1. Avenging Spirit (3DS VC/GB): 1:15, Jan. 5th.
Enjoyable platformer about a ghost possessing people to rescue a doctor's daughter from gangsters. It's nothing spectacular, but it's definitely cute and fun.
2. Comix Zone (PC): 2:08, Jan. 9th.
I've tried to beat this game so many times before, and after multiple attempts at trying to finish it over the years, I've finally finished it. The time indicated up there is the only for the successful session, which includes multiple game overs. Comix Zone is a really nice-looking, stylistic beatem up that forces the player to rely on memorization to progress through the unforgiving levels. It's still a great game, despite the high difficulty and the annoying pits.
3. Alice: Madness Returns (PC): 14:50, Jan. 14th.
I really liked the art direction (the hair physics count towards this, too) and the game's story, but the levels last far too long. The game ends up feeling repetitive after a few hours, but I still enjoyed it overall. Hopefully a third Alice game is made in the future.
4. Rune Factory 4 (3DS): 28:46 in 2015, 67:18 total, Jan 18th.
It's a great game overall, but I have some issues with it, mainly the pacing. The first arc goes by pretty quickly and the second arc is slower, but still doesn't drag on for too long. The third arc, however, is a mess. It only really starts once you trigger a random event, which could happen at any point after the end of the second arc, leaving a lot of downtime in between the second and third arcs. The third arc itself drags on for way too long, and I would have been stuck in said arc for longer if I didn't get a lucky random drop (I found a weapon that boosted my attack from ~1500 to ~11,000, which made the final areas super easy).
Despite that, RF4 is probably my favorite RF game. The dungeon design is alright for the most part, the farming part of the game is solid, and the music is fine. The characters, and the interactions with them, are easily the best aspect of the game. The random events are nice (outside of the one that triggers the third arc) and give RF4 a slice of life sort of vibe. There's a ton of dialogue for every character that changes daily, and the localization is excellent. I'd recommend it just for those reasons alone.
5. Her Story (PC): 3:01, Jan 19th.
Great FMV-based mystery game. I understand why some people aren't fond of the game, but I found the "solve the mystery on your own" style of gameplay to be engaging on a level that plenty of other games fail to reach. I highly recommend going in with as little knowledge regarding the game as possible for the optimal experience.
6. Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden (3DS): 5:20, Jan. 24th.
Extreme Butoden is a bland fighting game with great sprites and animations. The combos are all very basic, the playable roster is very limited, and there are a ton of completely useless assist characters that would have been better off as playable fighters. The story mode scenarios are mostly uninteresting, excluding the final scenario, and the adventure mode features far too many battles that frequently repeat due to the limited roster. It's one of the best examples of a mediocre fighting game I can think of.
7. Pokémon Picross (3DS): 47:14, Jan. 24th.
First picross related game I've ever played, and I had a blast with it. There's not much to really say about it other than that, though I do wish that it featured more Pokémon, and the time limits were bothersome at times.
8. Mario Kart 7 (3DS): 10:17, Jan. 28th.
Good entry in the series, even if it is formulaic. There's a lot of variety in the track selection, both old and new, and this game's Rainbow Road is probably my favorite version. The limited roster and the underutilization of the new mechanics is disappointing, as is the game's battle mode. Overall, however, I enjoyed this about as much I enjoyed MK Double Dash, DS, and Wii, so there's that.
9. Pushmo (3DS): 14:48, Feb. 6th.
While it did go on for a little too long, I still had a great time with it. The puzzles had varying levels of difficulty throughout, and the different mechanics were explained well throughout the game. I did get stuck on a few levels, but I eventually managed to finish all of the main levels. I'll get around to Crashmo at some point, too.
10. Shadowrun: Hong Kong: Shadows of Hong Kong (PC): 7:24, Feb. 7th.
While it's not as good as the base campaign, the bonus campaigns acts as a nice little epilogue and clears up a few loose ends. It's not as long as I had hoped, and that includes a good bit of time that was spent on one encounter that was particularly difficult to the high number of enemies. Depending on how quickly you get to the side missions, the final hub of the campaign only shows up once or twice, which is a shame since it's a neat little hub. Still, it was nice to spend more time with the game's runners, and the moral choices, particularly one in a side mission, were thought-provoking.
