Games Beaten In 2012!

[Cybergoth]

I just finished Resident Evil 5. Top game, I liked it a lot more than 4

 

Since it was the Gold Edition, I also played through both bonus chapters. They're kinda okay, but I don't think they're actually worth paying extra money for.

[+Charlie Cat]

Hi guys,

 

Shenmue! Sega Dreamcast!

 

 

Anthony....

[Cybergoth]

Just beat Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers for the NES. Quite an easy game, it only took two tries

 

Capcom games beaten in 2012: Bionic Commando, Legendary Wings, Bionic Commando Rearmed, Mega Man 2, Last Duel, Duck Tales, Strider, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Forgotten Worlds, Tiger Road, Black Tiger, Gargoyle's Quest, Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers

[+thegoldenband]

21. Casper (Game Boy)

 

I started playing this yesterday, beat Easy on my second attempt, and beat Med(ium) and Hard today.

 

Shovelware, albeit mildly entertaining shovelware. That said, I paid a buck for it, and got about two hours of gameplay out of it, so the economics aren't too bad! Still, it's little more than a collection of shallow minigames, and the cleverest part (constructing the Rube Goldberg machines) has zero replay value. D.

[8th lutz]

7.) Super Street Fighter IITurbo: Revival (Game Boy Advance)

 

I beaten the game yesterday, but didn't had a chance to mention it since the forum was down.

[Austin]

21. Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (DS)

 

I finished Dawn of Sorrow a couple of weeks back, and began working on Portrait of Ruin afterward. To be honest, I wasn't thrilled to play it again, as I don't recall particularly enjoying my last playthrough a couple of years ago. Well, this time, I warmed up to it (probably partially because I actually heard the game this time, not playing it at work with the sound off). The team system isn't as bad as I originally thought if you utilize it properly. The thing is--getting out of the Symphony of the Night or Dawn of Sorrow mindset, and getting used to actually utilizing it. On my first playthrough, and on a good portion of this one, I only used one character at a time, and enemies took *forever* to destroy. The thing is, the game is designed--unlike other MetroidVania titles--to have both characters on-screen at once, attacking at the same time. This makes mowing down enemies *much* faster. But two characters on the screen at once? Doesn't that mean you can die faster? Well, not really--it's implemented cleverly, to where when your team mate gets hurt, your magic meter drains, and not your health bar. The actual health meter is reserved only for the primarily character you are controlling, and it's a system that works very well when you get the hang of it.

 

So, all in all, I enjoyed Portrait of Ruin much more this time through than the last time I played it. So much so, that I will even say it's a quality Castlevania game now! With that there are still a few things I didn't care for though, like some of the level design (I didn't care for the Egyptian-themed level asides from the backing tune). The story is also poor, featuring more banter between your teenager-like characters. Less than a third of the way through the game, I had to hit "start" and skip all of the story segments--it was too painful to absorb. Also, the pacing and structure of the game is a bit too much at times. By the time you think you are at the end of the game, they make you slog through *four* more "Portraits", basically brand-new maps, that ironically aren't all that brand-new, featuring the same backgrounds as the previous four maps you endured. It makes the game feel like it goes on much longer than it needs to, and at that point I was wishing it would just end already. Lastly, the quest system wasn't implemented very well here, most being very obscure and hard to figure out and complete. The quest system found in the follow-up, Order of Ecclesia, is much more enjoyable. Still--great Castlevania game if you can get past those flaws, and the soundtrack is awesome!

[Austin]

22. Jackal (NES)

 

This is a game I only got to play once or twice as a kid. When I rediscovered it back in the early '00s, I couldn't get past the last boss. Because I just revisited this game a few days ago to do a quick casual YouTube review, I decided to also give it another honest shot and try to finally complete it. Today, I did it (on my first play actually)!

 

All in all, it's a lot of fun. You basically play as a jeep with 360* movement from a top-down perspective, blowing crap up that comes in your way (usually tanks, turrets, and tiny guys you can either shoot or run over). Blowing up houses gives you POWs, and if you can manage to move on without dying, you can drop them off at helli pads for big points (and extra lives!). The gameplay is quick enough, destroying enemies feels good, the bosses are varied up pretty nicely throughout the game, and the music has that classic Konami NES beefiness to it. This one definitely comes recommended! Funny enough, for my quick review, I found online that this was released in US arcades under the name of "Top Gunner". I was unaware of that, so that came as a cool little piece of NES/Arcade history.

