Claiming this post.
I'm jumping in late here, but if nothing else I hope this gives me some motivation to eat through some of my backlog even if I don't make the goal. When I play a game I tend to get very invested in it, so I know my biggest issue will be knowing when to pull back and say "done". This list will focus on completion.
#1 -
Left 4 Dead 2 (PC)
Played with a buddy. Great co-op as expected, but short and not all too different from the first.
#2 -
SD Gundam 2 (SNES)
Fun bullet hell-esque action game from my childhood. Quick nostalgia trip enhanced by actually having watched the Gundam series that it references. Some BS boss battles though.
#3 -
Goof Troop (SNES)
Played the Japanese version on Hard Mode with a friend. Classic better-than-you'd-think licensed Capcom game. Some of the sliding block puzzles were real head scratchers.
#4 -
Transformers Prime (Wii)
After marathoning the show I was itching to jump back into the world since Robots in Disguise 2015 wasn't quite doing that for me. Above average licensed game with some actually kinda fun combat. Great spending time with these characters again. Super short campaign is a plus for me since it allowed me to indulge in some emblem (AKA achievement) hunting.
#5 -
Ultimate Muscle: Legends vs. New Generation (GCN)
Beat the game with every character and even got all the little rubber M.U.S.C.L.E. figures. I cleared it on hard with all the characters with the notable exception of Sunshine and Skullduggery; their slow movements are just too vulnerable to the A.I. I'm glad I unlocked Pandaman because he's just great, though I don't think anyone can touch Chihuahuaman (one of the pre-made custom fighters). Excellent AKI game I would love to try in multiplayer someday.
#6 -
Monument Valley (Android)
Beautiful. A showcase of what mobile gaming can be capable of. The puzzles are never really head-scratchers until the final level, but I believe that actually works well in the game's favor - creating atmosphere as you slowly delve deeper into the monuments. All the little touches are what make this game. Also a great source of phone wallpapers.
#7 -
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis)
Game froze up on me a few times. By the time I got up to the end boss I had the level select cheat memorized. I'm in still in awe of how great the level designs were in these older Sonic games. As a kid I was always amazed at how many different branching paths there were in any given level and that feeling hasn't receded at all. Growing up as a Super Nintendo kid had its perks, but Sonic 2 makes damn good case for the Genesis.
Favorite track:
Aquatic Ruin Zone
#8 -
Banjo-Kazooie (N64)
I stopped playing BK when I got to Rusty Bucket Bay and returning to it years later I can see why: just an exceedingly poorly designed stage. The less said about the engine room the better. This is exacerbated by the musical note count being reset after any death, forcing hours of meaningless backtracking. I wonder if it would be easier to stomach if I was younger and had more free time. Thankfully the game is still really charming; the smaller, more compact worlds are still a fond memory for me. Banjo and Kazooie themselves are great characters. I really dig the effort Rare put into their animations.
#9 -
Castlevania (N64)
Man, isn't YouTube great for retro games? Another game I stopped playing towards the end (probably ~15 years ago) but this time I was literally at the final boss. I remember stowing it away in disgust when I found out Dracula had a 3rd form and losing meant you had to start over from the 1st. I looked up a no-damage run of this fight on YouTube and soon enough I had his pattern down pat, even easily defeating his final form with unused roast chickens to spare.
#10 -
The Writer Will Do Something (Browser)
Having a game production education myself this was terrifying. All the stress I've experienced in tense game dev meetings just rushed back to me. The totality of game development is obviously not as bad, but as a microcosm this is an excellent tool to sober up over-eager game dev hopefuls. It generated instant sympathy for game writers though so mission accomplished.
#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.
#14 -
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Arcade)
#15 -
Mega Man V (Game Boy)
#16 -
Broken Age (PC) - Part 1 was charming and a joy to play. Part 2... not so much.
#17 -
Super Mario Maker (Wii U) - Unlocked all the level tools, completed all the 10-Mario Mode courses and beat the NWC levels. I don't have all the mystery mushroom costumes but considering how long that will take I consider it completed as far as single-player content.
#18 -
Street Fighter Alpha 3 (Arcade)
#19 -
Mega Man: The Power Battles (Arcade)
#20 -
Marvel vs Capcom (Arcade)
#21 -
Amiibo Taps: Nintendo's Greatest Bits (Wii U) - Unlocked all games and played every scene.
#22 -
Halo: ODST (X360)
#23 -
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike (PS3)
#24 -
Darkstalkers Resurrection (PS3)
#25 -
Transformers Devastation (PS3)
#26 -
Mega Man X (Wii U) - I've beaten this game probably dozens of times, but I wanted to do a no-buster, minimal upgrade, no e-tank run on the Wii U VC version. I ended up using e-tanks on the final Sigma form (cuz
damn), but otherwise a clean run.
#27 -
Undertale special demo (PC) - This supposedly has original content not found in the game proper so I'm treating it as its own thing. I also don't expect to play the full game this year.
#28 -
Fire Pro Wrestling Returns (PS2) - There's no real single-player content here worth noting, but I've put a lot of time into the Create-a-Wrestler mode. I have buddies that stream matches with our characters every Monday so it's a lot of fun seeing our creations go at it -- we also bet on the outcomes with fake money Salty Bet-style. I'll continue to add more characters this year probably, but I'm going to mark this completed since I've acclimated to the editor.
#29 -
Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (Arcade) - Beat this earlier but can't place exactly when.
#30 -
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (360)
#31 -
.detuned (PS3) - An "interactive" music video that doesn't really have any goals or objectives. However it does have some trophies, which I managed to collect all of.
#32 -
Resident Evil 5 (360)
#33 -
LIT (Mobile)
#34 -
Sonic Runners (Mobile) - Played enough to know that I don't want to play anymore. Progress is far too slow and it is too difficult to unlock anything of note. A shame because I like the base gameplay and some of the unlocks are genuinely cool.
#35 -
Vib-Ribbon (PSOne Classic via PS3) - Got a high score on all 3 difficulties.
#36 -
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris (PS4)
#37 -
Grand Theft Auto V (PS3)
#38 -
Life is Strange: Episode 1 (PS3)
#39 -
Linger in Shadows (PS3) - A short "interactive art" piece from the PSN. Despite the interaction, I was disappointed I couldn't have any real effect on the narrative.
#40 -
Ace Mathician (DSiWare on 3DS)
#41 -
Dokidoki Letter Relay (Wii U) - Free downloadable game from the Nintendo Game Seminar. Only available on the Japanese eShop. Shame because it's both fun and a great use of the gamepad.
#42 -
Gundam Wing: Endless Duel (SNES) - Beat story mode on hard.
#43 -
Lightsaber Escape (Chrome/Mobile) - TRAITOR!
#44 -
Emily is Away (PC) - I like the way the game was laid out and everything, but the whole time I just wanted to be talk with Emily and the game kept assuming I wanted to be in a relationship. The game gives you false agency and then keeps trying to goad you into playing it the way it wants to be played before telling you how you're supposed to feel at the end.
#45 - Alphabet (PC) - Keita Takahashi's LA Game Space experiment. Did not like it.
#46 - VideoHeroeS alpha version (PC)
#47 - Perfect Stride alpha version (PC)
#48 - Pachalafaka (PC)
#49 - Inputting (PC)
#50 - IZLAGS (PC)
#51 - spiralsky (PC)
#52 - Tyto Ecology (iPad)