Your 2018 Gaming Diary

[Aperson]

Having become obsessed with trying to beat my backlog, I turned to my 3DS to mop up two Virtual Console titles I had yet to finish.

The first was Donkey Kong. This game is really good, a sort of predecessor to the Mario vs. Donkey Kong games. Levels are quite short but there are a lot of them and it's more of a puzzle based game. There are also more "traditional" style stages against Donkey Kong like in the original arcade game and the final one of these has a pretty awesome tune. Then you have to face a Giant DK in the final boss.

Then it was on to Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. I had been stuck on Wario's Castle for quite some time now, and ended up resorting to the use of Save States to help me get through it. Probably should have been a bit more sparing with them because this level on a normal Game Boy cartridge would be quite the marathon of obstacles before you even get to Wario.

The last game I managed to clear was Burnout 2: Point of Impact. I'd already been playing this game this year but I finally managed to clear it this time around. Albeit for the final 7 race Grand Prix I reset the PS2 before Autosave kicked in to redo races that perhaps didn't go well enough although even then I accepted results if they helped me in the title race. However, I encountered a really strange glitch in this game on Crystal Summit Lake, I powerslid around a hairpin corner while struggling in last place, then glitched through the track. The game put me back much further on in the track and in first place. This was on the final lap too so it was really easy to win the race from there. I then got last place on Airport Terminal 2 so that glitched win effectively allowed me to complete the game.

The fact that I used Save States or resetting the console to beat these games probably shows how determined I was to beat my Backloggery. I won't be able to do this for any other games I intend to play other than Golden Sun: The Lost Age, a game I haven't even started yet.

But now I'm playing Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. A game I got on the cheap a long while ago but stopped playing after getting stuck on a boss. Picking the game back up again, I intend to try and beat this boss which I've found out other people have been struggling on. If anyone's familiar with this game, it's the undead Sand King that you fight in the Booby Trap corridor. There's a big cutscene before it with Farah having to fight these monsters. Apparently you're supposed to defeat all the regular enemies first before you can even attack the boss.

[Jonnas]

Here's a couple more games I beat a while back

Rhythm Paradise

The one on the original Nintendo DS. I originally tried the demo on the Wii Virtual shop, but only bought it late last year. I've been slowly making my way through its minigames ever since. It's not very good for commutes (you'll need headphones and a quiet train), which is why it took me so long

It's actually a really creative rhythm game, and possibly the best mini-game collection I've ever played. I love the difficulty curve, the catchy songs, the silly scenarios, and especially the "Flip the Beat" mini-game that requires you to truly feel the beats to succeed. I wonder how drummers feel about this game.

I do have a couple of criticisms: I hate the way you unlock "perfects". You only have a small, random window of opportunity to get a medal for your perfects (even if you had gotten it perfect before!), and not only is it needlessly cumbersome, it also makes you much more nervous than you'd be otherwise. Also, I hate the Moai mini-games, I hate them so much.

Still 9/10, as expected of a Nintendo game where you must make love with your co-worker.

And in the eShop, I traded some points for a discount on:

Alleyway

It is the year 1990, and the war on drugs from the late 80s draws to a close. Opioids have finally been eradicated from Reagan's utopian America, but what to do when you feel the itch? Mario had fought valiantly in this war, apprehending every mushroom he could find, and yet he had become hopelessly addicted himself. "To do God's work, you must become closer to the Devil", he thought to himself, every time he popped another shroom in his ironic fight to end them. Soon enough, he was doing hard drugs like Cannabis ("Fire Flowers", as they were known back then) and Marijuana ("Tanooki leaves", a name given to them by his Yakuza providers).

Obviously, nobody knew. Mario was too big to fail. What would the kids say? What would Luigi say? Mario looked cheery when baking pizzas for his fans, yet he knew this act was cheaper than a clown's smile. If he didn't kick the habit soon, all he had fought for would come crashing down. And yet he couldn't seek treatment, not with those paparazzi following his every move.

One day he found it: the Alleyway. Used to be just a dirty alley behind his house, but a recent demolition nearby had filled the area with bricks that needed cleaning. As if he didn't have enough problems. Furious, he threw a "pinchona" - one of those tiny bouncy balls that had gotten so popular as of late - at pile of bricks in front of him, pulverizing one of the bricks. Pleased with himself, he continued to do so.

As he kept trying to hit the last brick, he felt... catharsis. For the first time since what felt like forever, he didn't need to feel the sweet embrace of a Fire Flower. He had smashed so many bricks before, but this time, things felt different. He might be crushing rocks, but in his mind, he was crushing through Koopas and Goombas like a hot knife through Mozzarella, all of his visceral desires being quelled at the same time. He knew then that, if there was any salvation, it would be in this Alleyway

Mario came back, time and time again, to destroy every brick he could find. He even started to destroy bricks in nearby buildings, and yet all that was on his mind was "Nice Play!". He couldn't even hear anything besides the sound of his "pinchona", music was non-existent when he was in the zone. It was just him and bricks.

After 24 days of this routine, a paparazzo finally found him. Mario felt like his time had finally come, that his legacy would come crashing down... And yet, his brother Luigi saved his bacon, by claiming responsibility for the damages and covering up his brother's screw-ups. The paparazzo's story turned far tamer than the ugly reality of the situation, and Mario's reputation survived unscathed.

