Games Beaten In 2012!

[Cybergoth]

I recently also played through the main story of Final Fantasy IV on the PSP. I first thought to also beat the other parts, but lost interest in The After Years rather fast

[Cybergoth]

Just finished 'And Yet It Moves' on the Wii. Nice enough for WiiWare, albeit at ~3 hours playtime quite short.

[twoquickcapri]

11. Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)

 

Pre-order the game but it took me this long to finsh it. I would play it for 4-6 hours at a time with 3 or 4 month separating the plays.

Edited June 22, 2012 by twoquickcapri

[StanJr]

Batman Arkham Asylum (XBOX360). Pretty short game and so-so in the fun department. Very repetitive and uninspired level design.

[Christophero Sly]

Been busy with other stuff and haven't played many games this year. Bear with me while I quickly get caught-up, year-to-date, in my ever-opinionated way.

 

Dragon Age II (360) -- My biggest issue with the DA2 is that you have no influence upon its outcome. It grows increasingly frustrating as you progress through the game to repeatedly discover that none of your choices are really affecting the narrative. I can respect a game that doesn't cast you as the hero--that's actually refreshing--but DA2 is still a video game, and an RPG no less, and you can't take the player out of the driver's seat and relegate them to a role in which they are an ineffectual observer of the plot. It doesn't work.

 

The plot, itself, is actually pretty decent, however, with a central conflict that is compelling enough to carry the whole game.

Unfortunately, in the final scenes, the writers undermined the entire premise of the game by deciding that a supernatural explanation was preferable to one that would have been infinitely more satisfying had it stayed rooted in human imperfections.

 

 

The other major flaw in the game comes in the form of excessively recycled/reused environments. From a player's point of view, there is simply no excuse for this. I would go so far as to say that it was insulting.

 

Does this game do anything well? Yes. As a character drama, this game really shines, and I have to admit that I enjoyed that aspect of the game tremendously. There is some stellar writing to be found in that part of the game.

 

DA2 does some things undeniable well, but it's severely compromised by what it does wrong. I'm going to give the game a B-. Hopefully, Bioware will strike a better balance with DA3.

 

Alan Wake (360) -- The mood and atmosphere in this game are outstanding. The light/dark mechanic is brilliant. The story is well above average, although it does get unnecessarily convoluted at times. Nevertheless, I could not put this game down until I finished it. Best horror/thriller game I've ever played. Easily gets an A.

 

Special Forces: Nemesis Strike (XBOX) -- A excellent 3-D translation of the 2-D run-and-gun series CT: Special Forces. There were a few frustrating moments, but I thoroughly enjoyed this game. I'm surprised that some of it's unique gameplay elements haven't been ripped-off by other series. I give it a solid B.

 

Shadow Ops: Red Mercury (XBOX) -- Not a technical marvel, but the gameplay is rock solid. This is just a good old-fashioned, hard-nosed, tactical FPS. Sure, it's generic, mostly linear, and somewhat scripted, but I had a lot of fun playing it. I give it a B.

 

The Bard's Tale (PS2) -- Great sense of humor, decent plot, and an interesting summons system that makes for some surprisingly strategic combat. I enjoyed this game much more than I ever expected to. It gets a B.

 

Area 51 (XBOX) -- Utterly average and completely forgettable. C.

 

Ultima IV (DOSBOX) -- I vividly remember my parents buying this game for me when it came out, but I never finished the game as a kid. I'm not sure why exactly that was, but I've underestimated this game ever since. Playing it now, I can see that it really is as good and groundbreaking as they say. It's a huge leap in complexity and sophistication over Ultima III, and you can see in a least-common-denominator sort of way that it's still the template for almost every RPG made in the last ~25 years. Obviously, it gets an A, but a game this pioneering really transcends ratings.

 

Mass Effect 3 (360)-- I'm sure you've already heard about ME3's controversial ending. Other than to say that the ending is, indeed, series-wrecking terrible, I don't have much to say about it. A fair treatment of the subject is well beyond the scope of these remarks. Furthermore, Bioware is attempting to rescue the game with a DLC release coming out next week, so I guess I will withhold my final judgement until I can check that out. However, I'm not optimistic as I don't see anything less than a complete re-write of the ending being anything more than the proverbial lipstick on a pig.

