Games Beaten In 2012!

[+thegoldenband]

35. Heiankyo Alien (Game Boy)

 

It took only two attempts, and 40 minutes of gameplay between them, to beat the 12 levels of "NEW" mode in this cute Lode Runner-esque title. Actually, I shouldn't say "Lode Runner-esque" since the original game (of which this is an updated port) actually predates Lode Runner, so Lode Runner is arguably "Heiankyo Alien-esque". But either way the gameplay is the same -- dig a hole, trap an enemy, fill the hole, repeat -- though here there's no treasure to claim.

 

I like the feel of the gameplay quite a bit, more than most other "trap-'em-ups" I've played. But they could have done a lot more with this concept, and 40 minutes ain't much. Then again there's always "OLD" mode, which looks it, and apparently doesn't have an ending (but loops after 20 levels).

 

So, I don't know...B-minus?

[+thegoldenband]

36. The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Juggernauts (Game Boy)

 

Back to the platforms, the franchises, and the colons. (But only a small amount of memorization.)

 

I had very low expectations, but this send-up of American Gladiators isn't half-bad. The core of the game is figuring out how you're supposed to play each event; once you understand the gameplay dynamics, most events are actually pretty easy.

 

It does, however, take a few tries to figure most of them out, and I was annoyed when I thought the game was falling prey to the "you have to endlessly replay earlier stages just to get a single crack at this later stage" syndrome. But it turns out to not be much of an issue here.

 

That said, I don't have the manual, so I did look at a walkthrough (which I don't normally like to do) to help me understand what was going on at certain points -- partly scoring issues, partly control issues, and also a map of the last level which wasn't 100% making sense to me (and the map was full of errors so it didn't help THAT much). I actually think that made the game more fun than it otherwise might have been; still, if I'd been patient I would've figured most of it out soon enough.

 

Otherwise, the graphics and sound are average, but the controls are pretty solid and the game has a touch of humor. So, call it another B-minus.

[Austin]

29. Twin Cobra/Kyukyoku Tiger (PC Engine)

 

I received this in the mail last week, and is the first time I have ever owned a physical copy of this game. I am really glad to have it now, because honestly, I think this is the best home conversion of the game. The visuals aren't as detailed as the Genesis version, but it's more colorful and I love how the music sounds here. The game also feels more "doable", and I didn't have serious trouble completing it. That's not to say it's a cakewalk, because you really have to be on-point here. Even the first level has sections where the screen is completely filled with enemies. You really have to be sharp, but the difficulty never felt overbearing like it does in the Genesis version. It took me a few nights of practice over the last few days, and as of last night I was able to plow through all ten stages of the game without continuing. All in all, a fantastic port of the arcade game, and one that comes highly recommended from me if you have ways to play PC Engine games.

[+thegoldenband]

37. Frogger 2: Swampy's Revenge (PlayStation)

 

Tons of classic arcade games were "remade" in the late 1990s for PlayStation and other consoles, and alas, most have gotten panned by critics. But Frogger 2 is actually good fun, and meets the challenge of preserving the basic feel of the original while adding new gameplay elements. At first I was concerned that the new elements would be overcomplicated and collect-a-thonish, but actually it all works very well and isn't intrusive at all; while the unlockable content isn't much of anything, the process of unlocking it is actually fun. And the Super Retro mode is a nice touch, and spending an hour or so to clear it was entertaining.

 

Other than a few minor issues with the camera (the zoom level is occasionally too close), and humorous CGI cutscenes that don't quite make the grade, the biggest letdown is the forced loading time when restarting a stage. In general the loading times are OK, but I can't really forgive a game that takes the same 15-20 seconds to reload when you're restarting the same stage you were already on. Or maybe I'm just a grump who can't reconcile himself to the limitations of optical disc-based systems, who knows.

 

Anyway, I'd give it a B. Either way, given that I paid 83 cents for it at a yard sale (six PSX games for $5), I got more than my money's worth. I have the first PlayStation Frogger game, so maybe I'll take that one on soon, though I've read that it's vastly inferior to its sequel.

[Christophero Sly]

Metal Gear (MSX/PS2)

 

It's surprising to see how much fidelity there is between this original game and it's 3-D progeny. Having previously only played the 3-D Metal Gear games, 2-D Metal Gear feels like some sort of fan-made demake. In the context of it being a 25-year old game, it's hard not to respect Metal Gear's relative sophistication. Nevertheless, playing through it was at least as aggravating as it was entertaining. The story is, frankly, dumb, the mechanics are a bit too rudimentary, and with the game providing almost no direction, it is easy to get stuck and/or lost--I confess, I had to consult a walkthrough on more than one occasion. That being said, I more or less enjoyed the game. B-.

[Cybergoth]

Last night I finally beat Asura's Wrath on the PS3, getting the full ending (after the 5 S-Rank mission). Fabulous game, lotsa fun!

