapons and weapon types, and you're able to switch weapons on the fly in battle and while exploring. Also, different weapons are used in dungeons to press buttons, hop over gaps, chop down obstacles, and climb through certain areas. However, when it comes to armor, whatever armor you find is automatically equipped, so there isn't any customization in this regard. This seems a bit odd to me, but I guess item management could be a chore to those new to the genre. Regarding battles, the battles are not completely randomized, as you can see an enemy character in the dungeon and avoid them, if possible. Also, for the world map, your character is shuttled from area to area, and you're unable to explore the map freely -- this is not a huge downside to me, but it's another aspect of the game's limitations. The game's dungeons also contains some puzzles but for the most part they're all quite easy to figure out.

The storyline here is very simple and I don't think it will draw anyone in, in the same way that other games in the genre on the console will. I think this is my main issue with the game. Even though it was created as a short starter RPG, they still could have put together an intriguing plot with some hooks to get you connected to the characters and some story twists.

Overall, I would only recommend Mystic Quest for those specifically curious about the game or to those really not familiar with the genre. I think it's ease and lack of customization would probably bore most 16-bit veterans. With that being said, I still had fun playing through this short and easy RPG and it was cool to finally experience what I had missed out on all those years ago.
User avatar
prfsnl_gmr
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 12199
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 10:26 pm
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina

Re: Games Beaten 2022

by prfsnl_gmr Wed Jun 01, 2022 1:43 pm

Raging Justice wrote:Maybe I've just been spoiled. Lot of fun platformers out there, even 2d ones like Kaze and the Wild Masks. Kao the Kangeroo has no energy, no imagination, and no real charm. It's good in a very, by the numbers, generic, kind of way. Not the worst platformer in the world if you can get it cheap. To be fair, I think it's only 30 dollars, but I still think that's a bit steep for a very forgettable experience.


Some of the 3D platformers getting remakes or remasters right now are odd. Nobody cared that much about Kao the Kangaroo, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, etc. at release, and those games were widely recognized as bland 3D platformers almost 20 years ago. Why they’re getting ports now (as opposed to say, some really good games) is baffling to me.
Limewater
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 3341
Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 11:01 am
Location: Northern Alabama

Re: Games Beaten 2022

by Limewater Wed Jun 01, 2022 4:47 pm

prfsnl_gmr wrote:
Raging Justice wrote:Maybe I've just been spoiled. Lot of fun platformers out there, even 2d ones like Kaze and the Wild Masks. Kao the Kangeroo has no energy, no imagination, and no real charm. It's good in a very, by the numbers, generic, kind of way. Not the worst platformer in the world if you can get it cheap. To be fair, I think it's only 30 dollars, but I still think that's a bit steep for a very forgettable experience.


Some of the 3D platformers getting remakes or remasters right now are odd. Nobody cared that much about Kao the Kangaroo, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, etc. at release, and those games were widely recognized as bland 3D platformers almost 20 years ago. Why they’re getting ports now (as opposed to say, some really good games) is baffling to me.


I suspect it's partly regional interest. Kao the Kangaroo was made by a Polish developer, and with the increased profile of Polish games there is likely a bit more interest in older Polish properties.

As far as Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, I can only guess that maybe he was more popular in Australia.

Or maybe there is something else going on. I sure as heck wasn't expecting Great Giana Sisters to ever get a revival.
Systems: TI-99/4a, Commodore Vic-20, Atari 2600, NES, SMS, GB, Neo Geo MVS (Big Red 4-slot), Genesis, SNES, 3DO, PS1, N64, DC, PS2, GBA, GCN, NDSi, Wii
User avatar
REPO Man
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 4647
Joined: Tue Jul 29, 2008 8:05 pm
Location: Outer Banks, NC

Re: Games Beaten 2022

by REPO Man Wed Jun 01, 2022 4:49 pm

I'm still waiting for Croc, Gex and Pandemonium to get revivals.
User avatar
Green_Warrior
Newbie
 
Posts: 13
Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2022 7:31 pm

Re: Games Beaten 2022

by Green_Warrior Fri Jun 03, 2022 10:39 pm

Games Beaten:

1. Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (GCN)
2. Star Fox Assault (GCN)
3. Luigi's Mansion (GCN)

Much like Star Fox Assault, I think that expectations hurt the public perception of this game when it first came out. The previous two Nintendo home consoles had launched with mainline Mario games and I would guess a lot of people had expected the same for the Gamecube. Luigi's Mansion is still fun, though. It's another GC game that supports progressive scan and I was impressed with how good the game looks for being 20+ years old. The style choices and aesthetic aged well!

