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Ack
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by Ack Tue Aug 02, 2022 11:54 am

1. Record of Lodoss War - Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth (PC)(Action Adventure)
2. The Citadel (PC)(FPS)
3. Gothic 3 (PC)(RPG)
4. Witchaven (PC)(FPS)
5. Unpacking (PC)(Puzzle)
6. Firewatch (PC)(Adventure)
7. Perilous Warp (PC)(FPS)

8. The Ascent (PC)(RPG)
9. Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced - The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned (PC)(FPS/RPG)
10. Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced - The Secret Armory of General Knoxx (PC)(FPS/RPG)
11. Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced - Claptrap's New Robot Revolution (PC)(FPS/RPG)

12. Kingdom of the Dead (PC)(FPS)
13. Monument (PC)(FPS)
14. Bloodwash (PC)(Horror Adventure)
15. Dead Estate (PC)(Isometric Shooter)

16. Lost in Vivo (PC)(Survival Horror)
17. Star Explorers (PC)(FPS)
18. Dark Souls Remastered (Switch)(RPG)
19. NAM (PC)(FPS)
20. WWII GI (PC)(FPS)

To follow up NAM, I decided I should also check out the further derided WWII GI, also from TNT Team. WWII GI came out in 1999 and serves as a historical footnote in FPS history for a couple of reasons: 1) it was the final commercially released game to utilize the Build Engine up until Ion Fury's release 20 years later, and 2) it was one of the first of the glut of WW2-based FPS games that were released in the 2000s. Since it appeared at the beginning of the wave, WWII GI's contemporaries consist of Medal of Honor, Hidden & Dangerous, and the lesser known Mortyr (though Mortyr is significant in Polish game development and played a small part in the early days of GOG as a game distributor). Unfortunately, all three of these are better games, even if Mortyr does suffer from what gets called "slav jank." I don't use that as an insult, mind you, just to denote trends I see from former Warsaw Pact nations.

What's wrong with WWII GI? Well, first, it takes a lot of what made Build Engine games entertaining and throws it out, instead leaning into a more tactical style. Your primary weapons have magazines which must be reloaded, you hold onto medkits and use them as items, and you have limited ammo pools. While you still hold a wide array of weapons, most are extremely situational, so you're really only swapping between three machineguns: the Thompson, the MP40, and the Browning Automatic Rifle (or BAR for short). These three have their uses, with the MP40 best at close quarters, the BAR great for long range, and the Thompson a generally inaccurate mess that you use at midrange and pray it works. In truth, the Thompson feels pretty terrible to use due to its inaccuracy, regardless of whether you have auto-aim turned on or not.

Yes, this game has auto-aim, and it is turned on as a default. And it applies to all weapons and does not make any kind of intelligent selection regarding your weapon and what you are firing at. I played around with it long enough to see it favor targeting a single infantryman with my bazooka as opposed to the tank that was right next to him. I immediately turned it off and didn't experiment with it again. If you are somehow possessed to play WWII GI, TURN OFF AUTO-AIM.

That said, in certain situations it wouldn't matter whether you have auto-aim engaged. Just like in NAM, if an enemy hasn't initially begun moving, you cannot shoot them. Yes, this led to a lot of wasted bullets. Unlike in NAM however, you tend to get a lot closer to enemies or spend more time shooting at them across empty fields or through windows and streets. The result is that this effect is infinitely more noticeable. Also, the SS variety of enemies seems to be invincible unless it's staring right at you, regardless of whether he's moving. I unloaded full magazines into these guys without hitting despite being literally point blank. The result is that NAM feels like the superior game with its gunplay. Also, WWII GI loves its landmines just like NAM, but NAM was kind enough to mark them on the map for you to flag position. WWII GI does you no such favors and occasionally wants you to run through a field of them. In fact, it starts with you having to run through a field of landmines while under fire from heavy machine guns in what might be the first FPS representation of the D-Day landing.

