Jump to content
IGNORED

Games Beaten In 2018!


Charlie Cat

Recommended Posts

I've got three more to add tonight! :D


3. Mortal Kombat (Sega Genesis)

Mortal Kombat has always been one of my favorite Genesis games ever since I was a kid, though I haven't owned a physical copy of it since I liquidated my former Genesis collection a couple years ago. Up until this past week that is when I got one as part of a trade deal with a local game store. Mortal Kombat is one of those rare games that I've played so many times that I can almost play it with my eyes closed, so it was no trouble beating it on Medium difficulty. It was still just as fun as ever though, and for as long as I live I don't think I'll ever forget A, B, A, C, A, B, B. :)


4. Sonic CD (Sega CD)

Along with the aforementioned copy of Mortal Kombat for the Genesis I also scored a Sega CD system in my local game store trade to finally complete my Genesis + 32X + Sega CD trifecta, and I've sure been having a lot of fun with it! I haven't gotten an original copy of Sonic CD yet but it was the first game I burned to CD-R as soon as I got my Sega CD home (after fixing it up with a little bit of cleaning of the laser eye and regreasing of the gears and laser track) and it was definitely a great first game choice. The spousal unit is quite fond of the Sonic series as well and neither of us had ever played this one, so we ended up trading off the controller between levels until we had beaten it. We both had so much fun playing Sonic CD that the following night we played through it together again, trading off between levels like last time but taking the opposite levels this time around so we'd both get to play all the levels in the game, and we ended up getting the good ending by destroying all the robot generators in the past on this play through.

After playing through Sonic CD twice I think I can safely say that it is now my second favorite Sonic game (second only to Sonic 3 & Knuckles) and I think it was well worth the price of admission for the Sega CD just to play this game alone. It really is a masterpiece and one that I'd recommend to any Sonic fan. The soundtrack is fantastic too!


5. Mortal Kombat (Sega CD)

This is the last one to add tonight, and was another game that I burned to a CD-R to play on my newly acquired Sega CD. I'm sure glad I got to "try before I buy" too, since I actually didn't think the Sega CD version was quite as good as the Genesis version. The Sega CD port does have slightly improved background graphics and way better sound than the Genesis version, but otherwise it was identical to the Genesis version with the exception of added load times. Unfortunately those 4 or 5 second load times come at rather inopportune moments, such as when new opponents switch in during the endurance match rounds and every time Shang Tsung changes forms. The latter in particular really messes up the pacing of the final boss fight, to the point that I think Mortal Kombat fans are better off just playing the Genesis version with slightly inferior background graphics and cruddier sound but no load times. Mortal Kombat on the Sega CD isn't a bad game, I'd still rather play it than any other home console port outside of the Genesis version, but if you've got the choice than I think the Genesis version is the way to go.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2. Life is Strange (PS4)

 

​Oh MAN did this game mess with my head! I don't do so good with these kind of melancholy, wistful, nostalgic type things- they put me in a weird mood. Good story though, and I genuinely did not call the 'whodunit'. I was pre-spoiled on the final choice of the game, but I'm OK with that- it made it kind of wrenching to finish each chapter and re-evaluate what I'd pick based just on the part I'd played so far. I give it a reserved recommendation depending on your ability to process millennial hipster ennui.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6. Virtua Fighter (Sega 32X)

 

I've been having one of those "I'm not sure what I want to play" kind of weeks this past week, and fighting games are always good for passing the time when you don't feel like delving into a long story based game. Fortunately Virtua Fighter is one of the few early 3D fighting games that still holds up and plays really well to this day, with a smooth frame rate, diverse roster of characters, and simple but fun gameplay. I planned on just playing through and beating Virtua Fighter once with Jacky but ended up having so much fun playing it that I went through the tournament two more times with Wolf and Jeffry as well.