Luigi knew of his brother's issues, and always had been supportive. After all, he was the one cleaning up the bricks, shooing the paparazzi, and even picking up his brother when Mario was Missing. At this point, Mario understood that no man was an island, and that if he was to stand up on his feet, he would need to accept help from his loved ones. No more kicking the habit in dirty silent Alleyways, from now on, he'd quell his addiction with Tennis. To be Continued...

...

Anyway, that's the plot I came up with when playing this game, and I still have no idea why the heck Mario's riding a capsule.

  My 2018 log (Hide contents)

Played/Beat/Completed:

-The King of Fighters XIII (2010) Beaten (February 17th)

-Gunman Clive (2012) Completed (April 4th)

-Gunman Clive 2 (2015) Completed (April 8th)

-Alleyway (1990) Beaten, I guess (April 26th)

-Rhythm Paradise (2008) Beaten (April 29th)

 

Currently Playing:

-Hotel Dusk: Room 215

-Severed

 

Dropped/Hiatus

-Edge It sucks

-Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Fire Emblem revival postponed this

 

[Hero-of-Time]

13 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

It has New Game + so everything should go much quicker this time around.

I wasn't wrong! Now that cutscenes can be skipped, I know the routes of the stages and I know how to setup my squad, the game has flown over. I started it again this morning and already I'm on the final boss! Some stages I'm even beating in a single turn! 

[Aperson]

Always so satisfying when you finally get past a point in a game you were stuck on, especially if that point caused you to put the game down for so many years.

After stopping Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time several years ago after picking it up on the cheap due to being stuck on a boss battle, yesterday, with the help of looking up on the internet and also taking the Dark Souls approach to combat I finally managed to beat this boss and progress on to the next section. Very relieved, but it's also ominous if that's how hard the bosses in this game are going to be though...

[nekunando]

11 hours ago, GenericAperson said:

Always so satisfying when you finally get past a point in a game you were stuck on, especially if that point caused you to put the game down for so many years.

After stopping Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time several years ago after picking it up on the cheap due to being stuck on a boss battle, yesterday, with the help of looking up on the internet and also taking the Dark Souls approach to combat I finally managed to beat this boss and progress on to the next section. Very relieved, but it's also ominous if that's how hard the bosses in this game are going to be though...

Hmm.. I don't remember having trouble with he boss battles (I don't even remember the boss battles ) but how do you feel the game holds up?

I adored it back at the time feeling like it was one of the best games on the Gamecube but I've been fearful of returning to it in case my memories are completely trashed.. like with Starfox Adventures!

[Aperson]

53 minutes ago, nekunando said:

Hmm.. I don't remember having trouble with he boss battles (I don't even remember the boss battles ) but how do you feel the game holds up?

I adored it back at the time feeling like it was one of the best games on the Gamecube but I've been fearful of returning to it in case my memories are completely trashed.. like with Starfox Adventures!

I'm playing the PS2 version and I'd say it's a very solid game. The puzzles are well designed and the wall running platforming makes for some great obstacles, though the combat has taken a bit of adjustment. I played Two Thrones before this (someone very generous gave me the game for free after learning I had a PS2) and that has a different combat system. I stopped playing Two Thrones after finding this game on the cheap and since it's the original I decided I wanted to beat this game before considering Two Thrones.

As for the boss battles, this video shows what I was stuck on for years

I'm in the Sultan Zoo now by the way.

Edited May 13, 2018 by GenericAperson

[nekunando]

From there, I won the next 2 and was in dream land! 2 points from the final 3 games would be enough

The next game felt winnable but I lost it.. and then I took the lead twice in the following game against Bayern Munich but lost again. In true Liverpool fashion, I left things on a knife edge and needed to win the very last game for a title that seemed almost impossible to obtain until this point.

The match began v Brazil and I honestly don't know how the connection carried us through the first half as I've never seen an online match as stop/start in my life! Somehow I got to 3-0 up, to my relief, but my opponent then quit..

..but because they left, I never got the trophy ceremony

[bob]

Completed Titanfall 2[/b]. It's a pretty fun game with some very satisfying weapons, namely the auto pistol you get near the end, and the scorch loadout. The music is pretty aces too.

 

 

[Sméagol]

1 hour ago, bob said:

namely the auto pistol you get near the end,

Spoken like a true n00b.

(Don't use it in multiplayer, it's frowned upon . Using Scorch however is pretty cool!)

[Aperson]

Finished Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. The final boss was one of the easiest final bosses I've ever faced. I beat him first time which says something when I often die first time to most final bosses (apart from Pokemon League champions). The only other final boss I can remember that was this easy was Clayface in Batman Arkham City.

Decided I'm going to play the whole trilogy since I already owned Two Thrones, so I picked up Prince of Persia: Warrior Within on the cheap. However I may not necessarily play that straight away as I have bought A Hat in Time which has been sitting there on the PS4 for a while now begging to be played.

I think I've made some big progress on my backlog so far this year, so starting a new game or two might be a change of pace that I need.

[Jonnas]

I haven't been in this thread in a while. I haven't played videogames at all lately, but recently I decided to take a stab at an old game from my backlog:

Hotel Dusk: Room 215

I bought it used years ago... but shortly after, my DS started acting up. I couldn't open it fully, and then it stopped turning on entirely. But since I got my 3DS, I realised I should finally revisit this. It's a CING point&click alright, and came out during a time when the DS was all about experimenting with the genre. Nowadays, I get the feeling this would be an eShop game, which would be a good home for it, all things considered.