The gameplay loop is simple; perfect for a "pick up and play" sort of style. I took my time, collecting as much as possible and sometimes taking days off from playing it. Yet I never felt lost when coming back to it. You suck up ghosts with your vacuum and the way it's done (Holding the control stick in the opposite direction of the fleeing ghost) couldn't be simpler. Boos are added to the mix to spice things up, and each "boss" ghost has their own unique trait that needs to be exploited before you can capture them. To my knowledge, there was no game similar to Luigi's Mansion before it came out, which makes how well-designed and simple it is all the more impressive.

My three gripes with the game are as follows:

1. Toward the end, traversing through nearly the entire mansion is required to reach some rooms and after a certain point, there are no enemies or obstacles to get around to reach these points. So you're just walking through an empty mansion for a few minutes and it feels a bit silly. There are mirrors in the game which teleport you to the entrance of the mansion, but fast travel to reach each floor would've been nice. Maybe that exists and I just didn't find it? There was also a door on the second floor which connected hallways but remained locked. I beat the game without ever finding a key for it! So was that door just there as a tease, or what?

2. Hunting the Boos is not well-suited to certain rooms. You see, the boos can escape the room you're in, but you can chase them in whatever direction they went through the wall. However, some rooms make this a very, very painful process because they keep on running away. One room in the basement has these mounds of dust. Luigi can't get around them and has to vacuum them up. I had to chase more than one boo back and forth through this room five or so times each and it was needlessly irritating.

3. Aiming with the C-stick only allows for inverted controls. I have always disliked this for aiming with weapons in games, but curiously, in games like Star Fox where you're flying aircraft, I prefer that type of control.

Otherwise, Luigi's Mansion is a fun time. I'm interested in trying the sequels, but maybe I'll wait until Halloween season. For now, I think I'll stay on my Gamecube streak. :mrgreen:
User avatar
Raging Justice
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 1287
Joined: Sun May 30, 2021 2:11 pm

Re: Games Beaten 2022

by Raging Justice Sun Jun 05, 2022 3:04 am

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy) - PS 4

Image

So I don't typically indulge in visual novel type games as I generally like games with a bit more meat on their bones in terms of gameplay, but lately I've been in the mood for some relaxing games that aren't quite as taxing as the typical stuff I play, and I've also been thinking of going outside my comfort zone and trying some games that aren't the same stuff I always play. This seemed to fit the bill. Plus, Phoenix Wright seems to be a popular, iconic, character from a respected series with a fair amount of history behind it. So I thought about playing it for a while and one day on a whim, I just picked up my controller and started playing. I didn't own the original version of the game, but had purchased the PS 4 collection some time in the past. So it was more convenient to play this version. Also, the added allure of trophies was even more reason to play it. I figured this collection would be a piss easy platinum, but still one I could take some pride in given the reputation of the series.

Image

I have to say, I'd expected something so dialog heavy to bore me after a while and leave me itching to go play something with more actual gameplay. Something where I can run, jump, kill things, etc, etc, etc. I figured this would be something I would get through in short play sessions, turning the game off whenever I found myself tired of all the talking and itching for some actual action. I was very surprised by how engaging the story and characters were, as well as the courtroom drama, and the comedy. I'd watch hours go by to my astonishment without me ever wanting to just put the controller down and go play something else or just go do something else.

"Episode 1 finished...I think I'll go play episode 2...holy crap, now I'm starting Episode 3 LOL."

