Games Beaten In 2018!

[derFunkenstein]

#9 - Super C (NES) - I was really freakin' rusty on this game, but after a few shots I made it through again. Love everything about this game.

 

#10 - Super Mario Bros 3 (NES) - first time in a long time to beat it without warp whistles. I did use a save state on the NES Classic because it takes like 3.5 hours or so for me to do an all-clear, and I just don't get that much time at once anymore. Beating it with warp whistles can be done in under 30 minutes, though.

[oyamafamily]

Dolphin (Atari 2600)

 

I played this game for the Activision Patches Summer Quest 2018, choosing for this gameplay Game 7 and Difficulty A/A (smarter squid and only 2 seconds to touch squid after touching the seagull). I beat this Activision game by surpassing the secret high score and replacing the numbers on the scoreboard by the secret word, in 19 minutes.

The technique which I ALWAYS used to beat this game is to jump over the seahorses on later and faster levels (after I accumulated circa 150,000 points).

 

[mbd30]

Astyanax - I 1cc'd it for the first time this week. I've beaten it before, but with continues.

 

This game isn't very hard for anyone who's already good at games like Ninja Gaiden. I came close to a no death. I think I died once.

 

4-1 is the hardest level. Once you get over that little hump, the rest isn't too bad.

Edited July 24, 2018 by mbd30

[Silverfleet]

I was messing around with some arcade titles on the Retropie, and whaddayaknow, I beat another one.

 

Robocop: Arcade

 

 

I remember playing this one in the arcades back in the day, and could barely get past the 1st level. The difficulty rams up to the point of insanity starting with the 2nd level, and you only get one life. Put it this way: If I was spending real quarters in the arcade, I'd be broke! Still, it's a serviceable run and gun, and ties into the movie well. The digitized voices every once in a while really brought me back.

 

"Your move, creep."

[Punisher5.0]

I finished Half Life on Dreamcast yesterday. The first half was really fun but it dragged on when you made it outside. I would play it again though after a few years. I cant believe it took me this long to play the game.

[HoshiChiri]

14. Kirby's Dreamland (Game Boy) -via Kirby's Dream Collection (Wii)-

 

You ever get a day off when you've got a bunch of stuff going on, and you need to work on it, but you just wanna sit down and beat a game too? So you look for something quick n' easy, just to scratch that gaming itch in-between your other obligations? Yeah- that kinda day for me. Plus I've been holding to a nice 2 games finished a month this year, and I didn't want to let that go yet. Probably have to next month, the latter half of the year always ramps up for me... but not yet!

[derFunkenstein]

11. Final Fantasy (NES) on the NES Classic. No save states and that bit me in Temple of Fiends Revisited. I gained 4 levels on floor 2 and debated exiting to save and decided nah, I'm good at level 29. Made it to Chaos and got wiped. Restarted the game and I was back to level 25. Rage-quit on Saturday and then didn't go back to it until this morning. This time I got my party up to 32 and then exited and saved just in case. Naturally levels up to 34 by the time I got to Chaos and he went down easy.

 

 

[HoshiChiri]

15. Unravel 2 (PS4)

 

I love the Unravel games. I really do- they're just so tranquil, even when they get a bit difficult & you start dying it never feels unsurmountable, and the visuals are just stunning. The story in this one is a little iffy compared to the first one, but it still does a bang-up job of conveying how important friendship is in our lives. I won't say I want an Unravel 3- sometimes with these kinds of games it's best to let them end- but I do hope Coldwood gets to keep making this caliber of game for a long time.

[Skippy B. Coyote]

I've got a few to add from the last month or so.

 

55. Rampage: Total Destruction (GameCube)

 

56. Alien Hominid (GameCube)

 

57. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (Nintendo 3DS)

 

58. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (NES)

 

59. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES)

 

 

 

[Cybergoth]

I finally got - and beat Mega Man X4 (PS4)

 

In fact I actually scored the platinum trophy for Mega Man X Legacy Collection today, but only X4 was a first

 

Capcom games beaten in 2018: Viewtiful Joe, Dino Crisis 3 & Mega Man X4

[Austin]

Has it been a month and a half since I last updated this? Sheesh, I need to stay on top of these things.