So, Hotel Dusk is a detective noir story. You know the type, a hard-boiled P.I. gets roped into a messy situation where they unravel the situation from an outsider perspective. Hotel Dusk follows that philosophy pretty faithfully, as it gives us retired policeman Kyle Hyde as he spends an evening in a hotel in California, shortly after a lonely Christmas in 1979. In his time there, he gets to meet several interesting people, help sort their personal issues, and solve the underlying mystery behind the hotel.

It's a pretty interesting story, with strong, memorable characters. It has a very slow start, but once the ball gets rolling, it's hard to put down. It helps that whoever did the translation came up with a very engaging script. Really good writing.

The art style is phenomenal, with characters looking like highly detailed pencil sketches in smooth motion. Fits the game's genre perfectly, and gives the characters a lot of charm. The soothing jazz soundtrack is also a feast to the ears, and really helps the setting.

As for the gameplay, it's got a few noticeable flaws. Exploration is done in a low-res 3D environment, where you can examine all kinds of useless trash. As in, you can examine each of four identical wooden chairs in a room, and find all of them to be equally useless. It definitely slows down exploration segments more than it needs to. The script tries to keep things fresh by giving us snarky, distinct descriptions for similar objects ("It's a table. And it's wooden. Yep." ; "It's a bookshelf... Wait, my mistake, it's actually a wooden table") but it still drags.

CING also made the Another Code series, and you can see some of the quirks from there also show up here... but implemented worse. DS-specific puzzles are here, but aren't as clever or mind-twisting as in Another Code. Furthermore, it's cool that Kyle, much like Ashley, isn't a kleptomaniac (meaning he won't take objects until he actually has need of them), but it's really inconsistent in this game. He'll take someone else's heavy UV light for no reason, but refuse to pocket his own pencil? Weird implementation of something that was well done in a previous game.

(On the other hand, it's also possible to get a game over if you're caught with stolen objects from the hotel, and the game gives you ample warning to when this happens. It's a neat touch that forces you to engage in the story)

The dialogue/interrogation trees are a cool aspect of the game, since you're encouraged to pick the most natural line of questioning. This sometimes translates to getting a game over if you do the wrong thing (for example, if you ask questions only a trespasser would know, or if you're a jerk for no reason), but it can also lead to missing parts of the ending in case you were too abrasive towards some guests. I have the feeling this would be more interesting if it worked more like "branching paths", where different questions led to slightly different plot developments, but this quiz-type way of doing things has its merits. I just think that, if they were going the "replayability" route, they should also make the game faster to play (the text is pretty slow).

Finally, the game's too linear for its own good. At one point, we're in a situation where we're doing favours for 3 characters, but we need to them in order. Why give me the ability to explore if this is how the game's deigned? And the flags to move the plot forward are also weirdly specific. I had to use a spoiler-free guide at certain points just to figure out I needed to go to the lounge (or wherever) before the plot moved on.

Phew, this review turned out longer than expected, but I guess this game's unique in several aspects. I'd like to see this and the sequel get released on the eShop someday, as this game, I feel, is not quite worth full price, but still a worthwhile experience. With that sort of business model, maybe former Cing employees could work with Nintendo and revive some of their old series? Please?

  My 2018 log (Hide contents)

Played/Beat/Completed:

-The King of Fighters XIII (2010) Beaten (February 17th)

-Gunman Clive (2012) Completed (April 4th)

-Gunman Clive 2 (2015) Completed (April 8th)

-Alleyway (1990) Beaten, I guess (April 26th)

-Rhythm Paradise (2008) Beaten (April 29th)

-Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (2007) Beaten (July 12th)

-Mighty Gunvolt (2014) Completed (July 15th)

 

Currently Playing:

-Hydroventure: Spin Cycle

 

Dropped/Hiatus

-Edge It sucks

-Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Fire Emblem revival postponed this

 

EDIT: So, shortly after posting this review, I started Mighty Gunvolt (which I had bought in some sale some time ago)... and 3 hours later, it was done. Three characters, beaten the game with all of them. It's supposed to be a Mega Man homage of sorts, but... it was barely nothing! There's more meat to some Mega Man opening stages than in this entire game. I'm not even talking about length, the level design was just super bland.

I will admit, the intentionally mistranslated story made me laugh quite a bit (8-4 Play, you truly produce the most phenomenal of translations), but that's the only positive thing I have to say about this game. I'd wager Azure Striker Gunvolt, or even Mighty Gunvolt Burst, would be a better purchase than this silly thing.

 

Edited July 15, 2018 by Jonnas

[Aperson]

Been a while since my last post here.So, update time.

 

Played and finished A Hat In Time on PS4. Wonderful game, the only real complaint I have is that it's a bit short but fair play to the developers for sticking to their philosophy. The game's very funny, the music is fantastic and the sheer variety in gameplay in this game is great. Highly recommended if you haven't played this game before, you won't be disappointed.

 

Now playing Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (PS2). A game I made slow progress on during the World Cup but now I've just activated one of the two towers in the past having got past the second Dahaka section. Missed three health upgrades (:/) but got the fourth so there's something. Hopefully I haven't missed out on getting the true ending yet.

[Glen-i]

Man, I have been proper neglecting this thread. While there is no way I'm going back through every game I've played this year, I do want to talk about one I beat a few months back...

