My Backloggery

First Post

29. Yoshi's Wooly World
[Finished 05/07/15]
Yoshi's Wooly World is straight up gorgeous. The yarn aesthetic from Epic Yarn returns, but in a much more fleshed out form with incredible detail and in HD. Not only does it look and sound great, but this game is a bunch of fun as well. The real joy comes in finding all the hidden stuff in a level as you not only get an extra pattern of Yoshi to add to your roster but you can unlock the special S levels which are extremely hard and stand in stark comparison to the comparatively easy game that was Kirby's Epic Yarn. However, when it got to the latter stages of the game I felt bogged down. Trying to get every collectable first time through a level was frustrating and the levels are so long that I'd be so tired after only a couple that I'd end up putting the game down. Not only that but I didn't even want to go back and play more of it after a while. Perhaps it outstayed its welcome, or perhaps I need a break. I might have to come back to get all the extras at a later point, but after 20 hours, I'm pretty satisfied with the main levels in this game.

30. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
[Finished 17/07/15]
Holy shit Danganronpa is awesome. As a visual novel, there are few game mechanics involved here, but the mystery and story it tells is so intriguing that I'm not sure it really matters. All the characters here are well voice acted, and fleshed out over the course of the 20 or so hours this murder mystery takes place over. It feels like a crossover between Phoenix Wright and The Hunger Games, with splashes of crazy thrown in for good measure, and it is kinda amazing. Most of the gameplay takes place within the court room scenes, much like Phoenix Wright, however, these court room sessions are far less involved. You do have to figure stuff out, but its more designated to mini games and things to that effect, rather than carefully and slowly making your way through statements like in the AA series. But I love that it does that, because it makes the game far more fast paced. Everything has a timer, but it isn't stressful, because they give you way more time than you need, and though does a bad job of explaining some of the trial segments, once you've done them a couple of times you have a clear understanding. Really, you should just play Danganronpa and not read anything else about it, the story is bonkers in the best way and the twists and turns are so amazing that you don't want it to be spoiled.

31. Max: The Curse of Brotherhood
[Finished 31/07/15]
After seeing the Giant Bomb Quick Look a while back I always had some interest in this game. Give me an indie platformer with an interesting mechanic and I'm generally pretty pleased, and I think that sums up this game nicely. The game never gets too frustrating or difficult thanks to a really well designed check point system (something which more games need to do better). I like that the various pieces of nature that you can interact with using the magic crayon layer over each other by the end and create some really cool puzzles. When a mechanic was losing steam the game moved on and nothing overstayed its welcome. It may not be the most mind blowing game out there, but I really enjoyed my time with it.

32. Strider
[Finished 02/08/15]
Strider is fast. I mean like REALLY fast. This game takes a formula of a speedy high octane action game and melds it together with a Metroid style map to create a beautiful mixture. The controls are extremely tight and the feeling of spamming your sword by mashing the button cannont be overstated. Strider himself is super nimble, able to climb all over walls and ceilings which gives you a feeling of platforming prowess that makes exploring the metroid like designed world so much more satisfying. There is of course a lot of combat, but the game gives you the tools to deal with some really challening enemies and bosses. I was a little worried going in that it may be too tough, but it ended up being just right in terms of difficulty. In any case, its a short ride, but an intense one and I super enjoyed it.

33. Tomb Raider (2013)
[Finished 09/08/15]
As a huge fan of the Uncharted series, I really should have gotten to this game sooner. The reboot of Tomb Raider is not only an amazing thrill ride, but its also a really fun video game. As someone who played the original Tomb Raider on the PS1 back in the day and could never even get past the first level because of its terrible controls and unclear design, this new entry is refreshing in so many ways. Lara is very well voice acted and quickly becomes a character you care about rather than a walking pair of tits (as she was in the PS1 days). The set pieces are spectacular and the story intriguing though not breaking any new ground. The combat was well paced throughout and curved in difficulty very nicely, and in this sense it is superior to many Uncharted games which end up throwing wave after wave of bullet spongy enemies at you towards the endgame. Lara has way more tools at her disposal in terms of both weaponry and gear than Drake does and as such the variety of ways that you can take down enemies and interact with the environment are manyfold. I love all the environmental puzzle solving in the Tombs and only wish there was more of it, and I hope the sequel addresses that in some fashion. Overall, I loved Tomb Raider, a perfect 10 hour blast.

34. INK
[Finished 09/08/15]
What an awesome surprise this game was! Patrick Klepek featured it on his youtube channel and I immediately fell in love with the colourful aesthetic and Meat Boy style gameplay. It doesn't do anything radically crazy or different from other masochistic platormers in terms of level design, but the ability to spray ink and slowly reveal the level takes the challenge and turns it on its head. This might be my favourite genre/style of game next to Metroidvania and as a result I absolutely adored what INK had to offer. It is really cheap so I suggest if you like games like Super Meat Boy then you should pick it up without hesitation.

35. Ghost Trick
[Finished 12/08/15]
After many years of hearing about the merits of Ghost Trick on various podcasts, I finally decided to give it a shot. And you know, its pretty cool. Ghost Trick didn't blow me away in the same way that the best parts of Phoenix Wright did, but it tells a compelling story full of mystery and crazy twists. The base mechanics are simple but work in the same way as many point and click adventures, though stradling the line between obtuse and fair to a decent degree. There were certainly times where the puzzle logic didn't quite click with me, and thus I ended up having to go to a guide, but generally if you sat and thought about it for long enough, the solution would present itself. Overall I really enjoyed Ghost Trick, but it certainly isn't making my greatest of all time list.

36. Mega Man X
[Finished 14/08/15]
MEGA MAN MEGA MAN! Mega Man X is super fucking rad. It takes all the classic elements from the original series and spices them up in a really cool way. You really have to relearn how to play this style of game, as the dash ability and the wall jump change the way you move through the environment significantly. I certainly had a lot of trouble trying to take down the first couple of bosses, but once I got rolling, they started falling. The upgrade system is cool, though it leaves you super weak if you aren't someone who likes to explore and find everything in a level, and I found myself having to go back through stages later on with different abilites to make myself powerful enough for the end. It is also a really gorgeous game, and reminds me why the Super Nintendo holds up so well to this day. I'm glad that I played Mega Man 2 and 3 first, but now I have a taste of X I certainly want more!

37. Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
[Finished 18/08/15]
I vowed at the start of 2015 that this for me, would be the year of Castlevania, and having played both SOTN and COTM, I have finally come to the next chronological release in the series, namely Harmony of Dissonance. There are many things to like about this game, despite it seemingly weirdly similar to SOTN in its setup. The difference here is that you can go between to 2 versions of the castle much earlier and as a result explore similar places but find different items. HoD is certainly far easier than COTM was and this comes as a result of the plentiful potions that you get access to. The bosses themselves never became difficult for me, showing very obvious and pretty slow patterns that I could easily get around. As a result there was no need to grind levels, and the RPG mechanics were much more smoothly implemented. The spellbook made more sense than the DSS system and was way better as a result. As someone who took the Holy Water through the whole game, the spells I had access to were extremely useful and helped me get in easy hits on the tougher bosses/enemies. Overall this is a solid Castlevania game. I like it more than COTM, but I still think SOTN holds the crown for me. We'll have to see if Aria of Sorrow can take it away.

38. Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power
[Finished 25/08/15]
As a huge fan of the Trine series I was extremely excited to see what Frozenbyte could do with a 3D entry in the series, and for the most part I was really happy with it. They do some really cool environmental physics based puzzle solving as usual, but this time in 3D, and you can really tell the difference. The environments themselves are also absolutely jaw droppingly gorgeous, and it continues to astonish me that an independent studio can make a game that looks this good. However, Trine 3 is also deficient in many aspects. No longer do you have skill trees or upgrades to build your characters which is a shame but understandable when you consider the length and scope of the game. All the secrets aren't that hard to find or get as a result of this, and you won't be rigging boxes together like a madman to get a really tough exp vial like in the previous game. It did mean that I was able to 100% the game, which I rarely do, but it really wasn't hard whatsoever. Trine 3 is also a very short game. In comparison, the main part of Trine 2 took me 15 hours to complete and that is without going for everything. Trine 3 by comparison took me 5 hours total, and sports only 4-5 major levels. Yes these levels are long and extremely beautiful, but they can't sustain a player for many hours. Not only that, but there is no story conclusion, and it makes you feel like they had originally planned for this game to be 3 times as long, but weren't able due to financial reasons. It is a real shame, because had Trine 3 kept upgrades, and been as long as its predecessors, I think it may have been my favourite in the series. I really like what they did with the 3D perspective, and I hope they will try to have another go at it.

39. Sleeping Dogs
[Finished 26/08/15]
WOW Sleeping Dogs is gory as all hell, and I'll tell you that ending will stick with me for a while, but man it was also a pretty fun experience. I'm usually not one for urban environments, but Sleeping Dogs version of Hong Kong is vibrant, bustling and has much more character than your standard open world setting. I didn't explore it much, but with the HD texture pack on PC it is super gorgeous to look at and just taking in a rainy night while driving to your next mission marker is a sight to behold. The story is one of the main things that kept me going. The writing is pretty great and is accompanied by memorable characters who are well voice acted. The combat was certainly not a highlight when it came to gun combat, but it was great that the game had minimal amounts of it, as you never had one in the open world, only within the construct of missions. The melee combat is the real star of the show, though not groundbreaking the addition of environmental attacks to brutally take down your enemies is super fun and adds a different flavour to the fights. It never got too hard either, which allowed me to bust through missions and enjoy cutscenes without too much worry. Overall I really enjoyed Sleeping Dogs, it does a lot of cool stuff and I hope more open world games take cues from that.

40. Nightsky
[Finished 31/08/15]
Here is a quick one that I didn't actually finish, but I know I'm never going back to. It is a very rudimentary puzzle platformer where you are a ball. The problem is that it is either way too fucking frustrating as the physics aren't particularly great, or way to fucking easy and you roll your way through a level no problem. Also I think the PC version is fucked. Levels I've unlocked remain locked if I drop out of the session, and the controller mappings make no logical sense whatsoever. I'd steer clear of this one if I were you.

41. Code Name S.T.E.A.M.
[Finished 11/09/15]
My oh my, Code Name STEAM is shocking to me in so many ways, but I think most of all in the respect that I love it so much. Yes it has flaws, which are many and glaring, but underneath that rough exterior shines a diamond of a video game with some of the most satisfying and tense moment to moment gameplay I've had recently. I could complain about the times when I got shot and totally shouldn't have, the moments where I totally hit a shot and it didn't land and the moments where the respawning enemies made me want to snap the cartridge in half. However, when you are down to your last character with hardly any life remaining and you make a finally dash for the goal without being spotted and complete the map there is hardly any feeling better in video games. This is a strategy game where you don't have all the information and as a result it makes it thrilling, surprising and though sometimes frustrating, always tense. The variety in characters is fantastic with each new addition providing something completely new and different. The map designs are masterful, providing corners, covers and checkpoints exactly where you need them to be, and the objectives, though usually similar, change things up often enough to keep you engaged and wanting to continue playing. And that in itself might be the biggest praise I could give this game, I simply did not want to stop. I would start a chapter and not pull myself away until I had finished every mission contained within it. That is when you know a game has grabbed you.

