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Games Beaten In 2018!


Charlie Cat

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76. Ys III: Wanderers From Ys (SNES) - Having knocked out the Genesis and Famicom versions in the last month, it was nice seeing the SNES one again for the first time in a while. It's definitely much more colorful and that really improves the experience. Likewise, the grind isn't as tedious as it is in other versions thanks to being able to deliberately respawn enemies at specific points, allowing you to better control the flow of the grind (at a faster pace than the previously mentioned versions). Like the other versions, this one has some things that are better than them, but other things that are worse. I've already mentioned some of the things that are better, but in terms of what is worse, the hit detection is pretty bad with discernable gaps being between you and your enemies when you take damage. Also, the final boss in particular is a major drag and an extreme difficulty spike. I was able to get through it, but I could see other players giving up here. His weak spot only opens up for a couple of seconds once every several attack patterns and he deals out a ton of damage (such as killing you in three hits or so if you touch him, which is very easy to do). Another odd design choice is the $50,000 Fairy Necklace that revives you in other versions. This was changed to only boost your experience points gained in the SNES version, a mostly pointless upgrade, as by the time you can afford it you are already at your max level. Also, this makes the final boss more dangerous by default, as instead of having three potential life bars to work with, you now only have two (the full health you should have by the time you get there, then another via an herb). I still had fun with this version but it's far from perfect. Looking forward to trying the PC Engine CD version soon, and I have the PS2 remake coming in the mail as well, so expect the results from those as well sometime soon. :)

Edited by Austin
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#11 (finally!) Shining Force

 

I love this game, but other commitments and other games got in my way and so it took me like 3 months to get through, but get through it I did. Started it on a real Genesis with Everdrive, copied the save memory to my PC and finished it in RetroArch tonight.

 

 

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Edited by derFunkenstein
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77. Nex Machina (PS4) - This is an awesome Robotron and Smash T.V. inspired twin-stick shooter. I finally finished it this past weekend and ended up getting to the true final boss on my second run (it appears when you get a one credit clear), although I died to it. I also spent a ton of time on the Arena Challenge modes. The visuals are incredible, the gameplay is relatively deep for what it is, and the soundtrack is excellent. I really wish I played this when it came out, but hey, better late than never.

78. Ys III: Wanderers From Ys (PC Engine CD) - After playing through the Famicom, Genesis and SNES versions, I was expecting to enjoy this one the least. The biggest reason for this is the screen scrolls at an atrocious rate, particularly the backgrounds. However, after I got used to that I noticed the game actually played a lot nicer than any of the previous versions. The collision detection was 100% spot on unlike the other versions, and I felt like I was really in control with my attacks. Your shield actually does something in this game, you level up quicker, and overall your attacks up through the first half of the game do more damage to standard enemies, so the game is a lot more fair overall. The intro and outro cutscenes are nice, and the soundtrack is excellent. I do wish there was more guitar work overall and less synth stuff, but overall it was still a joy to hear. Visual issues aside, I think this is the most enjoyable version from the early '90s to actually *play*, and I wasn't expecting that.

79. Strike Gunner: S.T.G. (SNES) - Vertically scrolling shoot 'em up. It's a middle-of-the-road shooter and not all that tough to get through on the default difficulty level. I did enjoy the sub-weapon system as it gives you a lot of different weapons to experiment with, but overall the enemy placement and the backgrounds are very repetitious. This is a shame and a missed opportunity because the game moves and plays well and when you crank it up to higher difficulties you actually have to stay alert at all times. Not bad, but not really all that great, so it's not one I can recommend wholeheartedly.

80. Phalanx (SNES) - A side-scrolling shooter. This one never really "clicked" with me in the past, but I forced my way through it over the weekend. I'm glad I did just to say I've done it, but overall it still didn't leave much of an impact on me. Bullets are hard to see and a lot of the weapons seem underpowered. I found myself having an easier time with your standard shot and just sacrificing my sub-weapons (you can either keep them and use them, or get rid of them in a bomb-like fashion which has a lot of benefits). Many of the backgrounds are also repetitious and so the visuals overall didn't really enhance the experience like they are supposed to. Not a great shooter in my eyes, but also not bad. Just middle of the road.

81. Space Megaforce (SNES) - Never been a huge fan of this one, but despite that I do still moderately enjoy it. I ended up running through it on stream and it was OK, that's about it. Pretty smooth, uneventful ride on the default difficulty level. Decent, relatively laid-back music, solid visuals, and fast gameplay. I do feel the enemy types and shot types feel supremely generic, and this is probably one of the biggest things that brings down the experience for me. The game also overstays its welcome, taking a little over an hour to get through (a little too long for a shoot 'em up, in my opinion).

Edited by Austin
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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.

I enjoyed watching your playthrough on YouTube! That said there's a subtle point that makes the Wizard/fairy collection sequence seem a bit less cryptic: IIRC, the screen with the Wizards is the only room where projectiles (including Wave and their fireballs) can pass through walls. It's not necessary to kill them from their side of the screen -- you can do it from the far side, and it's much easier to line them up.