It's Another Metroid 2 Remake! (Not that one)

Metroid: Samus Returns is an official remake of the Game Boy title "Metroid II: Return of Samus" It's a 2D action adventure game that was released on the 3DS last year. It's made by MercurySteam, who don't normally make Metroid games.

The game follows bounty hunter Samus Aran, who recently blew up a planet, which narrows it down to most of her adventures. That planet was Zebes, which thankfully, narrows it down to 2 of her adventures. Zebes sucks that much.
The Galactic Federation decides that Metroids, a creature that was found on Zebes, are pretty damn dangerous (Which is true). They find proof of Metroids on the planet SR388, so decide to send Samus to exterminate them all. I really hope they don't care about collateral damage...

Can Samus kill all the Metroids? Will she inexplicably find suit upgrades that she technically already has? And will SR388 escape from the serial Planet Exploder?

The game's basic structure is like most 2D Metroid games. Exploration plays a huge part and it's up to you to guide Samus around SR388 in search of Metroids to blow up, upgrades to pilfer and maybe have an exciting escape sequence at the end.

Much like the original Game Boy adventure, SR388 is split up into different areas, each with a number of Metroids to find, killing all the Metroids in an area allows you to move on to the next section of the game. Unlike the original game, Samus has a few new tricks up her sleeve.

Samus is able to shoot in any direction by utilising the R button. You can then use the Circle Pad to direct Samus' Arm Cannon in any direction you want, allowing for very precise aiming. I really like this feature. It's a small addition that feels just right in a game like this.
There's also some abilities referred to as Aeion Abilities, which utilise an energy gauge. These abilities tend to be very useful, but are quite limited in usage, they're best saved for when they're needed. Well, except Scan Pulse which reveals a portion of the map around you. Very useful for when you get a bit lost.
The last new trick is the Melee attack. This allows Samus to whack nearby enemies with her arm cannon.

Successfully countering an enemy attack with this stuns the enemy, refills some of the Aeion Guage, let's you immediately aim at them with R and fire more powerful shots for a short time.
I do have some misgivings with the Melee attack, I mean it's perfectly fine in theory, but about 80% of the enemies are meant to be handled like this. It does become a bit repetitive, waiting for the enemy to attack, then countering and shooting it in the face.

Thankfully, this is a minor gripe and the rest of the gameplay is proper solid. Hidden items are fun to find and the planet is lots of fun to explore, not to mention the bosses in this game are pretty good.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that this game is easily the most difficult official Metroid game I've ever played. (Pretty impressive fan game AM2R is harder, but unfortunately, it's not in a good way) It's really easy to die in this game, enemies do tons of damage! I like a challenge now and again, but a big part of my Metroid experience is when you get all of Samus's sweet suit swag and become an unstoppable killing machine, it's a great feeling. But it never happens in this game. Even at the end, I was still trying to avoid fights. I had the bloody Screw Attack, why am I still worried about random enemies!?

The visuals are... nice... Not the prettiest looking game, but it's got some good points. The 3D effect is amazing though!
The music on the other hand is... less than average, nothing stood out that much, and it really bothered me that fanfares were just straight up nicked from the Metroid Prime games.

Normally, I'd wrap up around here, but there's one thing about a difference this game has compared to the Game Boy version and the Metroid Nerd in me needs to talk about it.

Spoiler

So I'm sure you Metroid fans out there know how Metroid 2 ends, right? Samus blows up the Metroid Queen, finds a Metroid Egg which then hatches. A baby Metroid thinks Samus is her Mum, and they both leave the planet, Samus takes it to the Galactic Federation and Super Metroid immediately starts when after Samus leaves, Ridley, who has recovered from his beatdown in Metroid Prime 3, attacks the Federation Space Colony and jacks the Baby Metroid. Flows together nicely, right?

So why is Ridley now the final boss of this game!?

Oh my bloody purple space pterodactyl hell! How does this make ANY sense!? Ridley shouldn't be here, at all! If he gets beaten up by Samus now, (Spoiler alert: he does) he won't be able to realistically crash Super Metroid. I'm amazed Other M gets lambasted for it's story (Which is stupid, but at least ties together really nicely with Super Metroid and Fusion) but this nonsense gets a free pass.

BTW, @Dcubed literally just informed me of an interview with Sakamoto that confirms that it was MercurySteam's idea to put Ridley in there, which confirms my original theory that they shoved him in there solely because it was cool. Kinda like Smash then.

For what it's worth, the fight is lots of fun.

Spoiler

In true Metroid fashion, there's a small reward for getting 100%. In this game, it comes in the form of a rare cliffhanger.

Collecting items gets you some nice artwork detailing what happened to the Chozo race when they arrived on SR388, how they discovered the X Parasite that feature in Fusion and how they created Metroids to help deal with them. (Because the X are meanie heads)

This was all stuff that we all pretty much knew already, but it was still some pretty sweet artwork.
Anyway, getting 100% changes the last picture to something a bit more... ominous.

Ooooh... Spooky...

The original picture depicted a meeting between two groups of Chozo. But I guess this is implying that not all Chozos might be as benevolent as we all had thought. I'm hoping this gets explored a bit more in the future. There's potential there.

 

So that's Metroid: Samus Returns, which is a very solid game, minor grievances aside. I certainly enjoyed it, but I wouldn't say it was my favourite Metroid. It's better than the Game Boy original though, so kudos to MercurySteam.