*takes deep breath*

60. Ys III: Wanderers From Ys (Genesis) - Ys III in a nutshell isn't a very good game, with janky combat, only a handful of areas, and unbalanced, grindy gameplay. However, I have a soft spot for it and enjoy going back to the various versions. The Genesis one may be one of the better ones with a hard hitting soundtrack, great visual effects, and some design choices that are closer to the original computer versions of the game. I ran through this twice over the course of a week.

61. Quake II (PC) - Not my favorite, but thanks to the Yamagi source port I was able to use the files from my Steam version while getting some OGG files rigged up for music. Ended up going through it twice on the Nightmare difficulty setting. I'm still lukewarm on the game but I did enjoy my time with it. A lot of enemies are the sheer definition of "bullet sponge" which slows down the pacing, and the semi-non-linear nature of its levels can leave you lost, but overall the combat is still fast and fun. I do prefer the even faster gameplay of the first game, and the more gothic, Lovecraftian-esque feel it went for.

62. Sub Terrania (Genesis) - Haven't played this one in a while so I was rusty. Ended up nailing it on my first try though (just barely, defeating the final boss on my last life). Definitely a memorization-heavy game, but it's got some really solid music, great visuals and tight gameplay. One of my favorites on the console, but funnily enough it's not the kind of game I'd try if it was released today.

63. Batman Returns (Sega CD) - I haven't finished this one in five or six years and so it took me a while to get back into it. The last handful of stages are brutal and are very memorization-heavy. After completing it once again though I went back and did it several more times. The early driving sections in particular are addicting to me, as they are balanced very well, show off the Sega CD's hardware capabilities, and feature some great music. I ended up doing the Driving-only mode as well and completed that for the first time. Its final stage you don't get in the full game is insanely brutal, so I'm glad I knocked that off the list.

64. DOOM (SNES) - Not a great version of the game, but it's still impressive given the hardware it's running on. I do have a soft spot for this version and I played through the whole thing on stream via the Nightmare setting. Ended up getting hung up on Episode 3, Map 2, but once I got past that it was smooth sailing. I don't recommend people play this, but as a big DOOM fan I still like going back to it.

65. Lords of Thunder (Sega CD) - One of the best shooters of the era, even if it's trimmed down in some ways compared to the DUO version. Ended up rolling through this a few times. The gameplay is smooth and the music kicks ass. Can't really say much more about it other than it was good to revisit it.

66. Mega Man II (NES) - Ended up running through this a few times this week to practice for a video. What can I say? It's Mega Man II. Yay.

67. Dragon Spirit (NES) - Haven't ran through this in a few years so it was interesting trying this again after playing the PCE and arcade versions recently. It's significantly easier and honestly it's one of the easiest shooters on the system. Shame, because the visuals and music are decent, and it does play well. I just have little reason to go back to it frequently because it's a walk in the proverbial park. I wish there was a secret second loop or hard mode of some kind.

68. Wolfenstein 3D (PC) - Ran through all six episodes on stream a few weeks back on the hardest difficulty. Episode 2 gave me a lot of trouble as the mutants are ridiculously aggressive (and accurate). Episode 6 was tough too due to the overwhelming nature of the map designs and the general ammo starvation. Still a great time though once I get into the zone with this game. The EC Wolf source port makes it a lot nicer to look at, and although I didn't do this, it also gives you the option to change your controls to a more modern setup.

69. Fire Shark (Genesis) - Beat this game on stream for the first time! I was doing a variety Genesis Shmup stream and this was one of the games I fired up. Unexpectedly I ran through the entire thing. Staying powered up with one of the attacks that spreads across the screen does wonders for your survival, and focusing on collecting bonus points keeps your lives going up. The game actually has a second loop that I didn't know about that you unlock after beating the game, and it's considerably more difficult.

