Game 1 - Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix (PS3): 100% Completed on 1/4/2015 - 80 Hours
- Kingdom Hearts is my favorite video game series and KH2FM is one of the best entries. The platinum was tough and there were certain parts that required ALOT of grinding, which was not fun, but the gameplay is some of the best in the franchise. The game has aged well.
Game 2 - Assassin's Creed Rogue (PS3): Story Completed on 1/23/15 - 8 Hours
- I enjoyed Rogue's story more than Black Flag and Unity, mainly since it seems like it's more interested in the overarching lore of the series than the previous 2 and it ties in well. Gameplay was pretty standard AC quality. It's a fine entry in the series and I actually like it more than Unity, which seemed very bland to me besides the beautiful visuals and some nice mission variety.
Game 3 - The Swapper (PS4): 100% Completed on 1/24/15 - 4 Hours
- This game was cool. The dark sci-fi art style is really nice and the soundtrack is amazing. The puzzles are great brain teasers, although later on in the game they got so difficult I had to take breaks. The story is pretty interesting too but I didn't think much of it once I finished the game as it's pretty minimal. Great game if you're a puzzle lover. Otherwise it's a tough one for casual players.
Game 4 - Infamous First Light (PS4): Story Completed on 1/24/15 - 2.5 Hours
- I liked Second Son for it's gameplay and setting, but I thought it's story was weak and there was a lot of lost potential. I feel the same about First Light. Gameplay was fine, but the missions were boring along with the story. I'm glad it took me less than 3 hours to beat.
Game 5 - Captain Toad Treasure Tracker (Wii U): Story Completed on 1/29/15 - 5 Hours
- One of my favorite games of 2014. I like that there are multiple collectibles and special objectives in each level and even surprise bonus stages. The game is a bit short even after the extra chapter and it's camera is a little tough to maneuver around sometimes, but it's fun, charm, and originality make it worth it. I'm hoping for a sequel and it's the first game that actually makes me want to buy any accompanying amiibo for extra content as well as show my love for Toad.
Game 6 - Grim Fandango Remastered (PS4): 100% Completed on 2/2/15 - 10 Hours
- I'm glad I finally got to play this game after wondering what it was all about for years. The story, characters, performances, soundtrack, setting and style are all really great and were exactly what I was hoping for going into it. It's a difficult game though since I feel like the gameplay is problematic at times. It requires a lot of thin logic and action in certain situations where interactive objects are indistinguishable from setting. For a remaster it could have had a bit more touching up in the cinematic and mechanical departments, but otherwise I really enjoyed it.
Game 7 - Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: 10+ Hours
- A couple of weeks ago I played the game for about 9 hours non-stop with a friend trying to complete the group events. I think I've logged about 30 hours total according to my Wii U Daily Log and about half of those hours were done in 2015 so far. What can I say, it's Smash Bros. It's fun as hell, though I really only play it with friends and barely do single-player modes. I unlocked all characters of course and tried every game mode at least once but I think I have about 2 more stages to unlock from single-player events.
Game 8 - Destiny (PS4): 10+ Hours in 2015, 100+ Hours total
- I recently passed 100 hours on this game and without a doubt have spent around 20 in 2015, and I've been playing it since launch. I enjoy Destiny because I like shared-world games (MMO-esque), shooters, and RPGs. Destiny is an amalgamation of all these genres. It is repetitive as hell and it's content is by no means great, but it's gameplay is top notch and it keeps me coming back nearly every week to do weekly strikes and raids with other players to upgrade my character and be ready for the next big content drop to arrive from Bungie.
Game 9 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS): Story Completed on 2/12/15, 21 Hours
- My most embarrassing gamer secret used to be that I never beat OoT, but now I did. I really enjoyed it. Not sure if it's my favorite Zelda game, but it's a damn good one. I remember reaching a certain temple years ago and stopping, but on this playthrough I really enjoyed every dungeon, water and shadow being my favorites. The game also doesn't make the unfortunate mistake of other adventure games by having you repeat dungeons or backtrack a ton. The dungeons are well designed, the story is good, gameplay is great on 3DS, and I'm glad I finally took the time to give it complete playthrough. Now onto Majora's Mask 3D!
Game 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (PS4): Story Completed on 2/27/15, 7 Hours
- I usually play every CoD campaign on veteran difficulty. It's kind of a weird gamer tradition of mine. As for Advanced Warfare, it had fun campaign missions (that estate-stealth mission was pretty sweet) but the story itself is pretty unmemorable. This CoD will be remembered as "the one with Kevin Spacey". I played a little multiplayer as well and enjoyed it. The slight changes and exo additions add some verticality and generally make for a fresher version of the typical CoD multiplayer, but as a CoD game it can only change so much. Definitely liked this installment more than Ghosts, but for me CoD peaked at Black Ops (for both campaign and multiplayer, zombies too) and I've greatly lost interest in each game since then. Still waiting for a WWII comeback!