 

 

7. Doom (Sega 32X)

 

It hasn't been the best week for me this past week, winding up in the hospital with a nasty case of diverticulitis Thursday night, and since I was released I've been restricted to a diet of clear liquids and bed rest these past few days. With not much to do other than sitting or laying in bed and feeling lousy, and with real food off the menu, I decided I needed some video game comfort food. Doom is about as comfort foodie as games get for me and in spite of it's limitations I really like the 32X version, so earlier this evening I did a full play through of all 17 levels on Ultra Violence difficulty. It took me about 3 hours and I had some close calls along the way but I never died even once, which I suppose goes to show just how many times I've played Doom over the years when I can feel this cruddy and still play it well. :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've got one more to add for today! :D

 

 

8. Virtua Racing Deluxe (Sega 32X)

 

This was by far the hardest game to beat of any that I've played this year, but man was it ever fun. It took a ton of practice but eventually I was able to finish 1st on all 5 tracks driving the Stock car, albeit on Easy difficulty. I think Easy difficulty in Virtua Racing Deluxe is roughly twice as difficult as the 150CC mode in any Mario Kart game, which are what I usually play for my racing game fixes. In spite of the high difficulty level I still found Virtua Racing Deluxe to be immensely enjoyable thanks to it's a nice variety of cars, tracks, and camera angles to choose from as well as it's tight controls, great music, smooth frame rate, and bright colorful graphics that I think are really aesthetically pleasing as far as early polygon games go. Add in the low price of admission (loose carts with good condition labels can easily be found for less than $10) and Virtua Racing Deluxe is definitely a "must own" game for anyone with a 32X. I know that I'll be coming back to play it many more times on Normal difficulty to see if I can beat that mode with some practice too. :)

Edited by Jin
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Four games in one day? I'm really on a roll today! :D


9. 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Nintendo 3DS)

I don't usually buy digital download games, but the prospect of playing Sonic 2 in 3D (and on the go no less) for just a couple bucks was too tempting to resist. As a kid I remember having the VictorMaxx Stuntmaster VR headset for my Sega Genesis—which I'm pretty sure my grandma picked up on clearance from TJ Maxx for $10—and never being at all impressed by it's supposed 3D capabilities. It was really just a Game Gear screen mounted inside a headset, but I remember still playing a lot of Sonic 2 and Mortal Kombat with it just because it was a fun novelty.

Fortunately the designers of 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2 did a way better job on the 3D effect, providing just the kind of experience that I dreamed the VictorMaxx Stuntmaster would have when I was a little one. The backgrounds have great depth to them, the emulation is spot on, and even the sound is excellent on the New 3DS XL; and I've always been very picky when it comes to emulation of the Genesis's distinctively bassy sound. Add in the ability to save anywhere and some neat unlockable extras like being able to start every level as Super Sonic with 50 rings and it's just an all around fantastic package for the few dollars it cost. If you're a fan of Sonic 2 and own a 3DS then definitely give 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2 a try. It's way past cool!

Edited by Jin
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My first completed game this year was Horizon Zero Dawn. I started the last week of 2017 and finished last night (about 74 hours). I finished with 100% game completion and a platinum trophy. Great game. Highly recommended. I started the game late because I was playing Breath of the Wild when it originally came out, but it was worth the wait.

 

I'm planning on going through some shorter games next as I need a break from open world gaming.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9. New Adventure Island (Turbo Grafx/PC Engine) - Spent some real time with it for the first time and it was a fun playthrough. Frustrating as expected but the second playthrough went much smoother (1CC!). It's challenging but not nearly as tough as the original on NES, and maybe not even as much as the Hudson Selection retread on PS2. Speaking of which, it's really interesting to see where many of the ideas came from with the Hudson Selection Adventure Island game. It directly mimics many of the traps, stage types and weapons from the Turbo Grafx/PC Engine game.

 

10. Twin Cobra (Kyukyoku Tiger, PC Engine) - A solid port of the arcade Twin Cobra/Kyukyoku Tiger and my favorite version to go to of the 8/16-bit ports. Tough game but keeping certain strategies in mind allows for constant progression, like knowing tanks and turrets only shoot in eight directions, bomb pickups appear after a certain amount of star icons are collected, and bombs don't award points at the end of a level (use 'em or lose 'em!). That last boss though--don't die there. It was nearly impossible to take out its central turret system without being powered up. I managed to do it on stream which made the victory a little more sweet.

 

11. Fantasy Zone (Turbo Grafx/PC Engine) - Nice conversion of Fantasy Zone. Always enjoyed this one. I don't think I've ever finished this specific version before until now (I have completed the SMS and NES ones in the past). It's really nice having the turbo functionality be a "feature" on this console, as it makes me feel a lot less guilty in using it (it's absolutely needed for the final boss).