11. Mighty Switch Force (3DS): 2:25, Feb. 10th.
I don't have much to say about this one, thought it was a standard puzzle platformer game. The soundtrack is good, and the game's short, so it doesn't get stale. The main gimmick of switching between blocks was okay I guess, but the game wasn't memorable at all outside of the music.
12. Fallout: New Vegas: Ultimate Edition (PC): 74:14, Feb. 16th.
New Vegas fixes many of the problems that I had with Fallout 3, the most notable being the improvements in writing quality and side-quests. One of my favorite aspects of the game is the high level of complexity and the amount of options given to the quests. The main quest and characters are far more interesting and memorable than their FO3 equivalents as well. The incredible bugginess that defined the game at launch has lessened over time with community driven patches, which only improves my opinion of the game. The atmosphere feels similar to FO2's, right down to the silliness that you'll sometimes encounter while exploring, which can be a dealbreaker for some, sure, but I prefer that sort of atmosphere in Fallout games. At the same time, there's a lot of seriousness to the worldbuilding, leading to a nice balance in tones. The return of the reputation system also added some much needed depth to how the player interacts with settlements and factions that was kind of lost in 3. Speaking of factions, NV's factions are
much better than 3's.
As for the DLC, Old World Blues is my favorite. The goofy corniness of Mobius, Klein, and the other think tanks add to the 50's sci-fi feel of the expansion, and the storyline itself is great. The continuation of Elijah's and Ulysses' backstories also help to flesh them out a bit, which helps to add to their own DLCs. Dead Money is my second favorite, despite the increase in difficulty. Obsidian nails the survival horror atmosphere, and Christine and Dog/God are great additions to the game. The inclusion of Christine and Elijah also expands some of the main game's lore, especially in regard to Veronica (who is probably my favorite companion in the game). The loss of all of the player's gear and the inability to fast travel can be a little annoying, but it was never enough to sour me on the campaign. Lonesome Road is okay, but it's by far the most annoying to go through due to the one-hit kill Deathclaws. The final encounter with Ulysses felt like a disappointment after he was built up in the other DLCs, but his backstory is still great. ED-E 2.0 is surprisingly cool, though. The most disappointing one is Honest Hearts, which is just bland outside of Joshua Graham. The companions, in particular, are dull compared to the companions in the other DLCs and the main game.
Overall, New Vegas is one of my favorite modern RPGs, despite its flaws. I hope Obsidian gets to work on the Fallout franchise again, or at least is able to develop its own Fallout-like game in the future.
13. Mutant Mudds Deluxe (3DS): 6:48, Feb. 21st.
Incredibly frustrating platformer that just isn't fun. Admittedly, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more if I had known that the patch/dlc wasn't automatically downloaded when I started it, which meant that there were no checkpoints at first. The game's still frustrating even with checkpoints, though, whole thing felt like a chore to play regardless.
14. Pokémon Red (3DS VC/GB): 25:47, Mar. 8th.
I don't think Red and Blue hold up well. Several mechanics are straight up broken (like focus energy, for example). A lot of the character art is downright hideous, especially when it's compared to later generations and official artwork promoting gen 1. Anyway, for this run, I went with a pretty basic team of Venusaur, Pidgeot, Poliwrath, Arcanine, Jolteon, and Nidoqueen. Arcanine is still probably my favorite gen 1 poke. There aren't many reasons to go back to Red outside of nostalgia and completing the gen 1 Pokedex.
15. Stardew Valley (PC): 83:16, Mar. 17th.
Incredibly charming little Harvest Moon clone that ticks all the right boxes. All of the characters are gushing with charm, and I'm looking forward to seeing the future plans the dev has alluded to, like increasing the number of marriage candidates, or introducing new buildings like windmills for flour and sugar. Some of my major complaints about the game have already been addressed in post-release patches, such as how the marriage partners would previously lose their personalities post-marriage. Like most Harvest Moon-esque games, it gets a little repetitive in the end-game (especially if you're trying to get the Legend achievement), but it's still very addicting. As long as ConcernedApe continues to release more content, I could see myself liking this game even more than I already do. Also Abigail is best girl
16. Deus Ex: Human Revolution: Director's Cut (PC): 29:58, Mar. 21st.
DX: HR still holds up well, and it's still a fantastic game. I had some issues with the PC version of the director's cut, especially in the beginning where the resolution was completely messed up, along with continual hitching issues near autosave points throughout the game. While I don't think that the Missing Link DLC completely ruins the pacing, the unavoidable loading doors are terrible, and I hope something similar doesn't end up in Mankind Divided. I also recommend listening to commentary tracks if you haven't already.