42. Lara Croft GO
[Finished 19/09/15]
Alongside Monument Valley, Lara Croft GO shows you what is possible on mobile devices when you create an experience that is 100% tailored for the interface. I hate virtual D-pads and buttons as much as anyone, and as a result I steer clear of many terrible iOS and Android games, but when developers use the devices in ways that are intuitive and smart, I certainly pay attention. As a result, Lara Croft GO is an excellent puzzle game that isn't too long or short, has a wonderfully beautiful artsyle that evokes the PS1 era without looking garish and pitches its difficulty in the perfect spot. I was never so frustrated with a puzzle that I had to go look it up, but neither did I waltz through the game without any trouble. The mechanics build upon one another but are slowly introduced and well taught to you, and as a result you'll certainly have to sit and figure things out the later you get into the game. Not to mention is sports a calming, somber soundtrack that whilst not particularly memorable, aptly fits the tone of the experience. Overall, you can't get much better than this on mobile, I highly recommend it.

43. Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows
[Finished 30/09/15]
While this may not count as a full game, as it is DLC, it may as well be treated as such because Yacht Club have clearly put so much love and attention into Plague Knight's adventure. While it certainly takes some getting used to and is far more difficult that the base game, Plague of Shadows is still a really enjoyable romp. I certainly got very frustrated with it at points, and in some areas it felt a little bit cheap, which wasn't the case in the original. Mixing and matching different types of bombs is a really fun aspect and it certainly makes you think differently about boss encounters, as they each have varying patterns that need different approaches. For the most part challenge lies in the stages and the act of platforming your way through them, and although the stages are pretty much the same as they always were, there are certain additions that adhere more to Plague Knights abilities which add an additional exploration element. Overall, I'm much more of a fan of the original Shovel Knight, but this free DLC is certainly far more expansive than I expected!

44. Super Mario Maker
[Finished 06/10/15]
There is no beating Super Mario Maker of course, but I feel like its time for me to write about it. This game is so utterly fantastic it kinda defies belief. Never before have I been so wrapped up in the creative process inside of a video game. Super Mario Maker makes it so incredibly easy to make levels and throw ideas onto the screen, and iterate on them again and again until you have a creation that you are truly proud of. It speaks volumes that I played over 30 hours of this game in a time period of about 3 days, and though I'm currently taking a break from it, I know I want to go back for more. But here is the thing, I actually much prefer the act of designing a level and watching others play through it than playing levels made by the community. There is something electric about seeing your creation get critiqued and praised and given a whole bunch of feedback, and it has made me appreciate the time and effort that goes into game development. Yes there are a lot of issues with finding levels, but at its core, Super Mario Maker is a damn fine piece of software.

45. Tales From The Borderlands
[Finished 20/10/15]
I don't know anything about Borderlands, and I've never had much interest in getting into the series, so when Telltale announced that this was a project they were working on, I couldn't give a toss. However, having played every other game they've done since The Walking Dead, and having heard good things about this series on places like GAF and from folks like Jim Sterling, I decided to pick it up in a sale and take a punt. And boy oh boy what a fantastic gamble that was. Tales from the borderlands is simply the best thing Telltale has done since the original season of The Walking Dead back in 2012. Since that moment they have tried to recapture the magic and have continually failed to live up to their own legacy. However, this game breaks that cycle in a way that I don't think anyone was expecting. Tales from the borderlands is funny, like really funny, and I don't say that about many games. Not only does it pitch its comedy amazingly well, but it creates characters who are all really distinct, have great personalities and are incredibly memorable. It is not often that you get a cast this good paired with writing that is as incisive and cuttingly funny as this. I'm so incredibly impressed with this game, and it is certainly an underdog for GOTY. I wish more people would play it, because it really is one of the best adventure games ever made.

46. The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes
[Finished 02/11/15]
Triforce Heroes is certainly a mixed bag. On the one hand it has some of the most fun co-operative gameplay I've ever encountered in an online environment, mainly because I'm a sucker for Zelda dungeons, and being able to solve those with friends is a blast. On the other hand the online stuff is just so poorly implemented. From not being guaranteed that you will be able to play the level you want to, to running into trolls, to the lack of worldwide play (fuck region locking), to the horrendous lag that will sometimes cause a good run to end and force you to start over. There is far too much that gets in the way of you actually playing the game, and that sucks, because the game is so much fun. This Zelda has some of the most intense, toughest boss fights I've faced in a while and they are the absolute highlight. Co-operating under pressure is certainly difficult, but also rewarding when you finally get that teamwork in check. So yeah, its a flawed gem and though I won't go back for all the costume nonsense, I enjoyed my time with it.

47. LUFTRAUSERS
[Finished 08/11/15]
I wanted a shorter, small burst game to play alongside my return to MGSV, and LUFTRAUSERS seemed to fit the bill nicely. I really really enjoyed the ramp of learning the controls, building up combos, unlocking new plane parts and trying to last as long as possible in the bullet hell filled screen. You can't really beat this game, but after I took down the blimp, I considered myself as having conquered the main challenge that it had put in front of me. Its fast, its fun and it looks really nice to boot, with a pretty unique aesthetic. Overall, a short sweet satisfying experience.

48. Star Fox 64 3D
[Finished 10/11/15]
Look, I'm not a huge fan of Star Fox 64, so I was kinda relieved that "beating" the game isn't the most time consuming thing. I feel like this remake should have addressed problems with the original such as, when you exit out of a mission that you are in the middle of, it just takes you back to the planet menu, instead of fucking ending your game and forcing you to start from the beginning. The arcade-y stylings are not my jam, and the fact that when you lose all your lives you are back to the start as well didn't jive with me. Ok, so maybe its because I'm bad at this game, but being bad at it means that I'm getting punished way more than I want to, and its leaving me frustrated. When its fun, its a pretty fun game, but this style of shooter has never really done anything for me in the past, and continues to be an ok experience for me in this game. Hey, at least it looks nice, and that 3D effect is pretty neat. And you know what, it may have just saved me some money for next year, because as someone who didn't enjoy this, I sure as hell won't be buying Star Fox Zero.

49. Evoland
[Finished 12/11/15]
What a charmingly fun, unique little game this was. I love the idea of slowly building up mechanics and aesthetics into the world, forming it from a colourless 2D gameboy looking game, into a 3D rendered PS1 style JRPG look. Yes the game is easy (until the final boss haha), but I enjoyed the neat little puzzles, the dungeons, taking down enemies in both a standard turn based affair and in more action based battles. Overall, its only a couple hours long, and that's great, because it makes its point and doesn't outstay its welcome. Excellent little title indeed.

Continued

Original post


37. I Am Bread (PC)
All Story Mode levels completed. Only finished one level using Magic Marmalade, the Garden. NEVER MIND, JUST BEAT THE GARDEN WITHOUT MARMALADE

Goat Simulator was a smashing success for Coffee Stain Studios, the people behind the tower-defense-FPS series Sanctum. This has to be, in part, because of the odd set of audience expectations: that it'll be absolutely rubbish, but also hilarious. Thus Goat Simulator gets to give most users two big surprises: the obvious surprise of "I can't believe they made a goat simulator," followed by "I can't believe this game isn't actually that bad."

This year's Goat Simulator is I Am Bread. Or maybe it's better to say that Goat Simulator is last year's I Am Bread, because improbably, I Am Bread is better at delivering both surprises. Its premise even more ridiculous: you play a piece of bread trying to toast yourself, to the horror of your increasingly unhinged owner. Shockingly, it's also a better game. Surprise!

Taking liberally from the QWOP and Octodad school of gameplay (as well as being a kissing cousin to Bossa's own Surgeon Simulator 2013), I Am Bread is all about the joys of intentionally awkward controls, floppy bread physics, and figuring out what will make you inedible and what won't. As the game progresses, it asks you to perform ever more spectacular feats of bread traversal to get yourself toasted. Spoiler: only the first level, the kitchen, even has a toaster. For the rest of the levels, you have to use your imagination to find ways to toast yourself.

I Am Bread is not for the faint of heart. One big mistake will end your run, forcing you to start from scratch. As a concession to those of us without an iron will, Bossa took a page from some of the 3D Mario games and added Magic Marmalade, a pick-up item that appears after you've failed a level a few times and grants you unlimited grip and edibility. But you still have to find your way to a heat source using just the four corners of your bread and a whole lot of Tarzan-style swinging action.

There are a few issues. Figuring out what you can and cannot touch without losing edibility is hard, and not entirely intuitive. Just being near a dirty wall or getting too close to the ceiling will drop your edible rating, while things that seem awfully dirty like the tops of outdoor garbage cans or dusty-looking shoeboxes will be totally fine. And some of the levels feel a bit too strenuous, given how narrow the acceptable margin of error is (hello garden level). But overall, there's a surprising amount of game here, even disregarding the other game modes that I haven't even looked into yet.

Also, it has a GIF creator.

Triggerhappytel said:

Games 1 - 23 (updated)

Click to expand...

23. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (PS4) - 1st July, 101 minutes
I completed the Ground Zeroes mission and rescued another prisoner from execution, and I've no desire to play it any more. This is like a microcosm of my feelings toward the MGS series as a whole: I enjoy the gameplay but hate the storytelling. I dislike the tonal shift this has undergone since the earlier games, although the production values are really high quality I disliked pretty much all of the voice acting and given the dearth of content it's a bit of a joke that they were ever charging £30/$40 for this. But, despite all those issues I have with the content, it's better than ever to actually play - Big Boss moves really well, the controls are great, there's a solid connection and interaction with the environment, and so on. It's just a shame that despite playing so well, there's so little content in the game as a whole. 7/10

Currently playing: Destiny, Yeti Ski Adventure, Grim Fandango Remastered

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=150899273&postcount=984

Update with some PS4 love

Neverwinter One 570 hours and counting

My play everyday addiction since the day it came out on the Xbox One.

The Last of Us Remastered PS4 10-15 hours

Played through the story, felt it was a tad over hyped but still a fantastic game. It left me ready to cry a few times.

Tower of Guns PS4 5 hours

Been playing it on and off to kill time. Fun silly little game.

Infamous First Light PS4 4 hours

Liked the first infamous, never played any of the others on PS3, so I jumped in on the PS4 with this game. Planning to eventually play Second Son, I just don't know when I will get around to it.

14/52

Game #23 Find Mii
3DS
Feels like cheating, but hey I went through the effort of going through the whole thing. Walking past people, collecting passes, fighting ghosts. Holy shit it was like 3 months until I spot passed someone with white magic to get past one room though.