That first level is actually a good showcase of the worst WWII GI has to offer: you have only the Thompson, you have to run up a hill through enemy fire while carefully navigating landmines, and if you bother killing the enemies present, you'll likely waste all of your ammunition and be reduced to only your knife before you can get the second weapon of the game, the MP40. And while you are doing this, you're not only under fire from Nazi forces; you may actually get shot by your own guys pinned down on the beach too. Get a little further in, and you may get hit by your own airstrikes, because that was held over from NAM as well. At least they don't include tanks yet, which are immobile insta-death turrets which occasionally wall hack and will shoot you at point blank range. All of the enemies are hit-scan, including the tanks; BLOOD taught us nothing apparently.

Now while NAM did have its occasional movie reference (including a level based around the film Predator for some reason), WWII GI does continue the Build Engine's trend of constant movie references, though in a much more blunt capacity: the first episode is a knock off of Saving Private Ryan, from the D-Day landing to the finding and escorting out a private away from the frontlines. The name was changed so the devs didn't get sued, but it's pretty obvious to see the parallels. The second campaign moves away from this film reenactment and generally offers the superior level design in my opinion, but I always preferred running street battles, so that may just be my taste.

One quirk of the game is that, while enemies are obviously Nazis, all swastikas were instead replaced by an X symbol. I don't know if this was because some of the devs were German or just wanted to market the game there, but it makes for a weird touch.

WWII GI is a problematic game, even moreso than NAM because the issues found in NAM become even more glaring here. Outside of some historical significance, I can't really recommend the game, even to diehard FPS fans. There are better games to play, even if you're just looking for something old school on Steam and have already played the big names available there. Why Nightdive Studios chose these two as being worthy of updates, I'm not sure beyond the rights probably being relatively easy to acquire. Either way, they're on Steam if you so choose to play them, but I recommend looking into something like EDuke32 to make them more manageable; the base Steam release offers severely limited options with changing controls and the like.

Also...the grenade is even worse than NAM. And your character model has salad fingers when holding it. Seriously, he's got creeper hands.
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Markies
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by Markies Tue Aug 02, 2022 11:16 pm

Markies' Games Beat List Of 2022!
*Denotes Replay For Completion*

1. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster (PS3)
2. Max Payne 2: The Fall Of Max Payne (XBOX)
3. Streets of Rage 4 (NS)
4. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Master Quest (GCN)
5. Dirge Of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII (PS2)
6. Darkstalkers (PS1)
7. Evolution: The World Of Sacred Device (SDC)
8. Ogre Battle 64: Person Of Lordly Calibur (N64)
9. Draogn Quest VI (SNES)
10. Batman: The Video Game (GEN)
11. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES)
12. Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA)
13. Pokemon Red (GB)
14. Wii Sports (Wii)
15. Splatoon (WiiU)
16. Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (PS2)

***17. Final Fantasy IX (PS1)***

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I completed Final Fantasy IX on the Playstation 1 this evening!

I have beaten the game, learned all abilities, got a Gold Chocobo, collected all cards & beat Ozma.

Final Fantasy IX is one of my favorite Final Fantasy games of all time, making it one of my favorite games of all time. The characters and the battle system are my favorite aspects of the game as I love each unique character and learning new skills. Also, I love the old touches to previous games in the franchise and the celebration of all things Final Fantasy. With outstanding visuals, fantastic music and a very unique story, Final Fantasy IX will always hold a very special place in my heart.
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by Markies Thu Aug 04, 2022 8:01 pm

Markies' Games Beat List Of 2022!
*Denotes Replay For Completion*

1. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster (PS3)
2. Max Payne 2: The Fall Of Max Payne (XBOX)
3. Streets of Rage 4 (NS)
4. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Master Quest (GCN)
5. Dirge Of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII (PS2)
6. Darkstalkers (PS1)
7. Evolution: The World Of Sacred Device (SDC)
8. Ogre Battle 64: Person Of Lordly Calibur (N64)
9. Draogn Quest VI (SNES)
10. Batman: The Video Game (GEN)
11. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES)
12. Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA)
13. Pokemon Red (GB)
14. Wii Sports (Wii)
15. Splatoon (WiiU)
16. Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (PS2)
***17. Final Fantasy IX (PS1)***

***18. Out Run (GEN)***

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I completed Out Run on the Sega Genesis this evening!

