Beaten in 2015
I'll start this based on Rickstilwell1's topic from 2014 as I've beaten my first game this year. Please feel free to make a post that you update throughout the year, or just make a new one each time you beat a game. I'm updating this post as I beat games. Happy 2015!
1/4 - Dead Space 2 (PC) - Really great sequel that had me hooked from start to finish. I liked that they added more character development to Isaac and overall made the story much more involved and interesting than the first. Gameplay and graphically it's nearly identical to DS 1, but more polished. The normal difficulty was perfect for me. I was constantly low on resources during the later few chapters and it matched the tension in the story.
1/9 - Castlevania Order of Ecclesia (DS) - Wrapped the DS metroidvanias and this one was definitely the toughest as it's known to be. Thankfully the later half has some powerful accessories that make it much easier for a wimp like me. This one is linear for most of the game, but I enjoyed the more mission like structure to change it up. The glyph system worked well and was fun to experiment to different combinations. Overall I think I liked Dawn of Sorrow the most, but this one is probably my 2nd favorite.
1/16 - Radiant Historia (DS) - Wow, what a great rpg. So many positive things to say, but it reminded me of Suikoden 2 and Chrono Trigger in that it creates a world you get sucked into and never want to leave with great characters. The story is centered on time travel and is done incredibly smart with everything explained well. Various twists and turns including decisions that can lead to some pretty cool outcomes. The battle system is addictive, strategic, and very rewarding to pull off huge combos. Lots of sidequests which are (mostly) not too obtuse or boring, and I ended up getting 100%. Music was just spectacular. This game takes all the best elements of SNES and PS1 rpgs and brings them together nicely. A must play for sure.
1/21 - Infamous Second Son (PS4) - Had fun with this one and tore through it, even got 100% of the side quests. The controls felt amazing once you get the hang of it and blasting around the city collecting things and doing missions is still fun even if quite repetitive. The graphics are very impressive for a near launch game without any studders or glitches and the attention to detail is great. The story and acting were pretty decent as well. Worth playing, especially for under $20.
1/22 - Infamous First Light (PS4) - Really great addition, it tells the backstory of a side character and it's done very well. Her powers are fast and fun to use and the missions were pretty fun. For a free download it's a no-brainer.
1/23 - Spec Ops the Line (PC) - Got this real cheap and decided to give it a go. I like that it's extremely self-aware and acts as a commentary on the genre, with an actual emphasis on the story. Turns out to have a twist ending, which is pretty cool and includes a few different endings. Has a rockin soundtrack too, makes blowing things up more fun. Worth it for cheap if you like this sort of thing.
1/28 - Sly Cooper 1 (PS3) - I remember wanting to get this game back in the PS2 era, but never did. Finally got to play it and it's a pretty fun game. The levels are quick and fun with some really nice mix of stealth, action, and collectibles. The platforming can be a little wonky at times, especially in the tricky sections near the end, but overall it was solid. It has a comic book/superhero feel to it with some nice artwork to back it up as well. I'd rank it behind Jak 1 and Ratchet 1, but it has its own flavor. I'm looking forward to trying the sequels at some point!
2/1 - Metroid Prime (Wii) - I first played MP 3 way back when it was new, but only got halfway, so it's nice to finally start the series properly. Really impressive game that captures the essence of the 2D games very well. Playing with the motion controls feels really great and definitely adds to the game. The environments were always fun to explore and discover hidden items and artifacts, even with backtracking. The normal difficulty was pretty mild, but I missed 10 missile expansions, which was fine for not using help. It's a pretty mentally draining game though, so the sequel may have to wait.
2/6 - Folklore (PS3) - Really awesome gem on the PS3. It's a fairytale mixed with a murder mystery with amazing art design, music, and atmosphere. The story plays out from the perspective of 2 main characters and has some nice twists. Gameplay wise it's an action-rpg where you absorb different "folk" that do different attacks depending on the type and character using it. Also used the Sixaxis motion control to literally pull the souls out of the monsters, It's pretty cool. Since you play the story from both character's perspective, you also play the same levels. It can get a little tedious, but with all the variety in enemy types it's ok. Tons of extra content I didn't feel like doing, but definitely worth a try for the story.
2/10 - Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (DS) - My eyes were glued to this game from start to finish until I got every ending, saving the true ending for last and boy did it deliver. What an amazing experience from beginning to end. Every moment was more exciting than the last as I learned backstories of each character until it all rolled together. As a visual novel adventure it shines in its story and the music/sound are excellent. The puzzles were fun and well-crafted, certainly nice to break up the long reading sections. I really appreciate how easy it was to go back and get the various endings because of text skipping and quick puzzles. Highly, highly recommend checking this out.
2/17 - Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Wii) - A really great sequel. It added some things I like and others I didn't, but overall it's pretty solid. I liked the new upgrades and some of Aether were awesome. They really used the morph/spider ball in creative ways for puzzles and boss fights, even if annoying at times. I wasn't a big fan of ammo for the other beams. Also there were too many enemies that were just plain annoying in rooms you had to go through many times. They nailed the atmosphere again and the Dark world was a genuinely scary place to have to visit because of the health loss. I prefer the first one to this because it's more straight forward and less tedious, but still a really great sequel.
2/23 - The Order: 1886 (PS4) - I'd hoped this game would be a cornerstone title for the PS4, and it was in some ways, but it was very disappointing. Graphically the game is top notch and is truly meant as a cinematic experience. It does that extremely well, building a rich atmosphere. Acting was great and I felt like I was immersed in the setting. But it's gameplay was standard and aside from a couple cool weapons, it wasn't too compelling. The stealth sections were just painful as navigating the character isn't as smooth or quick as you'd expect. The location is the main draw of this game, but exploration of it is non-existent, just paths to walk towards the next destination, so it feels underutilized. At somewhere around 7 hrs to complete with nothing extra included, it's clear a lot of the budget went soley to graphics and marketing. If this was $40 or $50 retail, it'd be more acceptable. Worth a rental maybe.
2/26 - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (3DS) - First time playing this game and it was quite good. It shines in the atmosphere/music and I love the concept. The dungeons and getting to each of them were pretty fun and were the highlight for me. With the game kinda based around sidequests, it was done as well as it could've been. That said I wasn't compelled to 100% the game, just enough to get all the masks, because some of the quests were downright boring or annoying. Of the 3D Zeldas it's probably behind WW HD and TP for me, but only because this one focused less on dungeons which are my favorite part of Zelda games.
3/11 - Persona 4 Golden (PS Vita) - Finally got myself a Vita to play this game and I'm so glad I finally did. It's my first SMT game, I think it's a great starting point and has definitely got me interested to look into the series more. This game was addiciting nearly from start to finish, and didn't feel like 80 hrs at all. The social sim stuff was my only hesitation going into this, but I ended up liking it a lot. The characters in the game are all distinct and fun to be around both in and out of battle. The story was great too, keeps you guessing til the end. It wasn't mind-blowing, but well-worth putting the effort in to see what happens. Combat and dungeons were a blast, but surprisingly was only 1/3 of the game. Personally I'd rather have a few more dungeons in place of some of the simulation sections which seemed to drag on a bit while waiting for the story to continue. There's much more worth mentioning, it's easy to see why this game/series has a lot of fans. I'm definitely looking forward to Persona 5 on PS4!