 

12. Wolfenstein 3D: Spear of Destiny (PC) - Played through the base campaign on stream this past Friday. I expected to plow right through it on the hardest difficulty ("I am Death Incarnate"), but what I thought was going to be a three hour run turned into six. The game was fun but extremely difficult, way more so than I remembered from playing it in the '90s. Still absolutely worth playing if you're a fan of the early days of first-person-shooting.

 

13. DOOM (Sega Saturn) - Ultimate DOOM portion completion. I try not to play this one very often but it needed a refresh on my gaming channel (the last playthrough I did was back in 2012 or so). Ugh.. This version, I tell you. It's actually not as bad as I remembered for much of the game, but a few of those big maps near the end of the game are atrocious. We're talking two frames a second on the framerate, it's horrifyingly bad. The game actually would have benefit from them being chopped out completely. I do plan on tackling the DOOM II portion a few weeks from now so we'll see how bad that turns out to be.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X (Vita)

 

I didn't mean to!

 

No, really- Gamestop had it on sale for $20, so I grabbed it 'cuz low price Project Diva is kind of hard to come by. Then I figured I should test it, make sure it's all working right... and ended up not stopping. Rythmn games always do this to me! I should know better! Anyway, game thoughts: 1, needs more Kaito. 2, why is Len singing about sex?! He's 14! :woozy: That's all I got.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just beat Little Nemo Dream Master on NES for the first time. This is a strange game where you feed candy to animals and they go to sleep, after that you ride them and use their abilities to progress to the next area. Some levels make you collect 5-7 keys before you get to the end. The last level was the only real difficult part. You have 5 areas to beat and the final boss all in one continue. Thankfully if you can make it to the final boss there are some extra lives waiting for you. I beat this on my last life and it took me many tries. Play this if you want a challenge! I didn't expect it to be!

post-46128-0-84346700-1517469552_thumb.jpg

post-46128-0-95624500-1517469581_thumb.jpg

post-46128-0-34119800-1517469625_thumb.jpg

post-46128-0-40833800-1517469649_thumb.jpgpost-46128-0-57060400-1517469676_thumb.jpg

post-46128-0-12015000-1517469703_thumb.jpg

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11. Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II (NES)

 

I know some people think this is superior to the first game, thanks to its more complex structure and higher difficulty level. I'm not one of them. I think the design is deeply flawed, I find the "no more continues for you!" gimmick sublimely irritating, and I don't enjoy being constantly besieged by respawning enemies or getting bounced around the screen like a pinball by bosses.

 

It's just not fun, and the measures needed to master the game end up feeling more like exploits than actual gameplay. D.

 

12. Dragon Warrior II (NES)

 

A nice improvement over the original in many ways, but man, does that last part put a damper on the fun. The warp gates are a nice touch, but they don't really substitute for a quicker, saner way of moving around the game world -- something I kept wishing I had. And it irritates me in RPGs when you get "named" weapons and armor that are inferior to generic items you can buy, and yet can't be stored just in case you might need them. Still, it's got Goopis and Graboopis. B-.

 

13. Double Dragon III (NES)

 

No, the chain of Warrior(s) and Dragon(s) -- not to mention sequels -- wasn't intentional. I think the difficulty of this sequel is wildly overstated, with only the very last boss fight posing any significant challenge. It's an OK sequel to the franchise, and certainly a hell of a lot better than the arcade or Genesis games of the same title. C+.

 

BTW I also beat this in April of last year but I guess I forgot to post anything about it in the thread -- which means, apparently, that I actually beat 56 games last year. 8)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10. Samurai Shodown (Sega Genesis)

 

The original arcade version of Samurai Shodown was the first fighting game I ever played as a kid, and I have a lot of fond memories of biking up to Godfather's Pizza with a pocket full of quarters to play it every Saturday morning after watching my favorite Saturday morning cartoons. Needless to say it's a game I liked a lot, and I bought the home console version for my Sega Genesis as soon as I could save up enough allowance money for it. Revisiting this game some 20 odd years later I'd say that aside from the occasional frame rate drop, no screen zooming during battle, and the lack of a few voice clips found in the arcade version it's a pretty faithful port; and most importantly it plays darn well. I also spent a good bit of time playing the Sega CD port this past week but surprisingly I ended up liking the Genesis version better, mostly because the Sega CD version is insanely hard even on Easy difficulty and it only gives you 3 continues. The Genesis version on the other hand is quite beatable on the default Normal difficulty setting and it gives you unlimited continues to accomplish the task with. There's also no load times to deal with and none of the occasional game crashes that the Sega CD version experienced during load screens half a dozen times over the 3 hours or so that I played it. If you have to choose between the Sega Genesis and Sega CD versions of Samurai Shodown I'd definitely recommend going with the Genesis release.