[drahkon]

I've hit another gaming lull. I'm starting a lot of games but lose interest fairly quickly.

It's probably because I've been socializing a lot these months and the great weather makes me spend most of my time outside.

I'll pick up Prey next week and hopefully I can stick with this. If not, I'll just have to wait for autumn and winter  

[Aperson]

Finished Prince of Persia: Warrior Within today. However because of my missed health upgrades (one of which I couldn't go back for) I was forced to get the bad ending. Which is a shame, because the other ending is the one that ties into the third game. In the end though I decided that I would watch the true ending online and then watch an LP of the next game I plan to play, up until the point where I got to in the game to remind me of what happened. Reason being, it's been a LONG time since I played that game and I stopped to play the earlier games.

Naturally it makes sense that Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones (PS2) is the next game I'm going to play, completing the Prince of Persia trilogy. I remember liking this game at the time but I haven't played it since 2011.

[Jonnas]

After a hiatus, I somehow found myself playing 4 games at once:

Sonic Mania Plus (DLC)

I've already posted my overall thoughts on this DLC in the main thread. Essentially, I enjoyed it a lot, Mighty & Ray are fantastic additions to this already amazing game.

 

Mole Mania

A game I played a lot as a kid, so I decided to get it on the 3DS eShop and play it all over again. It's a fantastic puzzle game with clever use of very simple mechanics. I took the opportunity to see this game more as a critic, and learned a bit more of what makes it tick:

• Looking at the way it's designed, the option to beat the levels in any order seems to have been added at the last minute. This would be surprising if true, as the level select feature is one of the best design decisions in this game. It opens up the game a lot, and prevents players getting stuck in a single puzzle room without advancing;
• Weirdly enough, the game has a tendency to insert easy rooms between difficult rooms, instead of raising the difficulty consistently. It does help create breathers during the harder stages;
• Adding extra objectives for 100% completion is always a good idea for a puzzle game;
• Bosses are never just straight up puzzles. Sure, you need to think a bit to reach a solution, but defeating the boss usually comes down to finger dexterity and quick decisions;
• The sense of humour in this game (heck, the entire aesthetic) is very charming and silly. Even the main villain Jinbe, who kidnapped your wife and children, still leaves dorky signposts, apologizes when a puzzle isn't hard enough, and is perfectly willing to leave the final battle to a gentleman's contest;
• I still want to try out that multiplayer mode. It sounds so interesting!

I really wish this game got a modern-day sequel. I'd settle for Muddy Mole being the next newcomer for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, too.

 

Super Mario 3D Land Mania

...Surprisingly enough, there's not much to say about it. It's a regular "obstacle-course" Mario game, but it lacks a strong identity, aesthetically. It also doesn't offer much of a challenge, and the stage gimmicks, I feel, aren't used to its full potential. The 3D is used cleverly, but only really necessary during some very specific segments.

In other words, i's enjoyable and easy to play and digest, but just as easy to forget. Even the optional medals were trivial to get. I 100% it, which included going through levels 2 or more times, but I don't think I'll remember much about the game a few months from now.

Maybe I'm just a negative nancy, but yeah, Mario 3D Land didn't wow me in any way. Still worth your time for sure, though.

  My 2018 log (Hide contents)

Played/Beat/Completed:

-The King of Fighters XIII (2010) Beaten (February 17th)

-Gunman Clive (2012) Completed (April 4th)

-Gunman Clive 2 (2015) Completed (April 8th)

-Alleyway (1990) Beaten, I guess (April 26th)

-Rhythm Paradise (2008) Beaten (April 29th)

-Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (2007) Beaten (July 12th)

-Mighty Gunvolt (2014) Completed (July 15th)

-Mole Mania (1996) Completed (July 31th)

-Super Mario 3D Land (2011) Completed (August 1st)

-Sonic Mania Plus (2018) Completed (August 2nd)

 

Currently Playing:

-Hydroventure: Spin Cycle

 

Dropped/Hiatus

-Edge It sucks

-Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Fire Emblem revival postponed this

 

 

[Glen-i]

You seem to have the same opinion of 3D Land that I do, @Jonnas

Given the choice I'd easily choose 3D World. @Dcubed on the other hand doesn't agree in the slightest.

[Jonnas]

5 hours ago, Glen-i said:

You seem to have the same opinion of 3D Land that I do, @Jonnas

Given the choice I'd easily choose 3D World.

I've barely played 3D World, and most of my contact with it was watching random episodes of the Grumps' playthrough. From what I've seen, that game looks much more ambitious than 3D Land, and it definitely looks much more distinctive. So my basic impression as an outsider is that you're right

[Aperson]

So, this week I finished the Prince of Persia trilogy. Went through the latter part of Prince of Persia: Two Thrones at a pretty rapid pace and was very satisfied by the trilogy's conclusion, they ended it in the best way they could have done and bookended the whole thing.

 

So, what now? Well, since it's EVO 2018 this weekend it got me in the mood for playing some fighting games, so I went back to Soul Calibur IV (PS3) to take on the Tower of Lost Souls. To my relief you don't have to do the entire tower in one sitting, but you do have to do multiple floors at a time. Also for some reason, though they let you select multiple characters and that seems to be the intention to play in this mode, you are allowed to select the same character multiple times so my combination for most floors as a result has been Kilik and Kilik (Kilik being my SC man as it were). That said, this is a HARD mode at times. On one floor I managed to get down to the last fighter and left her with only one health, only to lose the whole thing. TWICE. Absolutely gutted.