3/19 - Ys: Memories of Celceta (PS Vita) - Another stellar Ys game and another big reason why I got a Vita. It picks up where Seven left off gameplay-wise and it's still fun as ever. Having the initial premise to explore an untamed wilderness is a blast and addiciting to keep uncovering more and more areas, meeting new colorful characters along the way. The game starts out a little slow and most of the early areas aren't too inspired artistically, but soon after meeting the first 2 party members it really opens up with some cool environments with Metroid-style powers to unlock new areas. The story isn't as deep as Seven's, but it also didn't drag on as long either and still kept an engaging reason to play, so that's a plus. Overall this is defintely a top Ys game and worth playing for sure.
3/23 - Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (PS1) - I liked this a lot more than I expected and it's easily one of my favorite platformers now. Each level was fun, well-designed, and had a brilliant art-style and music. The boss fights in particular were so damn creative. Its charm and creativity made it feel like it could've been a Nintendo game. It's a pretty short game, but every minute of it was exciting. I'll definitely go through the game again sometime in the future, maybe go for 100%.
4/9 - Ghost Trick (DS) - Finally got around to this one and it was a great puzzle/adventure game. Solid music and art style that perfectly set the atmosphere, great characters with smooth animations that helped add distinct personality, and a few funny moments made this an enjoyable experience to the end. The story was well-done with some nice "ah-ha" moments, though nothing terribly mind-blowing. Gameplay was fun and intuitive with some clever puzzles, though nothing with too much challenge. Aside from a couple spots were it wasn't clear what I could and couldn't interact with, it was a near-perfect game and absoutely worth the 12 hrs. Another staple in the impressive DS library.
5/19 - Mass Effect (PS3) - PSN sale had the trilogy for $4.80, so I couldn't resist or wait for good PC sale. Well, this first game is just not good, which I'd heard was the case, but it was worse than I expected. It has some great ideas and art/character design, but execution was poor in almost every way. Clunkly combat/vehicle controls, graphical issues, unstable framerate, audio issues, boring story/missions, dialogue, and characters. Overall it wasn't very fun so I set it to easy and breezed through the main story, hitting a few sidequests along the way. The game was basically all just set-up and backstory for the real good stuff, which I assume the next 2 games will have. It was worth it I guess to have my own decisions carry over to the sequel, but I can't say there's much reason unless you have the stomach to go through every sidequest to find every detail, which I definitely didn't.
5/27 - Mass Effect 2 (PS3) - This is great sequel that fixed nearly all the issues I had with the first one. Combat and missions were a blast and the levels were well-designed. I really enjoyed that there's focus on getting to know the diverse cast of characters through their personal missions. The game has a lot of personality with some humorous moments thrown in as well. I was dissappointed in the main story though. The way this game is praised as a space epic it hardly gets close as it's just so simple and by the books. Without the strong character scenario missions/interactions it would've been just another stop the bad guys and save the galaxy plot. Aside from a thin main story I can't complain, it was a lot of fun. Really wish the loading times on the ship weren't so terrible too, I'm surprised that couldn't have been fixed for such a small area. The ending baited the 3rd game, so I'll get to that, but I think a need break from the universe to come back fresh. Also pretty underwhelmed by the music, or lack there of in the series so far.
6/6 - Splatoon (Wii U) - More of this game is my future with more content on the way, but I've tackled everything so far. The singleplayer portion, while fairly short is perfect for not only teaching the game and providing lore, but also has some great level design and bosses. Multiplayer is the draw and it's a blast, even with only 2 of 5 modes out right now. With unique core gameplay and personality it's nice to see Nintendo come out with something new and show they still have it.
8/19 - Splatoon Update - After picking up the game again with a ton of new content added, this has easily become my favorite multiplayer game. The new maps, modes, and weapons make this game incredibly replayable and fun. Leveling up, attending Splatfests, and unlocking more gear and weapons, makes coming back the game a ton of fun. I'd love to see more single player levels and more modes, but I've happily put in 50-60+ hrs and will gladly do more.
6/13 - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PC) - One of the biggest wrpgs out there that focuses on story and characters. This game has a lot going for it: graphics, writing, well-crafted main and side missions, and a realistic world. You really feel like you're in Geralt's shoes in a living, breathing fantasy. My personal tastes are luke warm to the medieval setting/realistic art-styles, but I still had fun playing the game. Exploring and completing side quests could be very addicting even if a lot of the areas kinda felt the same. Combat is pretty average, it does have some depth if you choose to take advantage of all the tools, but I didn't find it all the fun so I set my level high enough to make it a breeze and stick to the story. The story was pretty decent and certainly better than most wrpgs, but still doesn't touch my favorite jrpgs. I can always revisit the game to do tons more quests and explore further, so it's definitely a nice game to pick up and play anytime.
6/22 - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS) - This game was a lot of fun! The cases, characters, humor, music, and overall presentation was done really well. The main game (first 4 cases) had many memorable moments and slowly uncovering the details was exciting. Nothing was too obtuse or hard to understand and it made going through the cases fun. The new chapter added for the DS version was really long and had some annoying parts, but was the most complicated and interesting of the cases. A great way to end despite its length. Overall the gameplay was less interactive than my tastes, but was a good read regardless.
6/30 - Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga (PS2) - After giving up on Nocturne, research indicated this little subseries would be more to my liking and it certainly was! Very addicting from start to finish, even with the optional bosses/grinding I did to gain as many skills and possible. The battle system is amazing, so rewarding while also being punishing if you fall in the wrong situation. It's more forgiving because of the many save points which makes it much less frustrating. Dungeons are fairly basic with a few fun puzzles and gimmicks. The story is pretty light, no overly long scenes, and it's very efficient at getting the point across. Character's personalities are instantly identified without needing backstories or long narration, just a few sentances here and there which works great. Atmosphere is the main draw in a desolate environment with great architecture and cool character designs. It sets up the sequel at the end and is meant as a part 1 instead of its own complete game. I'm very curious to see what happens!
7/12 - Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2 (PS2) - Picked right up where the first game left off and answered many lingering questions. Starts a little slower than the first game, but quickly ramps up soon after. Gameplay is about the same, more additions to dungeons and more cutscenes. I like the changes to the mantra grid, it was even more addicting to learn skills. Still had lots of grinding because money is always in short supply. I think I probably like the first game more overall, but it is basically one game split up. I never get tired of the press-turn battle system, but I was starting to wear out by the end, so I'm glad it didn't drag on and had a satisfying conclusion. More SMT games still in my future, but a break is in order!
7/24 - Shin Megami Tensei IV (3DS) - Couldn't resist cracking open this one and contine playing this series. Really liked the game overall, has impressive graphics, demon fusion is addicting, combat is great as ever. The characters and story were ok, they didn't have the same feel as the other games and were quite as compelling. It's still decent going from area to area and became fun after a slow start. A large amount of quests, mini-bosses, and exploration gave plenty of content and the game has a whole is incredibly polished. I'm definitely a big fan of the series at this point!