Game 11 - CounterSpy (PS4): Completed on 3/3/15, 2 Hours
- My time with the game consists of one complete playthrough and another partially completed one with only a few levels left. What made this game fun was finding all the secret extras in each level. The stealth mechanics are a bit simplistic which make being detected frustrating sometimes but the game isn't very hard despite that. Since it's so short, the game really warrants multiple playthroughs to unlock everything, including trophies, but I had my fun with it by seeing what it had to offer. It's an enjoyable, simple, short side-scrolling shooter with a pretty cool art style.
Game 12 - OlliOlli 2: Welcome to Olliwood (PS4) Career levels completed on 3/4/15, 3 Hours
- I completed the career levels on amateur difficulty. This game is great once you get hang on the controls and it's really satisfying when you complete a level in a full combo. Then soon after that you'll want to tear your hair out during the final levels. Timing is key in this game and sometimes there's just so little room for error. I guess that's what skating is all about? It's pretty fun, and there are plenty of challenges and extras in it for a small indie game.
Game 13 - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (3DS) Completed Story on 3/5/15, 20 Hours
- What an unusual game to follow OoT. It's dark story and emphasis on side-quests and time management really highlight how unique this game is, and it's definitely now one of my favorite Zeldas because of just how different it is. The game's level design is genius, including all of the settings outside of the dungeons. Even though there are only 4 official ones, the prerequisite quests to unlock the main dungeons are almost like mini-dungeons themselves, just in more wide-open settings. The newly enhanced bomber's notebook and the new save points are cleverly implemented and are smart additions to this version of the game to save time and lessen frustration. I got about half of the masks and completed the story, but I plan on going back in to unlock all the masks and the side-quests.
Game 14 - Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (PS4) Completed Story on 3/13/15, 5 Hours
- Not as good as the first one, but I still enjoyed it. The story was interesting and I appreciate the added focus on it but I felt the simplicity and ambiguity of the first game's was more unique and memorable. Also, some of the level design felt overused and sometimes cheap, such as windows everywhere and unfair enemy placement in areas that are way too open. Soundtrack was top notch and there are definitely some bangers. Still, that first game tho.
Game 15 - Halo 2: Anniversary (X1): Completed Campaign on 3/15/15, 8 Hours
- I've been a Halo fan since nearly the beginning. I have fond memories of Halo 2's campaign and it's co-op. The remade cutscenes are beautiful and it's amazing. Despite them being pretty much on par with other modern games, seeing how Halo 2's campaign would have looked like had it been made today is pretty great. In the end, I think Halo 2 actually has the weakest story in the franchise (including 4) and mostly serves as set-up and prep for 3, but it has some good individual missions. I think the best thing about it's campaign and story is the inclusion of the Arbiter as a playable protagonist. As for the remastered sounds and visuals in multiplayer, it almost feels like a whole new game. It's so good.
Game 16 - Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (PS4): Completed every quest on 4/1/15, 15 Hours
- Had a lot of fun with the Pre-Sequel. I completed every main and side-quest. I never played it on last-gen so I waited for the next-gen version to release. It doesn't do too much new with the franchise with the exception of small things like a gravity mechanic and ground slam. Oh, and you get to play as a Claptrap. Which I did. And it was great. It's definitely a worthy addition to the franchise, albeit seeming slightly smaller in scale than the numbered titles when it comes to locations and number of quests. Maybe it's just me though.
Game 17 - Halo 3 (X1): Completed Campaign on 4/22/15, 7 Hours
- Finished it during my playthrough of every campaign included in the Master Chief Collection. This is still my favorite Halo campaign in the entire franchise and I think it still holds up. The 4-player co-op was great, the sense of an epic scale conclusion to the "trilogy" at the time was immensely satisfying and delivered. I liked the way Bungie capped off their Master Chief story but still left it open-ended enough so that it could be picked up for the future. I could go on about the multiplayer too but didn't play much on Master Chief Collection as opposed to the 360 days.
Game 18 - Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) (PS4): Completed on 4/23/15, 2.5 Hours
- A pleasant little game that teaches us and exposes us to some of the culture of the indigenous Alaskan tribes it was created with the help of. I appreciated what it showed us in it's insight clips and the way it's story was told in a simple little fairy-tale style, as if these types of stories were passed down through the ages by these people. The controls and AI weren't perfect at times and even became a little frustrating in some parts, but for such a short game with a specific purpose and story behind it's development, I can't help but appreciate it.