 

Tower of Souls could be better but compared to the other single player modes in SCIV it's the most substantial mode there is.

[Jonnas]

Hydroventure: Spin Cycle

When I first saw this title among the discounts at the My Nintendo site. I thought the name sounded familiar. I looked it up on Google, and saw the US name for this title was "Fluidity", and then it clicked: I remember a thread for a WiiWare title called Fluidity here at N-E, and I even tried a demo for that. If I recall correctly, @Daft's brother worked on that title. I'm not sure if he also worked on this sequel, but it's pretty cool at any rate.

So I decided to buy this one, and I'm glad I did. It's a very charming puzzle game in which you control a small amount of water by tilting the 3DS left and right. I already love physics-based puzzle games out of principle, and this one makes sure to throw plenty of clever contraptions and obstacles at you. There's also the ability to become solid or gaseous, so it definitely knows how to keep things fresh over the course of 60 levels. It commits to its theme to the fullest, and is a very strong title as a result. It also has additional objectives for 100% completion (which I love, if you read my previous post), and 4 mini-games on the "wackier" side of things (all of them using game mechanics, so they fit like a glove).

The only flaws I'd point out are QoL stuff, you know, like I wish there was a skip button for dialogue in stages we already beat. Also, as a matter of personal taste, time limits in puzzle games stress me out, so getting 100% under the time requirements kinda put a damper on the mentality of leisurely getting through a level. Might be just me, though.

What matters is, Hydroventure/Fluidity is a lovely game, and perfect for summer. Highly recommended.

 

  My 2018 log (Hide contents)

Played/Beat/Completed:

-The King of Fighters XIII (2010) Beaten (February 17th)

-Gunman Clive (2012) Completed (April 4th)

-Gunman Clive 2 (2015) Completed (April 8th)

-Alleyway (1990) Beaten, I guess (April 26th)

-Rhythm Paradise (2008) Beaten (April 29th)

-Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (2007) Beaten (July 12th)

-Mighty Gunvolt (2014) Completed (July 15th)

-Mole Mania (1996) Completed (July 31th)

-Super Mario 3D Land (2011) Completed (August 1st)

-Sonic Mania Plus (2018) Completed (August 2nd)

-Hydroventure: Spin Cycle (2012) Completed (August 7th)

 

Currently Playing:

-Skullgirls

-Shantae

 

Dropped/Hiatus

-Edge It sucks

-Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Fire Emblem revival postponed this

 

 

Edited August 7, 2018 by Jonnas

[Aperson]

Dug out my old Gamecube in order to play Spider-Man 2 (Gamecube). The reason should be obvious, there's a new Spider-Man game out on 7th September and it looks like it's going to be really good. So, seemed like a good time to try and finish the Spider-Man game I already owned. Problem is, I was stuck on this section in Chapter 14 for years (more than a decade) and hadn't played the game in a long time.

Adopoting a more conservative approach than my usual gung-ho attitude to video games however paid off and I eventually managed to beat that part... and proceeded to go onto the final battle in the game against Doctor Octopus. I was THAT close to finishing it...

After many failed attempts I managed to beat Doc Oc and therefore in just one evening finished Spider-Man 2. That was quick...

Need to decide what to play next. Having dug the Gamecube out I don't want to put it back straight away and I'm sure there are other Gamecube games I have yet to finish, namely Majora's Mask, Timesplitters 2 and Viewtiful Joe. Having got into tokusatsu in the last couple of years and with Viewtiful Joe quite clearly inspired by toku, I'm inclined towards the latter.

 

EDIT: Looking at all the game's I've beaten this calendar year and it's quite substantial...

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Golden Sun

Donkey Kong 64

Donkey Kong (GB)

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

Burnout 2: Point of Impact

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

A Hat In Time

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones

Spider-Man 2

 

It helps that there haven't been many new games this year that I've been interested in that have come out, but according to Backloggery this has been my most productive year for beating my backlog since I joined that site in 2012. 11 games beaten and only two of those were ones I acquired and started this year.

Edited August 8, 2018 by GenericAperson

[bob]

Dug out my old Gamecube in order to play Spider-Man 2 (Gamecube). The reason should be obvious, there's a new Spider-Man game out on 7th September and it looks like it's going to be really good. So, seemed like a good time to try and finish the Spider-Man game I already owned. Problem is, I was stuck on this section in Chapter 14 for years (more than a decade) and hadn't played the game in a long time.
Adopoting a more conservative approach than my usual gung-ho attitude to video games however paid off and I eventually managed to beat that part... and proceeded to go onto the final battle in the game against Doctor Octopus. I was THAT close to finishing it...
After many failed attempts I managed to beat Doc Oc and therefore in just one evening finished Spider-Man 2. That was quick...
Need to decide what to play next. Having dug the Gamecube out I don't want to put it back straight away and I'm sure there are other Gamecube games I have yet to finish, namely Majora's Mask, Timesplitters 2 and Viewtiful Joe. Having got into tokusatsu in the last couple of years and with Viewtiful Joe quite clearly inspired by toku, I'm inclined towards the latter.
 