70. Steel Empire (Genesis) - Like with the above I was just intending on demonstrating the game, but I ended up finishing it instead. This is a unique shooter that can get a little repetitive (it re-uses and pallette-swaps multiple bosses), but it's still solid and I do recommend it. I especially like the variety between the two playable crafts. Each is better for certain situations and you can swap between them after each level.

71. Painkiller: Hell Wars (XBOX) - Ran through the entire thing on stream about a month ago and it took me a bit longer than expected, just under eight hours. Decent semi-port of the original PC game and expansion (I say "semi" because it's a bit of an amalgamation of the two, many maps from both are featured but not all, and existing maps have been altered). I didn't appreciate this when it launched in 2006, but going back to it today, if you can look at it as its own thing, it's a really solid FPS for the original XBOX. Framerate can hit all the way up to 60 at some times it seems, although it can dip really low too. Still, it's very playable and worth tracking down if you want a DOOM-style run 'n gun FPS for the XBOX.

72. Crash Bandicoot (PS1) - Another one I ran through on stream. It's about as difficult as I remember (as in, if you take your time it's not very hard, but if you don't then prepare to get wrecked). Fun game, decent graphics that hold up well and the gameplay feels pretty good, even albeit if a little on the stiff side of things. I'll have to try to tackle Parts 2 and 3 sometime soon.

[Skippy B. Coyote]

60. Link's Crossbow Training (Nintendo Wii)

 

One of the often overlooked yet really fun light gun shooters on the Wii, Link's Crossbow Training was the pack-in game that came with the Wii Zapper. With 9 levels based on The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess it's a fairly short little game, but it manages to cram in a lot of variety and a great deal of challenge and replay value if you go for the platinum medal on every level. Speaking of which, I've owned this game for years but today was the first time I've ever managed to platinum rank every level!

 

Edited August 16, 2018 by Jin

[Austin]

Link's Crossbow Training was super fun. I remember having a blast with it when I bought it a few years ago. Ended up running through the whole thing after I got it, and since it was years old already at the time it cost me next to nothing. When it comes to "bang for the buck" games, it doesn't get much better than this.

[mbd30]

Has it been a month and a half since I last updated this? Sheesh, I need to stay on top of these things.

 

*takes deep breath*

 

60. Ys III: Wanderers From Ys (Genesis) - Ys III in a nutshell isn't a very good game, with janky combat, only a handful of areas, and unbalanced, grindy gameplay. However, I have a soft spot for it and enjoy going back to the various versions. The Genesis one may be one of the better ones with a hard hitting soundtrack, great visual effects, and some design choices that are closer to the original computer versions of the game. I ran through this twice over the course of a week.

 

 

What I remember about Ys III from renting it as a kid is that it's very easy until the final boss and then it's very difficult. I couldn't beat the final boss.

[Cybergoth]

One more down, 3 endings seen and all trophies cleared for Mega Man X5 (PS4)

 

Capcom games beaten in 2018: Viewtiful Joe, Dino Crisis 3, Mega Man X4 & Mega Man X5

[Austin]

What I remember about Ys III from renting it as a kid is that it's very easy until the final boss and then it's very difficult. I couldn't beat the final boss.

The game is easy if you spend time grinding, otherwise it can be hard. The final boss, yes, it's tough. When you know what to do though you can make quick work of him (Protection Ring makes you invincible, so that's a key part of the strategy).

[+thegoldenband]

38. Davis Cup Tennis (Genesis)

 

European-developed title wasn't optimized for 60Hz, so it runs quite fast -- which is an asset in a game with an ungodly long career mode. It's got more bells and whistles than the SNES version (International Tennis Tour), but it feels like the gameplay might have been slightly dumbed down, as I was able to wail away on the ball far more in this version. Either way, it's a pity that a game with such a nice variety of ways to hit the ball overstays its welcome so completely. C-.

 

39. Blue Lightning (Atari Lynx)

 

Gorgeous game that looks a generation ahead of the consoles of its day, let alone the handhelds. Later levels reveal the shortcomings in the gameplay, but it's still one hell of a tech demo. C.