Out Run is fantastic little driving game that can be finished in about an hour or so. The main hook in the game is the driving part, which is excellent and feels fantastic. Besides the driving part, there is very little to the game. There are five different endings and a total of 15 courses, which makes the game very short. But, the game also has fantastic music which makes the whole experience a blast to play through. It's a fun and short arcade port that is still fun to play.
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by Ack Fri Aug 05, 2022 1:37 pm

1. Record of Lodoss War - Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth (PC)(Action Adventure)
2. The Citadel (PC)(FPS)
3. Gothic 3 (PC)(RPG)
4. Witchaven (PC)(FPS)
5. Unpacking (PC)(Puzzle)
6. Firewatch (PC)(Adventure)
7. Perilous Warp (PC)(FPS)

8. The Ascent (PC)(RPG)
9. Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced - The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned (PC)(FPS/RPG)
10. Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced - The Secret Armory of General Knoxx (PC)(FPS/RPG)
11. Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced - Claptrap's New Robot Revolution (PC)(FPS/RPG)

12. Kingdom of the Dead (PC)(FPS)
13. Monument (PC)(FPS)
14. Bloodwash (PC)(Horror Adventure)
15. Dead Estate (PC)(Isometric Shooter)

16. Lost in Vivo (PC)(Survival Horror)
17. Star Explorers (PC)(FPS)
18. Dark Souls Remastered (Switch)(RPG)
19. NAM (PC)(FPS)
20. WWII GI (PC)(FPS)
21. Necromunda: Hired Gun (PC)(FPS)

Warhammer 40,000 has always seemed like a universe ripe with opportunities for video games, and while Games Workshop dipped their toe into the waters a few times in the 1990s, it was really the end of the 2000s and start of the 2010s where they went all in. This has mostly been to make strategy games; it makes sense, what with 40k being a tactical miniatures game first and foremost. But there have been times where they branched out into other genres, with third person action games, sports games, RPGs, and even the odd flight sim. The FPS offerings during this time have been lackluster: Space Hulk is less an FPS and much more of a boardgame, Firewarrior was at best bland, and Deathwing was an uninspired attempt at bringing the Left 4 Dead/Payday formula into the 40k universe. That brings us to Necromunda: Hired Gun. And...the trend continues.

Necromunda: Hired Gun takes place in the lower depths of a massive Hive World known as Necromunda, a massive manufacturing city that spans an entire planet and fuels the Empire of Man's enormous war machine. But the underhive is where the things go that Necromunda prefers to forget, be they gangs, criminals, mutants, and all manner of scum. Or far, far worse. You play a bounty hunter who operates out of a small section in this world, taking jobs at the behest of a Merchant Guilder to find out about a mysterious agent who has assassinated another guilder and is now taking over the gangs. You'll navigate the high tech trash world of the underhive to kill your way to the top, and you'll use a variety of guns, gear, powers, and your dog to do it.

At its best, Hired Gun gives you a lot of options to play with, the chief of which is your mobility. Double jumps, wall running, slides, a grappling hook, and even a teleport power are all yours to use and abuse, and when combined with other powers and abilities, the results can be devastating to whoever is in your path. Scamper along a wall, slide between two foes, grapple towards some punk, and then enter one of your animations for an up close execution where you stick your knife in places he doesn't want it to go. Then turn around and fry the two folks you slid between with your plasma rifle, possibly kicking on your auto-aim ability so your shots seek burning blue death even if they try to run, all while your cyborg dog is tearing the throat out of another poor sod behind you. This is when the game is at its absolute best.

Unfortunately, that same scenario will be repeated dozens of times against nearly identical foes, some of whom the only change is a shield to make it take longer to kill them. Hired Gun gets repetitive fast; levels are the same brown, dirty metal. The enemies are almost always from the same handful of gangs. Your goal is almost always get from point A to point B and kill everyone in your way. And while you can find loot and unlock upgrades via the cash system, both systems are limited. I had most of my guns finalized by midway through the game, and my abilities were all maxed out by 2/3s, partly because I was participating in the optional side missions, which are also against the same foes. And while these bounty missions are done for various factions, there are no repercussions for aiding one over the other. All you get for maxing them out is an item that you might not even need. Hell, some of these groups are directly opposed to each other. I could do jobs for the Inquisition and then turn around and do jobs for the Tyranid-worshipping Genestealer Cult. In 40k, that is ridiculous.