The third one is really drawn out though I have to say. I did get to a point during episode 3 where I decided to put the game down for a while. So much back tracking, and I was a bit put off by the Sal Manella character too. Up to that point I kind of liked every character, but I thought he was kind of lame. Fortunately, I would go on to find Dee Vasquez utterly captivating and had to see how the episode would finish once I met her. There's a lot of great characters here. Phoenix is funny and a good protagonist. The sisters are utterly charming, and my god is Mia GORGEOUS.

SPOILER :
Her death at the beginning of episode 2 really upset me
Gumshoe I thought was lame at first, but came to really like him in episode 3 "pal". Edgeworth is just plain awesome and really brings tension to those cases where you're facing off against him. You think things are going well

Image

and then...FUCK!!!!!

What is Edgeworth up to!?!?

Image

Image

DAMMIT!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Perhaps it's a bit cliche to say about a visual novel game, but it really felt like watching a fun anime.

I love scanning the environment for stuff. It brings out the explorer in me, I swear I get a little shot of dopamine to the brain every time I find something I can click on and it's interesting how you get different dialogs while clicking on the same stuff after certain story events.

The court cases are great. You get to do some deductive reasoning or I guess you can call it puzzle solving, which can be really satisfying, and there's always surprises during the trials to really keep you engaged in the story being told. Sometimes I felt like the game could be harder. It would be interesting if just one mistake could cost you a trial, instead of letting the player make a certain amount of goofs and still keep things going. Given that you can always save and reload at any time though, I guess it wouldn't make a difference in the game's difficulty.

I absolutely, fucking, LOVED the game's art style. It reminded me of the Punch Out series. Hear me out, as that may sound ridiculous. It's just that a lot of the characters look like completely, over the top, caricatures and it left me busting out laughing when I'd see them. The different facial expressions you would get from them as the trials went on was really entertaining. Sometimes it felt rewarding when you would start making them sweat just to see the facial reactions, like when a super cute, adorable, character suddenly turns into a scary, eye, twitching, witch once caught by you in a lie that they can't get out of.

Image

Image

There's a fun arcade like element to the trials too. The intense sound effects you hear, when you catch someone in a lie you hear a sound almost like you just smacked someone hard in a fighting game. The silly voices you hear as these large lettered words OBJECTION!!! or TAKE THAT!!! come on to the screen brings this arcade like fun to the trials and makes them feel exciting. I also never get tired of Phoenix's dramatic pointing. A lot of the audio/visual dynamics are surprisingly effective at making what would otherwise be mundane court trials really engaging. In a weird way, it feels like a fighting game. Point out a witness's lie, explain WHY it's a lie, then present evidence to basically hit them with a three hit combo, then you hear an OBJECTION from Edgeworth and he basically comes in like an assist attack and pulls off a counter on you LOL.

Image

I plan on finishing the whole collection. I've thought about other, similar games that I can try. I've heard some people mention the Danganrompa series so I may look into those as well.

Ace Attorney is just fun and there's no excuse for anyone not to try it if you like anime, legal shows, and don't mind something a bit light on traditional game play. As I've pointed at, it doesn't take itself too seriously, so maybe avoid it if you want a courtroom drama that is more true to life. The story is engaging though and worth experiencing
User avatar
MrPopo
Moderator
 
Posts: 23908
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 1:01 pm
Location: Orange County, CA

Re: Games Beaten 2022

by MrPopo Sun Jun 05, 2022 4:04 pm

Previous Years: 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

1. Underworld Ascendant - PC
2. Castlevania: Harmony of Despair - PS3
3. Ni no Kuni - PS3
4. Operencia: The Stolen Sun - PC
5. RPM Racing - PC
6. Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem - PC
7. Pokemon Legends: Arceus - Switch
8. Ni no Kuni II - PS4
9. Everspace - PC
10. PowerSlave Exhumed - PC
11. Horizon Forbidden West - PS5
12. Elden Ring - PS5
13. Shadow Warrior 3 - PC
14. Ghostrunner: Project_Hel - PC
15. Triangle Strategy - Switch
16. Tiny Tina's Wonderlands - PC
17. Nightmare Reaper - PC
18. Kur - PC
19. Gundam Versus - PS4
20. BIOTA - PC
21. Chantelise - PC
22. Xenoblade Chronicles - Wii
23. Forgive Me Father - PC
24. Xenoblade Chronicles X - Wii U