 

Regardless, the flaws in ME3 are evident well before the ending. Frankly, I thought the whole game was a perfunctory mess. Bioware cut every corner they could find, and dumbed-down or streamlined nearly everything else. The ending just serves as the coup-de-grace.

 

What happened? Mass Effect seemed poised to become the most popular and compelling science fiction universe since Star Wars, but I reckon that ME3 has dealt a fatal blow to the series' future, and possibly even to Bioware itself. I'd rate my experience with the game a D+.

 

Tron 2.0: Killer App. (XBOX) -- Standout art direction and level design, but there isn't much to the story. The combat is decent, and there is some nice puzzle-platforming. The skill tree/upgrade system even brings a bit of strategy to the game. I had difficulty with the light cycles stages though, and ended up skipping most of them. Enjoyed it, and give it a B.

[Austin]

28. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (XBOX 360)

 

Finished this one about two weeks ago but forgot to list it here. An undeniable classic, I was looking forward to playing this again after completing all three GBA games and all three DS games. I had actually received the Saturn version and planned on rolling through it there, but the slowdown and extra load times bugged me so I decided to do it via the 360 port of SOTN instead.

 

Things started off well, but by the time I got to the upside-down castle, I had lost interest. I still finished it, but what I think the problem was is that I've finished this dozens of times in the past, on a variety of systems (Saturn, PSX, 360). It wasn't fresh in any way (naturally so). Also, I think another part of it is that some of its design choices haven't aged well over time. For instance, being unable to sell armor and weapons you find throughout the game, not having the monster stats/glossary available at all times like you do in the top screen of the DS versions, etc. Another thing that bugged me is I didn't run into any equippable items that could boost my luck attribute--only usable, temporary luck potions. In the later MetroidVania-style titles, there were a handful of luck-boosting pieces of equipment that you could find, making searching out those rare items a little bit easier, and more fun (not to mention more doable, heh).

 

Still a brilliant game in its own right, but some of the later ones (Dawn of Sorrow, Order of Ecclesia, etc) definitely improved on the formula and streamlined things for the better. It's hard to go back now.

[Christophero Sly]

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3) -- Uncharted is a visually impressive game, no doubt, with top notch character animations and some striking outdoor scenery. However, I found the overall aesthetics, especially the interior spaces, to be rather lacking. The quality of the voice acting is also first-rate, but the characters and story themselves are wholly derivative and thoroughly trite.

 

As far as gameplay goes, I'm not sure if the the acrobatic platforming elements of Uncharted actually qualify as "gameplay" because they do so little to engage or test any discernible human faculty above the capacity to reflexively move one's thumbs. The player's input serves only to advance the action. It's a connect the dots experience that demands negligible skill. For all it requires of the player, the platforming side of Uncharted might as well play itself. Most of what I would consider actual gameplay in Uncharted comes in the form of a repetitive, predictable, third-person cover shooter that does very little to distinguish itself.

 

Clearly, the creators of Uncharted favored the cinematic experience over gameplay. Between the brain-dead platforming and QTE boss fights, there's barely any gaming to be found. I would have gotten just as much out of Uncharted by watching someone else play it as I did playing it myself. There's nothing more damning I can say about a videogame. I'm being generous when I give this game a C-.

 

Gears of War (360) -- Aesthetically atrocious, narratively incoherent, and structurally/thematically incongruous throughout. Beyond that, it's a competent, third person cover shooter. I would have been willing to rate this game closer to average had I gotten more than about 6 hrs. out of it. Almost a complete waste of time. D+.

Edited June 24, 2012 by Christophero Sly

[Cybergoth]

One more down, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts! Took a bit longer than expected, since I needed to start over from the beginning after running out of credits once. Still my favorite game in the series, I'm loving it!

 

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, Mega Man 3, Final Fight, Mercs, Mega Twins, Block Block, Three Wonders, The Little Mermaid, 1941: Counter Attack & Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts

[Crazy Climber]

One more down, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts! Took a bit longer than expected, since I needed to start over from the beginning after running out of credits once. Still my favorite game in the series, I'm loving it!