In Progress:
Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep Final Mix (PS3)
Shovel Knight (3DS)
D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die (X1)
Master Chief Collection (X1)
Metroid Prime Trilogy (Wii U)
Final Fantasy: Record Keeper (iOS)
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (PS4)
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection (PS4)
Bloodborne (PS4)
- Kingdom Hearts is my favorite video game series and KH2FM is one of the best entries. The platinum was tough and there were certain parts that required ALOT of grinding, which was not fun, but the gameplay is some of the best in the franchise. The game has aged well.
Game 2 - Assassin's Creed Rogue (PS3): Story Completed on 1/23/15 - 8 Hours
- I enjoyed Rogue's story more than Black Flag and Unity, mainly since it seems like it's more interested in the overarching lore of the series than the previous 2 and it ties in well. Gameplay was pretty standard AC quality. It's a fine entry in the series and I actually like it more than Unity, which seemed very bland to me besides the beautiful visuals and some nice mission variety.
Game 3 - The Swapper (PS4): 100% Completed on 1/24/15 - 4 Hours
- This game was cool. The dark sci-fi art style is really nice and the soundtrack is amazing. The puzzles are great brain teasers, although later on in the game they got so difficult I had to take breaks. The story is pretty interesting too but I didn't think much of it once I finished the game as it's pretty minimal. Great game if you're a puzzle lover. Otherwise it's a tough one for casual players.
Game 4 - Infamous First Light (PS4): Story Completed on 1/24/15 - 2.5 Hours
- I liked Second Son for it's gameplay and setting, but I thought it's story was weak and there was a lot of lost potential. I feel the same about First Light. Gameplay was fine, but the missions were boring along with the story. I'm glad it took me less than 3 hours to beat.
Game 5 - Captain Toad Treasure Tracker (Wii U): Story Completed on 1/29/15 - 5 Hours
- One of my favorite games of 2014. I like that there are multiple collectibles and special objectives in each level and even surprise bonus stages. The game is a bit short even after the extra chapter and it's camera is a little tough to maneuver around sometimes, but it's fun, charm, and originality make it worth it. I'm hoping for a sequel and it's the first game that actually makes me want to buy any accompanying amiibo for extra content as well as show my love for Toad.
Game 6 - Grim Fandango Remastered (PS4): 100% Completed on 2/2/15 - 10 Hours
- I'm glad I finally got to play this game after wondering what it was all about for years. The story, characters, performances, soundtrack, setting and style are all really great and were exactly what I was hoping for going into it. It's a difficult game though since I feel like the gameplay is problematic at times. It requires a lot of thin logic and action in certain situations where interactive objects are indistinguishable from setting. For a remaster it could have had a bit more touching up in the cinematic and mechanical departments, but otherwise I really enjoyed it.
Game 7 - Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: 10+ Hours
- A couple of weeks ago I played the game for about 9 hours non-stop with a friend trying to complete the group events. I think I've logged about 30 hours total according to my Wii U Daily Log and about half of those hours were done in 2015 so far. What can I say, it's Smash Bros. It's fun as hell, though I really only play it with friends and barely do single-player modes. I unlocked all characters of course and tried every game mode at least once but I think I have about 2 more stages to unlock from single-player events.
Game 8 - Destiny (PS4): 10+ Hours in 2015, 100+ Hours total
- I recently passed 100 hours on this game and without a doubt have spent around 20 in 2015, and I've been playing it since launch. I enjoy Destiny because I like shared-world games (MMO-esque), shooters, and RPGs. Destiny is an amalgamation of all these genres. It is repetitive as hell and it's content is by no means great, but it's gameplay is top notch and it keeps me coming back nearly every week to do weekly strikes and raids with other players to upgrade my character and be ready for the next big content drop to arrive from Bungie.
Game 9 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS): Story Completed on 2/12/15, 21 Hours
- My most embarrassing gamer secret used to be that I never beat OoT, but now I did. I really enjoyed it. Not sure if it's my favorite Zelda game, but it's a damn good one. I remember reaching a certain temple years ago and stopping, but on this playthrough I really enjoyed every dungeon, water and shadow being my favorites. The game also doesn't make the unfortunate mistake of other adventure games by having you repeat dungeons or backtrack a ton. The dungeons are well designed, the story is good, gameplay is great on 3DS, and I'm glad I finally took the time to give it complete playthrough. Now onto Majora's Mask 3D!
Game 10 - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (PS4): Story Completed on 2/27/15, 7 Hours
- I usually play every CoD campaign on veteran difficulty. It's kind of a weird gamer tradition of mine. As for Advanced Warfare, it had fun campaign missions (that estate-stealth mission was pretty sweet) but the story itself is pretty unmemorable. This CoD will be remembered as "the one with Kevin Spacey". I played a little multiplayer as well and enjoyed it. The slight changes and exo additions add some verticality and generally make for a fresher version of the typical CoD multiplayer, but as a CoD game it can only change so much. Definitely liked this installment more than Ghosts, but for me CoD peaked at Black Ops (for both campaign and multiplayer, zombies too) and I've greatly lost interest in each game since then. Still waiting for a WWII comeback!