Another complaint about the game is the weird way in which you manage your inventory. You cannot access it on the fly. Instead, you have to attempt to start up a mission to be able to make modifications and then choose to abort before starting. Also, you can modify all of your guns in the inventory screen, thus rendering the gun mod shop entirely moot to visit. You can hold more guns than you can equip across types, so you always have variety and can tailor your loadout as needed, but the truth is, the game isn't varied enough to really make this worth getting into. You'll probably know what you like to use by the time your halfway through, and even then, you'll probably be carrying more guns into fights than you really ever bother with.

Well, so it's a weird inventory system, monotonous gameplay, uninspired brown levels, a faction system that seems irrelevant. And bugs too, lots of clipping into walls or weird pop up and things like that. What could it be that I'm thinking of...oh, right, it's Streum On Studio. The French developer that made E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy. 'Eurojank' is what they make, where it's a generally stable game that has a lot of design questions which leave me wondering, "Why?" A property like 40k has a lot of opportunities, but here I am, stuck fighting the same things over and over again, only this time they have a shield, or a better shield, and there are no real consequences for any action I make.

God, I hope Boltgun turns out good.
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by ElkinFencer10 Sat Aug 06, 2022 12:52 pm

Games Beaten in 2021 - 54
* denotes a replay

January (20 Games Beaten)
1. Project MIKHAIL: A Muv-Luv War Story - Steam - January 1
2. Shin Megami Tensei V - Switch - January 9
3. Halo 2600 - Atari 2600 - January 10
4. Cruis'n Blast - Switch - January 13
5. Alan Wake - PlayStation 5 - January 15
6. Alan Wake's American Nightmare - Xbox 360 - January 15
7. Apsulov: End of Gods - Playstation 5 - January 16
8. Captain U - Wii U - January 16
9. Raji: An Ancient Epic - Xbox One - January 17
10. JankBrain - Switch - January 22
11. Would You Like to Run an Idol Café - Switch - January 22
12. Bury Me, My Love - Switch - January 22
13. A Normal Lost Phone - Switch - January 22
14. Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story - Switch - January 22
15. Cthulhu Saves Christmas - Switch - January 23
16. Armed 7 - Dreamcast - January 24
17. Satazius Next - Dreamcast - January 24
18. Wolflame - Dreamcast - January 25
19. Metal Slug 1st Mission - Neo Geo Pocket - January 25
20. Metal Slug 2nd Mission - Neo Geo Pocket - January 26


February (1 Games Beaten)
21. Pokemon Legends: Arceus - Switch - February 5


March (0 Games Beaten)
wow I suck ass lmao


April (3 Games Beaten)
22. The Last of Us Part II - PlayStation 4 - April 9
23. Metro 2033 Redux - PlayStation 4 - April 14
24. Sakura Angels - Switch - April 26


May (3 Games Beaten)
25. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures - Gamecube - May 8
26. Metro Last Light Redux - PlayStation 4 - May 14
27. Metro Exodus - Series X - May 28


June (11 Games Beaten)
28. Cyberpunk 2077 - Series X - June 11
29. Sniper Elite 5 - Series X - June 12
30. The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker - PlayStation 4 - June 15
31. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Xbox One - June 16
32. 007 Legends - Wii U - June 17
33. TimeSplitters 2 - Xbox - June 18
34. TimeSplitters: Future Perfect - Xbox - June 18
35. I Saw Black Clouds - PlayStation 4 - June 19
36. Call of Duty: Black Ops - Declassified - PlayStation Vita - June 20
37. The House of the Dead Remake - Switch - June 24
38. Halo Wars Definitive Edition - Xbox One - June 29*