Yeah, can't forget to nab enough bags of gold

Have you tackled Trojan yet? I'm close on that one...I think another few tries and I'll have it

[Cybergoth]

Yeah, can't forget to nab enough bags of gold

Have you tackled Trojan yet? I'm close on that one...I think another few tries and I'll have it

 

Hehe, indeed!

 

Yeah, I'm already done with Trojan - fabulous NES game

[Cybergoth]

Just beat Talespin for the Game Boy on the first try...

 

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, Mega Man 3, Final Fight, Mercs, Mega Twins, Block Block, Three Wonders, The Little Mermaid, 1941: Counter Attack, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts & Talespin

[+thegoldenband]

29. Video Chess (Atari 2600)

 

I finally defeated Video Chess on the toughest setting, Level 7, with the Black pieces. I won in only 22 moves, but it took over 37 hours of gameplay to get there, and that's with Stella running at around 3x normal speed. However, I spent well under an hour at the board, and probably took no more than 15-20 minutes to play my moves; otherwise, I had Stella in the background, or simply let it run unattended while I did other things. At normal speed, the game would have taken over 100 hours!

 

If anyone's curious, the game can be replayed here (with additional comments as well). As for giving Video Chess a grade, that seems superfluous to me.

[Turbogfx]

I beat Donkey Kong Country on the SNES last weekend. Fun game.

 

Afterwards, I fired up DKC 2 and 3, but didn't find them likeable at all. Basically I found these sequels to be more of the same, but the style was really cheesy, up to the point that it's irritating instead of funny.

 

I really don't get what the deal is with Rare.. I hear a lot of praise for them, but IMO a lot of their games are mediocre at best. There are of course exceptions, like DKC 1 for example.

Edited June 28, 2012 by Turbogfx

[Christophero Sly]

Vanquish (360)

 

In a genre(TPS) that is growing increasingly stale, the arcade sensibilities of Vanquish's gameplay feel like a breath of fresh air. Unfortunately, Vanquish's story doesn't, and it ends up sabotaging the whole experience. Typically Japanese, the story is a convoluted, subtly anti-American, sociopolitical conspiracy that borrows slavishly from the Metal Gear games--right down to the idiotic cigarettes. Granted, the story is mostly harmless, and I tried hard to ignore it and focus on the excellent gameplay, but the story was CONSTANTLY being thrown in my face, getting in the way of the action and slowing everything down. Vanquish is designed to be replayed over and over, in arcade fashion, but after being subjected to the game's wearisome and hackneyed story, I've have no desire for additional helpings. B-

Edited June 29, 2012 by Christophero Sly

[Atariboy]

What genre is TPS?

[ydcl]

Beat the main quest for Skyrim a few weeks ago... I had a much harder time with Oblivion.

[+thegoldenband]

What genre is TPS?

 

Toilet Paper Shooter. Unfortunately, there's only one known example...

 

 

(I assume it's third-person shooter, yes?)

[+thegoldenband]

30. USCF Chess (Intellivision)

 

Significantly faster and stronger than Atari's offering, this program plays a pretty decent game of chess. I'd beaten most of the difficulty levels on real hardware a while back, but when I took on the highest difficulty, Level 6 -- which takes hours and hours, though not as long as the Atari -- I ran into a game-breaking bug. And in fact, the bug was reproducible in emulation, so that put me off for a while.

 

But today I tried again, and finally beat Level 6 with the White pieces, and then again with Black. For whatever reason, my opening choices didn't put the game onto a bug-triggering track. I was using emulation with a 20x speedup, so the games went along fairly briskly -- 80 minutes realtime for the first one, 140 for the second game. My win with White was fairly routine, but the Intellivision had me on the ropes in the second game, and probably had a near-winning position before it lost the thread. Still, it took 81 moves to earn the victory.

 

This is another case where giving a grade seems silly -- but then again it's a pretty admirable effort, so I'd give USCF Chess an A-minus, docking the game a few points for the game-breaking bug and for being fairly deterministic.

[+thegoldenband]

31. Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge (Game Boy)

 

When you're stuck on a motionless train, and the power and AC go out for an hour, then Mega Man will keep you good company. (At least, he kept me good company, in four sessions over two train rides.) Unfortunately I don't have a headphone adapter for the GBA SP so I've scarcely heard a note of the music, but one must balance one's own sanity with that of one's neighbors.