 

For some reason the entire Internet seems to have forgotten this tip, but it was known back around 1990 when I beat the game -- though I don't remember whether I figured it out myself, got it from Nintendo Power, or called the Nintendo tipline and got it from them.

 

Also, check out what happens at 1:59 in this video. I know about the "footprints/lizard prints in the sand" Easter egg, but I've never seen this one before, with two columns of marching soldiers followed by double-speed music. I wonder if it's exclusive to the Japanese release (Hydlide Special)?

 

I did actually enjoy Hydlide as a kid -- even after having already beaten Zelda, and playing Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy around the same time. Stylistically it plays like a computer game, which is probably why so many console gamers despise it, but I found it kinda fun and certainly appreciated the RAM disk save function. Faery Tale Adventure does the same thing and it's a godsend.

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I did actually enjoy Hydlide as a kid -- even after having already beaten Zelda, and playing Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy around the same time. Stylistically it plays like a computer game, which is probably why so many console gamers despise it, but I found it kinda fun and certainly appreciated the RAM disk save function. Faery Tale Adventure does the same thing and it's a godsend.

The what? I had Hydlide as a kid. Near as I could tell, the only thing that selecting Save did was generate the password. Without pressing Save, the password you'd get at first was right at the start of the game. It took (way too long) for me to figure that out.

 

Maybe you mean that it would go back to the password state when you died? I guess that's nice, because then you didn't have to re-enter it, but not nearly as nice as a full save functionality that it should have had.

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SAVE creates a pseudo-savestate that persists as long as the power stays on (the password is only for when you power the game off). If you get killed and begin a new game (which is annoying -- you can't do it straight from the title screen), you can LOAD and pick up where you left off, with most variables preserved except for enemy location and one or two other things. Give it a try!

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Just finished Rise of the Tomb Raider a few days ago. I really enjoyed it (along with the first one of the Modern reboot trilogy). Enough so that, given the timing of my completion (a couple of days before Shadow was released) I was thinking of diving right into that. But I decided to take a break instead.

 

Anyway, along with that I've finished Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Gears of War 4, Gears of War 3 Ultimate Edition, Unravel 2, and A Way Out.

 

Playing through the campaign of Star Wars BF 2, and just queued up Final Fantasy 15 last night. That ought to take me through the rest of the year!

 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

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16. Just Shapes & Beats (Switch)

 

Saw this on the floor at PAX and snapped pics becuase it very much looked like my jam. Not super impressed with the story mode length for the $20 price (finished in 1 day via casual mode), but there are more tracks to be unlocked viz challenge mode, so I'll have more to dig out of it. Plus, it very much IS my jam- think a bullet hell where you only dodge instead of shoot back, with a crazy good techno soundtrack. Put on challenge mode for... well, a challenge, or throw on party mode and just veg out and enjoy the music. I don't regret the download. :)

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This has been a tough summer for me. My wife has spent much of it in the hospital, and has been recovering at home for the past month from a major health issue. My Switch got A LOT of play time while I was staying with her in the hospital (and at home), and I picked up a few games to help pass the time. I finished one of them last night.

 

Owlboy (Switch):

I didn't take any pics of the end screens because I didn't want to give anything away. I must say though... This has been one of the best games I've had the pleasure of playing in a very long time. It's not revolutionary by any means, but the story, gameplay, awesome soundtrack, and beautiful pixel art graphics grabbed a hold of me and didn't let go until the end. It's like someone took a bunch of my favorite games and tossed them in a digital blender. It had the gameplay of a Metroidvania-style title with the feel of a classic Zelda game with a bit of 16-bit Square RPG sprinkled on top. It's one of those games that's so good that I am sad I finished it.

 

Onto the next!

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Played through Onimusha Tactics (GBA) once again! I already beat it in 2003 when it was new and now fifteen years later it was every bit as good as I remembered :)

 

Capcom games beaten in 2018: Viewtiful Joe, Dino Crisis 3, Mega Man X4, Mega Man X5, Mega Man X6, Mega Man X7, Mega Man X8, Warriors of Fate, Armored Warriors & Onimusha Tactics

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And another. Just completed the final trophy for Capcoms Beat 'em Up Collection by playing through Battle Circuit (PS4) :)

 

Capcom games beaten in 2018: Viewtiful Joe, Dino Crisis 3, Mega Man X4, Mega Man X5, Mega Man X6, Mega Man X7, Mega Man X8, Warriors of Fate, Armored Warriors, Onimusha Tactics & Battle Circuit

 

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17. Monument Valley (Android)

 

I've been meaning to pick this up for awhile now- I didn't realize how short it is! I mean, what's there is fantastic, but if I'd bought it with money instead of Amazon no-rush shipping credit, I think I might've been fairly disappointed.

 

Now I need to order something else so I can have enough credit for the forgotten shores DLC.

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