July (14 Games Beaten)
39. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes - Switch - July 5
40. Halo Reach - Xbox 360 - July 6*
41. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary - Xbox 360 - July 8*
42. Halo 2 Anniversary - Xbox One - July 9*
43. Halo 3: ODST - Xbox 360 - July 10*
44. Halo 3 - Xbox 360 - July 10*
45. Halo 4 - Xbox 360 - July 11*
46. Halo: Spartan Assault - Xbox One - July 12*
47. Space Jam: A New Legacy - The Game - Xbox One - July 12
48. Halo 5: Guardians - Xbox One - July 14*
49. Halo 4: Spartan Ops - Xbox 360 - July 17
50. Halo Wars 2 - Xbox One - July 18*
51. Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare - Xbox One - July 19
52. Maneater - Series X - July 20*
53. Maneater: Truth Quest - Series X - July 21*


August (1 Games Beaten)
54. Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse - Steam - August 5


54. Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse - Steam - August 5

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Muv-Luv is, without a doubt, my all-time favorite series. I've played every visual novel released in English, seen all three anime translated into English, and have read the entire 400-500 page codex. I'm obsessed. One of the anime translated into English was an adaptation of Total Eclipse, and I've got that anime on Bluray and have seen it multiple times. When the visual novel of Total Eclipse FINALLY got released in English last month, I IMMEDIATELY bought it. Like, literally; it released at 2 am in the eastern US, and I was downloading it at 2:01 am.

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Muv-Luv, since the original trilogy, has always been about two things - waifus and a hopeless but determined struggle against the unspeakable horrors of an apocalyptic alien invasion. Muv-Luv Extra capitalized on the former, Muv-Luv Alternative capitalized on the latter, but by and large, the series blends the two wonderfully, and Total Eclipse is no exception. Of my top five Muv-Luv waifus, three of them are from Total Eclipse. It also has, in a manner of speaking, the most epic battle against the BETA of the series. The English language fandom seems split on whether Alternative or Total Eclipse is better, and while I'm in the Alternative camp, it's definitely close; they're both masterpieces.

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The protagonist of Total Eclipse is Yuuya Bridges, a Japanese-American test pilot who is arguably the United States's best surface pilot. At the game's opening, he's participating in the test flights and development of the F-22A Raptor, America's third generation stealth TSF and the undisputed king of anti-human TSF capabilities. He ends up getting reassigned, though, and sent to the UN Forces Yukon base in Alaska, positioned right between American-controlled territory in southeast Alaska and the northwestern part of Alaska that the United States leased to the Soviet Union after the BETA overran most of their territory. The reason an American army surface pilot gets reassigned to a United Nations base is that he's sent on secondment to participate in the XFJ program, a collaboration between the Japanese Empire and American TSF manufacturer Boening to improve Japan's third generation TSF, the Shiranui. He's assigned to Argust Test Flight, the test flight attached to the XFJ program. What makes this test flight unique among other test flights stationed at Yukon is that it's truly international; 2nd Lieutenant Yuuya Bridges is an American, 2nd Lieutenant Valerio Giacosa is Italian, 2nd Lieutenant Stella Bremer is Swedish, 2nd Lieutenant Tarisa Manandal is Nepalese, 1st Lieutenant Yui Takamura (Western name order used) is Japanese, and Captian Ibrahim Dogulu is Turkish. This all becomes relevant to the story and the characters' interactions as the game progresses.

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For the most part, the art in the visual novel is exactly the same style and appearance in this allegedly remastered release of Total Eclipse as the other Muv-Luv visual novels, but there is one distinct difference - it incorporates scenes from the anime in a few places (mainly during battles against the BETA). I'm kind of torn on this inclusion. On the one hand, it's definitely nice to see genuinely animated scenes in addition to the usual scenes of a 2D art asset moving across a 2D art background that you usually see in visual novels. On the other hand, these anime scenes look bizarrely low resolution and compressed. There's noticeable pixelation and visible artifacts in the scenes that aren't present when watching the actual anime. That really sort of puts a damper on the whole presentation of the included scenes. Still, though, it IS nice to see actually animated battle scenes even those scenes do get repeated a lot and are of low quality simply because it's something no other visual novel in the series has done.