7/28 - Shadow Warrior (PC) - Got this on a sale because it looked cool and it certainly was! Hacking up demons never gets old using either the sword or array of weapons and is very satisfying. The art direction and graphics were fantastic, going from place to place is a treat. The main characters are lots of fun and the story is pretty engaging with a rather touching ending. There's tons of secrets and items to find, which makes exploration of the environments really worth. Each level gives a score and it's great to see what you missed or how efficient you were, making it very replayable. Very worth the few dollars I paid and I'm sure another playthrough on new game+ is in my future.
8/19 - The Legend of Dragoon (PS1) - Finally got to this game after being near the top of my backlog for a couple years. This game is really easy to review if you look at each tangible aspect, but it's really hard to put my finger on whether I really liked it or not. Pros: HUGE variety of areas/backgrounds, animations/battle moves, and assets. The team definitely put a lot of work into this game, crafting tons of details that were seen all the way to the end of the game, even in minor spots you might be for 10 minutes. The battle system is fun and feels great to pull off long additions, but very slow because of load times, long animations, and experience given is largely irrelevant. The Dragoon transformations are very useful in boss battles and never necessary anywhere else, but using them to deal heavy damage is very satisfying. Cons?: It's overall pretty easy for a ps1 rpg, I didn't die once and the hardest secret boss in the game was a pushover. The music in the game is pretty average, aside from a few really great tracks, it's mostly just there. The first half of the game is quite slow and takes a long time to get interesting, but when it does it really becomes fun. The story picks up a lot on disc 3 and 4 and that helped me finish an otherwise average plot and characters (who do get some development in key moments). The cutscenes were plentiful after disc 1 and had some cool stuff going on, despite horrible voice acting in places. Overall I expected this game to be on Legend of Legaia/FFVII's level and unfortunately it fell a little short, but was more fulfulling to play than FF IX for sure. I did finish it and enjoyed it for what it was, but there's more enjoyable rpgs on the PS1. I think with a few small tweaks and it could've been more impressive, but I'm happy to have seen it to the end which was the highlight of the game.
8/22 - Guacamelee STCE (PS4) - Heard great things about this one going in and it didn't disappoint. I was glued to my tv from start to finish, nearly completing the game (98%) in a couple days. It's Metroid meets Super Smash Bros and full of amazing detail and a colorful setting. It has some great nods/easter eggs, and though it borrows it's core formula, it still feels incredibly fresh and fun. Tight, responsive controls and a pretty deep combo system make it a joy to mow down enemies as well as navigate tricky platforming sections. There's not a ton of enemy variety, but their all distinct and mostly require a plan of attack instead of just mindless button-mashing. Exploration and pulling off insane special moves to navigate the levels were my favorite parts of the game. It's definitely just as fun as any 2D Metroid or Castlevania, and with its own unique flavor, it's certainly a must-play for fans of the genre.
9/6 - Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Wii U) - This series hasn't been big for me in the past, briefly playing 1 and 2 on SNES and demoed this one, but they never really clicked. It always felt wrong to play a non Mario 2D platformer, but after Guacamelee and Klonoa earlier I seemed to finally warm up to the idea and decided to give this game a good shot. I'm super glad I did because from start to finish I was very impressed by the music, graphics, attention to detail, and overall polish of the game. Once I got used to the controls, they felt great and exploring every level for secrets was a blast . The levels and bosses were challenging, but nothing too bad and each one brought cool ideas and visuals so it felt fresh every time. There were some levels that had cheap deaths with stuff you could never react to the first time, but luckily no crazy memorization was required. I got almost every KONG, but don't feel the need to 100% the game since I'd need a walkthrough, but I can see myself coming back and replaying the more memorable levels. I think this gave me the confidence to go back and try the SNES ones at some point as well.
9/8 - Metal Gear Solid (PS1) - I had kind of decided to put this series off until next year, but I crunched the numbers and figured I could be them all before the major games this fall. Skipping the first 2 MSX games, I'm playing them in all in release order. Now this one I didn't actually beat, only the first boss and decided to watch the rest on Youtube. I had no issue with the controls or anything, the game was great, but it wasn't running properly/stabily on the emulator and once I learned how little gameplay there actually is compared to cutscenes I didn't think I'd miss much. I really love the presentation and voice acting, it's so well done for a PS1 game and would be acceptable by current standards. The gameplay actually has a lot going on and it's very intuitive with some boss that looked like fun. As a starting point for the rest of the series for me, I'm excited to continue with it.
9/14 - Mass Effect 3 (PS3) - I tore through this game in 36+ hrs over a few days. I'm not sure if saving this final entry for a few months later helped, but I had fun with it. It's largely the same as ME 2, but instead of being character-driven, it was more story focused on wrapping up everything from the past 2 games and trying some plot for once. I think it succeeded and was a fair way to end the trilogy, I didn't expect any major revelations from this series anyway. The games performance wasn't too great, slightly worse than ME2. Mission/level design was kind of boring in comparision to 2, but sidequests and planet-scanning was way more convenient here. ME2 had lots more important decisions to make, but because that had to tailor your ME3 experience it makes sense, but I do wish the ending had many outcomes like ME2 had. I did like the game almost as much as 2 because it DOES have a war plot to follow since characters are well-established they didn't need to spend time on that. Overall this series is well-done from a design standpoint, so much lore and detail put into it with fun characters you care about, but it lacks what I really wanted: a complex story and a wide variety of exotic locations. I'm hopeful for the next game, because I think a lot can be improved while retaining what makes it great.
9/17 - Metal Gear Solid 2 HD (PS3) - I don't really have much to say on this one. It's a really beautiful game for early PS2 era, the gameplay is still really...solid with lots of ways to play how you want. I'd heard going in that the story is nonsensical, but I didn't find that at all. I paid attention the whole time and it made sense and had a pretty interesting message. It wasn't too much crazier than MGS 1, so I enjoyed it and the wacky premises. Can't wait to keep this series going.
9/19 - Metal Gear Solid 3 HD (PS3) - I was pretty excited to play this one and it didn't disappoint, mostly! I liked more varied environments compared to the first 2 games and more freedom to approach the areas. The graphics and presentation were outstanding again. Many of the boss fights were quite good with a couple being very frustrating until I learned the very specific strategies to make them doable. Overall I liked it the most of the 3 so far, the origin story was really well-told and very addicting to follow. Controls and overall gameplay can be improved a lot, shooting is still quite awkward, so I'm hoping the later games went with a modern control scheme.
9/23 - Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) - While there's more games to play, this one really felt like a satisfying ending and good send off for the series. Another top-notch game in terms of graphics and presentation. It dragged on quite a bit in a few places, but overall I enjoyed it very much. It has the best gameplay so far, but again I wish there was more of it compared to cutscenes. Complete with fun and goofy characters/situations as well as heavy moments, it was certainly an exciting romp. This series has been fascinating to play as some of the most unique games I've ever played. I wouldn't call them favorites of mine, they belong in their own odd class for me, but fun nonetheless!