 

Whew. That was a close one. Eh, Poppy. "Woof."

Edited by Jin
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14. 1943 Kai (PC Engine) - This is an interesting one. Upon initial examination it's a solid port of the arcade 1943 Kai game. However, about 70% into the game your ship receives a permanent upgrade and the arcade experience is nixed for brand new exclusive levels, tunes and bosses. The change came as a big surprise to me and I enjoyed it quite a bit, although comparing the last 30% to the first 70%, the difference is jarring and it almost feels like they are two different games. Still, I think it's a solid shmup overall and worth playing. It plays well, has some nice visuals and backdrops, and it has some solid music too. It's much more doable than the arcade game it's based on, or the original NES 1943 release, and it doesn't overstay its welcome. It gives you five credits to finish the game. I did it within five on my first completion and then managed to do it on one or two after. Still not at a 1CC yet but I'd like to be able to.

 

15. Luigi's Mansion (Gamecube) - I have been putting this one off ever since it came out but I finally got around to it last week. First playthrough took me 10 to 12 hours, and my second playthrough took me just under five. It's a really fun experience with smooth gameplay, solid visuals and excellent sound design. I admittedly got lost on the first playthrough and the final boss was a major pain, both things bringing the experience down for me. However, the second playthrough was much smoother and much more enjoyable. I will be checking out the 3DS follow-up in the near future.

 

16. Super Mario 3D World (Wii U) - I haven't run through this game since its release in November 2013. I ended up running through all eight worlds to the initial ending in one sitting last night and had a great time with it again. The last couple of worlds were a bit of a drag but that was simply because I had run through everything up to that point in one sitting and was losing my focus by that point, so that was my fault. It's still a fantastic game with beautiful, crisp visuals and excellent stage design. I am not sure if I will be making time for all the bonus worlds in the near future, but I am really glad I went back to the core game once again. Definitely a must-own for the Wii U.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This week I got an EverDrive GB X7 in the mail from a fellow AtariAge member so I decided to put it to good use and play through some Game Boy and Game Boy Color games that I've been wanting to play for a long time but never got original copies of. :)

 

 

11. Yie Ar Kung-Fu (Game Boy Color)

First up was the Game Boy Color port of one of my favorite 80's arcade games, which was only released on Konami GB Collection Vol. 4 in Europe. Konami made 4 different backwards compatible Game Boy Color compilation carts for the European market that each contained 4 games that were either colorized versions of popular games for the original Game Boy or entirely new games that had never been released on the Game Boy / Color before, Yie Ar Kung-Fu being one of the latter. It was quite a bit easier than the arcade or Famicom version but still immensely enjoyable, and it was nice to get a proper ending after making it through all 20 stages.

 

ihQM1lf.jpg

 

 


12. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (Game Boy)

 

Next up was one of my childhood favorites that I never got around to re-buying as an adult, since it's rather rare and slightly pricey these days. After the pack-in game Tetris and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening I think Attack of the Killer Tomatoes was the 3rd Game Boy game I got as a kid, and I was honestly a little surprised that I still found it fun to play to this day. It got pretty poor critic reviews but I've always liked it and found it to be decently well designed (although quite short) little platformer with a reasonable difficulty curve. Check this one out if you like cult classic B-movie it's based on.

 

O4Rd03u.jpg




13. Chikyū Kaihō Gun ZAS (Game Boy)

 

Lastly for today is what has long been my #1 most wanted yet completely unobtainably expensive Game Boy game, since it typically sells for around $250 for a loose cart. This Japan only release is widely considered the best shoot 'em up on the Game Boy, and let me tell you it did not disappoint. The programmers of ZAS did some really astounding trickery with the Game Boy's hardware to allow it to pull off levels of detail not seen in any other Game Boy release, and because of that this game generally doesn't run correctly in emulators and must be played on original hardware (thus the reason I had never played it before today). In addition to the top notch graphics the music is great and the gameplay is rock solid from beginning to end. The first time I tried ZAS I made it to the last level after burning all my extra lives and continues but then bombed out and died, so I immediately restarted the game and tried again. On my second try not only did I beat the game, but I did it without losing a single life! I'd like to say it was all skill but I think I got pretty lucky dodging bullets a good number of times too, but hey, I'll take my victories where I can get them. :lol: This game alone was worth the price of admission for the EverDrive GB X7.