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Like the rest of the visual novels, the dialog is all in Japanese with English text. Given the...questionable...quality of the English dub in the Total Eclipse anime, this is probably a good thing all around. Speaking of voice acting, though, even if I can't understand the voice lines, the actors do a fantastic job of expressing the characters' emotions and attitudes, especially Tarisa's voice actress. I AM annoyed that they localized Tarisa's nickname as "Tiny" in the visual novel instead of the much-cuter "Chobi" in the anime, but it's definitely a step up from what they had originally planned to use as the localization in the visual novel - "Midget." Thankfully, someone on the localization team had the Western cultural awareness to point out how offensive that term is in the West these days. On the topic of audio design, the music is pretty solid here, as well. It's not quite as memorable as the music from the Extra/Unlimited/Alternative trilogy, but the soundtrack is still a solid fit for the game's settings and events.

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As far as length is concerned, Total Eclipse is pretty beefy. l, admittedly, am very easily distracted by Discord and Twitter, so my playtime of nearly 80 hours is definitely a bit inflated, but from what other fans have told me, 50 hours seems a pretty solid average, although your mileage will obviously vary based on your reading speed and distractibility. Still, though, I think that's a pretty damn solid bang for your buck, especially with how good the story and characters are. The last two chapters - especially chapter 17 - are substantial. 20% of the game is probably just chapters 17 and 18. They're EXTREMELY epic, though, and the climax of the story.

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Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse is a definite contender for my personal GOTY. Sure, it helps that I'm completely and totally obsessed with the series, but it's a genuinely fantastic visual novel and one that I've been DYING to have translated to English for a few years now. The setting, the characters, the story, the political intrigue, and - most importantly - the waifus are all absolutely fantastic and leave almost nothing to be desired. There are no H-scenes in Total Eclipse, so prudes don't have to worry about that, and anti-censorship fanatics don't have to worry about the infamous Steam censors. If you're a general visual novel fan, check this one out; if you're a Muv-Luv fan, you should have bought this two weeks ago.
Exhuminator wrote:Ecchi lords must unite for great justice.

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Note
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by Note Sat Aug 06, 2022 1:15 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)
7. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest (SNES)
8. Soul Blazer (SNES)
9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (SNES)*
10. Warriors of Fate (Switch)
11. Knights of the Round (Switch)
12. Armored Warriors (Switch)
13. Battle Circuit (Switch)
14. OutRun (GEN)*
15. Kirby's Adventure (NES)
16. Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)

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17. Shadowrun (SNES)

Shadowrun is a game I've been interested in for years, especially the SNES version, which I wasn't aware of until later when I was able to try it out through emulation. My neighbor had the Genesis version of Shadowrun, and we would take turns playing it here and there. He loved the game, I felt like I didn't have a great handle on it at the time, but I enjoyed the cyberpunk theme and dark environment, and had not seen much like it on a home console. It's interesting how the SNES and Genesis versions are totally different and developed by different companies, with the SNES port developed by Beam Software and published by Data East. I put this game on my list to complete for the Summer Games Challenge, so I'm glad to knock off another one from my list!

I think this is the one of the more unique experiences on the console. With the different control scheme, the mixed aesthetic incorporating both cyberpunk and fantasy elements, and quite an interesting and funny plot, which starts off in a pretty strange manner. To begin the game, your character is actually shot down and killed by a random group of assailants in the street, and then revived by a fox that morphs into a woman and casts a heal spell on you. Your journey begins with you waking up in a morgue and you escaping that facility. However, you have no recollection of who you are, why someone attempted to gun you down, and who would be after you. So your priority is to track down clues to figure out what's going on!

Gameplay wise, Shadowrun is an action RPG, however the control mechanics are quite different from most other games on the SNES. You move your main character with the d-pad as usual, but after a press of a button, the d-pad will be used as a control system with a cursor, where you'll see a hand on the screen for general exploring, picking up items, interacting with objects, and conversation. When you press the weapon button, you'll see a crosshair on the screen, also controlled by the d-pad, and can fire away at whatever person or object the crosshair is on. When it comes to damaging enemies, it doesn't matter what part of the body the crosshair is aimed at. Later in the game, you will have the opportunity to acquire different magic spells, which can be mapped to another button. At first I found the control scheme a little odd, but after a few hours I got quite used to it and found it to be fairly intuitive. The cursor moves along fast enough that I felt like I was able to do everything I needed to in a reasonable amount of time, even at tense combat moments, when I needed to react quickly.