Gonna try to redo my list so far:

1. Thomas Was Alone - first game I beat in 2015. Length was... I dunno, five hours? great game, 9/10.
2. Danganronpa: Trigger-Happy Havoc - Did another playthrough earlier in the year. Took about 15 hours, though I'm spitballing since it's been so long. As good as I remembered. 10/10
3. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair - Replayed shortly after THH. Same as the above, 10/10.
4. Find Mii II - Finally got through! It's an okay game, but it would be a lot better if it didn't rely on padding like needing a red and blue Mii combo (how asinine is that). 6/10.
5. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D - A lot of hours. Got literally all things to get from the game! 10/10. Great remake. Worst part is that I got a New 3DS XL only after beating it 100% so I never played it for real with the camera stick lol.
6. BOXBOY - Finished every level, including time trials and score attacks. Such an inventive damned game! Took about 20 or so hours to master it. 9/10.
7. Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker - Haven't beaten the new content yet, but I've beaten the original game twice. Really, really solid game, great characters. About 90 hours invested and counting. 9/10.
8. inFAMOUS 2 - I kept waiting until I was in the right mood to finish inFAMOUS 1 (I've had to restart twice due to extenuating circumstances), but decided to just not bother with the original anymore and move on, especially since I'm trying to drop PS+. It was fun, but it also lacked a newness I guess. It definitely felt like they just took inFAMOUS and made a better game out of it. It still has a lot of the same problems, but for the most part they're just less significant problems. 8/10.
9. Plants vs. Zombies - Beat it on mah Kindle Fire HDX! Liked it then, like it now. Probably played it for about 15 hours. 9/10.
10. Professor Layton X Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Good game... kind of. Extremely disappointing ending and many, many flaws throughout. Probably spent about 50 hours on this. 7/10.
11. Her Story - A really inventive game, great story. It's super cheap and comes super highly recommended! 9/10, took about five hours (took somewhat longer because I was trying for 100% completion).
12. Achievement Unlocked 2 - I wouldn't normally count browser flash games, but these are sequels to games I enjoyed so! This one is pretty fun as far as flash games go, I think I'd consider it the best of the three Achievement Unlocked games. It's ironically the least linear of the series. 8/10, took about 45 minutes or so.
13. Achievement Unlocked 3 - Not nearly as good. Still sort of fun, but it feels kind of disorganized without also letting you have more freedom. 6/10, about an hour.
14. Upgrade Complete 2 - I enjoy the idea behind this series. Gameplay is a little mindless, but I can't claim that there isn't plenty of value in getting things piece-by-piece. 7/10, an hour about.

There may be others, but I can't think of them off the top of my head. I'm a little disappointed in myself for having such a small list, but at the same time most of the games on it I beat I beat very recently.

Games I'm working on/plan to work on:

1. EarthBound Beginnings
2. Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2
3. Dragon Warrior
4. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
5. Xenoblade Chronicles
6. Pushmo
7. Splatoon
8. inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood
9. Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention
10. Mega Man X2
11. Little Nemo: The Dream Master
12. Mega Man X5

and more~~~ I'm totes gonna do it this time

Ceallach said:

Game #23 Find Mii
3DS
Feels like cheating, but hey I went through the effort of going through the whole thing. Walking past people, collecting passes, fighting ghosts. Holy shit it was like 3 months until I spot passed someone with white magic to get past one room though.

Click to expand...

That's hardly cheating! It's a game and it has an end goal. But yeah, I remember waiting for a whiteshirt. What a horrible design flaw, haha.

Beat two more games, I'm really catching up. Have a few more short ones almost finished as well.

Game 16: CounterSpy: I wanted this to be good. I had high hopes for it when I saw it on an E3 stream one year. But it really isn't very good. It's a perfect example of rogue lite design not working. The encounters are always the same and the game really needs level design to better take advantage of it's different weapons. You can't plan ahead so you end up using the exact same equipment every level. Nothing about gameplay really fulfilled it's potential. It end s up being a fairly average game. 5/10

Game 17: Towerfall: I'm counting beating towerforge as a win, despite there being 3 more levels. I have no one who wants to play multiplayer and only one controller anyway. A fairly decent if frustrating game. I tried multiplayer once and didn't really enjoy it enough to play it over other games. 7/10.

Original post.

original post

29. Devil May Cry (PS3) - 6 hours;



The last Kamiya game I haven't played, until now. And it was pretty great again. I love how its Resident Evil roots still shine through and, like Ninja Gaiden Black, still make this more of an Action Adventure title, rather than solely action. And quite a moody adventure it is, regardless of the over-the-top battles thrown in. The gothic art direction is amazing, sound is pretty good too and there really isn't too much story, nor any kind of focus on Dante being ridiculous. It really feels like some kind of Castlevania. The controls for the combat weren't that refined back then, but they are still doing their job, regardless of one or two clunky bosses.
Fuck this akward tradition of some developers throwing a shooting section into the game as a final boss though. Only reversed controls too, which I unlearned last gen for the other way round. At least you can easily cheapen out here with items. And thankfully, other than that, there weren't any subpar minigames or similar shit distracting from the maingame. The underwater sections could have been, but were really short and easy.

Original Post

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Criteria: Full game completion, including all Riddler trophies
Time played: 19 hours

Amidst all the Arkham Knight hype, I was starting to feel a little left out. I own all of the previous Arkham games, but have only ever beaten Arkham Asylum previously, before quitting out of Arkham City. Decided I may as well start from the beginning again, and replay Arkham Asylum before moving on.

This game is still fantastic. The hours flew by whilst playing it, and once I was done I decided I may as well go back for the Riddler challenges and Spirit of Arkham stories (which I skipped in my initial playtrhough). It's really amazing just how well Rocksteady managed to transfer the feel of playing as Batman into the game. Even little things like the enemie's fearing you rather than the other way around are well portrayed, and all of the cast is voice perfectly. I still do think the fighting system is not quite as great as it's often praised to be, but it's serves its purpose well, and combat flows nicely (if a bit predictably).

I'll probably place another game between this and my new attempt at Arkham City. I'm really hoping to appreicate that game more this time around, armed with the knowledge that the experience will differ somewhat to the more enclosed experience provided by Asylum.

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#31: Ronin - 5.5 hours ★★★★
Awesome little stealth action game. To say it's Gunpoint meets Mark of the Ninja would be to sell its strengths short. The turn-based combat system is very well-designed, fast-paced and puzzle-like. Managing to take down entire rooms of enemies is so satisfying and makes you feel smart and badass. The game peaks with a great final level, and both endings are worth seeing. My favorite 2015 release so far.

#32: Door Kickers - 12.5 hours ★★★★
Essentially Rainbow Six Planning Phase: The Game. Really scratches that tactical itch. Lots of content here but it starts to feel recycled after a while.

Original Post

Too Lazy for pictures this time. Big Update.

Game 24: Enigmatis: The Ghosts of Maple Creek (3/5) - 6 Hours

Very decent hidden object game from the kings of the genre Artifex Mundi. Nothing new or innovative, but nice puzzles and decent writing and voice acting. Probably at least an hour too long though.

Game 25: Mass Effect 3 (4/5) - 35 Hours

Probably enjoyed it more the second time around. While the end goes completely against the choice matters ethos of the series, Bioware are still the masters of small character moments. It was also the first time I played the taking back Omega DLC and it was probably the best DLC bioware has done for the series.

Game 26: Van Helsing III (3.5/5) - 18 Hours

This game came out too early, it's more like an early access release. There is stuff in the game that doesn't work that was working in the second game. They also reworked the 3 classes into 6 new ones and balance is shody at best. It still succeeds in storytelling, character and design, it just needed more time.

Game 27: OMG Zombies! (3.5/5) - 4 Hours

Interesting little puzzle game where you try to clear the screen of zombies by setting up chain reaction zombie explosions. Some zombies explode when hit, some shoot their guns, some run around etc... You only have very limited ammo, so careful shots are required. It is a bit of a fist punch moment when you hit the right zombie at the right time and clear the board with one shot!

Game 28: Witcher III (19/5) - Many, many hours

Masterpiece.

Game 29: Stranded (3/5) - 1.5 Hours

Very short point and click about an astronaut crash landing on a planet and trying to survive. While I would have liked a more complex experience and maybe a little more information, the payoff is decent and it will definitely make you think after finishing it.

Game 30: Walking Dead: 400 Days (3/5) - 1.5 Hours

Interesting little stories about other survivors during the timescale of Season 1 of The Walking Dead. I assume they will turn up at some point in season 2, they haven't in chapter 1 so far and that is as far as I am into S2. There are 5 short stories but while the scenarios are interesting most of the characters are not particularly likeable so hopefully they only play an ancillary role in the rest of the story.

Game 31: Wolfenstein: The New Order (4/5) - 17 Hours

Very good story heavy shooter. Great levels, great design and characters matched to only decent gunplay. BJ always feels a little slower than he should and bullet sponges abound. Oh how I wish designers could come up with something more interesting than bullet sponges. I'm looking at you Farcry 3.

Game 32: Shadows of Mordor (3.5/5) - 30 Hours

Someone described it in another thread as Checklist: The Game and it is. It's like the game was solely designed by middle management. The characters are uninspired apart from maybe the dwarf, the design average and writing poor. BUT! The nemesis system is fantastic, saves the game and should be a pre-requisite from now on in all game design. The game also gets stupidly easy after a while though the DLC, so far, does take away some of the instant win tools.

Game 33: Lego Star Wars Saga (4/5) - 17 Hours

Nice old school Lego game where you play through all six movies. An amalgamation of 2 games, the design difference between the original and prequel movies is obvious with the prequel ones being pretty basic but all the charm of traditional lego games is present and accounted for.

Game 34: Transplan (4/5) - 2 Hours

Great little puzzle game in the vein of Inside the Gear, but not crap. The idea is to move an object from A -> B using the various objects in the field to swing it, catapult it, hit it, drop it etc... You only have 2 tools to play with, drawing pins to keep elements in place or allow them to pivot around a certain point and an eraser to remove elements altogether so they don't get in the way. It's pretty short and not particularly difficult, but still rewarding in a Rube Goldburg'ingen kind of way!

Game 35: Lego Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars (3/5) - 9 Hours

Short and decent Lego game. Lacks the charm of earlier ones but still has some great level design. Too many base building levels though.

Game 36: Watch_Dogs (3/5) - 28 Hours

Pretty meh really. Boring characters apart from maybe T-bone, sterile design and nonsense story. The hacking on the fly is really well done but most of the other elements are just boring. The game also runs like complete dogshit for no reason and is full of bugs. Potential for a 2nd, but they really need to find a more interesting direction.

Only 16 more to go at just after the halfway point!