 

7GM1AiA.jpg

 

IfYjVeS.jpg

Edited by Jin
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just beat Sonic 3D Blast for the first time lol. Fun game! Make sure you get all the emeralds because you can't beat the game without them! Last boss is easy though so don't worry. Actually the whole game is easy lol. Glad to have beaten it.

 

Very well done! Strange timing too, since my wife just played through and beat Sonic 3D Blast for the Genesis (with all the chaos emeralds as well) the exact same day you did. I had forgotten how ridiculously long that game was for a game without any kind of save system, I think she was parked in front of the TV playing it for a good 6 hours or so before she finished it.

 

Anyhoo, getting back to my games beaten this year...

 

 

14. Taiyou no Yuusha: Fighbird GB (English Fan Translation) (Game Boy)

 

As a big fan of vertical scrolling shoot 'em ups on the Game Boy the English fan translation of this game was a title that I was really looking forward to playing on my EverDrive GB. The graphics were nice by Game Boy standards, the music was good, and I appreciated being able to understand the dialog and story in the English translation. It was fun to play through but I do have to say that it was by far the easiest shoot 'em up game I've ever played. I suppose that makes sense due to the Fighbird anime series that the game was based on being a show targeted towards young children, so I can't really complain about the lack of challenge given the game's target audience. It was still an enjoyable and well designed game though, so give this one a try if you like shoot 'em ups and are looking for something more on the easy side. :)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17. The Need for Speed (3DO) - Not really a tough one to "complete" as it only has three courses with two sections each. Still, I haven't run through it in years and on this playthrough I ended up really enjoying it. I think the game has aged pretty well when it comes to things like the sense of speed and realistic handling. Shame there aren't any unlockable courses as seen in the later PC conversions. Still, I'd say it's a must-own on the 3DO if you prefer the more oldschool-style Test Drive type of gameplay.

 

18. Burning Soldier (3DO) - On-rails FMV shooter. This one has a lot of style, some crazy over-the-top music, and is just generally fun for the kind of game it is. It definitely requires you to be on-point with your button mashing skills as well as being able to pick apart what the real threats are from everything else happening on screen. It's also neat how it switches from a horizontal view to a vertical view occasionally. I think this helps mix up the experience a bit, something many FMV shooters were bad at doing. It took me two continues to get through the game on the default difficulty mode.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tonight I beat Um Jammer Lammy for the first time. This was the sequel to Parappa the Rapper and it's really weird. The cut scenes are just over the top with randomness and bizarre characters. The gameplay is exactly like Parappa, but I felt the timing was a little more fair and therefore the game was easier. Not like Parappa was hard in the first place lol. Pick this up if you love Parappa!

post-46128-0-99344100-1518505754_thumb.jpgpost-46128-0-99297500-1518505776_thumb.jpgpost-46128-0-38952200-1518505799_thumb.jpgpost-46128-0-87382300-1518505814_thumb.jpgpost-46128-0-87535100-1518505834_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19. Mega Man X4 (PlayStation) - Originally had this one for the Saturn back in the day. Played it a lot and enjoyed it. Haven't played it much over the years though. Revisited it earlier in the week and had a good time with it. Nice production values, not overly in-your-face with mandatory story like X5 and X6 are (and even when it's there, you can skip it pretty fast). Some nice animated cutscenes for the time, fantastic music, great character animations, fast and precise gameplay. Fairly straightforward overall which to me is nice, and having two characters that play totally different adds for a lot of replay value. The only thing I'm not a huge fan of is the lack of health refill opportunities at the final boss. If you die and you've used your e-tanks, you're screwed unless you're a top-tier player. Might as well reset the console and try again, but you'll have to waste time refilling the e-tanks, then doing the robot master boss rush before you can have another try at the final boss. Pretty poor end-game design choice to an otherwise fantastic game.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...