17. Sonic Generations (PC): 10:08, Mar. 25th.
Generations felt like the most enjoyable Sonic game that I've played in a long time. There are times when the modern Sonic sections feel too "on rails," much like some of the other modern Sonic games, but the level design seems better than before. The physics in the classic Sonic sections also feel a little off, though it isn't nearly as bad as in any of the Sonic 4 episodes. The soundtrack is good, and the customizable soundtrack for levels is a nice touch. Most of the boss fights are fun, especially the rival battles. I'm not a big fan of the side missions, some of the latter ones feel overly frustrating and long. The Planet Wisp levels also feel a little tedious to get through, but it doesn't hurt the experience too much.
18. F-Zero (3DS VC/SNES): 3:14, Mar. 28th.
F-Zero is a classic, and still holds up really well. The soundtrack and level variety still stand out in comparison to certain other SNES racing games, though there's a lack of variety for the racers/vehicles. It controls surprisingly well on the regular new 3DS, too. If only this franchise had a new, high quality entry and wasn't completely dead.
19. XCOM: Enemy Unknown/Within (PC): 28:40, Apr. 2nd.
I don't like it as much as UFO Defense, but I do prefer it to Terror From the Deep. It feels like a modernized version of UFO Defense, but it could still be improved upon; I still haven't bought 2 yet, though from what I've seen, that game seems like it has some great improvements, especially when it comes to combat maps. The maps often felt too samey, and while combat was fun for a long time, it started to get a little dull and repetitive towards the endgame. The DLC additions seem essential to the game, honestly, some of its features and mechanics should have been included in the base game. Other than that, it's X-COM, through and through. It's still just as enjoyable to create characters and watch them grow with their own unique stories, if not more so due to the high level of customization. Some misses still feel like bullshit, and Chryssalids are still terrifying.
20. Streets of Rage (PC): 1:08, Apr. 10th.
Relatively standard beat'em up with a really good soundtrack. I still prefer 2.
21. 3D Sonic the Hedgehog (3DS): 1:27, Apr. 26th.
This, along with the Taxman port, is the definitive version of Sonic 1. I'm still not a huge fan of the original game, and it certainly shows its age when compared to 2 and 3, but it's still okay I guess. The added spin dash is cool, but it's not a big game changer. Since I've played this version before, this was the first game I played in the 3D Classics Collection that was finally localized earlier this year.
22. Pokémon Blue (3DS VC/GB): 25:06, May 3rd.
For this run, I decided to use some Pokémon I never really bothered with before. My final team ending up being Blastoise, Dragonite (traded in a Dratini from Red early on), Ninetails, Alakazam, Gengar, and Golem. I've never really used most of the trade evolutions before in gen 1. I don't really like Ninetails as much as Arcanine, and Golem wasn't really that useful. Blastoise was still great, and Alakazam is really OP. Gengar's okay, but it leads me to the other things that I really don't like about gen 1: the movesets and type distributions. The Gastly line is notable for being the only ghost type line in gen 1, and doesn't learn any STAB attacks outside of Lick, which is really weak. The Dratini line is very similar in this regard, except it lacks STAB attacks entirely. Dragonite is half flying, but it can't learn any flying type attacks in gen 1, let alone Fly itself. Dragon Rage is the only dragon type move in gen 1 and it does a flat 40 damage no matter what. Those are only a few examples of some of the worst movesets in the game. I'm glad gen 2, and later gens, fixed the moveset and type problems.
23. Pokémon Yellow (3DS VC/GBC): 45:21, May 7th.
I treated Yellow as a fun, mostly mimic gen 2 Red kind of run, using Pikachu, Blastoise, Charizard, Venusaur, Snorlax, and Nidoking (decided just to use it since you can't get Espeon in gen 1). Yellow is definitely the definite gen 1 game for me, there are so many little things that make it much more enjoyable than Red and Blue. Having Pikachu follow you around is a nice little feature that I'm glad returned in HG/SS. The Pikachu's Beach minigame is a fun little timewaster, I finally played it for the first time in this re-release. Having Pikachu and Eevee as the starter Pokémon for the player character and the rival make it feel unique compared to the other games in the franchise. The character art is generally improved, with a few exceptions. The slight changes to movesets, most notably finally allowing Charizard to use Fly, are great changes. I managed to collect all 151, through trading and using the Mew cheat only to acquire Mew. Looking forward to eventually trading them all to the new games. Hopefully the gen 2 games are released on the eshop, too.