EDIT: Looking at all the game's I've beaten this calendar year and it's quite substantial...
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Golden Sun
Donkey Kong 64
Donkey Kong (GB)
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Burnout 2: Point of Impact
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
A Hat In Time
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
Spider-Man 2
 
It helps that there haven't been many new games this year that I've been interested in that have come out, but according to Backloggery this has been my most productive year for beating my backlog since I joined that site in 2012. 11 games beaten and only two of those were ones I acquired and started this year.

I dug out Spider-Man 2 a while back when I last had my Wii plugged in, (it's in my top 10 games of all time), but damn them graphics have not aged well. In my head it looks just like the new one, but in reality..... it seriously does not.

[Ganepark32]

I've played a lot of games over the last couple of months; some have stuck but others haven't and I'm finding this to be a more frequent occurrence. I sat down go play the original Bioshock game but despite not playing it since release in 2007, I'm feeling a huge sense of deja vu playing it so I've put it on hold. That said, because I was playing it through the Bioshock Collection, I decided to install Bioshock Infinite and finally give it a go beyond the hour or so I'd played briefly before I sold my 360 and bought a PS4. And I absolutely loved it.

The original Bioshock is very methodical and quite slow paced; there's plenty of opportunity for stealth but also times when it can be a bit of a slog and overbearing with the enemies it throws at you. With Infinite, I didn't find this to be the case. It felt faster paced to me (though not so fast as to be indistinguishable from the general IP) and I got a sense that it felt more akin to say Dishonored than it did to the original Bioshock.

That difference though really helped suck me in and having not played anything beyond Monument Bay, it was great to finally see the rest of the game and get to grips with the new vigors and the sky hook. These two things in particular gave the game an agency that made it feel more like Dishonored and I loved mixing them together alongside Elizabeth's powers for some frantic action sequences.

The gameplay wasn't without its frustrations and I can see from some areas why people say the game isn't all its hyped up to be. Being stuck in areas, having to wade through waves of enemies and protect your ship was tedious and though it doesn't happen frequently, there were a few instances (Such as finding the 3 Tears to gain access to Comstock House) that kind of overstayed their welcome. Some restraint in these moments and some better design would have helped smooth things out, getting rid of some of the bumps in the road.

That being said, I still had a huge amount of fun playing it. I really liked the characters and the story and although the latter gets too caught up in trying to be this impressive thing that it can never achieve, it was still really interesting especially having played Far Cry 5 earlier this year and seeing some of the similarities between John Seed in that game and Comstock here.

I've still got the Burial at Sea add-ons to play but I'm dipping into Flipping Death currently and may end up picking up We Happy Few if it reviews well tomorrow as I'm in the mood for something along those lines.

And as it's been a while since I've updated what I've played, I'll post the rest of what I finished since my last update below:

Fe
Shape of the World
Headlander
Sniper Elite 3
Sonic Mania
Blaster Master Zero
Yoku's Island Express
West of Loathing
Hollow Knight
The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine and Heart and Stone expansions
Metro Last Light
Mirror's Edge Catalyst
Life is Strange: Before the Storm - Farewell
The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit
Call of Duty Infinite Warfare
Detroit Become Human
The Wolf Among Us
Pyre
Qube 2 (Platinum run as 1 trophy glitched)
Vampyr

Sadly, Hollow Knight was my last Switch game that I completed as I've since sold my console. I won't get into it much before someone tries to claim bait or such (it's by no means that) but despite being a fantastic console and having great indie support, I was looking for more from it and I wasn't finding the content that speaks to me, especially when I've already got a library of 200 odd indie games on the PS4 which will see many of those that appear on the Switch going forward and a PC to grab the rest. Better someone uses it than it stay unused with me.

[Aperson]

@bob Yeah, it has dated quite a bit. This was before HD graphics though, it's surprising how the advent of HD, especially since we've had more than a decade of it now, has made anything that isn't in HD and is going for a realistic graphic style look dated. Granted, all multiplatform games in that era had to be able to be run on PS2 so developer's didn't bother to upscale the graphics for the more powerful Xbox and Gamecube consoles despite the fact that both of them could run better, even so 6th Gen, which I've been playing a lot of thanks to trying to clear my PS2 and Gamecube backlogs, has a very distinctive look to it for the most part graphics wise especially when it comes to what was considered realistic graphics. Some games that era run in 60fps though and they look significantly better in my opinion. Frame Rate > Graphical Quality for me although the combination of them can benefit how a game looks.

 

Speaking of looks, I went back to Viewtiful Joe (GCN) and beat it. I was stuck on Another Joe for a while but I managed to beat him and then cleared the gruelling Chapter 5 to reach the Boss Rush. That was a challenge but I eventually beat that and Fire Leo and proceeded to beat the game. Side note, did you know R.O.B is in this game? He appears in the opening area of Chapter 7 a few times. I don't know if this is only in the Gamecube version though or whether he is in the PS2 version but it's still pretty cool, especially given this was before he appeared in Mario Kart DS and especially before he was in Smash Bros.

 

Another game I never finished was, surprisingly, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (GCN, Collector's Edition). The main reason? The Gamecube version has a tendecy to freeze from time to time and it really ramped up and put me off finishing Stone Tower Temple. That and the temple was really hard for me at the time. But, going back to it, the Garo Master and the Eyegore don't seem so hard, plus when playing it right now I reset the temple after getting the Light Arrows after realising that I could finish the entire thing with the temple in upside down form provided I have the item in the first place. At least, I hope so, it will give me more time to finish the dungeon after all.

