Games Beaten In 2020.

[+Charlie Cat]

Hi guys,

Wishing all our members and your love ones a Happy New Year. Glad to restart the yearly games beaten thread on Atariage.com once again. 

 

Keep up the great work fellas. Enjoy 2020 and the new decade everyone! 

 

Anthony...

Edited December 31, 2019 by fdurso224

[+Charlie Cat]

Hi guys,

 

Welp, to start things off,I finished with Super Baseball 2020 for the Neo-Geo. I figured it's 2020, so this game was prefect for the occasion.  

 

 

Anthony..

 

 

[+thegoldenband]

Glad to see the new thread is already up and running!  Got my first three of the year:

 

1. Spot: The Video Game (NES)

 

Othello for dummies, and the CPU is one. I've read that it comes with tons of wonderful pre-loaded patterns, but if I can pick the game up, never look at a manual, and beat it 20 minutes later, where's the meat in this sandwich? (Or the carbonation in this soft drink?) D-.

 

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

 

The B-minus I gave this back in 2012 was too generous, but it's still a better (i.e. more playable) game than one would normally have a right to expect. The Moe's Tavern stage is pretty wretched, though, and I don't understand the game's scoring: a near-perfect run left me still a few dollars shy of victory, while my sloppy run was the one that got me over the $100,000 mark. Oh, and the skateboarding stage needs clouds! C.

 

3. Operation C (Game Boy)

 

A higher class of game than I'm accustomed to playing, and it shows, with some thoughtful tweaks for the portable format: getting autofire from the start is a welcome touch. But there are a few annoyances: why can a turret's hitbox be offscreen/inactive, yet the turret itself is still able to shoot at me? Why are the enemies that spawn from pods invincible until they complete their animation? And, in the overhead stages, why does the game make it so difficult to shoot diagonally while standing still? B+.

 

 

[+thegoldenband]

4. Overlord (NES)

5. Palamedes (NES)

6. Art of Fighting (SNES)

 

I've beaten Overlord and Art of Fighting before (I think this is the fifth year in a row for Overlord!) so no need to talk about those, except to note that both are easily beaten with trivial exploits. Alas.

 

But Palamedes is a nice find -- a dice-shooting action-puzzle game that I'd dismissed in the past because the controls are slightly obscure, and who wants to play a game with dice? But learn the game's ropes, and go head-to-head with the CPU in Tournament mode (which is what I completed), and you'll find a rewarding challenge.

 

Only a few minor complaints, e.g.: I played it in an emulator and my inputs occasionally got eaten, but that might be the emulator's fault. And I think the controls could have been tweaked: B and A to rotate the dice in opposite directions, and Up to fire them, would work fine. Finally, I don't really understand how sending lines to your opponent works: sometimes it seems like you have to have the lines you send, and at other times it doesn't. B+. 

[+chicgamer]

I played through Castlevania again today. I was a little rusty, and it took multiple tries for me to defeat Dracula, but I did it.

 

My goal is to play through as many Castlevania games as I can in 2020. I'm getting close to finishing Castlevania III for the first time.

[+atari2600land]

1. (and only?) Henry (game.com) This is a really interesting game for the game.com, one of the system's best (but that isn't saying much.) Also, me beating it is me saying I beat the game like one beats someone at, say, checkers.

[HoshiChiri]

1. Concrete Genie (PS1)

 

I LOVE this game. You know how I know I love this game? Becuase I basically beat it in one day. It's not super long- 7-10 hours, I think. Normally I'd take 2-3 days to beat such a game. Play for a couple hours, do something else, pick it up the next day. Nope- I was enjoying this so much that, aside from a quick 'make sure the game works' run a couple weeks ago, I did the whole thing in one go. I was enjoying myself too much to notice/care about how long I'd been playing!

 

I'm gonna keep it in my system for a bit longer, & see about hitting up all the trophies. They don't look too hard, but we'll see.

[Silverfleet]

My first post for 2020! And it's not great...

SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy (Switch)
No screenshot this time, mainly because I forgot. I picked up this game as part of a Gamestop buy 2 get 2 free deal last weekend, and it's not great. It's clearly geared toward adolescent boys, being as "bouncy" as it is, and Terry Bogard is a girl. I was hoping the fighting mechanics were going to be similar to the KOF games, but no, they have that dumbed-down fighting system a lot of new fighting games have which I can't stand: one punch, one kick, one grab, and one special button. There's also a button to tag in your partner. You have to button mash until you get the opponent to low health, and then you hit a "finishing move" button to end the one-round match. There are no redeeming qualities. This one's likely to sit on the shelf for the rest of time.

 

Onto the next...

[+thegoldenband]

7. Quarth (Game Boy)

 

Nothing wrong with the basic mechanics of this game, but I dislike the fact that some sections are essentially impossible to complete with normal gameplay, and have to be cleared with a screen-clearing power-up. That seems cheap to me.

 

Worst of all, to beat the game, you have to beat Level 3-9 to unlock Levels 4-1 through 4-9; play through all of those to unlock Levels 5-1 through 5-9; and finally complete all of those to get the game's ending. No password, no battery, no game-provided code: you just have to marathon the whole thing, on a portable, battery-operated system. That's completely unreasonable, inexcusable, and downright sadistic.

 

But hey, at least I got to play as a flying wang, aka "FICKLE SAVIOR". Somewhere Garry Kasparov is ducking. C-.

 

8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan (Game Boy)

 

Another one with a weird win condition, as you can select any level you want from power-on, but you have to start at Level 1 and go consecutively to get the real ending. As for the game itself, it's a repetitive beat-'em-up with very little "flow" -- though if I'm correct and Michelangelo is the "right" choice against Shredder, it's cute that the preceding cutscene hints at it. C-.

 

9. Porky's (Atari 2600)

 

A game where you can't lose -- you just give up. But me, I got a "perfect" score (7402, though it's supposedly possible to get more) by making it unscathed through that opening gauntlet of traffic! Dreadful controls and thin gameplay, but I appreciate that they tried to do something a little different. D+.

[+chicgamer]

Tonight, I finished Castlevania: Chorus of Mysteries. It's a really well-done hack of the first Castlevania game. Definitely worth trying out if you have any interest in Castlevania hacks.

[Austin]

I skipped on 2019, but I guess I'll throw in on 2020.

 

So far:

 

1. Ghosts 'n Demons (PC) - Fan made remake of the Wonderswan Ghosts 'n Goblins. Absolutely amazing game if you're into the series. Lots of depth and it's one of the harder (if not hardest) ones out there.

2. M2 ShotTriggers - Dangun Feveron (Xbox One) - This is shooter by Cave that features some goofy themes (disco music, for one). It's sort of hard not to like it. I finished the arrange mode as a 1CC during a stream. Not a hard clear by any stretch, but it's just plain old fun and I'm OK with that.

3. Gradius Gaiden (PS1) - Great Gradius game. Not too challenging compared to the arcade games, but it's interesting in that it has a second loop where bosses have new patterns, which is more than a lot of second loops have. Great use of colors in this game, solid soundtrack, and a good variety of enemies and scenery. I used a few credits working my way through the game again after having not beaten it in a decade. I plan on going back later today to try to get a 1CC. It's on the PSP Gradius Collection, but I played it via the import PS1 version.

[mbd30]

On 1/4/2020 at 1:35 PM, thegoldenband said:

4. Overlord (NES)

5. Palamedes (NES)

6. Art of Fighting (SNES)

 

I've beaten Overlord and Art of Fighting before (I think this is the fifth year in a row for Overlord!) so no need to talk about those, except to note that both are easily beaten with trivial exploits. Alas.

 

But Palamedes is a nice find -- a dice-shooting action-puzzle game that I'd dismissed in the past because the controls are slightly obscure, and who wants to play a game with dice? But learn the game's ropes, and go head-to-head with the CPU in Tournament mode (which is what I completed), and you'll find a rewarding challenge.