As you get further into the game, you have the chance to hire other Shadowrunners to assist you in your journey, each with their own special abilities and weaknesses. You will mostly run into them in other bars or clubs throughout the cities you will explore. However, it's not necessary to hire help. I was a bit unsure of my micro-managing abilities of a computer character, so for this playthrough, I went through the game solo, without hiring a companion. The main character starts off fairly weak, so I ended up grinding quite a lot throughout the game, to put myself in a position to handle the various missions. As you battle through various enemies, you will earn karma points, which is similar to experience points. You can then use karma to boost your character's stats.

Another key mechanic in the game is the matrix, in which you have to hack into certain computers during missions to retrieve necessary data files for information to advance the plot. This is also one of the best ways to earn money in the game, as upgrades later on can be rather expensive. Once jacked into a computer, the matrix appears as a grid like setup and you have to either wage combat against IC (intrusion countermeasure) guards or avoid the grids they're placed on, while finding and getting to the data points. However, your life drains quite a bit while you're connected to the matrix, so you gotta get in and out of there rather quick!

Graphics wise, Shadowrun is admittedly not the most impressive looking game on the console, but it does have some cool animated sequences at the beginning of the adventure, and when traveling between areas. However, I do like the graphic style, and with the use of smaller sprites to represent everything, there's a lot to look at and explore on each screen. Also, the game runs fine without any slowdown, even when there's four or five enemies on screen, attempting to fire away at you. The menu screen found in RPGs is also laid out well and user friendly. My only nitpick regarding the graphics, is that whenever you kill an enemy, no matter what the enemy type is, the sprite of the body left behind is always the same. I think this looks pretty odd and they should've included some different sprites for fallen enemies. I believe the only exception here is for bosses. Regarding the music, the music in this game is fantastic, as it fits the mood and vibe very well. When there's an enemy on screen, even if you don't see them at the moment, the music changes too, which is a great audio cue.

Another interesting aspect of this port for the SNES, there are actually two releases floating around. There's an earlier version with some more vulgar and suggestive language. I'm assuming Nintendo requested the game be censored, so the second release has certain dialogue bits toned down and suggestive language removed. Turns out I have the second release of the cart, however, this doesn't affect the game's plot.

Overall, I really enjoyed Shadowrun a lot! I got way more absorbed into it than I was anticipating. This is up there as one of my favorite titles I've played this year and I'm glad I took the time to sit down with it and see it through to the end. I binged through the game and ended up finishing it in just over a week's time. Unfortunately, the save file doesn't record your play time, but I'd estimate it took me about 30 to 35 hours to finish. I highly recommend the SNES port of Shadowrun! It's a very unique experience in the 16-bit generation. Perhaps next year, I'll tackle the Genesis version. Give this one a go if you haven't already!
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by Flake Sat Aug 06, 2022 1:59 pm

I keep falling behind on maintaining the list! Games since last update are in bold.

I've obviously been in a Capcom mood lately. The recent release of Capcom Arcade Stadium and Capcom Fighting Collection just have me in that space.

Switch
Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Super Mario Bros U Deluxe
Time Spinner
Fire Emblem 3 Houses
Super Mario Galaxy
Dragonball Z Kakarot
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
Fire Emblem Warriors 3 Hopes
Megaman
Megaman 2
Megaman 3
Megaman 4
Megaman 5
Megaman 6
Megaman: The Power Battles
Megaman: The Power Fighters
Hyper Street Fighter II
Street Fighter Alpha
1942
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
Street Fighter Alpha 3
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior


Xbox Series S
Blood Stained: Curse of the Moon
Blood Stained: Curse of the Moon 2
Maybe now Nintendo will acknowledge Metroid has a fanbase?
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Nemoide
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by Nemoide Sun Aug 07, 2022 10:49 pm

I don't have AC and don't do well in the summer heat, so my gaming in the warm months drops dramatically and is pretty much exclusively handhelds (I don't even like using my PC or having my WiFi on to keep the temp a little lower). So it's been a while! But I've beaten a couple titles in the past few weeks.