10/7 - Etrian Odyssey IV (3DS) - My first entry in the series and the genre, I didn't exactly how I'd like it, but I'm happy to say I really liked this game. The core gameplay of progressing through mazes and caves while mapping everything you see, fighting monsters, and collecting materials is fantastic. The customization of characters with their various classes and skills has lots of depth as well, leading to a variety of potential play-styles. Combat is more or less standard, but the variety of skills and combinations of classes/subclasses make it very rewarding to tackling normal and boss encounters alike. The additions of many quests and free DLC quests also made exploraing the overworld and maps more rewarding and took the place of standard grinding. The difficulty was very fair and any balanced combination of classes seem viable. I ended up getting unstoppable because of the skills and strategies I used, and while it did become easy at the end, it was still lots of fun. The story is quite minimal, but does its job and gives more dialogue, characters, and plot as you complete each major area. Overall it was very satisfying to complete and just as with the SMT games, I feel like I can tackle almost any rpg at this point. There's an extremely tough post-game dungeon that I'm passing on for now, because that will surely involve lots of grinding, but when I'm in the mood for a big challenge, I'll be back! Highly recommend this game to anyone really, though at 55+hrs some may feel like it's too long.
10/17 - The Legend of Legacy (3DS) - It's rare that I start an rpg without doing much research, so I went into the demo without expectations and found myself addicted to the gameplay. Once I got the full game and everything opened up, I really started to appreciate the style of game this is. The different way of learning skills and leveling up seems odd and frustrating at first, but learning the rather deep mechanics led to a very rewarding system. Exploring each of the areas in the game is fun and challenging as there's always a difficulty spike around the corner. New strategies need to be used against the variety of enemies, or else it becomes much tougher. The secret and lore you discover makes exploration worth it and even then it's still easy to miss things. This game didn't rely on a normal narrative, which I was ok with, though I would've liked a little more. Overall I really liked it, but it's not a game for everyone. I expect I'll give New Game+ a go at some point, but beating the game 7 times to unlock a final story bit is excessive and I may never do that.
10/22 - Dragon Quest Heroes (PS4) - Love the DQ series, so I had to pick this up despite not really enjoy Hyrule Warriors all that much. I'm glad I did because I had lots of fun with it! They nailed what I mainly wanted which was a beautiful world wrapped up in all things DQ and it looked and sounded amazing. I especially was impressed with the extremely solid framerate, which no matter how many enemies were piled around me and how many spells and moves I threw out, it never lagged once! Pretty incredible considering the game looked nice. It had more rpg elements and a simplier approach to combat. While not particularly deep, there's still plenty of strategy to be had and being efficient with your moves and changing around party members and accessories was key. The maps and objectives were straightforward and didn't change it up much, but I had so fun I really didn't mind. Having quests, collectibles, and enough interesting characters made the rather repetitive gameplay addiciting and I never really got tired of it. I would've liked to see a traverable world map and even more elements to bring it closer to a straight up DQ game with action combat, but overall I was pleased. With tons to do in post game, there's definitely a reason to come back with NG+ and mow down more enemies, but I'll save that for the future.
10/28 - Yoshi's Woolly World (Wii U) - This is my first real dive into this Mario sub-series. I had Yoshi's Story as a kid, but don't remember much of it and haven't played it since, so this game was pretty new to me. Obviously the visuals and overall presentation is stellar and one of the main draws to this game. Besides that, the gameplay is exceptional as well. It's incredibly responsive and tight with lots of way you can be creative with egg shots. The levels are a joy to play, from finding secrets and collecting everything to the varied platforming. The difficulty is fairly easy-moderate, but some stages can be very tough even before considering collecting everything. I didn't go for 100% yet, but the challenge is definitely there for those that want it. Overall this is a fantastic game and makes me want to try the original Yoshi's Island and see where this series all began.
11/5 - Tales of Vesperia (Xbox 360) - Wanted to give this series another shot after not getting into Symphonia and I'm glad I did. To me this game was a major improvement over Symphonia. The standout features were the art direction/great variety of beautiful areas and the great cast of characters. I didn't love the combat, it took a LONG time to be able to do big combos even then I played the game with easy battles to pick up the pace. The story was a little better than I expected, but not amazing. My main motivation to keep playing was discovering the fantastic locations and getting to hear the characters interact with each other. Overall I liked it, there's tons of extra stuff I didn't do and probably won't do, but it was a decently fun ride. I at least want to try more games in the series now that this is under my belt.
11/15 - Rogue Galaxy (PS2) - This has been high on my list to play for a while now and it's great to finally get to it. The game has lots of flaws and in general was a disappointment, but I still very much appreciate it for the amibition, art design, music, weapon/skill system, and potential to be great with its premise. The battle system is real time action, which is great but some big flaws are no hot keys to items, weapons, or skills, making it necessary to be in the menus most of time and this really ruins the real-time action. Battles come down to spamming skills to get them over with quickly, and often just running from enemies that have shields, barriers, weakspots. My 2nd issue is the very barebones story and character development, especially with the main character. The premise had lots of interesting things going on, but so many loose ends and unexplored ideas made it feel hollow, especially with the villian(s). Dungeons are mostly huge hallways without much to do beside run and pick up chests, it's more a dungeon crawler. There's other little nitpicks, but all in all it just fell short of what it could be. Xenoblade does this style of game much better and felt like the closest comparision for me, hence my interest in RG. I'm glad to have played it and despite its flaws, I didn't hate it. It seemed to be held back mostly by the time/console it was made, so can't fault it too much.
11/21 - Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii) - I meant to play this closer to the first 2 earlier this year for better comparison, but better late than never. I had a lot of fun with this entry and it was a great way to wrap up the trilogy. Overall I'd say this was easiest of the 3 and most basic in terms of puzzles and level design, though outdoing 1 and 2 would've been extremely tough anyway. The main positives for me were some fast paced sections/boss fights, world design/atmosphere, and the new hypermode mechanic. Other than that it was a fairly phoned in entry and aside from a few exciting moments, didn't have much to add other than motion controls. That was huge in 2007, but not for me since I played all 3 with it. Still, a great game and a great trilogy!
Played for first time, but didn't beat: Drakengard 3, Tales of Symphonia, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, Code Name: STEAM, Bloodborne, Fallout 3
1/4 - Dead Space 2 (PC) - Really great sequel that had me hooked from start to finish. I liked that they added more character development to Isaac and overall made the story much more involved and interesting than the first. Gameplay and graphically it's nearly identical to DS 1, but more polished. The normal difficulty was perfect for me. I was constantly low on resources during the later few chapters and it matched the tension in the story.
1/9 - Castlevania Order of Ecclesia (DS) - Wrapped the DS metroidvanias and this one was definitely the toughest as it's known to be. Thankfully the later half has some powerful accessories that make it much easier for a wimp like me. This one is linear for most of the game, but I enjoyed the more mission like structure to change it up. The glyph system worked well and was fun to experiment to different combinations. Overall I think I liked Dawn of Sorrow the most, but this one is probably my 2nd favorite.
1/16 - Radiant Historia (DS) - Wow, what a great rpg. So many positive things to say, but it reminded me of Suikoden 2 and Chrono Trigger in that it creates a world you get sucked into and never want to leave with great characters. The story is centered on time travel and is done incredibly smart with everything explained well. Various twists and turns including decisions that can lead to some pretty cool outcomes. The battle system is addictive, strategic, and very rewarding to pull off huge combos. Lots of sidequests which are (mostly) not too obtuse or boring, and I ended up getting 100%. Music was just spectacular. This game takes all the best elements of SNES and PS1 rpgs and brings them together nicely. A must play for sure.