 

Only a few minor complaints, e.g.: I played it in an emulator and my inputs occasionally got eaten, but that might be the emulator's fault. And I think the controls could have been tweaked: B and A to rotate the dice in opposite directions, and Up to fire them, would work fine. Finally, I don't really understand how sending lines to your opponent works: sometimes it seems like you have to have the lines you send, and at other times it doesn't. B+. 

 

I love Palamedes. It's actually a port of a Japanese arcade game. I've played both, but I prefer the NES version.

 

You should try the regular mode and see how high of a score you can get. The game rewards 50k for every perfect clear which is shooting all the dice in a stage without making any combos. The most perfects I've gotten on level 1 difficulty is 17. Starting on level 5 is a better challenge, you might be able to get 7 or 8 perfects (although 9 is possible).

 

 

 

 

[RetrogamerX]

Revenge of Shinobi on my Analogue Mega Sg Hyperdub. 

 

Gris PC. 

 

First games I've beating in 2020

 

 

[Nintendo64]

I finished Super Mario 64 to the end with 71 stars. I did not get all of the 120 stars , does that count?

Now Im trying to beat Banjo Kazooie and Castlevania 64. Castlevania 64 has some maze like elements if you dont lookup the walkthroughs, which im not trying to do.

[+chicgamer]

23 minutes ago, Nintendo64 said:

Castlevania 64 has some maze like elements if you dont lookup the walkthroughs, which im not trying to do.

Castlevania was one of the first games I got for my N64. I remember it being frustrating at times, but I don't think it's as bad as many make it out to be. Hope you're having fun with it!

 

I'm planning on tackling Legacy of Darkness sometime this year.

[Nintendo64]

12 minutes ago, chicgamer said:

Castlevania was one of the first games I got for my N64. I remember it being frustrating at times, but I don't think it's as bad as many make it out to be. Hope you're having fun with it!

 

I'm planning on tackling Legacy of Darkness sometime this year.

Thanks, I am Having fun with Castlevania 64. I am at the underground Cave part with the elevators now, which is right after the frankenstein chainsaw maze. After this i will also try to beat Legacy of Darkness as well. Castlevania is one of my favorite series and I grew up playing the original Castlevania on the NES.

Edited January 9, 2020 by Nintendo64
editing

[Nintendo64]

Just Finished Banjo Kazooie. I have to say it is a pretty tough game, especially at the end, alot tougher than Super Mario 64. Very good game overall. I will try to finish Banjo Tooie and Castlevania 64 next as far as the Nintendo 64 games i want to try to complete.

[Punisher5.0]

I got my first game finished for the year. Quake 2 for the N64. I was really impressed with this game. I originally just wanted to see what the game looked like then next thing I know im playing every night. I might try out Quake next.

[+thegoldenband]

10. The Smurfs 2 (Game Boy)

 

I liked this platformer on the Master System, but this Game Boy port wasn't adjusted to compensate for the smaller view (which was already a problem in the Master System version), and the great SMS soundtrack was ditched in favor of one that's not as good. That said, the game's fundamentals are otherwise intact. C+.

11. Back to the Future (NES)

 

I could almost start to forgive this game's sins since -- despite the ridiculous music, cheap-shot heat-seeking enemies, lack of stage design, and bizarre mangling of the license -- it's playable enough that I had little trouble getting to the final stage with the DeLorean.

 

But having that last stage be a one-and-done affair, where after a perfect run you can lose everything because the RNG decides to screw you over? That's inexcusable. F.

12. Gradius (NES)

 

There's a reason they call it "Gradius syndrome", but oddly enough I somehow finished Stage 7 despite losing all of my upgrades. A game made with TLC and one that set a template for the genre, even if a few points of the stage design don't hold up well. B+.