[+thegoldenband]

38. The Adventures of Kid Kleets (SNES)

 

I started working on this oddball soccer-themed platformer early last month, and came back and finished it today. It's kind of an acquired taste, thanks to the tricky control scheme and unusual gameplay dynamic: since your ball is your weapon, you have to fetch it after you kick it at an enemy, or else suffer a momentary delay while you make a new one out of thin air. I adapted to that easily enough, but had a harder time getting used to the headache-inducing camera, which whips around just a bit too violently whenever you turn.

 

I've read that the 3DO and Jaguar versions, known as Soccer Kid, have 25 levels vs. this game's 15 levels (in sets of 3 spread out over five countries, plus an extra boss fight if you get all the Cup pieces). If that's true, I'm glad this version's cut down, because the game was on the verge of wearing out its welcome anyway. Maybe that's partly my fault, since I beat it three times in one day: first I finished beating Practice, then I beat Normal and got the bad ending, and then (sigh) played through once more and got the good ending. And the game has passwords, so there was no obligation to even do one playthrough in a single sitting. But I'm stubborn like that.

 

(EDIT: But maybe they're counting the bonus levels and boss fights as separate levels, so that 5 x 5 = 25? If so, that's silly.)

 

I guess I'd give it a C-plus. I'm tempted to give it a weak B-minus, but the main character's design -- as shown on the splash screen before each level -- is so off-putting that it deserves a penalty; he looks like some sort of disturbing, misbegotten hybrid of Fred Flintstone and Bobby Generic.

[Austin]

30. Gradius (PC Engine)

 

I received this in the mail the other day, and ended up finishing it on my first try. It's not as difficult as other Gradius titles (probably a good thing), but overall I am very pleased with the game. It is the classic original Gradius, but re-done with more colorful visuals. There are a couple of new stages added as well if I recall correctly. It's a heavy improvement over the NES game, and yet another PC Engine exclusive that we in the United States missed out on. I have Salamander (aka Life Force) on the way as well, so that will probably be posted here shortly.

[+thegoldenband]

39. Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle (Game Boy)

 

Dull, repetitive, and mostly quite easy -- which wasn't really a surprise, since I'd played and beaten the NES version way back when, though there are a couple of levels late in the game that get tricky.

 

Still, it's a not-unpleasant Puzzle Game Lite™ experience that's useful for winding down after a busy day, and the tunes are tuneful enough. But with passwords for each level, why bother having a life counter or "GAME OVER" at all? I'd give it a C.

[Latin Kid]

I beat Sonic Generations for the 3DS about a month ago. Overall, I enjoyed it very much. My biggest complaint though is that it's too short. A few more stages would've been nice.

[+thegoldenband]

40. Star Blade (3DO)

 

Wait...that's it? I put the game in to test it, and 17 minutes later I've beaten it?

 

That was Arcade mode, so I tried "3DO mode" (which uses textured polygons instead of single-colored ones) to make sure I wasn't missing anything...and 17 minutes later, I'd beaten that too.

 

Sure, the game plays OK enough while it lasts, though the 3DO controllers are poorly suited for omnidirectional targeting. And it looks decent, and sounds OK (though the absence of music is ultimately detrimental to the atmosphere, which is surprising since I'm frequently a big fan of having minimal-to-no music in movies and games).

 

But...17 minutes? Really? Yes, I know it's a port, and I could get more value from the game by learning to 1cc it, but that challenge is still no substitute for content.

 

I'd normally give a game like this a D at best, but I'll offer up a bonus point because, despite significant physical damage to the game disc, it ran more-or-less smoothly all the way to the end (and when it didn't, simply pausing the game did the trick). So a generous D+ for StarBlade, but no more than that.

[Austin]

31. Daimakaimura (SuperGrafx)

 

I received this a little over a week ago at this point and had been playing it quite a bit each night since. I've been having a hell of a time with it though and hadn't been able to finish it. However, I decided to try my hand at a "Let's Play" YouTube video with this one and ended up finishing it during that semi-live session. Completely unexpected, as again, I was having a hard time completing it in the two-continue allotment limit. All in all, this is a great game and the best console port for the time. The system isn't really worth buying just for this game, but still, it's an excellent game.

 

(

)

[Austin]

Wait...that's it? I put the game in to test it, and 17 minutes later I've beaten it?

 

You beat it on your first try? I found Starblade to be pretty tough and have yet to complete it.

[+thegoldenband]

You beat it on your first try? I found Starblade to be pretty tough and have yet to complete it.

 

I did! (Suddenly I feel like Tweety Bird.)

 

What parts are you having trouble with? The boss fights were pretty easy, and the rest of the time it just seemed like standard rail-shooter "take everything out as early as possible" fare.

[Crazy Climber]

Deathsmiles....again....best game EVER!!

[Austin]

What parts are you having trouble with? The boss fights were pretty easy, and the rest of the time it just seemed like standard rail-shooter "take everything out as early as possible" fare.