Xenoblade Chronicles X serves as a spiritual sequel to Xenoblade Chronicles. Though I'm not quite sure if that is the correct way to describe it. It uses the same combat system as a base, but the storyline and themes don't really have anything to do with the original game. And from what I've heard it's not really connected with 2, either. It has much more of a sci-fi bent compared to the first game's science fantasy. Time will tell whether it gets pulled in as part of Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

The game starts off with two alien fleets fighting in Earth's orbit, and Earth being destroyed in the crossfire. Humanity sends out ark ships to try and preserve the species, and you are a survivor on one of those ships. The ship is beset by enemies and crash lands on a planet, and this will be where humanity tries to rebuild. Your primary mission is to find and secure the Lifehold, the ship module that contains the bodies in stasis of everyone; the people you encounter are the handful who were part of the active crew.

The game is divided into twelve chapters. Each chapter consists of doing a single main mission, and these missions tend to be quite short (30 minutes or so). These hit the main beats of the quest to find the Lifehold. However, many times you need to first accomplish some side content first, such as doing a particular side mission and exploring a certain percentage of one of the five continents. In between the main missions are a bunch of side content. This is divided into three categories. The first is basic missions, which are just "kill X enemies" or "collect X items". They are generic and can be repeated. The second are normal missions, which are bespoke and frequently involve helping to ensure the citizens of New LA thrive on this new world. Finally, there are affinity missions, which involve your party. These require you to have a certain number of hearts with your party members, which are gained by doing other missions.

As mentioned, the combat is derived from Xenoblade Chronicles. You again have auto attacks and real time combat, with a palette of abilities on cooldowns. In this game abilities are split between ranged and melee; aside from the obvious range differences this determines which of your two weapons you auto attack with. There is also an overcharge mechanic, where an ability whose cooldown is refreshed will start to fill up again; when full you get a bonus (and these bonuses are worth the wait). However, you only overcharge when autoattacking with the associated weapon. As you level up you also can change classes; each class determines what weapon classes you can equip and provide a number of abilities and passives. If you fully master a branch you can use those weapons in other classes, and that will be an important part of making your build.

One big addition is midway through the game you gain access to mechs. These fight the same way as on foot, though your abilities are activating the various big weapons you equip on your suit. You can get out of the mechs mid combat, and mechs have a fuel mechanic which is intended to keep you from just using them all the time (but you totally can, you won't notice it most of the time). The mechs also are really nice for plowing through the game, as you can use them almost all the time and they have some extremely high damage attacks that can wipe enemies (and bosses) in a cycle. Since you're still in a world of no meaningful healing this is vital.

The game is structured as an MMO style open world, with full access to everywhere; assuming you can get past the various monsters. The map is divided into a hex grid, and each grid has an average enemy level. This tends to serve as beef gates to keep you from going too afar, but you'll find low level enemies even in the furthest areas. This also leads to a lot of weirdness of getting your ass kicked by taking a step too far to the west. At least they give you a run button, so it isn't quite as stupid long to travel as the first game.

A thing that annoyed me was how the game kept forcing me to engage in systems I didn't want to. I mentioned how the main quest is gated by side content; that side content is also gated by other side content. At two points you need to do an affinity mission with a party member, so you have to grind quests to be eligible. And it's almost guaranteed you need to do it once, because two of your three party members are effectively fixed, being required for all affinity and main missions. So you only have a single slot to play with, which means even if you lucked out and liked one of the two members whose affinity is needed, you still have to grind the other. The game is also very miserly with money, unless you're grinding the hell out of sidequests. In that case you move from "I can't afford anything" to "I can equip the squad mostly, but I'm broke afterwards".