4h-ish. Four runs, got to London on time on the fourth. After my brief, let's say, forum vacation (don't post on the forums while off your meds kids) I've completed a coupla new games. 80 days was the first of them, and what a pleasant surprise it was. I though it would be kind of a visual novel, but it was that AND a very clever micromanagement game. The prose is excellent, and the game changes quite a bit depending on the route you follow - if you try to be faithful to the original story, expect to be both acknowledged and surprised.


Updated OP

60:06h. Finally, the last mainline Pokémon game I've never completed. And good lord, there was a good reason. Combat was slow like molasses, and the Elite Four were fiendish: I had to redo my whole team and grind for like 15 hours just to have a go at them (Tried Infernape, Bibarel, Crobat, Mamoswine, Bronzorg and Rampardos - ended with Infernape, Gyarados, Crobat, Giratina, Abomasnow and Luxray). Not a game I'm going to miss.


Updated OP

15. Splatoon

What a masterpiece. This game is my top contender for GOTY so far. I'll be sinking yet dozens of more hours into the multiplayer.

Little, late update.

Game #21 : Splinter Cell: Conviction

Rating: ★★★★☆ | Platform: X360 | Beaten: 24/06/2015 | Time: 08:20 h

I haven't any idea what to expect. I heard many opinions that SC:C is the weakest game in SC series. Tried and...what a wonderful game! Short in comparison with other SC games, but with a great story, emotions and heroes.
Now, when I've beaten all SC games on home consoles in series - beside Chaos Theory - I think Conviction is the best or one of the best SC in history.

Original Post

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#24. Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! (3DS) -- July 3 -- 3:54:00 -- ★★★☆☆
Good amount of content and solid puzzle design. I didn't mess around much with the bonus levels, but most of what I played was pretty easy.

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#25. Ketzal's Corridors (3DS) -- July 4 -- 2:09:00 -- ★★★☆☆
Fun game. It involves rotating objects to fit through holes in walls. It seems almost impossible at first, but the game does a great job of easing you into the difficulty. It's pretty cool how quickly your brain becomes programmed to memorize button combinations to go from one orientation to another. Nice music and visuals, as well.

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#26. Entwined (PS4) -- July 8 -- 1:25:00 -- ★★☆☆☆
Seems like a game that's artsy for the sake of being artsy. At the end of each level, you get trophies with names like Innocence, Loneliness, and Enlightenment, but there's nothing in the gameplay or non-existent story that would suggest these things. It comes off as pretentious. Also, I correctly predicted that the game would end with a single musical note punctuating the title card. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but it didn't feel earned here. The gameplay isn't bad, aside from the awkward 3D flying sections, but it never evolves much past what you do in the tutorial. I experienced a handful of momentary freezes, which is pretty unacceptable for a game that requires strong focus.

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#42 - BioShock 2



Really great game and considerably better than the first one, which was already great. In my opinion, BioShock 2 is the best game in the series, although I have only played around 40% of BioShock Infinite, but considering I got bored of it before finishing it, I doubt I will like it more than BioShock 2 when I get to finish the game.

Also, Eleanor is probably my favorite character in the series. And Subject Delta is the best protagonist

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Game #21. Super Mario 64 (N64 VC)
- Time played: 14:56 hours.
- Completion reached: 120 stars!

I don't think it can get much more classic than this game. Super Mario 64 is one of the first 3D platformers released and the one that set the bar for all that followed. Naturally, it was also the first 3D platformer in the Mario franchise and, as such, made a lot of innovations to the franchise. Instead of a world map, the game features a fully playable hub (like a small open world) where the levels are located. Also, levels aren't designed as linear obstacle courses anymore. Instead, the focus is on completing tasks inside levels to earn stars, which allow you to unlock new levels and progress through the game.

Gameplay in Super Mario 64 is great. It's incredible how much they nailed the movement considering it was one of the first truly 3D platformers ever released. Some even argue that the controls and moveset in this game are even better than the current 3D Mario games! I feel there are some small issues with how easy it's to bump on walls or fall of ledges sometiimes but it isn't game breaking (although quite infuriating!). The hub world is also amazing and, sadly, something I don't feel has been improved in more recent Mario games (or other platformers for that matter). Levels are accessed by jumping into paintings and aren't (all of them) in super obvious locations so it was actually possible to miss levels without noticing! Modern platformers usually make a big deal about level locations, decreasing the amount of surprise and mystery that made Peach's Castle such a great hub.

Overall, this game is amazing. Gameplay is awesome, level design is great and, mainly, it's fun! Also, considering its age, the game looks quite good and the music is cool. Recommended!

Uh oh. Can't edit my original post anymore (it's gotten too large) so I guess I'll be continuing with this post.

Games 1-30

Game 31 - Typing of the Dead: Overkill - Started 3/13/15, finished 7/10/15 - 4.5 hours

I dunno. There's really nothing to this game but I'm a fast typer and for some reason, I wanted to play it. Story and characters are terrible and it was never very difficult (thanks to free continues). I guess a nice break from things.

Game 32 - Wolfenstein: The Old Blood - Started 7/4/15, finished 7/16/15 - 5:10

I played New Order around the beginning of the year. It was enjoyable enough, a good blend of story and combat. Old Blood is not. It's rehash to the highest order, with all of the flaws of the original game and none of the surprises. That doesn't mean that it wasn't fun at times but despite its short length, the fun was wearing thin long before the game was over.

Game 33 - Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia – Started 6/13/15, finished 7/23/15 – 7:32

Everyone has their weaknesses. Metroidvanias are mine. Last year, I went through Portrait of Ruin (which was okay) so this completes the DS cycle for me and it ends on a spectacularly high note, with an upped challenge (but always fair) and an intriguing new system for managing weapons and skills. Some of the level design gets a bit rote but the terrific music and exciting gameplay kept me going to the end. I'm ready for Bloodstained!

Game 34 - Dragon Quest I - Started 8/2/15, finished 8/3/15 - 8-10 hours. Game didn't keep track.

My buddy Bob has taken this year to go through the entire Final Fantasy franchise so I decided to follow in his footsteps and do Dragon Quest. But since the games are so similar to each other, I want to go through them more slowly as to prevent burn-out. First up was #1. A very simple game, with very simple objectives. And the grinding was outrageously high. But there was still a lot of charm to this game, the music was wonderful (as always with this series) and I got into a groove while playing it. Looking forward to later entries.

Game 35 - INK - Started 8/6/15, finished 8/7/15 - 1:44

Everyone needs a little break from Dragon Quest II so I started this little Super Meat Boy clone. Very clever game, not nearly as lengthy or as in-depth as SMB but I enjoyed it all the same. At least until the enemies that track you in the third half, which were rage inducing. Just wished there was more of it. There's other achievements I could go for but none of them amount to much. Still, very fun game.

Game 36 - Dragon Quest II - Started 8/3/15, finished 8/13/15 - 10 hours, maybe. Game didn't keep track, alas.

Bigger and better is how I look at this game. A massive improvement from DQ1, 2 adds more party members, more monsters in battle, more spells, more locations and more complicated dungeons. I mostly enjoyed my time with it until near the end, where the difficulty massively spiked and the game tosses two really obnoxious dungeons in a row at you. The Cave to Rhone in particular is notorious for its difficulty but it's really more because the developers cheat and put invisible pits and unforgiving mazes into it which force you to fight endless and very difficult battles while trying to figure them out. The final boss is also quite difficult, requiring an unreasonable amount of grinding to beat (and even then, it really comes down to luck). But when the end credits scrolled with that unforgettable piece of music, it felt all worth it.

Game 37 - Super Win the Game - Started and finished 8/20/15 - 3 hours

I was in the mood for a platformer, I bought one and I played it. End of story. I really liked the Zelda II vibes that this game put out. Fiendishly challenging at times but never unfair, Super Win the Game was just what I needed this evening. I only wished it were longer.

Game 38 - Metal Gear Solid - Started 8/21/15, finished 9/4/15 - 11:21

Since I got a copy of The Phantom Pain with my new video card, I decided that I would play through the entire MGS series. Previously, I've only played 1 and 2. Returning to 1 was interesting, given that it's a PSX game and savagely dated, from the control scheme to the graphics. But once I started playing the game, it was easy to get back into its world. Honestly, at this point, what's dated the most is the writing. The frequently cheesy (and very Japanese) way characters would repeat things that other characters had said ("I will do THIS now!" "You will do this now?"), the longwinded speeches and melodrama. Most of this was tolerable until the end, where it got hilariously preachy. I learned from Metal Gear Solid that I need to live life! Very goofy, overall but it's not hard to see how the series became so popular.

Game 39 - Megaman X4 - Started 8/29/15, finished 9/8/15 - 4-5 hours

Continuing my X journey, I'd say that 4 is a step above 3 but still not on the level of the first two. It takes a great deal of influence of Megaman 8 (and appears to run on the same engine). Being a PSX game, this unfortunately means that cheesy voice acting and cutscenes come along for the ride. Do yourself a favor and skip everything relating to the story, which is terrible. Not a big fan of the music either, which ups the synth elements but at the cost of good tunes. Fortunately, the game remains reliably fun in the grand X tradition, with decent level and boss design. The final boss in particular took up at least two hours of this run, as he's an asshole. Not sure if I'll continue with the series (as I know it gets bad) or shift my attention to the Zero games.

Game 40 - Dragon Quest III - Started 8/13/15, finished 9/9/15 - 15-20 hours

When I was a kid, I owned the game Dragon Warrior III on my shiny NES. I played that game to death but alas, never beat it. As such, I look at this victory as closing a certain book on my childhood. DQIII takes everything DQII did and makes it better. A bigger world (two of them!), even better music, more strategy and the ability to class change, which provides a much needed diversion in the mid-game. There is still far too much grinding in the game but given the age of the game, I suppose that's to be expected. I can't decide at this point whether to take a DQ break or to move on to 4.

Game 41 - Metal Gear Solid 2 - Started 9/4/15, finished 9/17/15 - 14:06

Well, okay. I can't decide whether this was pretentious horseshit or terrifyingly prescient. What I can say for sure is that like a lot of MGS1, it's not especially well-written. Melodramatic excess rules the day (especially in the Otacon scenes) and info dumps turn the last third of the game into a baffling exercise in trying to figure out what the fuck is going on. And even after reading about it, it still doesn't make much sense. Fortunately, the gameplay has been refined significantly since the first game and some shitty camera angles aside, I had a good time with this game. I just wish Kojima would dial it back a bit, maybe hire a good editor.

Game 42 - Electronic Super Joy - Started 9/27/15, finished 9/29/15 - 6.3 hours

I loved this little platformer so much that I played through the main campaign in one evening. It more or less shares a lot of the same DNA with Super Meat Boy (as did INK) but it has many of its own features, like checkpoints that make orgasmic moans and an even more aggressive electronica soundtrack. It doesn't have nearly as much bonus content so its longevity is in question but this was just the game I needed at this particular time. The day after, I ended up going after the super hard bonus content, which was fun but I think I'm done with the game for now.