 If I beat Majora's Mask I will have finished the single player modes of all but two Gamecube games I own... and one of the games I deleted my save file on because it was dull and monotonous, not to mention I wasn't very good at it, that game being Worms Blast.

[Jonnas]

So, I've hardly had time to post here, but I have been completing some portable games lately. Here's a quick update:

Wario Land 4

I replayed this one as part of the newly formed N-E Game Club, @drahkon's initiative to get us to play Retro games, post about our impressions and opinions, and ultimately strengthen the bonds of N-E as a whole

...As for the game itself, I posted my (surprisingly brief) impressions in that thread (in a nutshell, is good game). Partly because everyone else already said a lot of things I agreed with, partly because I just don't have much to say about Wario Land 4 to begin with.

Shantae

I finally got into the series! I got this for the 3DS Virtual Console (which is actually its first European release), and went through it relatively quickly.

For those not in the know, this is a Metroidvania series, and this title in particular follows the "2D Adventure" style seen in the likes of Zelda II or Castlevania II, with plenty of towns, dungeons and open spaces.

Right off the bat, let me just say, this game looks fantastic for the GBC. The spritework is fantastic, and we can see this in Shantae's surprisingly fluid bellydancing, in her portrait/close-up sprites we see in towns, in the fact that every NPC has idle animations, in the (relatively) complex backgrounds, in the fact that all of this undergoes day/night colour changes seamlessly... It's lovely to look at.

Furthermore, I love the middle eastern feel. This isn't just "Arabian Nights-lite" (in fact, there's not a single flying carpet to be seen). Shantae's hometown is very Turkish/Ottoman, and then there's a Greek town, an Egyptian town, and so on. There was some love and care put into the setting. Plus, the dialogue is lighthearted, quirky and whimsical, something that shows with almost every line you read.

Gameplay-wise, it's fun to play and responsive (I do love to perform random bellydances, either as a taunt or a celebration), but... there are also a lot of rough edges, especially in level design. Stages are long in this game, and dead-ends (when you don't have the right skill/item yet) usually come after a long gauntlet, which is annoying design for the genre. Enemies are tough enough as it is, and the day/night cycle makes them even sturdier. The game gives us shortcuts, but not only do you have to open them on both sides (with little indication of what you have to do to open them), they're poorly placed, barely helpful. Also, when you get an item in the overworld, Shantae freezes in place while the message plays, but enemies don't. The heck?

You can tell there was effort put into this game, but the gameplay itself is still lacking in know-how and finesse. There's potential for a great game in there, but there were some noticeable flaws at this point. I already got Risky's Revenge on Steam, so hopefully I'll be able to see for myself how well the sequel improved upon this one.

(And as an amusing side-note, this game reminded me a lot of the Wario Land series for some reason. Maybe it's the prominence of genies and pirates)

Steamworld Dig

Finally, I got this one on 3DS for 90 Gold coins on My Nintendo. It was an indie darling when it was released, and spawned a franchise that's all about this "Steamworld" setting (as I understand it, it's steam-powered robots living in a wild west setting). I gave it a spin.

Basically, the main gist of the game is that you dig through a mine with a pick axe, picking up gems and skills/items along the way. You then come back up, sell the gems, and use the money to upgrade your stats and items. You then continue to dig through the mine, Metroidvania style. Until you eventually reach the end.

It's neat, I guess? Fun to play, I'll give it that, but level design is non-existent other than a few specific segments (the main bulk of the mine, including gem location, is actually randomized each time you start a save file). This kinda makes it more dull than it needed to be. Furthermore, a great Metroidvania needs to have something that really pushes it into greatness: Super Metroid has sublime atmosphere and level design, Castlevania has robust RPG-like systems, the likes of Teslagrad and Swapper combine atmosphere, setting and story alongside a really good use of their gameplay mechanics for puzzles... Steamworld Dig really only has a fun setting and some limited control over the form of your own layout.

(I know, it's weird to criticise a game for not being one of the greats. I don't even dislike this game. I guess I'm approaching this review from this angle because I hear nothing but praise for this series)

I do hear Steamworld Dig 2 has a much more focused level design for the sake of a more robust game. Since it sounds like the sequel is willing to push the franchise forward, I will keep it on my radar regardless. It's just a somewhat lukewarm interest.

  My 2018 log (Hide contents)

Played/Beat/Completed:

-The King of Fighters XIII (2010) Beaten (February 17th)

-Gunman Clive (2012) Completed (April 4th)

-Gunman Clive 2 (2015) Completed (April 8th)

-Alleyway (1990) Beaten, I guess (April 26th)

-Rhythm Paradise (2008) Beaten (April 29th)

-Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (2007) Beaten (July 12th)

-Mighty Gunvolt (2014) Completed (July 15th)

-Mole Mania (1996) Completed (July 31th)

-Super Mario 3D Land (2011) Completed (August 1st)

-Sonic Mania Plus (2018) Completed (August 2nd)

-Hydroventure: Spin Cycle (2012) Completed (August 7th)

-Shantae (2002) Completed (August 15th)

-Wario Land 4 (2001) Beaten (August 29th)

-Steamworld Dig (2013) Completed (August 31st)

 

Currently Playing:

-Skullgirls

-Boxboy!

 

Dropped/Hiatus

-Edge It sucks

-Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Fire Emblem revival postponed this