But the thing that really bothered me is that the story overall isn't told very well. There's a segment in the latter half where you turn the big bad's mercenary, and there's a scene where they are all "we choose our own destiny", and then you never see them again. You don't get the standard "they show up in the climax", they just get forgotten. But the really egregious thing is that the final boss rush is the point where you actually get the plot explained, in several very obvious exposition dumps, including a "oh, I just remembered, <explanation of a very key plot point>". And then after the credits roll there is another twist that basically upends everything you did and no answers.

Overall I found I had less fun with this game than with the original. While the addition of mechs was a nice element, overall the whole thing felt like a chore with no good payoff. If you REALLY like the combat system you might like this game, but otherwise I wouldn't bother unless it turns out to be a key story element in the multiverse stuff that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is doing.
Image
Blizzard Entertainment Software Developer - All comments and views are my own and not representative of the company.
User avatar
Raging Justice
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 1287
Joined: Sun May 30, 2021 2:11 pm

Re: Games Beaten 2022

by Raging Justice Thu Jun 09, 2022 3:33 am

Subnautica

Image

This game perfectly captures both the wonder and the terror of the deep ocean, within a compelling sci fi setting. It's a game that manages to be serene and relaxing at times as you take in the beauty of your surroundings and marvel at the interesting variety of animals and plant life under the waves. Yet it is also a stressful game that will make you sweat at times, like when you stumble upon some nightmarish underwater creature that wants to eat you or find yourself in a black abyss as the sun goes down, or when you forget to monitor your oxygen and try to furiously swim back to the surface before you drown.

This game is an explorer's dream as that's kind of the whole point of the game. The vast ocean is there waiting for you to plumb its depths and discover its secrets. It is also a survival game though, and those elements can be a bit annoying, like always having to worry about your character's hunger and thirst. But as you put more and more hours into the game you find ways to make everything easier. You can also play the game on a mode that turns off hunger and thirst, but that's for babies who aren't interested in, you know, ACTUALLY PLAYING THE GAME. You're constantly collecting and scavenging things in this game, and using them to build stuff to aid your survival, or improve and upgrade the equipment and stuff that you already have. All of the that looking around for materials that you need, while also constantly trying to get food and water to stay alive, can be a bit tedious, particular in the early goings, but Subnautica is a game that demands patience...and rewards you for it. There's always some cool, new thing to discover, or a cool new thing to build (like a mini-submarine), so you find yourself always wanting to continue playing

The little bits of story that reveal themselves to you over time are interesting too. This is a game that should appeal to sci fi fans as that's what the story and setting are based in. You're stranded on an alien planet, that just happens to be mostly made up of water. The early parts of the game are epic, as you leave a ship that is crashing into the planet via an escape pod. Things don't go smoothly, with your pod catching fire, and you getting injured. You do manage to safely make it down to the planet though, and after putting out the fire, you step out of the pod and find yourself surrounded by seemingly endless water, and off in the distance you see this MASSIVE space ship (like the frakking Battlestar Galactica), half submerged in the water and on fire. That was truly one of the most memorable openings I've seen to a game. The site of that massive ship in the distance and the vast ocean makes you feel so minuscule standing atop your tiny, escape pod. From that moment, all that's left for you to do is dive into the water, having no idea what you will see or encounter once you do. Right off the bat the game makes you feel a little uneasy, which is great.

You have an AI that I should mention too. It's there to help you survive. Sometimes it says the most hilarious things though, like only a robot can. Like when you swim (or take a vehicle) down to a new, unexplored area of the deep ocean and your AI says, "Based on currently available data, this area meets all of the conditions required to induce abject terror in most human beings". Just the thing you want to hear :lol:

Great game, but there are some cons. On PS 4, the game has awful load times, and a fair share of bugs and glitches. Remember what I said about Subnautica being a game that demands patience :lol:

Also, if you're not really paying attention to everything in the game like reading every data log, scanning everything in your environment, and checking your radio for new transmissions, it's very easy to find yourself lost, not knowing what to do next, and then getting frustrated. READ EVERYTHING and PAY ATTENTION and you should find the game enjoyable. Also, it's a game about exploring so...explore. Some players seem to get too intimidated by what lurks in the deep or after being attacked by some predator, so they end up staying in the game's starting area forever :lol:

Subnautica seems like a perfect match for VR technology, to make the experience even more immersive, but I don't believe that it is compatible with the PSVR

You know water levels get a bad rap in video games, but stuff like Subnautica, or the water levels in Astro Bot: Rescue Mission or Donkey Kong Country show just how fun, interesting, and captivating underwater environments can be in video games.
User avatar
prfsnl_gmr
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 12199
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 10:26 pm
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina

Re: Games Beaten 2022

by prfsnl_gmr Thu Jun 09, 2022 8:24 am

Raging Justice wrote:Ace Attorney is just fun and there's no excuse for anyone not to try it if you like anime, legal shows, and don't mind something a bit light on traditional game play. As I've pointed at, it doesn't take itself too seriously, so maybe avoid it if you want a courtroom drama that is more true to life. The story is engaging though and worth experiencing


Great review! Miles Edgeworth is my man, obviously, and I really enjoyed reading your write up!

…..

First 30
1. Space Warrior (Switch)
2. Itta (Switch)
3. Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn (Switch)
4. Mask of Mists (Switch)
5. Metagal (Switch)
6. Foxyland 2 (Switch)
7. Submerged (Switch)
8. Back to Bed (Switch)
9. Thoth (Switch)
10. 140 (Switch)
11. Infinite: Beyond the Mind (Switch)
12. Ninja Striker (Switch)
13. Kid Tripp (Switch)
14. Miles & Kilo (Switch)
15. Neon Junctions (Switch)
16. Golf Zero (Switch)
17. 198X (Switch)
18. Macbat 64 (Switch)
19. Kiwi 64 (Switch)
20. Toree 3D (Switch)
21. Toree 2 (Switch)
22. #RaceDieRun (Switch)
23. Micetopia (Switch)
24. Tomena Sanner (Wii)
25. Contra ReBirth (Wii)
26. Unstrong Legacy (Switch)
27. Quarantine Circular (Switch)
28. Infernax (Switch)
29. Cosmos Bit (Switch)
30. Ape Out (Switch)

31. Return of the Double Dragon (Super Famicom)
32. Contra (Famicom)
33. Summer Carnival ‘92 RECCA (Famicom)
34. Bionic Commando (Arcade)
35. Shinobi (Arcade)
36. Super Meat Boy (Switch)
37. Chex Quest HD (Switch)
38. King’s Field II (PSX)
39. Mechstermination Force (Switch)
40. Swords and Bones (Switch)


Mechstermination Force is a great mash up of Mega Man, Contra, and Shadow of the Colossus from Horberg Productions, the creator of the Gunman Clive games. It is, basically, a gauntlet of run ‘n gun boss fights against giant robots. The camera zooms and pans wonderfully to provide you with a great sense of scale, and you have to take each robot apart, literally, piece by piece during each multi-phase fight. There are a steady stream of meaningful upgrades; the music is great; and the game controls perfectly. It is silly and fun, and the it offers a compelling challenge with lots of replay value. Mechstermination Force is easily the studio’s best game to date, and I LOVED it. Very highly recommended.

Swords and Bones is a bite-sized action platformer equally inspired by Castlevania and Ghouls ‘n Ghosts. In it, you play as a stout night who returns to his homeland only to find it under control of the wolf demon. You have to navigate 45 short, but monster-infested, levels and five relatively difficult boss fights to reach the end, and there is a chalice hidden in each level. Collecting all the chalices, and buying one more for 5000 gold in the game’s shop, gives you access to five longer, more difficult levels, one more boss fight, and the good ending. The game is relatively challenging, but the short levels provide frequent checkpoints. You can also upgrade your night as you proceed through the game, making it significantly easier. (PRO-TIP: You’re going to want to save up for the Ghouls ‘n Ghosts double-jump ASAP.) The game has decent graphics and sound, but the cutscenes, distractingly, look like they were drawn by an eight-year-old. (The hand drawn cutscenes are a particularly odd choice considering the game’s otherwise pretty decent pixel art.) Otherwise, though, the game is well-made and definitely worth a look, especially at its very low price point. Recommended.
Return to General Gaming

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 12 guests