 

40. The Chessmaster (NES)

41. The Chessmaster (Game Gear)

 

In both cases, beaten on Infinite difficulty with the Black pieces. The NES version compares favorably to many 16- and even 32-bit titles, and gets a well-deserved A for its strong opening book and sane customization options. It may still be the best console chess title I've ever played.

 

The Game Gear version adds speech samples and adjusts the menus to fit the portable screen. However, it also takes away the opening book, which slows down the early stages of the game tremendously, and it also seems to be considerably weaker than the NES game. I managed to mess up royally several times in the game I won, yet still find my way back to victory; I don't think that would have been possible. It also doesn't provide a separate victory screen when you win, which is annoying.

 

Finally, the CPU tends to fall into weird rabbit holes on higher difficulty levels, sometimes taking an hour to choose between two moves when one leads to mate on the next move. That shouldn't happen, especially on a portable system, so this Game Gear version gets a C.

[mbd30]

38. Davis Cup Tennis (Genesis)

 

European-developed title wasn't optimized for 60Hz, so it runs quite fast -- which is an asset in a game with an ungodly long career mode. It's got more bells and whistles than the SNES version (International Tennis Tour), but it feels like the gameplay might have been slightly dumbed down, as I was able to wail away on the ball far more in this version. Either way, it's a pity that a game with such a nice variety of ways to hit the ball overstays its welcome so completely. C-.

 

39. Blue Lightning (Atari Lynx)

 

Gorgeous game that looks a generation ahead of the consoles of its day, let alone the handhelds. Later levels reveal the shortcomings in the gameplay, but it's still one hell of a tech demo. C.

 

40. The Chessmaster (NES)

41. The Chessmaster (Game Gear)

 

In both cases, beaten on Infinite difficulty with the Black pieces. The NES version compares favorably to many 16- and even 32-bit titles, and gets a well-deserved A for its strong opening book and sane customization options. It may still be the best console chess title I've ever played.

 

The Game Gear version adds speech samples and adjusts the menus to fit the portable screen. However, it also takes away the opening book, which slows down the early stages of the game tremendously, and it also seems to be considerably weaker than the NES game. I managed to mess up royally several times in the game I won, yet still find my way back to victory; I don't think that would have been possible. It also doesn't provide a separate victory screen when you win, which is annoying.

 

Finally, the CPU tends to fall into weird rabbit holes on higher difficulty levels, sometimes taking an hour to choose between two moves when one leads to mate on the next move. That shouldn't happen, especially on a portable system, so this Game Gear version gets a C.

 

 

[+thegoldenband]

^Oh, believe me, I've seen that, and laughed about it.

 

Of course it's a total misrepresentation of Chessmaster's actual strength, but in a way I'm glad it happened, since if it weren't for that brain-dead Newcomer 1 difficulty (which literally makes the first move that comes into its head), TMR could've gotten stuck for a long time.

[mbd30]

^Oh, believe me, I've seen that, and laughed about it.

 

Of course it's a total misrepresentation of Chessmaster's actual strength, but in a way I'm glad it happened, since if it weren't for that brain-dead Newcomer 1 difficulty (which literally makes the first move that comes into its head), TMR could've gotten stuck for a long time.

 

It's one of my favorite moments to come out of Nesmania. The way that he holds his arms up in victory and says "Hardest game ever, man." is so funny.

[Eltigro]

Just finished up Castlevania Symphony of the Night again. What a great game. Yeah, it's kinda pretty easy, but still a lot of fun. Played it on my PSP. Don't have the Playstation disc anymore. It was lost long ago. Had some issues with the PSP's d-pad... it's tough to do diagonals on it consistently. I didn't cast a single spell the entire game (the only one I could ever pull of reliably was Dark Metamorphosis) but don't really need them. Included a few pics. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

[Rocket Man]

1. Super Metroid

2. The Legend of Zelda

 

Both played on the Super NT on a 54" Panasonic Plasma tv. Both experiences were pure bliss, and it was the first time I'd played either of them from start to finish.