 

Since I'm on vacation this week, there will probably be a couple more additions to this list, haha. Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance is looking to be the next one!

[Austin]

23. Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (GBA)

 

This was one of the few Castlevania games I hadn't finished, so I finally got around to doing so the other day. What started well unfortunately quickly turned into monotony, with repetitive area designs, a horrible castle layout that doesn't give you warp portals until the *end* of the game (meaning you will be backtracking by foot a lot), required items that are hidden (Castlevania II style, and a terrible design choice), a lack of weapon variety, a horrible soundtrack, and.. I could go on, but I won't. It's got some great visuals, and the gameplay isn't bad on its own--but everything above combined, makes this a mediocre Castlevania game honestly not worth playing.

 

24. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (GBA)

 

Now HERE we go. This is a good Castlevania game. I hadn't finished this one since the time it was released (about nine years ago), and was looking forward to giving it another go after finishing Dawn of Sorrow (the sequel) on the DS a little ways back. I was especially looking forward to playing it after the above game, and popped this one in the second I finished Harmony of Dissonance. For redemption, maybe? Perhaps. I was really, really disappointed with Harmony, and even disgusted at points with some of the design choices taken.

 

Anyway.. While Dawn of Sorrow improved on the formula heavily, this one obviously paved the way for that and features many of the same elements, such as the soul stealing. Naturally I became addicted to gathering as many souls as I could along with traversing the castle as usual--it was a lot of fun and quite addictive. Fortunately, the level design and castle layout is ACE here, leagues above Harmony of Dissonance. There was hardly a moment where I felt absolutely stuck in the game (and the one part I absolutely needed a FAQ for wasn't even required territory). The soundtrack is quite solid as well, also unlike Harmony of Dissonance (the most disappointing aspect of that game). All in all, a fantastic Castlevania game that comes highly recommended.

[twoquickcapri]

7. Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean (Sega Saturn)

 

 

8. Neo Drift Out (NeoGeo MVS)

 

Finally I can one credit clear the the game.

[+thegoldenband]

22. Pilotwings 64 (Nintendo 64)

 

I'd been wondering what the victory condition of this game would turn out to be, but as soon as I got the last badge I needed -- a bronze badge in Hanggliding at the Pilot level -- the credits rolled. So it appears I've beaten the game, using the same character (Hawk) for all events.

 

But unlike most games I beat, I'm not done with this one! I haven't yet unlocked the third bonus event (Jumble Hopper), but I have gold badges in all of the other mandatory events, so turning that bronze Hanggliding badge into gold will do the trick. And since I've gotten perfect scores in all events in Beginner class and Class A (as well as Skydiving), I'd like to do the same for Class B and Pilot class (and Cannonball).

 

It's not often that I look forward to playing a game more after beating it, which goes to show how much fun Pilotwings 64 is. I really liked the original SNES game, but this N64 sequel is even better, and has that addictive, just-one-more-time quality which makes it exactly the wrong choice for anyone looking to get work done. All my complaints about the game are insignificant, e.g. the fact that you still have to take two more shots in Cannonball after getting a bullseye with your first shot, or the annoying camera behavior in the underground rocketbelt stage (but that goes away once you stop messing up).

 

Some people have said it's too short, but I think Pilotwings 64 is meant to be played not as a race for the end credits, but as a quest for perfection, one event at a time. And when you play it that way, it's great fun, and one hell of an impressive launch title besides. A+.

[8th lutz]

7.) Ys: The Ark of Napishtim (PSP)

[Atariboy]

This one definitely comes recommended! Funny enough, for my quick review, I found online that this was released in US arcades under the name of "Top Gunner". I was unaware of that, so that came as a cool little piece of NES/Arcade history.

 

The arcade version is on the Game Room service for the Xbox 360 if you're interested.

[Austin]

The arcade version is on the Game Room service for the Xbox 360 if you're interested.

 

Oh reeeeeaaalllly? I know what I might be doing on my coming days off!

[Cybergoth]

Finished Bionic Commando on the PS3 tonight. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be

[+thegoldenband]

23. Kolibri (Sega 32X)

 

Beat Easy last month, Normal over the weekend, and Hard last night.