1/21 - Infamous Second Son (PS4) - Had fun with this one and tore through it, even got 100% of the side quests. The controls felt amazing once you get the hang of it and blasting around the city collecting things and doing missions is still fun even if quite repetitive. The graphics are very impressive for a near launch game without any studders or glitches and the attention to detail is great. The story and acting were pretty decent as well. Worth playing, especially for under $20.
1/22 - Infamous First Light (PS4) - Really great addition, it tells the backstory of a side character and it's done very well. Her powers are fast and fun to use and the missions were pretty fun. For a free download it's a no-brainer.
1/23 - Spec Ops the Line (PC) - Got this real cheap and decided to give it a go. I like that it's extremely self-aware and acts as a commentary on the genre, with an actual emphasis on the story. Turns out to have a twist ending, which is pretty cool and includes a few different endings. Has a rockin soundtrack too, makes blowing things up more fun. Worth it for cheap if you like this sort of thing.
1/28 - Sly Cooper 1 (PS3) - I remember wanting to get this game back in the PS2 era, but never did. Finally got to play it and it's a pretty fun game. The levels are quick and fun with some really nice mix of stealth, action, and collectibles. The platforming can be a little wonky at times, especially in the tricky sections near the end, but overall it was solid. It has a comic book/superhero feel to it with some nice artwork to back it up as well. I'd rank it behind Jak 1 and Ratchet 1, but it has its own flavor. I'm looking forward to trying the sequels at some point!
2/1 - Metroid Prime (Wii) - I first played MP 3 way back when it was new, but only got halfway, so it's nice to finally start the series properly. Really impressive game that captures the essence of the 2D games very well. Playing with the motion controls feels really great and definitely adds to the game. The environments were always fun to explore and discover hidden items and artifacts, even with backtracking. The normal difficulty was pretty mild, but I missed 10 missile expansions, which was fine for not using help. It's a pretty mentally draining game though, so the sequel may have to wait.
2/6 - Folklore (PS3) - Really awesome gem on the PS3. It's a fairytale mixed with a murder mystery with amazing art design, music, and atmosphere. The story plays out from the perspective of 2 main characters and has some nice twists. Gameplay wise it's an action-rpg where you absorb different "folk" that do different attacks depending on the type and character using it. Also used the Sixaxis motion control to literally pull the souls out of the monsters, It's pretty cool. Since you play the story from both character's perspective, you also play the same levels. It can get a little tedious, but with all the variety in enemy types it's ok. Tons of extra content I didn't feel like doing, but definitely worth a try for the story.
2/10 - Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (DS) - My eyes were glued to this game from start to finish until I got every ending, saving the true ending for last and boy did it deliver. What an amazing experience from beginning to end. Every moment was more exciting than the last as I learned backstories of each character until it all rolled together. As a visual novel adventure it shines in its story and the music/sound are excellent. The puzzles were fun and well-crafted, certainly nice to break up the long reading sections. I really appreciate how easy it was to go back and get the various endings because of text skipping and quick puzzles. Highly, highly recommend checking this out.
2/17 - Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Wii) - A really great sequel. It added some things I like and others I didn't, but overall it's pretty solid. I liked the new upgrades and some of Aether were awesome. They really used the morph/spider ball in creative ways for puzzles and boss fights, even if annoying at times. I wasn't a big fan of ammo for the other beams. Also there were too many enemies that were just plain annoying in rooms you had to go through many times. They nailed the atmosphere again and the Dark world was a genuinely scary place to have to visit because of the health loss. I prefer the first one to this because it's more straight forward and less tedious, but still a really great sequel.
2/23 - The Order: 1886 (PS4) - I'd hoped this game would be a cornerstone title for the PS4, and it was in some ways, but it was very disappointing. Graphically the game is top notch and is truly meant as a cinematic experience. It does that extremely well, building a rich atmosphere. Acting was great and I felt like I was immersed in the setting. But it's gameplay was standard and aside from a couple cool weapons, it wasn't too compelling. The stealth sections were just painful as navigating the character isn't as smooth or quick as you'd expect. The location is the main draw of this game, but exploration of it is non-existent, just paths to walk towards the next destination, so it feels underutilized. At somewhere around 7 hrs to complete with nothing extra included, it's clear a lot of the budget went soley to graphics and marketing. If this was $40 or $50 retail, it'd be more acceptable. Worth a rental maybe.
2/26 - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (3DS) - First time playing this game and it was quite good. It shines in the atmosphere/music and I love the concept. The dungeons and getting to each of them were pretty fun and were the highlight for me. With the game kinda based around sidequests, it was done as well as it could've been. That said I wasn't compelled to 100% the game, just enough to get all the masks, because some of the quests were downright boring or annoying. Of the 3D Zeldas it's probably behind WW HD and TP for me, but only because this one focused less on dungeons which are my favorite part of Zelda games.
3/11 - Persona 4 Golden (PS Vita) - Finally got myself a Vita to play this game and I'm so glad I finally did. It's my first SMT game, I think it's a great starting point and has definitely got me interested to look into the series more. This game was addiciting nearly from start to finish, and didn't feel like 80 hrs at all. The social sim stuff was my only hesitation going into this, but I ended up liking it a lot. The characters in the game are all distinct and fun to be around both in and out of battle. The story was great too, keeps you guessing til the end. It wasn't mind-blowing, but well-worth putting the effort in to see what happens. Combat and dungeons were a blast, but surprisingly was only 1/3 of the game. Personally I'd rather have a few more dungeons in place of some of the simulation sections which seemed to drag on a bit while waiting for the story to continue. There's much more worth mentioning, it's easy to see why this game/series has a lot of fans. I'm definitely looking forward to Persona 5 on PS4!
3/19 - Ys: Memories of Celceta (PS Vita) - Another stellar Ys game and another big reason why I got a Vita. It picks up where Seven left off gameplay-wise and it's still fun as ever. Having the initial premise to explore an untamed wilderness is a blast and addiciting to keep uncovering more and more areas, meeting new colorful characters along the way. The game starts out a little slow and most of the early areas aren't too inspired artistically, but soon after meeting the first 2 party members it really opens up with some cool environments with Metroid-style powers to unlock new areas. The story isn't as deep as Seven's, but it also didn't drag on as long either and still kept an engaging reason to play, so that's a plus. Overall this is defintely a top Ys game and worth playing for sure.
3/23 - Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (PS1) - I liked this a lot more than I expected and it's easily one of my favorite platformers now. Each level was fun, well-designed, and had a brilliant art-style and music. The boss fights in particular were so damn creative. Its charm and creativity made it feel like it could've been a Nintendo game. It's a pretty short game, but every minute of it was exciting. I'll definitely go through the game again sometime in the future, maybe go for 100%.
4/9 - Ghost Trick (DS) - Finally got around to this one and it was a great puzzle/adventure game. Solid music and art style that perfectly set the atmosphere, great characters with smooth animations that helped add distinct personality, and a few funny moments made this an enjoyable experience to the end. The story was well-done with some nice "ah-ha" moments, though nothing terribly mind-blowing. Gameplay was fun and intuitive with some clever puzzles, though nothing with too much challenge. Aside from a couple spots were it wasn't clear what I could and couldn't interact with, it was a near-perfect game and absoutely worth the 12 hrs. Another staple in the impressive DS library.