Game 43 - Dragon Quest IV - Started 9/10/15, finished 10/4/15 - 26:43

Definitely starting to experience Dragon Quest burnout at this point but I pushed my way through this game and still had fun along the way. The music is arguably the best the series ever had and the chapter system provides a nice change of pace for the first nine hours. The only shame is that the game mostly drops character development in the second half for more conventional DQ fare. You'd think party chat would help but the dialogue reveals these characters are just stock types. I do give the game credit for giving the big bad a bit of a backstory (and his final battle is appropriately epic), even if it doesn't end up meaning much of anything. Probably the best of the first first games but I'm almost wishing that I had played it first.

Game 44 - Super Mario Advance - Started 10/15/15, finished 10/16/15 - 2 hours, maybe

Nothing wrong with having a palette cleanser and this remake of Super Mario Bros 2 fit the bill nicely. I haven't played the game in over two decades so it was nice to rediscover it and frustrating to be reminded how difficult it can be. The original goal was to go through every level but I ended up getting an accidental warp zone in 5-3 which transported me to 7-1. No matter.

Game 45 - Undertale - Started 10/16/15, finished 10/29/15 - 5.5 hours

Well, that was a mindfuck. Great music, great gameplay, terrific writing. And so unconventional. This is the rare game that I'll be replaying to get a better ending. Not much more to say.

Game 46 - Castle in the Darkness - Started 10/29/15, finished 11/1/15 - 8.4 hours

I had a blast with this challenging old school Metroidvania. The controls were tight, the level design solid and that's pretty much all you need from this type of game. Irritants included endless spike traps (most of my deaths), an inadequate back travel system and especially the lack of a map (necessary for this type of game). But neither of these detracted from the fun, even if I had to look at a guide to grab many of the items. I finished the game with 79% completion, which includes several optional areas.

Game 47 - Mega Man 9 - Started 11/8/15, finished 11/12/15 - 4-5 hours

I had beaten MM9 way back when it came out but decided that it had been so long that it was worth another run. And man, it turns out I didn't remember much from this game at all because it kicked my ass, repeatedly. Especially in the Wily stages, which I had to run through twice because I stupidly ran out of energy tanks at the final boss. The good news is that it's an excellent game, with terrific level design, great bosses and a pretty solid stash of weaponry. I know that MM10 isn't as good but I'm going to play through it next because I need more Mega Man in my life.

Game 48 - Mega Man 10 - Started 11/24/15, finished 11/25/15 - 2-3 hours

This has been a pretty lean gaming month because of my health. I've also been slowly plowing away at Dragon Quest V and Yoshi's Woolly World but who knows when those will be finished? In the meantime, Mega Man has returned to satisfy my platforming needs. My overall impression is that 9 is the better game but 10 is no slouch and the new challenge mode provided 30 or so extra minutes of punishing fun. I was struck at how much more generous with dropping energy tanks 10 was in comparison to 9. I never felt especially threatened by the final bosses but still had plenty of fun. Wish there was an 11.

Game 49 - Out There Somewhere - Started and finished 11/30/15 - 1:09

We're getting to the point in the challenge where I need to add some short games to the mix so that I have a chance of actually beating 52 games (53 as Dreamfall Chapters remains unfinished). Out There Somewhere looked promising for some reason so I played through it very quickly and had a pretty decent time. Not much to it but the puzzles were interesting, the chiptune soundtrack reasonably catchy and it certainly didn't overstay its welcome.

Game 50 - Yoshi's Woolly World - Started 10/18/15, finished 12/5/15 - 26:39

While not quite up on the top tier of platformers I've played on the Wii U, YWW certainly had many charms, including catchy music, gorgeous music and some very clever levels. Part of me wonders if I would have enjoyed it more by skipping out on the collectibles, of which there were many. But then the game would have been embarrassingly easy and I wouldn't have gotten to play some pretty great bonus levels. A very charming game that I'm glad I spent time with.

Game 51 - Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Started 12/9/15, finished 12/11/15 - 3:48

You know me and Metroidvanias. Shantae had a certain amount of charm to cover up its flaws (which included sponge bosses, a small world and a short length). Also helping was fantastic sprite art and music.

Game 52 - Mega Man - Started and finished 12/12/15 - An hour

On a whim, I bought the Mega Man Legacy Collection and started the original game, which I played through many times as a kid. They nailed the gameplay of the series from the beginning, even if aspects of the game are weaker than future entries (lacking two Robot Masters to choose from, a weak Wily Castle). Other sections struck me as needlessly sadistic, even for this series (and man, did it suck that they removed the pause trick in this version, making one of the bosses especially cruel). And I've never been as fond of Matsumae's music here as many are. It's especially ecliped by the music in 2 and 3. But we'll get to those soon.

Game 53 - Mega Man 2 - Started and finished 12/12/15 - 45 minutes, if that

I just raced through this game, which was significantly easier than Mega Man (although I also chose the Normal difficulty, which I regret). It still holds up brilliantly, with a terrific soundtrack, creative visuals and solid gameplay. In retrospect, it's not as big a leap over the original as I remembered but there were many enhancements, including a far more memorable Wily Castle, a great weapon selection (Metal Blades, yeah!) and the inclusion of energy tanks! We'll see how 3 holds up hopefully tomorrow.

Game 54 - Mega Man 3 - Started and finished 12/12/15 - 1.5 hours

Instant classic, as far as I'm concerned. The level design is peerless, the music marvelous and the abilities all well-thought out. The pacing is a bit strange though, with the difficulty peaking when you go back into the levels to beat the MM2 robots (an interesting feature) and Wily's Castle being mostly an afterthought (albeit one with some great tunes). It's also a bit too generous with the energy tanks but I'll admit that I've played this game so many times that it doesn't really hold that many challenges for me anymore.

Game 55 - Mega Man 4 - Started 12/12/15, finished 12/13/15 - 1.5 hours

Diminishing returns are starting to kick in at this point, but dammit I have an affection for this game. It introduces the mega buster, the concept of going through more than one castle for the finale and has a solid set of levels to go through. The weapons are definitely on the weak side and the music not as strong as the last two games in the series but I still had a good time.

Game 56 - Mega Man 5 - Started and finished 12/13/15 - 1.5 hours

I have a great deal of affection for this flawed game. It has one of my favorite MM soundtracks (criminally underrated) and is just plain fun, despite disappointing robot designs, especially disappointing final castle boss designs and being overly easy (1-ups and energy tanks are aplenty). Can't wait to see how MM6 holds up, the game I'm least familiar with.

Game 57 - Mega Man 6 - Started 12/13/15, finished 12/14/15 - 2 hours

MM6 is the epitome of diminishing returns. There is very little memorable about it. I've played through it a couple of times and each time I return to it, I remember nothing that I played before. The music is bland, the stages are bland, the castle stages are bland, the bosses are bland. There are some interesting things it introduces, to be fair (the suits you get to wear) but not enough to save this game from being bland rehash. Still kinda fun but a disappointing conclusion to the NES MMs.

Game 58 - Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's Cut - Started 7/12/15, finished 12/23/15 - 27.5 hours

This is one of those games that had a really great beginning (the first fifteen hours or so) but then just kept going long after it should have ended. Forcing the DLC into the main game was a big mistake as it kills the pacing and really started the burnout for me. By the end, I just wanted to get through the finale because I was thoroughly sick of the repetitive nature of the gameplay. I'm not a big stealth fan in general either and the game pretty much forces it on you to get the most experience points and the way the enemies become damage sponges later on. So in the end, I'm glad I played it but my feelings are pretty mixed.

Currently in progress:

Alundra (2016)
Bloodborne (January)
DQV (December)
KOTOR 2 (2016)
Witcher 2 (2016)
Xenoblade Chronicles X (2016)

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38. Saints Row: Gat out of Hell (PC)
Story completed, all districts completed with gold medals.

I think Saints Row fans fall into two groups these days. There's the group that loves what happened to the series after Saints Row 2, when Volition decided to dump large parts of the franchise's crime gang origins and embrace the wacky madcap side of Saints Row. Then there's the group that holds Saints Row 2 as the pinnacle of the franchise, seeing The Third and IV as lesser entries marred by poorer mission design and the abandonment of a relatively grounded story. Surprising no one, Gat out of Hell is designed to appeal to the first group.

That said, you have to love Saints Row IV a lot to come back to Gat out of Hell, because it's very much more of the same. Yes, there's a new city, which is the first time we've left Steelport since The Third introduced it, but the activities and the superpower antics (now explained away as demonic powers, natch) are mostly carryovers from its predecessor. Considering Saints Row IV itself was originally supposed to be the Saints Row the Third expansion Enter the Dominatrix, we have the unfortunate situation of Gat out of Hell being an expansion to a game that felt like a very elaborate expansion itself.

It's a testament to the strength of Saints Row's fundamental sandbox gameplay that Gat out of Hell still worked for me. There are much worse things for a game to be than "more of Saints Row IV," and I still went back to complete every activity long after the story finished. But if you're not as fond of Saints Row's side missions, bail out now, because that's all there is. The concept of "story missions" basically doesn't apply here. There are no long, elaborate heists like in GTA V or even multi-stage missions like in older Saints Row games. Like in Saints Row IV, you can inadvertently complete missions before you actually receive them from your various taskmasters just by finishing all the activities scattered around the map.

And in terms of story beats, there aren't very many. Here's the story in a nutshell: the boss gets kidnapped by Satan. Gat and Kinzie dive into hell, whereupon they do a bunch of things that piss Satan off like killing demons and stuff. Satan gets super pissed off. Gat and Kinzie kill Satan. The end. The expansion is front-loaded with cutscenes, but the majority of your time will be spent in sandbox activities with little commentary.

Despite all this, I enjoyed my time with Gat out of Hell. It helps that I picked it up on sale. But an essential part of the Saints Row canon, it is not.

My games completed so far this year.

So 1 to go heh.

Been quite a while since i last posted here, sorry for that at least i finished a good amount of games, lets start:

#28 Splatoon

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Holy shit, this game is AMAZING ! Seriously, over the 35 hours i spent on it, i don't think i've had so much fun in ages. The campaign was surprisingly nice, even if short, but the MP is where it shines, the satisfaction i get on it is something few other games achieved, and playing it with friends is soooo good. I'm not sure if it will stay as it is, but until now, its my GOTY.

#29 Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae

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It was cool, but nothing spectacular. Guess I'm just not that big of a FF fan, but the demo really felt lacking in a lot of aspects, like the story and characters, there were none. The graphics, designs and even the combat (though it felt repetitive sometimes) were top notch, so i liked it. Hope the full game be good.