[Austin]

73. Ys III: Wanderers From Ys (Famicom) - Turns out I had a translated ROM of this on hand so I went ahead and ran through it (twice!). The visuals are a bit gaudy in the beginning but once you get into the first cave it becomes apparent the gameplay is still quite faithful to the other available versions. It's not the version I'd recommend people play on a first go around, but it is solid and it's probably worth trying for fans of the other versions.

74. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES) - It's been a few years since I have last finished this one. Overall I had a good time with revisiting it again this past week. Great visuals, interesting mechanics, excellent combat and physics, solid soundtrack that fits the game world well.. with a few cryptic elements later on in the game that brought things down a bit, but nothing that a walkthrough couldn't fix. I ended up going through it a second time on stream as well and enjoyed it more on that playthrough, and was even tempted to do it a third time.

75. Hydlide (NES) - Eh. This is something I never expected to finish. The game gets cryptic as all hell and I required a walkthrough to finish it. Fortunately the game is relatively short all things considered. It would be even shorter if it wasn't for all the necessary grinding, and that's probably my biggest problem with it outside of the cryptic stuff--grinding levels later into the game take ages because of the available screen and enemy layouts. It just drags on and on and on, and it brings the whole thing down. I was actually pretty intrigued by the whole thing initially as it's clearly an early Japanese action-RPG (originally released on computers in 1984), has historical significance with early versions of mechanics that would be re-used in later games (like Ys 1). Can't say I'd recommend it other than to those that are extremely curious as well as those that don't mind using walkthroughs.

 

[mbd30]

73. Ys III: Wanderers From Ys (Famicom) - Turns out I had a translated ROM of this on hand so I went ahead and ran through it (twice!). The visuals are a bit gaudy in the beginning but once you get into the first cave it becomes apparent the gameplay is still quite faithful to the other available versions. It's not the version I'd recommend people play on a first go around, but it is solid and it's probably worth trying for fans of the other versions.

 

74. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES) - It's been a few years since I have last finished this one. Overall I had a good time with revisiting it again this past week. Great visuals, interesting mechanics, excellent combat and physics, solid soundtrack that fits the game world well.. with a few cryptic elements later on in the game that brought things down a bit, but nothing that a walkthrough couldn't fix. I ended up going through it a second time on stream as well and enjoyed it more on that playthrough, and was even tempted to do it a third time.

 

75. Hydlide (NES) - Eh. This is something I never expected to finish. The game gets cryptic as all hell and I required a walkthrough to finish it. Fortunately the game is relatively short all things considered. It would be even shorter if it wasn't for all the necessary grinding, and that's probably my biggest problem with it outside of the cryptic stuff--grinding levels later into the game take ages because of the available screen and enemy layouts. It just drags on and on and on, and it brings the whole thing down. I was actually pretty intrigued by the whole thing initially as it's clearly an early Japanese action-RPG (originally released on computers in 1984), has historical significance with early versions of mechanics that would be re-used in later games (like Ys 1). Can't say I'd recommend it other than to those that are extremely curious as well as those that don't mind using walkthroughs.

 

hydlide.jpg

 

Here is an interesting bit of speculation from the Gamefaqs mesage board about why Hydlide has "Save" and "Load" options even though it uses passwords. I dunno if it's true but it makes sense.

 

"This is definitely among the worst NES games. I had no idea it was originally a Japanese computer game, and that probably explains the Save/Load goofiness in the menu; probably an old computer menu that wasn't really adjusted for the system."

[Austin]

 

Here is an interesting bit of speculation from the Gamefaqs mesage board about why Hydlide has "Save" and "Load" options even though it uses passwords. I dunno if it's true but it makes sense.

 

"This is definitely among the worst NES games. I had no idea it was originally a Japanese computer game, and that probably explains the Save/Load goofiness in the menu; probably an old computer menu that wasn't really adjusted for the system."

 

It was probably a cost cutting measure. No battery = less manufacturing cost per cart. The save/load functionality works perfectly in-game. When you want to shut off the power, you write down the password.