5/19 - Mass Effect (PS3) - PSN sale had the trilogy for $4.80, so I couldn't resist or wait for good PC sale. Well, this first game is just not good, which I'd heard was the case, but it was worse than I expected. It has some great ideas and art/character design, but execution was poor in almost every way. Clunkly combat/vehicle controls, graphical issues, unstable framerate, audio issues, boring story/missions, dialogue, and characters. Overall it wasn't very fun so I set it to easy and breezed through the main story, hitting a few sidequests along the way. The game was basically all just set-up and backstory for the real good stuff, which I assume the next 2 games will have. It was worth it I guess to have my own decisions carry over to the sequel, but I can't say there's much reason unless you have the stomach to go through every sidequest to find every detail, which I definitely didn't.
5/27 - Mass Effect 2 (PS3) - This is great sequel that fixed nearly all the issues I had with the first one. Combat and missions were a blast and the levels were well-designed. I really enjoyed that there's focus on getting to know the diverse cast of characters through their personal missions. The game has a lot of personality with some humorous moments thrown in as well. I was dissappointed in the main story though. The way this game is praised as a space epic it hardly gets close as it's just so simple and by the books. Without the strong character scenario missions/interactions it would've been just another stop the bad guys and save the galaxy plot. Aside from a thin main story I can't complain, it was a lot of fun. Really wish the loading times on the ship weren't so terrible too, I'm surprised that couldn't have been fixed for such a small area. The ending baited the 3rd game, so I'll get to that, but I think a need break from the universe to come back fresh. Also pretty underwhelmed by the music, or lack there of in the series so far.
6/6 - Splatoon (Wii U) - More of this game is my future with more content on the way, but I've tackled everything so far. The singleplayer portion, while fairly short is perfect for not only teaching the game and providing lore, but also has some great level design and bosses. Multiplayer is the draw and it's a blast, even with only 2 of 5 modes out right now. With unique core gameplay and personality it's nice to see Nintendo come out with something new and show they still have it.
8/19 - Splatoon Update - After picking up the game again with a ton of new content added, this has easily become my favorite multiplayer game. The new maps, modes, and weapons make this game incredibly replayable and fun. Leveling up, attending Splatfests, and unlocking more gear and weapons, makes coming back the game a ton of fun. I'd love to see more single player levels and more modes, but I've happily put in 50-60+ hrs and will gladly do more.
6/13 - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PC) - One of the biggest wrpgs out there that focuses on story and characters. This game has a lot going for it: graphics, writing, well-crafted main and side missions, and a realistic world. You really feel like you're in Geralt's shoes in a living, breathing fantasy. My personal tastes are luke warm to the medieval setting/realistic art-styles, but I still had fun playing the game. Exploring and completing side quests could be very addicting even if a lot of the areas kinda felt the same. Combat is pretty average, it does have some depth if you choose to take advantage of all the tools, but I didn't find it all the fun so I set my level high enough to make it a breeze and stick to the story. The story was pretty decent and certainly better than most wrpgs, but still doesn't touch my favorite jrpgs. I can always revisit the game to do tons more quests and explore further, so it's definitely a nice game to pick up and play anytime.
6/22 - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS) - This game was a lot of fun! The cases, characters, humor, music, and overall presentation was done really well. The main game (first 4 cases) had many memorable moments and slowly uncovering the details was exciting. Nothing was too obtuse or hard to understand and it made going through the cases fun. The new chapter added for the DS version was really long and had some annoying parts, but was the most complicated and interesting of the cases. A great way to end despite its length. Overall the gameplay was less interactive than my tastes, but was a good read regardless.
6/30 - Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga (PS2) - After giving up on Nocturne, research indicated this little subseries would be more to my liking and it certainly was! Very addicting from start to finish, even with the optional bosses/grinding I did to gain as many skills and possible. The battle system is amazing, so rewarding while also being punishing if you fall in the wrong situation. It's more forgiving because of the many save points which makes it much less frustrating. Dungeons are fairly basic with a few fun puzzles and gimmicks. The story is pretty light, no overly long scenes, and it's very efficient at getting the point across. Character's personalities are instantly identified without needing backstories or long narration, just a few sentances here and there which works great. Atmosphere is the main draw in a desolate environment with great architecture and cool character designs. It sets up the sequel at the end and is meant as a part 1 instead of its own complete game. I'm very curious to see what happens!
7/12 - Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2 (PS2) - Picked right up where the first game left off and answered many lingering questions. Starts a little slower than the first game, but quickly ramps up soon after. Gameplay is about the same, more additions to dungeons and more cutscenes. I like the changes to the mantra grid, it was even more addicting to learn skills. Still had lots of grinding because money is always in short supply. I think I probably like the first game more overall, but it is basically one game split up. I never get tired of the press-turn battle system, but I was starting to wear out by the end, so I'm glad it didn't drag on and had a satisfying conclusion. More SMT games still in my future, but a break is in order!
7/24 - Shin Megami Tensei IV (3DS) - Couldn't resist cracking open this one and contine playing this series. Really liked the game overall, has impressive graphics, demon fusion is addicting, combat is great as ever. The characters and story were ok, they didn't have the same feel as the other games and were quite as compelling. It's still decent going from area to area and became fun after a slow start. A large amount of quests, mini-bosses, and exploration gave plenty of content and the game has a whole is incredibly polished. I'm definitely a big fan of the series at this point!
7/28 - Shadow Warrior (PC) - Got this on a sale because it looked cool and it certainly was! Hacking up demons never gets old using either the sword or array of weapons and is very satisfying. The art direction and graphics were fantastic, going from place to place is a treat. The main characters are lots of fun and the story is pretty engaging with a rather touching ending. There's tons of secrets and items to find, which makes exploration of the environments really worth. Each level gives a score and it's great to see what you missed or how efficient you were, making it very replayable. Very worth the few dollars I paid and I'm sure another playthrough on new game+ is in my future.
8/19 - The Legend of Dragoon (PS1) - Finally got to this game after being near the top of my backlog for a couple years. This game is really easy to review if you look at each tangible aspect, but it's really hard to put my finger on whether I really liked it or not. Pros: HUGE variety of areas/backgrounds, animations/battle moves, and assets. The team definitely put a lot of work into this game, crafting tons of details that were seen all the way to the end of the game, even in minor spots you might be for 10 minutes. The battle system is fun and feels great to pull off long additions, but very slow because of load times, long animations, and experience given is largely irrelevant. The Dragoon transformations are very useful in boss battles and never necessary anywhere else, but using them to deal heavy damage is very satisfying. Cons?: It's overall pretty easy for a ps1 rpg, I didn't die once and the hardest secret boss in the game was a pushover. The music in the game is pretty average, aside from a few really great tracks, it's mostly just there. The first half of the game is quite slow and takes a long time to get interesting, but when it does it really becomes fun. The story picks up a lot on disc 3 and 4 and that helped me finish an otherwise average plot and characters (who do get some development in key moments). The cutscenes were plentiful after disc 1 and had some cool stuff going on, despite horrible voice acting in places. Overall I expected this game to be on Legend of Legaia/FFVII's level and unfortunately it fell a little short, but was more fulfulling to play than FF IX for sure. I did finish it and enjoyed it for what it was, but there's more enjoyable rpgs on the PS1. I think with a few small tweaks and it could've been more impressive, but I'm happy to have seen it to the end which was the highlight of the game.