24. 3D Fantasy Zone (3DS): 1:48, May 9th.
Unlike the version on the eShop, this version of Fantasy Zone is based on the Master System port. Unless you want to see the differences between the MS and arcade versions, there's no real reason to play it, but it's still a nice hidden bonus.
25. 3D Fantasy Zone II (3DS): 2:26, May 9th.
Like the other Fantasy Zone game exclusive to the 3D classics collection, this version of the game is based on the Master System version and not the arcade version. And just like before, there are few reasons to play this version outside of playing it for historic value, or to see how different this version is compared to the better version of the game.
26. 3D Altered Beast (3DS): 0:43, May 11th.
It's Altered Beast, but with an optional 3D filter and a random power-up mode, and that's it. This is technically two playthroughs of the game, one for the regular and random modes. I would recommend avoiding this one, unless you buy the collection or have nostalgia for this, for whatever bizarre reason.
27. 3D Fantasy Zone II W (3DS): 5:54, May 11th.
This version of Fantasy Zone II is based on M2's System 16 arcade port of the game, and is better in every way when compared to the other version of the game. It looks. sounds, and plays much better, and smoother, than the MS-based game. The other version features portals that take you to other areas in the stage, while this version has one continuous level, along with a second continuous "dark world" version of the stage. The dark versions of the stages offer more of a challenge than the light versions, and proceeding through them is necessary to get the best ending. There's also a nice point banking feature that allows you to unlock some more content, and there's a bonus endless score attack mode, too. This is definitely one of the best games in the collection.
28. 3D Thunder Blade (3DS): 0:29, May 12th.
It's really short, but fun. Technically played it twice, once in the regular mode and once in a bonus unlockable mode that you get once you clear the game, but it was still rather short. Despite being one of the weaker games in the collection, it's still worth playing.
29. 3D Power Drift (3DS): 2:33, May 15th.
If there's one reason to buy the 3D Classics Collection, this is it. Power Drift is one of the best kart racers out there, and this port does it justice. Worth noting is the optional arcade cabinet mode, which makes the gameplay feel more like a roller coaster than it already is.
30. 3D Maze Walker (3DS): 1:03, May 15th.
This is a top-down maze game with a couple of power-ups. It's okay, but it really is a relic of the past.
31. 3D Puyo Puyo 2 (3DS): 3:08, May 16th.
It's hard as nails, and is frustrating at times, but it's still enjoyable. If you've ever played a puyo puyo/pop tile matching game before, you'll be familiar with how it plays, but will probably still get frustrated playing it.
32. Galaxy Force II (PC): 0:29, May 17th.
I decided to play this version before playing the 3DS port. This was also my first extended experience with the latest Genesis emulator on Steam, which is really nice. It's an improvement over the limited emulator the Genesis classics used to have on the store, and the 3D environment is a nice touch. As for the game itself, ↓
33. 3D Galaxy Force II (3DS): 0:32, May 17th.
The 3DS port, which is based on the arcade version of the game, shows off how limited the Genesis port of the game was. The Genesis version feels painfully slow and can't handle as many enemies on the screen compared to this version (partially due to this version running at 60 fps). There's an impressive gap between the two versions, too, the 3DS and arcade versions feature graphical effects that the Genesis simply couldn't handle.
34. Super Mario World (3DS VC/SNES): 8:57, May 25th.
SMW is still one of my favorite Nintendo games. One of the few things that I don't really like about this version is the lack of differences between Mario and Luigi, which is something that was altered in the GBA version.
35. Kirby's Pinball Land (3DS VC/GB): 0:52, May 26th.
I decided to play through the various Kirby games in my backlog before Planet Robobot was released, starting with this one. It's an average pinball game with a coat of Kirby paint on it. The bosses are the highlight of the game.
post two is finally here