13. Super Jeopardy! (NES)
 

Four players on stage, no Trebek, and a lot of repeated questions and categories. Functional, though, and at least they included a password system to allow you to play each of the three matches separately (but I did it in one sitting). D.

[digdugnate]

stupid question, probably, but I want to keep it in the spirit of this thread.  Would you guys/gals prefer the 'games completed' list in this thread to stay to 'Classic' games?

 

I didn't want to throw a bunch of other games on there if it's not how it's intended.

[Punisher5.0]

On 1/9/2020 at 11:55 AM, chicgamer said:

Castlevania was one of the first games I got for my N64. I remember it being frustrating at times, but I don't think it's as bad as many make it out to be. Hope you're having fun with it!

 

I'm planning on tackling Legacy of Darkness sometime this year.

It seems like over time Castlevania is being seen as a better game. It even got a dedicated video on Digital Foundry.

 

 

[+chicgamer]

Finished Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night last night. I enjoyed it, though there are parts that were a little tedious (farming for crafting resources being among them).

 

It will be interesting to see what they do with a sequel, if they proceed with making one. My guess is it will have a little less fan service (references to Castlevania characters, etc) and start to stand on its own as a series.

15 hours ago, Punisher5.0 said:

It seems like over time Castlevania is being seen as a better game. It even got a dedicated video on Digital Foundry.

 

 

You know, what bothers me most about this game, more than the gameplay, is that they mistranslated Carrie's last name. It wasn't until I read Hardcore Gaming's book on Castlevania that I found out her last name is supposed to be Belnades, not Fernandez, and that she is part of Sypha Belnades's bloodline. Her inclusion in the game makes a lot more sense, now.

 

[Austin]

Castlevania 64 is a pretty straightforward game level-design wise outside of the Villa stage. There are some other puzzles you have to contend with on some levels, but your choice of paths are limited and so it's hard to get lost. Its action stages are mostly linear (like the Duel Tower). I don't recall ever needing a walkthrough for the game, although the Villa might be troublesome to figure out if you're not paying attention to the dialogue in the game.

 

Oh, #4 on my list for the year: Dark Souls II (PC). Did a marathon stream session over two days and completed the vanilla version of the game on Steam, all DLC included. Took a while to get back into the groove with after coming off Dark Souls III (it feels pretty different), but it was a good time. PC version is the best way to experience this game, by far.

[Austin]

5. Battletoads (NES) - Been a little while since I last finished this one. Managed a full one credit clear on it, but ended the game with just three lives which meant I lost a lot along the way. Sort of expected given I haven't played in a while. Still one of my favorites on the system though. Really satisfying to go through when you know what you are doing.

 

6. Adventure Island (NES) - Kind of like above, except it's been years since I last ran through it. Had to re-learn most of Area 7 and 8. Still a good time, anyway. Played it on stream so a lot of people got to see the hell that is a hammer-less Stage 8-2 and 8-4.

 

7. Darkwing Duck (NES) - Fun Megaman styled game, but the considerable difference in stiffness and rigidness of its level design makes it less enjoyable overall. Still a worthy Capcom-Disney game, but it's no Duck Tales or Chip 'n Dale. Funny enough, I had this game as a kid but had no idea there were bonus stages in the game. I spent my time searching for them this time around and there seems to be at least one or two in every level. Very cool.

 

8. Battle Monsters (Saturn) - Cheesy fighting game with some of the goofiest live action, digitized visuals you will ever see. Great scaling and rotation though with some pretty unique backgrounds. For a console exclusive in 1996 it also has some decent mechanics, like double jumps, dashing forwards and backwards, one or two hit air juggles, and loads of special moves. It's fun overall.