 

Despite the attractive graphics, pastoral music, and inventive theme, I kinda hate this game. I'll post more extensive comments over in the review thread at Sega-16 at some point. I'd give it a D, or D+ at best.

[twoquickcapri]

9. Tokyo Xtreme Racer (Sega Dreamcast)

 

This was the third or fourth game I got after buying my Dreamcast on 9/9/99. But I never got around to beating it. It was due to the fact that I seem to let everyone and their brother borrow my Dreamcast back then. But after listening to an old IMPLANTgames podcast I got the bug to play it again. I found the game to be Average with some really bad slow down when more then two cars were on the screen. I'm more of a 60's, 70's car guy and don't care for the "import" scene of the game.

[Crazy Climber]

Rambo 3 for the japan megadrive (same as the USA one?) First time I played it in 20 years, still AWESOME!!

[Austin]

25. Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (GBA)

 

Being on a "MetroidVania" Castlevania kick just prior to going on vacation, I had purchased the three GBA games. Circle of the Moon was the last of the trilogy for me to complete, and I finally managed that Monday night or so.

 

I remember buying this one the week or so that the GBA came out. It was my first game for the system, and it was awesome for the time. It was the first game to feature "MetroidVania"-style gameplay since Symphony of the Night, and at the time, that in itself was a big deal. While it was no Symphony of the Night, it still didn't disappoint, even despite it being extremely dark on the GBA's non-backlit screen. The question is, being a launch GBA title with little in the way of scaling or fancy graphical effects, has it held up over the years? Well, yes, sort of.

 

Depending on where you are coming from, it might take a little bit of time to "get into" this game. I say that because the game is very basic compared to something like Aria of Sorrow. That title had a very fleshed out "soul" system, where you could gather a new ability from every enemy in the game. On top of that, you could also find various weapons, armor, and other miscallaneous items throughout the castle. This gave you a lot to do even after finishing the game. Also, naturally the visuals are more polished in that release, and the gameplay control feels smoother. In Circle of the Moon, everything feels like a step backwards, and rightfully so--it's several years older. Your character is rigid whenever whipping. Also, there's not much in terms of item collecting--just a few potions to be had here and there, some anti-venom items, cure curse, etc. There aren't any other types of weapons, and your varying attacks come from the classic Castlevania sub-weapons (cross boomerang, axe, throwing knife, and holy water), as well as these cards you can find.

 

The cards? They are somewhat like the soul system in Aria of Sorrow, but a little more limited in function. From what I can tell, there are nearly two dozen (give or take a few) cards to find in the game, and by making various combinations, you can discover new attacks. The problem is, I never found much use to most of the combinations. Your stock whip is either more powerful than the combinations that use little magic points, or the ones that are powerful drain too much MP to be useful. Still, a neat gimmick I suppose, but I didn't have that "want" to discover every ability in the game like I did with Aria of Sorrow.

 

Overall, the game was still fun in this last playthrough. The flow of the castle is well thought out (unlike Harmony of Dissonance), and the soundtrack kicks ass. Perhaps it's not quite as refined as Aria of Sorrow's, but it features a heavy dose of classic Castlevania tunes remixed, and they all sound great. The sound effects are also solid, well above the next game (Harmony of Dissonance), with a cool echo effect on everything. It sounds great, especially for such an early GBA game. Do I recommend it these days? Yes, but keep your perspective realistic--it's no Aria of Sorrow, and if you come to this one straight after playing that game, it will most certainly take some time to adjust to. All in all though, it's still a great, challenging game when you give it time.

 

(Wow, that was more like a full-fledged review!)

 

26. Alan Wake (XBOX 360)

 

Having an itch for a modern game (finally), I decided to play Alan Wake, which I obtained via a cheap download code on eBay. As a fan of the Max Payne games, this is one I have wanted to play for quite a while now. Was it worth the wait? Hm. Well, my thoughts are below (mostly reposted from a thread in the Modern Gaming section):

 