8/22 - Guacamelee STCE (PS4) - Heard great things about this one going in and it didn't disappoint. I was glued to my tv from start to finish, nearly completing the game (98%) in a couple days. It's Metroid meets Super Smash Bros and full of amazing detail and a colorful setting. It has some great nods/easter eggs, and though it borrows it's core formula, it still feels incredibly fresh and fun. Tight, responsive controls and a pretty deep combo system make it a joy to mow down enemies as well as navigate tricky platforming sections. There's not a ton of enemy variety, but their all distinct and mostly require a plan of attack instead of just mindless button-mashing. Exploration and pulling off insane special moves to navigate the levels were my favorite parts of the game. It's definitely just as fun as any 2D Metroid or Castlevania, and with its own unique flavor, it's certainly a must-play for fans of the genre.
9/6 - Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Wii U) - This series hasn't been big for me in the past, briefly playing 1 and 2 on SNES and demoed this one, but they never really clicked. It always felt wrong to play a non Mario 2D platformer, but after Guacamelee and Klonoa earlier I seemed to finally warm up to the idea and decided to give this game a good shot. I'm super glad I did because from start to finish I was very impressed by the music, graphics, attention to detail, and overall polish of the game. Once I got used to the controls, they felt great and exploring every level for secrets was a blast . The levels and bosses were challenging, but nothing too bad and each one brought cool ideas and visuals so it felt fresh every time. There were some levels that had cheap deaths with stuff you could never react to the first time, but luckily no crazy memorization was required. I got almost every KONG, but don't feel the need to 100% the game since I'd need a walkthrough, but I can see myself coming back and replaying the more memorable levels. I think this gave me the confidence to go back and try the SNES ones at some point as well.
9/8 - Metal Gear Solid (PS1) - I had kind of decided to put this series off until next year, but I crunched the numbers and figured I could be them all before the major games this fall. Skipping the first 2 MSX games, I'm playing them in all in release order. Now this one I didn't actually beat, only the first boss and decided to watch the rest on Youtube. I had no issue with the controls or anything, the game was great, but it wasn't running properly/stabily on the emulator and once I learned how little gameplay there actually is compared to cutscenes I didn't think I'd miss much. I really love the presentation and voice acting, it's so well done for a PS1 game and would be acceptable by current standards. The gameplay actually has a lot going on and it's very intuitive with some boss that looked like fun. As a starting point for the rest of the series for me, I'm excited to continue with it.
9/14 - Mass Effect 3 (PS3) - I tore through this game in 36+ hrs over a few days. I'm not sure if saving this final entry for a few months later helped, but I had fun with it. It's largely the same as ME 2, but instead of being character-driven, it was more story focused on wrapping up everything from the past 2 games and trying some plot for once. I think it succeeded and was a fair way to end the trilogy, I didn't expect any major revelations from this series anyway. The games performance wasn't too great, slightly worse than ME2. Mission/level design was kind of boring in comparision to 2, but sidequests and planet-scanning was way more convenient here. ME2 had lots more important decisions to make, but because that had to tailor your ME3 experience it makes sense, but I do wish the ending had many outcomes like ME2 had. I did like the game almost as much as 2 because it DOES have a war plot to follow since characters are well-established they didn't need to spend time on that. Overall this series is well-done from a design standpoint, so much lore and detail put into it with fun characters you care about, but it lacks what I really wanted: a complex story and a wide variety of exotic locations. I'm hopeful for the next game, because I think a lot can be improved while retaining what makes it great.
9/17 - Metal Gear Solid 2 HD (PS3) - I don't really have much to say on this one. It's a really beautiful game for early PS2 era, the gameplay is still really...solid with lots of ways to play how you want. I'd heard going in that the story is nonsensical, but I didn't find that at all. I paid attention the whole time and it made sense and had a pretty interesting message. It wasn't too much crazier than MGS 1, so I enjoyed it and the wacky premises. Can't wait to keep this series going.
9/19 - Metal Gear Solid 3 HD (PS3) - I was pretty excited to play this one and it didn't disappoint, mostly! I liked more varied environments compared to the first 2 games and more freedom to approach the areas. The graphics and presentation were outstanding again. Many of the boss fights were quite good with a couple being very frustrating until I learned the very specific strategies to make them doable. Overall I liked it the most of the 3 so far, the origin story was really well-told and very addicting to follow. Controls and overall gameplay can be improved a lot, shooting is still quite awkward, so I'm hoping the later games went with a modern control scheme.
9/23 - Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) - While there's more games to play, this one really felt like a satisfying ending and good send off for the series. Another top-notch game in terms of graphics and presentation. It dragged on quite a bit in a few places, but overall I enjoyed it very much. It has the best gameplay so far, but again I wish there was more of it compared to cutscenes. Complete with fun and goofy characters/situations as well as heavy moments, it was certainly an exciting romp. This series has been fascinating to play as some of the most unique games I've ever played. I wouldn't call them favorites of mine, they belong in their own odd class for me, but fun nonetheless!
10/7 - Etrian Odyssey IV (3DS) - My first entry in the series and the genre, I didn't exactly how I'd like it, but I'm happy to say I really liked this game. The core gameplay of progressing through mazes and caves while mapping everything you see, fighting monsters, and collecting materials is fantastic. The customization of characters with their various classes and skills has lots of depth as well, leading to a variety of potential play-styles. Combat is more or less standard, but the variety of skills and combinations of classes/subclasses make it very rewarding to tackling normal and boss encounters alike. The additions of many quests and free DLC quests also made exploraing the overworld and maps more rewarding and took the place of standard grinding. The difficulty was very fair and any balanced combination of classes seem viable. I ended up getting unstoppable because of the skills and strategies I used, and while it did become easy at the end, it was still lots of fun. The story is quite minimal, but does its job and gives more dialogue, characters, and plot as you complete each major area. Overall it was very satisfying to complete and just as with the SMT games, I feel like I can tackle almost any rpg at this point. There's an extremely tough post-game dungeon that I'm passing on for now, because that will surely involve lots of grinding, but when I'm in the mood for a big challenge, I'll be back! Highly recommend this game to anyone really, though at 55+hrs some may feel like it's too long.
10/17 - The Legend of Legacy (3DS) - It's rare that I start an rpg without doing much research, so I went into the demo without expectations and found myself addicted to the gameplay. Once I got the full game and everything opened up, I really started to appreciate the style of game this is. The different way of learning skills and leveling up seems odd and frustrating at first, but learning the rather deep mechanics led to a very rewarding system. Exploring each of the areas in the game is fun and challenging as there's always a difficulty spike around the corner. New strategies need to be used against the variety of enemies, or else it becomes much tougher. The secret and lore you discover makes exploration worth it and even then it's still easy to miss things. This game didn't rely on a normal narrative, which I was ok with, though I would've liked a little more. Overall I really liked it, but it's not a game for everyone. I expect I'll give New Game+ a go at some point, but beating the game 7 times to unlock a final story bit is excessive and I may never do that.