 

Given that the original NES game is still my favorite in the series, this entry is right up my alley. Heavy on memorization, yes, but it's the kind of memorization I (mostly) don't mind. A-minus.

[+thegoldenband]

32. Ren & Stimpy: Space Cadet Adventures (Game Boy)

 

Slow, frustrating, full of cheap shots and low-margin platforming, and it basically expects you to memorize large swathes of the game. Plus it ends each level with a timed section that sends you back to the very beginning of the stage if you don't complete it on your first try. And it doesn't have much to do with the show.

 

Yet for some reason, I enjoyed Ren & Stimpy: Space Cadet Adventures -- I even found it mildly addictive. I guess it's my weakness for methodical platformers; I was strangely reminded of Shadow of the Beast for some reason. Or maybe it's just that, if a game consistently gives me a health powerup just in time, I'll absolve most of its sins. B-minus.

[Christophero Sly]

Super Mario Land (Game Boy)

 

It's been a long time since I played a 2-D platformer, and, Oh! Daisy, was I rusty. I'm embarrassed to admit that it took me five days to beat this game. In my defense, I spent a day and a half wrestling with the laggy controls on the Game Boy Player. SML is unplayable on that thing. I had to switch over to playing on the Super Game Boy. If every Game Boy game ends up playing as awful on the Game Boy Player as SML does, I'm going to be extremely disappointed. As for the game itself, I thought the design was brilliant. Perfectly balanced in nearly every respect. A-

Edited July 4, 2012 by Christophero Sly

[Cybergoth]

And I've yet another Mega Man game done, this time Mega Man 4 on the NES. It's not coming close to my personal favorite so far, MM3, as it is too difficult and feels somewhat uninspired.

 

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, Mega Man 3, Final Fight, Mercs, Mega Twins, Block Block, Three Wonders, The Little Mermaid, 1941: Counter Attack, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Talespin & Mega Man 4

[+thegoldenband]

33. Skate or Die: Bad 'N' Rad (Game Boy)

 

My penchant for memorization-dependent franchise platformers on the Game Boy with (implicit) colons in their name continues unabated! But this one's false advertising, because it's neither bad nor rad, falling instead into the "pretty good" category.

 

Or maybe "very good": and were it not for a few control quirks and the unfortunate lack of a much-needed password system, it might even make "excellent". But I dunno about "rad". B-plus.

[+thegoldenband]

34. Tiny Toon Adventures: Babs' Big Break (Game Boy)

 

Another franchise platformer avec colon bites the dust! But unlike the last few, this one's quite an easy game, and I suspect it's targeted at kids in the 6-12 age range.

 

Even so, it's got a few tricky spots, and I didn't quite beat it on my first try. I burned through most of my lives/credits trying to figure out the Elmyra chase (it wasn't obvious to me that tapping the B button increased your speed), and though I made it to the final boss (Montana Max), both my extra lives and my batteries were depleted, and I wasn't able to figure out his pattern in time. (The lives ran out first, thankfully.)

 

But the second attempt, no problem, and I think I could probably 1LC this game. Montana Max actually offers to let you buy him out at the end of the game if you have 500 jewels, which you pretty much need to 1LC in order to reach that amount. I might even try it if there were an alternate ending -- bribing your way out of a conflict is a great idea that hasn't been used enough in platformers -- but apparently he just takes your money and fights you anyway.

 

As for the quality, I'd give it a B+ or so, which I'd bump up to a solid A if you evaluate it as a game for kids. The fact that it's slow, short, and easy becomes irrelevant then, and otherwise I have no complaints.

 

BTW this cutscene from the final level almost made me do a spit-take:

 

 

I assume, though, that Steve Jobs wasn't holding a snowglobe when he died.

[Cybergoth]

And another Disney title: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? for the Game Boy is done. Thank heavens did Shinji Mikami go on and create some better games later in his career...

 

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, Mega Man 3, Final Fight, Mercs, Mega Twins, Block Block, Three Wonders, The Little Mermaid, 1941: Counter Attack, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Talespin, Mega Man 4 & Who Framed Roger Rabbit?