 

I made it a few stages in. It just seemed pretty overbearing at points, like there was more flying out than I had the actual capability of destroying.

[+thegoldenband]

I made it a few stages in. It just seemed pretty overbearing at points, like there was more flying out than I had the actual capability of destroying.

 

That's definitely happening, actually. The guy who does Nice and Games talks about this

-- he notes that some incoming ships don't attack, and are just distractions from the real danger. Also, the game's final boss keeps showing up and strafing you, and I don't think you can destroy him until the end of the game, so you kind of have to ignore him (except for shooting his incoming missiles) and focus on the enemies you can destroy.

[Latin Kid]

I beat Super Mario Land on the Gameboy a little while ago. Not my first time finishing it, but I've been getting into the original Gameboy a lot lately and just had to play it again.

[+thegoldenband]

41. Zoom! (Genesis)

 

I first played Zoom in March of last year and, like most people who've played it, I was able to beat it on my first try. However, I noticed that the second loop had more enemies, so I figured that to call the game properly beaten, I ought to play through both loops. I finally got around to that today, and had no trouble 1cc'ing the whole thing. For the record, the ending after the second loop seemed identical to the one I'd already gotten, and the third loop appears to be the same as the first (based on the first board, anyway), so there's no need to go any further AFAIK.

 

And you wouldn't want to anyway: I called Zoom "vaguely relaxing" in a Sega-16 thread last year, but now I think it's kinda lousy. It's monotonous, simplistic, annoying ("Come on, boy!"), and worst of all, it's just not very much fun. I'd give it a D, at least as a one-player game for adults.

[+thegoldenband]

42. Asterix and the Great Rescue (Genesis)

 

Unjustly maligned in the Sega-16 review, this is a very good, even excellent puzzle-platformer whose few shortcomings are merely bumps in the road in an otherwise high-quality title. I started it yesterday, and beat all three difficulties today.

 

I'll post more extensive thoughts in the review thread over at Sega-16, but I'd give it a strong B+, verging on A-minus.

[+thegoldenband]

43. Galaxy Force II (Genesis)

 

I've been playing Galaxy Force II over the weekend, and despite its poor reputation and obvious flaws have actually enjoyed it quite a bit -- enough to beat it five times in two days, as I started with the easiest settings and worked my way up to Hard difficulty with a Weak shield and a Normal energy timer.

 

The energy timer defaults to Normal but can be set to Hard, and normally I don't like to declare a game beaten until I've taken it down on the highest difficulty settings. So maybe I'll revisit this in the future...but the margins are already so narrow with the timer on Normal that the game's technical shortcomings (sprite breakup/flicker, poor depth perception) would potentially become a major issue. And I've spent too much time banging my head against the wall of certain games lately as it is.

 

Overall I'd give Galaxy Force a B-. It's certainly not a great game, and I'm sure it's a lousy port, but I still had fun with it.

[+thegoldenband]

44. Dragon Power (NES)

 

This game haunted my childhood -- despite numerous attempts I never managed to get past Level 8 (of 10), thanks in part to the cruel one-shot health bonus and continue system that basically means you get one shot at Levels 7-10. I think I beat it years ago with savestates (though I don't have it in my notes?), but that would've afforded little satisfaction.

 

This week, though, I've been playing it as part of NintendoAge's campaign to beat every licensed US-released NES game within a calendar year. And after numerous frustrating attempts -- including one accidental suicide on Level 9 when things were otherwise going well -- I finally beat the game fair and square tonight. So satisfying!

 

How to grade it? Several things about the game are horrendous -- the horrible translation and butchered localization, the decrementing health system, the dependence on random item drops that enable the game to completely screw you over, and the quirky hit detection. Yet I can't help but retain a certain fondness for it, because there's a real kernel of fun at the heart of all its missteps.

 

Or maybe I'm just in the throes of an abusive relationship, looking to justify past pain in light of present triumph? Maybe. But even so, I'll still give it a C+, or at worst a C.

[Turbogfx]

Beat Super Castlevania IV yesterday. Great game, although I still prefer Dracula's Curse (CV III) on the NES.

[keilbaca]

Deathsmiles....again....best game EVER!!

 

Level 3 on everything?

 

Did you get Deathsmiles 2? I like it a lot better than the first one.

[+thegoldenband]

45. Chase H.Q. (Game Boy)

 

The GameFAQs reader review is actually spot-on (though the game takes more like ~30 min. to beat), but if anything it's a little too generous. This is an awful, joyless, phoned-in excuse for a game with basically no redeeming value. It manages to be both excessively easy (I beat it on my second attempt after getting interrupted during the first) and excessively frustrating, with walls of unavoidable cars plaguing the later levels.

 

And the lack of a fully customizable control scheme is the last straw -- it gives you two options, but both of them are stupid. This one gets a big fat F.