#30 Metal Gear Solid V Ground Zeroes

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My hype for MGSV was almost null, since i really hated PW and everything it made to one of my favorite series (a bit of nonsense hate, tbh), but damn, after playing GZ my hype went right to the roof. Seriously, this demo does everything right to get you excited for MGSV: the controls are ace, its really fun to explore the base, the "story" is nice, the nostalgia felling hits the nail, everything. Can't wait for the next game !

#31 Super Mario Galaxy

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Sooooooo good, just sooooo good. I don't have much to add, its just 3D Mario greatness, but i has a charm on its level design that makes me love it even more.

#32 9 Persons 9 Hours 9 Doors



#33 Batman Arkham Knight

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Game 21: Batman: Arkham Knight (PS4) - 45h58m58s [7/11/15] ★★★★


100% complete, got the final ending. 53/64 trophies.

Good game overall, but ultimately a mildly disappointment conclusion to the Arkham series. It was mostly what I feared it would be after playing Arkham Origins -- they didn't do the things I was hoping for after Arkham City's ending, and with the extra development time, Rocksteady produced a too similar and too Joker-obsessed experience, continuing the downward trend of the Arkham games since Asylum.

The big new addition, the Batmobile, too often wasn't a whole lot of fun to use. As a result, it's heavy usage throughout the entirety of the game brings everything down a peg. At best, it was serviceable, whereas the hand-to-hand combat, traversal and predatory sequences are top-notch as they've been throughout the series.

The side-content is more of a throwaway than ever before, and having to slog through all of the repetitive activities to get the true, final ending was not worth it. This was especially a let-down after the poorly written and unsatisfying main story mission. The Arhkam Knight sucked as a character and had a very predictable reveal (why was this kept a secret again?). And they really dropped the ball with Scarecrow as a main villain, instead using him merely as a plot device for ramming more Batman-Joker history down our throats. We. Get. It.

I sound overly negative, but it's only because it could have and should have been so much more. Even as the worst of the Batman Arkham games, it's still a high-quality product that I liked a hell of a lot more than I didn't. As far as gameplay goes, it's the closest anyone has come to truly letting you be the Batman. It's just a shame that it had to happen in the one Arkham game that felt the most by-the-numbers and uninspired. I think Rocksteady's ready to go do something else, and that's never been more apparent than it is now.

Games #1-20
Games #21-

Game 28: Titan Quest - 45 hours
PC
Played an Oracle with focus on summoning and and lightning damage. My character was the definition of a glass cannon. Not the first time I play the game but I do enjoy the different mythologies for each chapter. Music is solid and graphics are still okay for the type of game it is. I love the way the game lets you build your characters. One of the best hack n' slash games around.

Game #16:



Platform: Steam
Duration: Started 09/28/11 - 07/10/15
Completed: 211 hours. Unlocked all achievements.
Thoughts: This was not only just the base game and Wrath of the Lamb. This also includes unlocking all of the Eternal Edition Achievements which were added just recently. Eternal Edition providing a hard and troll-y challenge. Still, it was quite fun doing it. I'm just glad I can be called an "Eternal God".

52 Games main post

Main post



Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Good game... kind of. Extremely disappointing ending and many, many flaws throughout. Probably spent about 50 hours on this. 7/10.

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39. Scribblenauts Unlimited (PC)
Story completed, 60/106 starites collected.

If Unlimited is anything to go by, Scribblenauts is better as a game concept than as an actual game. The idea of solving puzzles by conjuring random things into existence and using them in various ways sounds amazing, but also really hard to get working very well. In practice, Scribblenauts Unlimited gets around this potential problem by creating another one: many of its requests and mission essentially boil down to simple guessing games with obvious prompts and a wide array of solutions. One starite mission, for example, asks you to turn Maxwell into a superhero. All you need to do is give him something to hide his face (I used a bandana), something else a superhero would wear (tights), and a superpower (flying). That's it.

The promise of Scribblenauts is that filling in different items will give you different results, but this doesn't really happen very often. When it does, the difference is almost always cosmetic. Once, an alligator asked me for something to eat. I gave it a "human leg," which I think the game interpreted to mean "a leg that is also a human," because the leg panicked when I dropped it into the water. But serendipitous interactions like this aside, the game doesn't really seem to care what you type in, as long as it matches a broad class of objects. This makes it all the more frustrating when the game ignores what seems like a perfectly plausible solution. For example, a sherpa wants you to recover a prehistoric body from a glacier "using science." All manner of melting and cutting methods just break the glacier, forcing a restart. Shrinking the glacier actually works, allowing you to recover the body. But the game doesn't actually want you to do that, either. Instead, it wanted you to conjure up a scientist. Okay then.

If there was more to Unlimited than that, maybe this would be a forgivable sin. But there really isn't. So what incentive is there to continue playing once the story's done, besides 100% completion? Not that much.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Game #44: Yoshi's Woolly World: 27.4 hours

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I haven't played Yoshi's Island or Yoshi's Story in a long, long time. I never played any of the handheld Yoshi sequels, but I read a little bit about why people don't like them. That said, this feels like the Yoshi's Island sequel everyone's been waiting for. It doesn't do a whole lot new, but it does old very well.

As is standard for modern Nintendo platformers this is easy to get through and the challenge is in finding the trinkets. There are four side objectives to complete per level and three of them are meaningful with wool getting you new skins, flowers unlocking the special stages and stamp coins unlocking new stamps for Miiverse. The special stages are like Tropical Freeze's in that there's a noticeable jump in difficulty and a focus on moving forward at all times, which is a welcome change of pace from the rest of the game.

Really (assuming you enjoy Yoshi's Island style gameplay) you get out of Woolly World what you put into it. There's Mellow Mode which gives you the ability to fly, and badges you can pay for that do everything from making you immune to bottomless pits to revealing where all the secrets are. But if you want to play this game old-school there's a lot to do and it's very enjoyable. I almost cracked 30 hours and I didn't even get to 100% completion, I didn't bother with finishing every level with full health, nor did I manage to defeat the last fight in the boss tent. I also went through the pick up the one or two things I'd missed with the secret revealing power up on my second/third runs through levels.

Game #45: BRAINPIPE: A Plunge to Unhumanity: 0.5 hours

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Threw this on to kill time before bed because I saw that it was super short. Probably a bad idea. Concept is pretty simple, fly through a twisting psychedelic tube dodging obstacles while weird music and sound effects play. Repeat for 10 levels. Worthwhile audio-visual experience if you see it on sale for 99 cents.

Original Post

#11 - Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix (GCN)

Busted the ol' Gamecube dance mat out for some exercise. I enjoyed the soundtrack more this time around; I remember being disappointed with the tracklist at release considering the legendary source material. I was in much worse physical shape when I played this in '05 so it was very empowering to see how much more stamina and energy I had this time around and the effect it had on my performance. Unlocking all the songs is pretty awful, you basically have to repeat story mode several times. Still, you can't deny the appeal of seeing Bowser doing pinwheel kicks as he puts Mario to shame with his wicked dance moves.

Favorite track: Moustache, Barrel and Gorilla

#12 - Transformers (PS2)

Played to completion and collected all the Mini-cons and Datacons on Normal. This one -really- took me by surprise with its quality. Exploring large open levels as my boy Optimus Prime? Yes please. Even technically speaking this game oozes production values with solid graphics and slick menus. The Mini-Con loadouts add a lot of variety in approaching different situations, although I wish you could swap them out mid-level. It likely won't happen, but I'd like to see another Transformers game in this vein. Maybe a slightly less difficult though. As it stands this is the only Transformers game I am aware of wherein Megatron can piledrive you from the stratosphere into a volcano. Recommended.

#13 - Azure Striker Gunvolt (3DS)

Got the true ending and beat the Special Missions. Gunvolt has a lot going on for a download-only title. A worthy successor to Mega Man Zero, although I don't think the tagging mechanic is quite as fun as good ol' blasting and slicing. The devs might have been able to alleviate this a bit by not making the cooldown when you expend all your EP so brutal. I didn't enjoy "reloading" by double-tapping down, would've much preferred a simple button press. Still, you don't see too many games like this anymore with that acrobatic dashing-all-over-the-screen-and-off-the-walls flair. Boss fights are easily the best use of this and Inti got a ton of mileage out of the mechanics here. Replay value is high; it was legitimately fun tackling some of the challenges and exploring the RPG mechanics. Respect for anyone else who beats Special Mission 5.

Its story is sparse and mostly serves as a framing device (as it should be), but the boss characters in particular get some fun personalities. I felt a little bad destroying them over and over in gradually more efficient ways. I'm sure this has been discussed extensively elsewhere but, this being my first foray with 8-4's specific blend of localization, they could do with turning the dial back a little on the dialogue.

original post

30. Yoshi's Woolly World (WiiU) - 10h30m;

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This probably is the first good Yoshi since the original on SNES, yet still not as good as Kirby Epic Yarn. There's quite a bit of variety in level design, going from classical stages, over perspective shenanigans, to puzzle- and exploration focused stages. Yet the graphical style really rather provides style over substance. The stages are fine (despite a few boring ones), but hardly ever need the wool aesthetics for gameplay. Epic Yarn, probably because it originally wasn't a Kirby title, completely incorporated the yarn concept on every level of game design, while this title ,,only'' is a decent Yoshi game, which happens to look like yarn.

Still, at the very least it becomes the most impressive looking Nintendo platformer on this system and it also isn't a straight copy of Epic Yarn, which makes it automatically the first really intriguing platformer on the WiiU too. Because unlike the current Mario line and even Donkey Kong, I couldn't predict the whole game's structure from the get-go. There were actual surprises. I also enjoy whenever a game gives me immediate effects for collectables, even if it's ,,only'' costumes. Though it becomes way too painstaking to finish 100%, which really didn't feel fun at all, so I immediately dropped these plans.

Despite the good looks though, I don't understand why they make Yoshi soundtracks after the SNES so boring. It kinda hampers the atmosphere, although there were a couple of decent songs.

31. Devil May Cry 3 SE (PS3) - 11 hours;

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The controls and battles have definitely improved over the first game and now take the spotlight, although to my surprise, there still was a decent amount of adventuring and the tower was a fun place to visit. Although the atmosphere of the first was a little better, this still kept all the right traits. There's also a good amount of locations, although I didn't really warm up to the heavy emphasis on re-used content at the end. I guess that's expected in these kind of games, but it was quite striking here.
At least there was a far bigger variety in enemies than in the first game too.

Also, I must say, some of the new weapons and techniques weren't all that fun to use, so I stayed with some of the classics.
I think I prefer the much smaller focus on story of the first game, but this was still okay enough. Despite one of the twists not making much sense. The idea of a prequel was decent too.
Also, I don't know much extra work went into the HD port, but damn, there are some fine graphics for a PS2 title. Some things could easily compete with the more impressive GCN/Xbox titles.

Now DMC2 looks at me in the HD collection. It stares into my soul. I'm scared.