Game 11 - CounterSpy (PS4): Completed on 3/3/15, 2 Hours
- My time with the game consists of one complete playthrough and another partially completed one with only a few levels left. What made this game fun was finding all the secret extras in each level. The stealth mechanics are a bit simplistic which make being detected frustrating sometimes but the game isn't very hard despite that. Since it's so short, the game really warrants multiple playthroughs to unlock everything, including trophies, but I had my fun with it by seeing what it had to offer. It's an enjoyable, simple, short side-scrolling shooter with a pretty cool art style.
Game 12 - OlliOlli 2: Welcome to Olliwood (PS4) Career levels completed on 3/4/15, 3 Hours
- I completed the career levels on amateur difficulty. This game is great once you get hang on the controls and it's really satisfying when you complete a level in a full combo. Then soon after that you'll want to tear your hair out during the final levels. Timing is key in this game and sometimes there's just so little room for error. I guess that's what skating is all about? It's pretty fun, and there are plenty of challenges and extras in it for a small indie game.
Game 13 - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (3DS) Completed Story on 3/5/15, 20 Hours
- What an unusual game to follow OoT. It's dark story and emphasis on side-quests and time management really highlight how unique this game is, and it's definitely now one of my favorite Zeldas because of just how different it is. The game's level design is genius, including all of the settings outside of the dungeons. Even though there are only 4 official ones, the prerequisite quests to unlock the main dungeons are almost like mini-dungeons themselves, just in more wide-open settings. The newly enhanced bomber's notebook and the new save points are cleverly implemented and are smart additions to this version of the game to save time and lessen frustration. I got about half of the masks and completed the story, but I plan on going back in to unlock all the masks and the side-quests.
Game 14 - Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (PS4) Completed Story on 3/13/15, 5 Hours
- Not as good as the first one, but I still enjoyed it. The story was interesting and I appreciate the added focus on it but I felt the simplicity and ambiguity of the first game's was more unique and memorable. Also, some of the level design felt overused and sometimes cheap, such as windows everywhere and unfair enemy placement in areas that are way too open. Soundtrack was top notch and there are definitely some bangers. Still, that first game tho.
Game 15 - Halo 2: Anniversary (X1): Completed Campaign on 3/15/15, 8 Hours
- I've been a Halo fan since nearly the beginning. I have fond memories of Halo 2's campaign and it's co-op. The remade cutscenes are beautiful and it's amazing. Despite them being pretty much on par with other modern games, seeing how Halo 2's campaign would have looked like had it been made today is pretty great. In the end, I think Halo 2 actually has the weakest story in the franchise (including 4) and mostly serves as set-up and prep for 3, but it has some good individual missions. I think the best thing about it's campaign and story is the inclusion of the Arbiter as a playable protagonist. As for the remastered sounds and visuals in multiplayer, it almost feels like a whole new game. It's so good.
Game 16 - Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (PS4): Completed every quest on 4/1/15, 15 Hours
- Had a lot of fun with the Pre-Sequel. I completed every main and side-quest. I never played it on last-gen so I waited for the next-gen version to release. It doesn't do too much new with the franchise with the exception of small things like a gravity mechanic and ground slam. Oh, and you get to play as a Claptrap. Which I did. And it was great. It's definitely a worthy addition to the franchise, albeit seeming slightly smaller in scale than the numbered titles when it comes to locations and number of quests. Maybe it's just me though.
Game 17 - Halo 3 (X1): Completed Campaign on 4/22/15, 7 Hours
- Finished it during my playthrough of every campaign included in the Master Chief Collection. This is still my favorite Halo campaign in the entire franchise and I think it still holds up. The 4-player co-op was great, the sense of an epic scale conclusion to the "trilogy" at the time was immensely satisfying and delivered. I liked the way Bungie capped off their Master Chief story but still left it open-ended enough so that it could be picked up for the future. I could go on about the multiplayer too but didn't play much on Master Chief Collection as opposed to the 360 days.
Game 18 - Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) (PS4): Completed on 4/23/15, 2.5 Hours
- A pleasant little game that teaches us and exposes us to some of the culture of the indigenous Alaskan tribes it was created with the help of. I appreciated what it showed us in it's insight clips and the way it's story was told in a simple little fairy-tale style, as if these types of stories were passed down through the ages by these people. The controls and AI weren't perfect at times and even became a little frustrating in some parts, but for such a short game with a specific purpose and story behind it's development, I can't help but appreciate it.
In Progress:
Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep Final Mix (PS3)
Shovel Knight (3DS)
D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die (X1)
Master Chief Collection (X1)
Metroid Prime Trilogy (Wii U)
Final Fantasy: Record Keeper (iOS)
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (PS4)
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection (PS4)
Bloodborne (PS4)