Edited January 22, 2020 by Austin

[Austin]

9. Robotica/Deadalus (Sega Saturn) - Early first-person shooter for the system. I had this in the '90s and finished it then. I don't remember it standing out then, and now it's more or less the same. It does look good for the time (1995), it runs well enough and it plays solidly. The big issue is that there are 30 levels and they are all mostly the same, with generic, randomly-generated designs with the exact same goal in 28 of the 30 maps (grab a key, find the exit). There are no passwords and there is no save system, so you have to run through the whole game in one sitting. Every five levels or so a FMV sequence plays that acts as a checkpoint. If you die at any point, you restart at the previous checkpoint and your weapons are downgraded. It's a bit grueling if you're not used to it, with my first playthrough being about four and a half hours. When you know what you are doing though and you have a good run, it can take 90 minutes like my second run did. The game is hardly remarkable, but I don't think it's bad either. Just average. I actually had a good enough time (to at least not mind the playthrough) on my first run, while on my second playthrough I was hyper-focused in trying to upgrade specific weapons in a particular order (which worked very well), conserving energy, shooting accurately as to not run out of ammo (this is a major problem if it happens), and just playing smart in general.

 

10. Double Dragon III (NES) - I beat this game about 20 years ago but just haven't been able to do it since. The last level and final boss always get the best of me. I was finally able to get it again (just barely) yesterday. The last boss has a ridiculous health pool and has some cheap attacks, but it is possible to play somewhat safe and avoid its attacks (albeit, it's very difficult to do so effectively). The game overall is fun and I've enjoyed it on and off over the years since I was a kid. Great soundtrack as well, quite possibly the best in the series in that regard. I just wish the gameplay itself was more interesting. The majority of levels feature long, flat hallways with enemies that constantly spawn in pairs of two. It gets tedious and tiresome pretty quickly. Had this game featured level variety like Double Dragon II has, it might have ended up as beloved as that game. As it stands, it's a good game that just pales compared to the previous two on the system.

 

11. Double Dragon (NES) - Managed to run through this without much trouble yesterday, after DD3. It's obviously dated compared to DD2 or DD3, but it's still a really fun game that's good for a quick pick-up-and-play. I enjoy the flexibility the level up system provides. Played normally, it forces you to use some of your more basic moves in the beginning. Since it doesn't give you everything at once, you end up using a wider variety attacks over the course of the game and the combat doesn't become stale before the game is over. Of course, because of how the system is implemented, you do have the choice to play riskier in the beginning to level up faster, which is another fun way to tackle the game. I managed to get through the blocks on stage 4 without dying, but I did fail once on the final boss due to sloppy play.

 

12. Ninja Gaiden (NES) - A little rusty at this one, I am ashamed to say! Ran through the game using a few speedrun techniques, while playing safe in the later parts of the game. Got a one life clear as a result but it came down to the wire right before the final boss door, primarily due to losing my spin slash weapon (oops!). Still took out the final bosses without issue--it's not too bad since your health is refilled when entering the boss room. Great game, still one of my favorites on the system.

 

13. Ninja Gaiden 2 (NES) - What a great sequel. It's always great to go back to this every now and then, if anything to see how nice NES games can look and sound (that first stage is a real looker in particular). I'd say it's a tougher game than the original at first, but easier once you get decent at it thanks to its sub-weapons being significantly more useful, and the shadow ninjas that follow you, tripling your firepower and giving you greater attack flexibility. I ripped through this one without much trouble thanks to the more effective firepower.

 

14. Ninja Gaiden 3 (NES) - Rusty at this one like the first game, but still managed to get through it in a couple of lives. This is a good game but is always awkward to go to after playing the first couple of games because of its floaty nature and slower speed. I'd say overall it's more challenging than the other games, especially on that last level where complete memorization is pretty much mandatory for survival.

 

15. Super Mario Bros. (NES) - A viewer requested me to try doing a full playthrough (warpless) and getting a no-death run (one life clear). I managed to get it on my third try, with my first two tries both coincidentally failing on World 5. Overall it's not a bad run to do, but it did get tense near the end because I accidentally shrunk down to small Mario for both castles 6 and 7. 1LC runs aside, Super Mario Bros. is still a fantastic game. It just feels so good to play. It's fast, snappy and the momentum-based physics hold up extremely well today.

Edited January 27, 2020 by Austin