BioShock 2
Duration played: Over the course of two days

A pretty good sequel if you would ask me. The core mechanics are the pretty much the same, but smoothened out a little bit. I think I liked the way this game was set up more than BioShock's. Loved the way plasmids played a more important role and I really liked the weapons. The game didn't shake things up too much and that isn't a bad thing. Saving all the Little Sisters took a lot of effort (especially because gathering ADAM took so long), but other than that I have no big complaints. A solid sequel to a solid game.


BioShock Infinite
Duration played: 11 hours

BioShock Infinite was a great game too. It changed quite a few things in comparison to its predecessors. The biggest change for me was the fact that you could only carry two guns at the same time. Bummed me out to be honest. The real meat of this game is its story and setting though. It was lovely. Columbia is beautifully, surrealistically crafted. The Skyhook mechanic was awesome.

My brain is still trying to process what the ending meant, so I will not go into to much detail, but it was a great game.


(Original post with list of completed games.)

Post #3

Link to Post #2
Link to Post #1

26. You Must Build a Boat Completed 6/2?/15 - Time Played 7.5 hours on Android

I've been slacking on this. The Witcher 3 really put a slow down on things, and I've been spending less time gaming and more time doing other things. YMBAB was more 10 million, but much better in my mind. I thought 10 million was fine, but YMBAB was cleaner. Some of the stuff was a little...ambiguous - but that's not necessarily bad. For mobile games, it's pretty good for a time waster, and that's all I look for in mobile games these days - not counting 80 days.

27. Batman Arkham City Completed 6/29/15 - Time Played 15 hours on PS3

I went back and finally played through this game that had been sitting on multiple devices (seriously, I think I have it on Steam, plus Playstation 3 and Wii U). I planned on playing it on Wii U, but trophies plus controller meant PS3. I didn't do much side stuff since I started playing it the day before Arkham Knight came out, and I knew I'd want to jump into that sooner than later. I played Arkham Asylum way late to the party (finished it January of 2011, I didn't want to do the same with Arkham Knight.

From what I remember of Asylum, I really like City more. I like the flying much more, and the combat feels better. It's really clear why everyone rips this combat off - it's really fucking good. If by chance you haven't played the Batman games, do yourself a favor and play them. Maybe don't dabble in everything because the side stuff isn't amazing - but probably is decent if you are a big Batman fan.

28. Fez Completed 7/12/15 - Time Played ~7 hours on Vita

I started Fez when it launched on the 360. I was maybe a week late, but tried to avoid as much of the Internet about it. Then I got stuck at ~30 cubes, and at that point there was a ton of "maybe?" info about it, but no real good way to look up where to find two more cubes, and I never went back. I mean, I did, but it was a year or two later, and had no idea what I was doing and bailed.

Then I got it free from PS+ and figured, why not? I've dabbled in the past, but this past weekend I traveled to St. Louis to be in a buddy's wedding, and true to form, when I travel the Vita gets action. I nearly finished it on the flight home, and wrapped it up tonight. I haven't gotten all 64, but I played to the credits, and dabbled a bit in the NG+. I've also spent some time reading about all the hidden stuff, it really is a masterpiece of a game even if you think the creator is a dick (I don't personally - I like Phil). But, all of that isn't for me. I'm currently 70-80ish hours into the Witcher 3, and still trying to finish that - plus another 10ish into Arkham Knight. While Fez has a lot going for it, it doesn't have the same level of "going for it" as two of the best games I've played in years that are currently vying for my attention.

Pretty sure 52 games isn't going to happen this year, but...I'm good with it. Around the time The Witcher 3 came out I realized I was spending a lot of times to burn through games I wasn't enjoying all that much, just so I could write a few paragraphs here, check it off the list, and uninstall. As a dad and husband with other hobbies besides gaming, I felt that isn't a good use of the little time I have to play games. So I'm all about playing what I want because it's fun, and if I'm not digging what I'm doing - I'm out.

Games on Deck

PS4
Apotheon
Doki-Doki Universe
Dragon Age Inquisition
Dust: An Elysian Tail
Lego Marvel Super Heroes
Metro Last Light
Metro 2033
PvZ Garden Warfare
Saints Row 4 - Re-Elected Edition
Tomb RaiderE

Xbone
Alien: Isolation
Assassin's Creed Unity
Dark Dreams Don't Die
Dead Rising 3
Forza Motorsport 5
Lords of the Fallen
The Lego Movie Videogame
Titanfall

WiiU/Virtual Console/Wii
Bayonetta
Bayonetta 2
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Directors Cut
Donkey Kong Country:Tropical Freeze
Earthbound
Lego City Undercover
New Super Luigi U
New Super Mario Bros U
NintendoLand
Pikmin 3
Pushmo World
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Super Smash Bros
Wonderful 101
ZombiU

Vita
Danganronpa 2
Final Fantasy IX
Luftrausers
Parasite Eve
Persona 4 Golden
Sound Shapes
TxK

Steam
Divinity: Original Sin
Jazzpunk
Stanley Parable

J3ffro said:

Pretty sure 52 games isn't going to happen this year, but...I'm good with it. Around the time The Witcher 3 came out I realized I was spending a lot of times to burn through games I wasn't enjoying all that much, just so I could write a few paragraphs here, check it off the list, and uninstall. As a dad and husband with other hobbies besides gaming, I felt that isn't a good use of the little time I have to play games. So I'm all about playing what I want because it's fun, and if I'm not digging what I'm doing - I'm out.

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Best mindset. I basically feel that if you play a game and do not like it, you should be able to remove it from your backlog. Clearing a backlog should be about having more fun with more games, not simply doing chores!

You'll get through games you actually want to play faster too I've found. That said I hardly ever quit games because I finish them when I start them dammit

Dryk said:

You'll get through games you actually want to play faster too I've found. That said I hardly ever quit games because I finish them when I start them dammit

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Haha I'm just so indecisive that a game REALLY has to grab me to get me to finish it right away.

A Link to the Snitch said:

Best mindset. I basically feel that if you play a game and do not like it, you should be able to remove it from your backlog. Clearing a backlog should be about having more fun with more games, not simply doing chores!

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Thanks, glad to know I'm not alone in it.

I read a different thread here that essentially stated that you shouldn't look at a backlog as a burden. It's a library. It exists to serve you, not the other way around. It made me realize that the money you spent, be it full retail or a fraction of that, is already gone. If you spent it on a game you aren't enjoying, you are spending good money after bad by forcing yourself to play it - only the second money is a more valuable currency: time. You can always make more money. Pick up a side job, put in after hours, work toward a promotion; al difference ways to make more money. You can't replace the time you've already spent.

Game 23: Splatoon - 20-some hours - Wii U

Was reviewing what I've played these past few months and forgot I finished this as well. Completed single-player with all scrolls collected. I like the game so much, so I picked up the Amiibo stuff for the DLC missions. Still gotta tackle those levels and max out my character's abilities and then it'll just be multi-player off&on until I tire from the game (will probably just play during Splatfests).

Game 24: Alundra - 50 hours - PSone - REPLAY

Finally got around to FULLY replaying this game from start to finish. One of my favorite games of all time still and quite possibly my favorite PSone title. I actually ended up playing through this game TWICE back-to-back because when I first attempted my replay a month or so ago, I got to the very end and missed a Gilded Falcon somehow. Because I'm nuts and am crazy-in-love with this game, I started over and got my full 100% completion, again. Fuck roulette though!

Game 25: Klonoa: Empire of Dreams - 7-some hours? - GBA/eShop on Wii U

Next to Alundra, Klonoa is my favorite game on the original Playstation and is my all-time favorite platformer. Have attempted to play the inferior, but still fun GBA-titles in the past, but decided to finally give these game's a complete run. Finished at 100% the other day. Fun little game, but is missing what makes the first two console titles so special.

Game 26: Pulseman - 3-4 hours - GEN/VC on Wii

Just discovered this yesterday and immediately bought it on the Virtual Console. Stayed up all night and beat it. SO GOOD. Got to the last stage on one credit, but ended up eating some credits during some of the more challenging end-game stages. One of the best platformers from the 16-bit-era I've ever played.

Yuterald said:

Game 26: Pulseman - 3-4 hours - GEN/VC on Wii

Just discovered this yesterday and immediately bought it on the Virtual Console. Stayed up all night and beat it. SO GOOD. Got to the last stage on one credit, but ended up eating some credits during some of the more challenging end-game stages. One of the best platformers from the 16-bit-era I've ever played.

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Been interested in this for some time. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. What's the save system like on VC?

(BTW, planning to pick up Alundra on PSN to try it out!)

Updated my post with some new games and ratings.
Now up to thirty games.

maxcriden said:

Been interested in this for some time. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. What's the save system like on VC?

(BTW, planning to pick up Alundra on PSN to try it out!)

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Pulseman is an old school, stage-by-stage, side-scroller. No in-game save files or passwords. It's a one-sitting game. I believe, just like any VC game, you could just simply quit out of the game (or set a restore-point) and resume later. You know me though, I like to play old games as if I was playing them on their original hardware, so no restore-points or save-states for me. You're given 5 continues though and there's no difficulty/continue adjustment in the options. The game's quite challenging towards the end and for a moment I thought my first run of the game was lost, but I pulled through. Game's really good.

Dude, you HAVE to play Alundra, especially considering how much of a Zelda fan you are. Then check out Landstalker!

Yuterald said:

Pulseman is an old school, stage-by-stage, side-scroller. No in-game save files or passwords. It's a one-sitting game. I believe, just like any VC game, you could just simply quit out of the game (or set a restore-point) and resume later. You know me though, I like to play old games as if I was playing them on their original hardware, so no restore-points or save-states for me. You're given 5 continues though and there's no difficulty/continue adjustment in the options. The game's quite challenging towards the end and for a moment I thought my first run of the game was lost, but I pulled through. Game's really good.

Dude, you HAVE to play Alundra, especially considering how much of a Zelda fan you are. Then check out Landstalker!

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Sounds fun, albeit brutal. I mean, if you remember we haven't even gotten back to *Bonk* yet. My understanding though with VC games on Wii, unlike Wii U, is that you can only set restore points by going into the Wii Menu and hitting "Home," and that if you're lucky it will properly create one but it might not work properly? Is that about the size of it. I really like the 3DS/Wii U system, though I try not to take much advantage of it.

Alundra and Landstalker are both on my list for sure. I'm kinda waiting on a PSN sale for Alundra just in case. Any idea if the sequel is worthwhile? For Alundra, I mean. Does Landstalker have a sequel? Or wait...in that case, am I remembering correctly that Alundra *is* the (spiritual) sequel to Landstalker? Hmm.