THE LIST:
1. Diddy Kong Racing (N64)
2. Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube)
3. Freedom Planet (Switch)
4. Aleste (PS4)
5. Gunpey DS (DS)
6. GG Aleste (PS4)
7. Dr. Mario (GB)
8. Motor Toon Grand Prix (PS1)
9. PaRappa the Rapper (PS1)
10. GG Aleste II (PS4)
11. Power Strike II (PS4)
12. Rusty's Real Deal Baseball (3DS)
13. GG Aleste 3 (PS4)
14. Darius (PS4)
15. Darius: Extra Version (Genesis)
16. Cave Noire (Game Boy)
17. Mary-Kate & Ashley: Get a Clue! (Game Boy Color)
18. Sakura Wars (Saturn)
19. Pretty Girls Panic! (PS4)
20. OutRun (Game Gear)
21. Bust-A-Move (Game Gear)
22. Balan Wonderworld (PS4)
23. Puyo Puyo 2 (Game Gear)
24. Puyo Puyo (Game Gear)
25. Super Mario Land (Game Boy)
26. Plants vs. Zombies (DS)


25. Super Mario Land (Game Boy) - When I was a kid, I remember thinking this was basically a typical Mario game but shrunk down to work on Game Boy. As an adult, I really appreciate how weird it is! Mario fights Chinese hopping vampires! Easter Island heads! Mario getting into his submarine to shoot stuff! It's a fun game and the weirdness makes it stand out compared to the largely dull majority of the series. This game doesn't hold a candle to Wario Land, but it is a very solid Game Boy game especially compared to other early titles.

26. Plants vs. Zombies (DS) - Like other titles from Popcap, this is one of those famous "casual" games that was a massive hit inspiring self-identified gamers to turn their nose up at it. But I thought it looked fun and gave it a chance and I have to say: it's really good! It's not *exactly* a tower defense game (there are no towers) but it's not exactly *not* a tower defense game - the core gameplay is building up defensive plants to shoot the hordes of zombies that want to get into your house. It's fairly simple and the adventure mode does a good job of gradually giving you new plants to use while exposing you to different types of zombies. The adventure mode is 50 levels long but still feels like it's more introduction to anything else. You can play several mini-games and puzzles, there's a survival mode that can get quite challenging. And you can replay the adventure mode with a slightly higher difficulty (the game assigns you three plants you'll HAVE to use on the level). I blazed through this game in no time while sick with covid and am still completely engrossed by the side-content. Will I be able to unlock all the achievements? I don't know, but I'm certainly having fun in the meantime! It might be a light weight game but it's great!
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by marurun Mon Aug 08, 2022 9:10 am

I picked up Plants vs Zombies on PC shortly after it first came out on the strength of the demo, and in very short order it was installed on my wife’s laptop and my in-law’s Mac as well. We were all hooked.
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Note
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Re: Games Beaten 2022

by Note Mon Aug 08, 2022 11:31 am

Nemoide wrote:25. Super Mario Land (Game Boy) - When I was a kid, I remember thinking this was basically a typical Mario game but shrunk down to work on Game Boy. As an adult, I really appreciate how weird it is! Mario fights Chinese hopping vampires! Easter Island heads! Mario getting into his submarine to shoot stuff! It's a fun game and the weirdness makes it stand out compared to the largely dull majority of the series. This game doesn't hold a candle to Wario Land, but it is a very solid Game Boy game especially compared to other early titles.


I totally agree with your statement on thinking this was a typical Mario game when I was a kid. In fact, my first console I received as a gift when I was young was a GameBoy, and Super Mario Land was the first Mario game I owned! Looking back on it now, I appreciate the uniqueness of this game. Especially when it comes to the various themes, enemies, and background music.

I haven't played the game in years, but I'd like to revisit it sometime soon!
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