Overall I thought it was an okay game that happened to have a fantastic story. The action seemed to get repetitive--kill a few guys, find a generator or a switch, run (or get lost) in some woods, watch a story-progressing cutscene, rinse and repeat. I was more addicted to wanting to know what happened next in the story and the environment around me than the gameplay itself. I loved all of the similarities to Max Payne, like the radio shows and the "Night Springs" faux TV series, but the gameplay itself got old quickly, especially those times I got lost in the forest areas. Even after the game was over, I didn't really think about the experience I had from a gameplay perspective--I kept thinking about the story and how it progressed, and tried to fill in the holes in my mind. Afterwards, I did some more research on the game, and looked into its expansion packs. I also discovered a promotional live-action short web series dubbed "Bright Falls" (the name of the main town in the game). It was actually relatively creepy, and after watching it, it made my head spin even more. I will reiterate again, I really thought the game was par for the course with a modern day game, but the story was excellent. Trying to play it again on Nightmare, I got a sort of "meh" feeling, and went back to the main menu and watched the ending again instead to pick out some details I missed the first time through.

[Cybergoth]

I just beat Little Nemo - The Dream Master for the NES this afternoon. I hadn't expected this one being so hard, but once again I came through victorious after a while

 

Capcom games beaten in 2012: Bionic Commando, Legendary Wings, Bionic Commando Rearmed, Mega Man 2, Last Duel, Duck Tales, Strider, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Forgotten Worlds, Tiger Road, Black Tiger, Gargoyle's Quest, Chip 'n Dale - Rescue Rangers & Little Nemo - The Dream Master

[+thegoldenband]

24. Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair (Genesis)

 

Beat Beginner on Saturday, Average on Sunday, and Expert today. I set it to 6 lives and 5 credits, so I should theoretically take a shot with 4 lives and 3 credits, but I'm not sure I feel inclined to bother.

 

Fun enough game on the easier difficulty settings, but Expert makes the mistake of having enemies take multiple hits, and that totally wrecks the flow of the gameplay -- they should've taken a different tack. I'd give it a C+, but I haven't tried the co-op mode yet.

 

BTW this is the 400th entry on my beaten games list!

[Crazy Climber]

I just beat Little Nemo - The Dream Master for the NES this afternoon. I hadn't expected this one being so hard, but once again I came through victorious after a while

 

Capcom games beaten in 2012: Bionic Commando, Legendary Wings, Bionic Commando Rearmed, Mega Man 2, Last Duel, Duck Tales, Strider, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Forgotten Worlds, Tiger Road, Black Tiger, Gargoyle's Quest, Chip 'n Dale - Rescue Rangers & Little Nemo - The Dream Master

Dream Master is pretty tough, very fun game though

I just picked up capcoms little mermaid for the NES which I hear is decent...I guess we will see soon!

[Cybergoth]

Dream Master is pretty tough, very fun game though

I just picked up capcoms little mermaid for the NES which I hear is decent...I guess we will see soon!

 

Hehe, I also bought Little Mermaid only ~4 weeks ago, albeit the Game Boy version, since the NES one got never released in Europe. I'm looking forward to playing it sometime soon

[+thegoldenband]

25. Osomatsu-Kun: Hachamecha Gekijou (Genesis)

 

This was the fourth game released for the Mega Drive in Japan, making it "almost" a launch title. It's a quirky game with some amusing character & stage design, but I got all of 35 minutes of gameplay out of it before reaching the end. No amount of strenuously Japanese humor can compensate for having so little to offer. I give it a D.

[Austin]

25. Osomatsu-Kun: Hachamecha Gekijou (Genesis)

 

This was the fourth game released for the Mega Drive in Japan, making it "almost" a launch title. It's a quirky game with some amusing character & stage design, but I got all of 35 minutes of gameplay out of it before reaching the end. No amount of strenuously Japanese humor can compensate for having so little to offer. I give it a D.

 

What kind of game is it? A platformer, I assume?

[+thegoldenband]

25. Osomatsu-Kun: Hachamecha Gekijou (Genesis)

 

What kind of game is it? A platformer, I assume?

 

Yeah, it's a fairly straightforward platformer with super-goofy characters. The big gimmick is that the stages loop unless you figure out the trick to advancing, which turns the conventions of the genre a bit on their head:

 

 

You have to fall down the pits. They're never bottomless and, in any given situation, going downward is usually the way forward. That's the opposite of most platformers, where pits are usually bottomless (obviously) and higher ground is almost always preferable.

 

 

Still, once you figure out that gimmick, the game is way too short -- only three stages! -- and offers almost no challenge for anyone who's dealt with NES platformers, especially earlier ones.