We've taken a break from Elliot Quest and are Adventuring with Pip now. I think we're almost done with a main playthrough with most levels 100%'d. Definitely getting trickier and cleverer with each subsequent level. Very fun game and a good palate cleanser. Not sure if we'll return to Elliot Quest or check out Life of Pixel next. On the handheld front I'm working my way through Phantom Hourglass. I tried it years ago but never could get into it so I didn't play too much of it. My wife loved it and Spirit Tracks so I definitely wanted to give it another shot. Enjoying it much more this time around!

maxcriden said:

Sounds fun, albeit brutal. I mean, if you remember we haven't even gotten back to *Bonk* yet. My understanding though with VC games on Wii, unlike Wii U, is that you can only set restore points by going into the Wii Menu and hitting "Home," and that if you're lucky it will properly create one but it might not work properly? Is that about the size of it. I really like the 3DS/Wii U system, though I try not to take much advantage of it.

Alundra and Landstalker are both on my list for sure. I'm kinda waiting on a PSN sale for Alundra just in case. Any idea if the sequel is worthwhile? For Alundra, I mean. Does Landstalker have a sequel? Or wait...in that case, am I remembering correctly that Alundra *is* the (spiritual) sequel to Landstalker? Hmm.

We've taken a break from Elliot Quest and are Adventuring with Pip now. I think we're almost done with a main playthrough with most levels 100%'d. Definitely getting trickier and cleverer with each subsequent level. Very fun game and a good palate cleanser. Not sure if we'll return to Elliot Quest or check out Life of Pixel next. On the handheld front I'm working my way through Phantom Hourglass. I tried it years ago but never could get into it so I didn't play too much of it. My wife loved it and Spirit Tracks so I definitely wanted to give it another shot. Enjoying it much more this time around!

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Yeah, you should be able to "Home"-out and resume later on the original Wii's VC. Pulseman isn't that hard, but its controls take some time to get used to. The last few stages are pretty tough, however. Much like Bonk, there's ample bonus lives scattered about, so if you play smart and thoroughly, the game's very digestible. Worth playing regardless of your approach.

Alundra is more or less the spiritual successor to Landstalker. Same creators, from what I've gathered. Alundra 2, despite having nothing to do with the actual character/setting of the original Alundra, is very much worth playing. I love Alundra 2, but for different reasons that I love the original. In fact, I feel like Alundra 2 is more of a successor to Landstalker than even the original Alundra, as ironic as that sounds. They're my favorite non-Zelda, Zelda-like games, ever.

Yuterald said:

Yeah, you should be able to "Home"-out and resume later on the original Wii's VC. Pulseman isn't that hard, but its controls take some time to get used to. The last few stages are pretty tough, however. Much like Bonk, there's ample bonus lives scattered about, so if you play smart and thoroughly, the game's very digestible. Worth playing regardless of your approach.

Alundra is more or less the spiritual successor to Landstalker. Same creators, from what I've gathered. Alundra 2, despite having nothing to do with the actual character/setting of the original Alundra, is very much worth playing. I love Alundra 2, but for different reasons that I love the original. In fact, I feel like Alundra 2 is more of a successor to Landstalker than even the original Alundra, as ironic as that sounds. They're my favorite non-Zelda, Zelda-like games, ever.

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Appreciate the advice, good sir. Thanks very much and as always I'll be glad to report back with my impressions when I actually get to play these. I will probably take advantage of save states. I presume Landstalker and the Alundra games have proper saving, though?

(BTW, is Pulseman Game Freak? Was this their pre-Pokegame?)

Game #34: Talisman: Digital Edition (PC) - 45 hours
I was originally going to just play this for a weekend with a friend while we were at Anime Expo. As i was playing it before AX to sort of get gist of the game, I really got into it. I spent a couple all nighters just playing the game with that "Just one more turn" feeling. Its a pretty straight forward board game that is easy to pick up and play. Plenty of characters to choose from in the base game, each with their own unique skills. I do recommend having some friends to play with, the enemy AI didn't seem to be great from when i played by myself. I didn't encounter any bugs, except for an AI that was taking forever on their turn because they were stuck in a loop with one of their usable items, but the game did correct self, asking me if i wanted to skip the AI's turn. If you do buy any DLC, I recommend getting any of the ones that add a new region to the board. They come with new ways to play, new characters, new cards, and etc. Don't buy the season pass as well, it doesn't cover all of the DLC content.

Game #35: J-Stars Victory VS + (PS4) - 12 Hours
I'm still shocked on how this game was able to make it here to the west. When i first played the game, I was having a blast. Playing as characters from my favorite Jump franchises was a blast and it was everything i could have wanted in terms of fan service. The roster is pretty decent, but fans will clearly see some series are absent. As i played more and more, i quickly started to get tired of playing it. The fighting wasn't everything I wanted it to be, it felt clunky, a little slow, and just not that complex. Every battle pretty much felt the same. They do try to give you a lot of things you do on the single player side, but it really just felt like fluff that didn't need to be there. Story mode is a slow journey which didn't need to have 4 different arcs as they were all similar except for which characters you are starting out with. Local split screen was terrible as you needed to sit close to the tv to see what was going on. The game is fun in small chunks, but i can never see myself playing this in the long run.

Original Post

Right Now:Playing through Professor Layton and the Arzan Legacy, might start MGSV: GS as well ( need to do some research if my ps3 uploaded save data can be used for PS4 Phantom Pain.)

Original post


40. Pressure (PC)
Completed on Normal.

With a eclectic soundtrack, an endearing cartoon aesthetic and a lot of madcap steam-powered automotive anarchy, Pressure does a lot with relatively little. And by that I mean there isn't much strategy or depth to the mechanics--you're basically just driving a steam buggy loaded down with weapons, going as fast as you possibly can and trying to kill everything along the way. Concepts such as careful aiming or taking the best line through turns cease to matter very quickly, and eventually you're not even steering properly half the time and using your battering ram to kill most of your clockwork, spa-obsessed enemies. It's a lot of fun, and the necessity of monitoring your health and pressure gauges (the latter only refilled through checkpoints and by killing enemies) adds just enough tension to get you through the whole game.

My only real complaints are the upgrade system, which doesn't allow for as much experimentation as I'd like due to the relative lack of funds in the game, and the controls. You have the option of controller or keyboard/mouse, but both are liable to cramp your hands before very long. The controller in particular puts all the important functions besides steering on your right hand, meaning you're often trying to mash three face buttons at a time while holding down the accelerator. Since going fast and shooting are things you want to be doing pretty much all the time, it would've been nice if those were just automatic functions that didn't need active input. It also would've been nice if I could re-bind controls.

But whatever. It's a fun three-hour jaunt with a certain amount of quirky personality. Hard to get mad at a game like this.

45:40 hours. All Story bosses (mandatory and optional) killed, no Chalice dungeons. I'm scared of what this game has done to me. It's the first Soul-ish game I ever play, and now that it's over I feel like most other games I own won't stand up to this level of challenge. Just thinking about playing an action game with constant checkpointing, powerups scattered about, and no real penalty for death bores me before starting.

I'm not trying to be elitist. Some bosses, like Rom, Gascoigne or Logarius, got me this close to abandoning this game on a fit of rage. I completed Yahar'gul and part of the Nightmare of Mensis by running like a ninny to and fro. But I know most games won't give me the level of satisfaction that killing has given me. Bloodborne made me feel good at vidya again, and I have to thank it for that.


Updated OP

Original Post

Batman: Arkham City

Criteria: Full game completion, including all Riddler trophies, side quests, Harley's Revenge DLC etc.
Time played: 41 hours

Coming directly off a replay of Arkham Asylum, I am honestly surprised at the critical acclaim Arkham City received upon release. There's pretty much nothing about this game that I feel isn't inferior to Arkham Asylum before it.

The one improvement that I think most people can agree on, is that there's more depth to the combat, and more varied enemy types. That doesn't necessarily mean that the encounters themselves are better however, with many of them simply being more frustrating rather than challenging. Worse still is the increased frequency, due to the enemies respawning all over the city, causing you to be forced to encounter them repeatedly when backtracking to areas you've already cleared before. This extends beyond the enemies, and onto environment hazards as well. For some reason, someone keeps redeploying mines in (supposedly safe) areas that you've already taken care of, gas vents become unblocked and need refreezing any time you reapproach them etc. It makes the world feel fake and unauthentic to see these constant videogame tells everywhere. This was not something I experienced at all with Asylum.

Worse still were the riddler challenges. After completing the main game for Arkham Asylum, I had naturally obtained the riddler secrets maps, that made tracking down the rest of the tropies and challenges relatively painless. In Arkham City however, obtaining this information required constantly searching for Riddler's informants, defeating all enemies except for them (making the fights extremely annoying) and then having them tell you the location of a handful of secrets... then off to find another to do the same. This process sucked all of the fun out of searching for riddler trophies, and wouldn't have been quite so bad if full completion didn't require every last one, as you have essentially no hope of locating many of them without their locations being made explicitly clear.

Other than the riddler challenges, there are other side quests... most of which were generally quite interesting. However, transparency on how to actually progress with some of these was terrible, causing me to sideline them until after I was done with the main campaign... which kinda sucks considering how urgent the game makes most of them sound. With that being said though, the open world nature of the game also leads to many of the campaign's main missions feeling very side-quest like in nature. Far too much, "you need this go here, then go there, then go back", with each trip across Arkham City being made increasingly inconvenient by littering the world with new enemy types to harrass you as you glide across the lifeless-feeling city rooftops with a straight trajectory to your goal.

Whilst still a good game overall, Arkham City has drastically lowered my expectations for the series going forwards. Arkham City is to Arkham Asylum as Destiny is to Halo. A similar game at it's core, but suffers massively from a lack of focus, and an overbearing feeling of repitition. At least Arkham City has a competent story however.

Catwoman stuff was pretty cool though (maybe for the novelty mostly). I think I'd have enjoyed a Catwoman game more in fact. It would have given the game more of an identity of its own, whilst Selena's lack of gliding (may as well be flying) ability would likely have caused Rocksteady to take a serious look at the mission design and progression.

27: Yoshi's Island - 20 hours - SNES/eShop on Wii U - REPLAY

Been forever since I've played this game in its entirety. Started a run a few weeks ago and finally finished it again today. I loved this game as a kid, and I still like it, but not as much as I used to, I feel. I completed all levels with a 100-score, aside from the last two secret/bonus levels (which I will clear by the end of the week, if not today). Can't wait for Wooly World in the Fall.

Mirror's Edge
Duration played: Over the course of two days

Cool concept. Bad controls. Looking forward to the new game, since there certainly is a lot of room for improvements.

(Original post with list of completed games.)

Game #17:



Platform: Steam
Duration: Started 07/11/15 - 07/14/15
Completed: 9 hours. Unlocked all achievements.
Thoughts: It was a bit shorter than Season 1. I didn't think I found it quite as gripping as it too. Still, it's a fine adventure game and you do have to make some grim choices on who survives or what to do next. So while it's kind of inferior to the first one, if you liked TTG's TWD, then you'll enjoy this one too.

52 Games main post.