10/22 - Dragon Quest Heroes (PS4) - Love the DQ series, so I had to pick this up despite not really enjoy Hyrule Warriors all that much. I'm glad I did because I had lots of fun with it! They nailed what I mainly wanted which was a beautiful world wrapped up in all things DQ and it looked and sounded amazing. I especially was impressed with the extremely solid framerate, which no matter how many enemies were piled around me and how many spells and moves I threw out, it never lagged once! Pretty incredible considering the game looked nice. It had more rpg elements and a simplier approach to combat. While not particularly deep, there's still plenty of strategy to be had and being efficient with your moves and changing around party members and accessories was key. The maps and objectives were straightforward and didn't change it up much, but I had so fun I really didn't mind. Having quests, collectibles, and enough interesting characters made the rather repetitive gameplay addiciting and I never really got tired of it. I would've liked to see a traverable world map and even more elements to bring it closer to a straight up DQ game with action combat, but overall I was pleased. With tons to do in post game, there's definitely a reason to come back with NG+ and mow down more enemies, but I'll save that for the future.
10/28 - Yoshi's Woolly World (Wii U) - This is my first real dive into this Mario sub-series. I had Yoshi's Story as a kid, but don't remember much of it and haven't played it since, so this game was pretty new to me. Obviously the visuals and overall presentation is stellar and one of the main draws to this game. Besides that, the gameplay is exceptional as well. It's incredibly responsive and tight with lots of way you can be creative with egg shots. The levels are a joy to play, from finding secrets and collecting everything to the varied platforming. The difficulty is fairly easy-moderate, but some stages can be very tough even before considering collecting everything. I didn't go for 100% yet, but the challenge is definitely there for those that want it. Overall this is a fantastic game and makes me want to try the original Yoshi's Island and see where this series all began.
11/5 - Tales of Vesperia (Xbox 360) - Wanted to give this series another shot after not getting into Symphonia and I'm glad I did. To me this game was a major improvement over Symphonia. The standout features were the art direction/great variety of beautiful areas and the great cast of characters. I didn't love the combat, it took a LONG time to be able to do big combos even then I played the game with easy battles to pick up the pace. The story was a little better than I expected, but not amazing. My main motivation to keep playing was discovering the fantastic locations and getting to hear the characters interact with each other. Overall I liked it, there's tons of extra stuff I didn't do and probably won't do, but it was a decently fun ride. I at least want to try more games in the series now that this is under my belt.
11/15 - Rogue Galaxy (PS2) - This has been high on my list to play for a while now and it's great to finally get to it. The game has lots of flaws and in general was a disappointment, but I still very much appreciate it for the amibition, art design, music, weapon/skill system, and potential to be great with its premise. The battle system is real time action, which is great but some big flaws are no hot keys to items, weapons, or skills, making it necessary to be in the menus most of time and this really ruins the real-time action. Battles come down to spamming skills to get them over with quickly, and often just running from enemies that have shields, barriers, weakspots. My 2nd issue is the very barebones story and character development, especially with the main character. The premise had lots of interesting things going on, but so many loose ends and unexplored ideas made it feel hollow, especially with the villian(s). Dungeons are mostly huge hallways without much to do beside run and pick up chests, it's more a dungeon crawler. There's other little nitpicks, but all in all it just fell short of what it could be. Xenoblade does this style of game much better and felt like the closest comparision for me, hence my interest in RG. I'm glad to have played it and despite its flaws, I didn't hate it. It seemed to be held back mostly by the time/console it was made, so can't fault it too much.
11/21 - Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii) - I meant to play this closer to the first 2 earlier this year for better comparison, but better late than never. I had a lot of fun with this entry and it was a great way to wrap up the trilogy. Overall I'd say this was easiest of the 3 and most basic in terms of puzzles and level design, though outdoing 1 and 2 would've been extremely tough anyway. The main positives for me were some fast paced sections/boss fights, world design/atmosphere, and the new hypermode mechanic. Other than that it was a fairly phoned in entry and aside from a few exciting moments, didn't have much to add other than motion controls. That was huge in 2007, but not for me since I played all 3 with it. Still, a great game and a great trilogy!
Played for first time, but didn't beat: Drakengard 3, Tales of Symphonia, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, Code Name: STEAM, Bloodborne, Fallout 3
Comments
100% on new year. Great game. Timeless i must say. I can do it again next year and the years after.
I'm starting to really, really love Simon's Quest more with each playthrough.
should be able to beat 1 tonight after work, that one being super mario 3D land!
Playing through mario kart 8 for a gold trophy in every race,
playing pikmin 3
playing Mario 3D world
playing bayonetta 2
With my new years resolution in place, hopefully most of these will be beat by the end on january!
Just gotta finish the time trials for about half of the bonus book and then I'll be completely done.
After this I think I will tackle Hyrule Warriors or Pikmin 3
**SPOILERS**
These is a bonus episode at the end with some levels from SM3DW if you have a save from that game on your Wii U + other challenge. For those who have played Captain Toad, did you liked the Mummy-Me Maze Forever level lol? This level is pure evil!! I wasted like 3 hours to get it done, it was really frustrating. I was not expecting 50 floors, at the beginning I was only focusing for the 5000 coins, but then I realized that it doesn't stop there. After you beat that level your Captain Toad has a nice crown on his head, very cool. If they do Amiibos of that caracter I hope they will include the crown.
** END SPOILERS**
Overall very nice game, a little bit easy for my taste though.
Just beat Captain Toad will all the gems found, secondary objectives complete, and have the first three 3 books done for the time trials.
Just gotta finish the time trials for about half of the bonus book and then I'll be completely done.
After this I think I will tackle Hyrule Warriors or Pikmin 3
Good luck with that bonus book haha. I just posted about this game, don't get spoiled reading it, but let me know when you'll beat the last level in the bonus book
Just beat Captain Toad will all the gems found, secondary objectives complete, and have the first three 3 books done for the time trials.
Just gotta finish the time trials for about half of the bonus book and then I'll be completely done.
After this I think I will tackle Hyrule Warriors or Pikmin 3
Good luck with that bonus book haha. I just posted about this game, don't get spoiled reading it, but let me know when you'll beat the last level in the bonus book
Haha yeah, the mummy-me maze level was pretty intense, especially with charging chucks and fire piranhas. I ended up completing it fully last night and felt pretty accomplished. Some of those Toad Bridgade time trials were tough as well.
I also agree that the crown on Toad is pretty awesome!
Child of Light - Well worth the cost. One of the most unique and interesting games Ive played in a long time.
Shadow of Mordor - 99.99% of this game is amazing. The final fight is the biggest let down Ive ever experienced on a game. But that 0.01% doesnt offset that much. Enjoyed literally every moment.
Starting Inquisition tomorrow as well as continuing my co-op play through of Dragon's crown with the other half.
Originally posted by: NostalgicMachine
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, and Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse back to back on New Year's Day
I'm starting to really, really love Simon's Quest more with each playthrough.
I hated it at first and then I just realized I should use a guide because the in-game hints are useless/horribly translated. After that the game became much more fun.
Took 19 years, but that's one game off my backlog. The next one i'm working on is another that I should have beaten a few decades ago.
1-13-2015: My first 1CC of the year, a 2-loop clear of Salamander 2 (Aka Life Force 2)