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Video Games Finished in 2019


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On 2/11/2019 at 12:34 AM, Malkon said:

5 games now:

-FFXV
-KH: Final Mix
-KH re: Chain of Memories
-KH re: Chain of Memories Rebirth/Reverse
-KH II: Final Mix

6 games:
-FFXV
-KH: Final Mix
-KH re: Chain of Memories
-KH re: Chain of Memories Rebirth/Reverse
-KH II: Final Mix
-KH 358/2 Days

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- LEGO DC Super-Villains (Switch)
Exactly like every other LEGO game. Good for mindless action, and that's about it. [image]
 
- Almost There: The Platformer (Switch)
Hardcore platformer, kind of in the style of Super Meat Boy, and even more minimalist. It's fine for what it sets out to do but a little bare-boned otherwise. [image]
 
- The Raven Remastered (Switch)
Decent mystery story but the production values just make the whole game seem cheap. [image]
 
- Yooka-Laylee (Switch)
The game definitely recreates 90s platformer design, flaws and all. [image]
 
- Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4)
Quite conflicted about this one. It's not a bad game yet I have to admit I was disappointed with it—I just didn't love it the way I loved the first RDR. All of the minor annoyances (like how it feels like the game just wastes your time for no other reason than to claim "realism," or the controls, or the tiny font/interface) added up and really weighed on the experience for me. [image]
 

C : 20

H: 0

P: 0

M: 0

O: 20

Challenges: 3 points

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First, I'm updated through this post. Good for me! 

 

On 2/24/2019 at 8:36 PM, XLW said:

Can Tetris 99 be considered beaten if we got 3rd to first?

Second, I have not played Tetris 99.

 

I was thinking two different options here, but having not played the game, I figured I'd throw the question out to the crowd to get some input.

 

Do we think it's fair to could a round win in Tetris 99 as a "Game Beaten"? Or is something like a top 3 finish enough? I personally feel all-or-nothing, but as someone who hasn't played, I don't know how crazy we're talking here.

 

The other option is to just count it as a challenge. I could easily add a "Winner Winner Victory Royale" challenge for beating a Battle Royale game, even if we're mostly just ignoring challenges. 

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Personally I wouldn't consider any Battle Royale, or more broadly any multiplayer-only game, to be a game that can really be "beaten." If I had to include it though I'd say a first place win is the only scenario that would make it a "beaten" game.

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3/5- The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past for 3DS 

 

 

 


 

A few years back, I played and defeated A Link Between Worlds, a sequel to the critically acclaimed A Link To The Past. I loved the heck out of the former for how it was different from the current linear 3D Zeldas and because it was bringing Zelda to its roots. But... I never played and finished the latter. There are a few Zelda games I haven't finished, but owned: Wind Waker, Skyward Sword, and A Link To The Past. A Link To The Past is regarded to one of the best SNES games and one of the best, if not THE best Zelda game. People have argued and debated that either A Link To The Past or Ocarina of Time is the best one. While I do love the 3DS remake of Ocarina of Time, I do agree that the games following the original in the series tried to copy and paste a good amount of what Ocarina of Time did well. Still, it's currently higher over A Link Between Worlds on my favorite games last. However, now that I finally beat A Link To The Past, what I do think of it, and how might it change my opinion on A Link Between Worlds? 

 

The game gives a little introduction to The Golden Land and The Golden Power, before it throws the player into the first scene. In a stormy night at Link's house, Zelda telepathically tells him in his sleep that the castle has been taken over by Agahnim, an evil sorcerer, and that she is being locked up in the dungeon. Link's uncle gets ready to head towards the castle, and warns Link not to go outside. Link disobeys him and goes to the castle with a lamp. Although the castle guards tell Link to leave, Link finds a secret entrance to the sewers. Link finds his uncle in a dire condition, and with his last words, the uncle gives Link his sword and shield. Link roams around the castle while battling the guards, who are most likely brainwashed by Agahnim. He finds Zelda, and they both leave through a secret area. Once they arrive in the sanctuary, an old man promises to keep Zelda safe and tells Link to find an old sage named Sarasaland. The old sage says the Master Sword is the only weapon that can hurt Agahnim, but in order to pull it from its pedestal, Link will have to retrieve three pendants. There's more to the story, like Agahnim's motivations and The Golden Power, but I'll keep it brief, because the game is very good with its storytelling and lore. It's really simple. 

 

This game has some of the best visuals ever, like the different locations and variety of townsfolk and creatures. The world map has the famous Mode-7 thing going for it, and although it looks weird up close, thank gosh there's a zoom option. Still, the game tends to slow down a few times when there's too much going on (perhaps it's the 3DS' fault), and Link's hair... is pink. Sure, it makes him stand out compared to the other Links, but... why? Why not blue or green? How did he get it that way? Is there pink lotion in Hyrule that can do that? Maybe I'll never understand why or how. The music is tremendous. A great variety of the Zelda music originated in this game, like Zelda's theme, the Dark World's theme, and Kakariko Village. It's so good, that Ocarina took some of it and made it a little better. But, that's not to say the soundtrack is horrible. Because, it isn't. I think this game, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask have the best soundtracks of the series.  

 

Well, how does Link fare in combat and puzzle-solving? Link has a lantern at first, which drains the magic meter. Unlike A Link Between World's magic meter, it does not replenish on its own. There are other tools that need to use the magic meter, so plan wisely. He then obtains the sword and shield. Link can stab in a forward motion repeatedly, and can hold his blade long enough in order to do a spin attack. Link can block projectiles with his shield, but he has to not use anything else and his shield can only block a few things at first. He'll later obtain bombs and a bow with arrows, which both have limited ammo which can be bought in shops, found underneath pots and bushes, and dropped by enemies. There are other items that are used for combat and/or exploration, and most of them can be accessed within dungeons around the world. Unlike the method used in A Link Between Worlds, some items are stored in big chests that need the Big Key. The Big Key also opens other doors other keys can't within a dungeon, and some of the items don't need to be used to beat a boss or can be used for any other boss. 

 

So, with how much arsenal Link gets, the game is easy as Ocarina of Time, right? Well, no. First off, some enemies tank a lot of hits, even the bosses. And they too hit hard... and some of them are obnoxiously annoying, like the knights who constantly pursue Link and the Zora who pop in and out of the water and spit fire. The dungeons themselves have some rooms that have the most obnoxious trap and enemy layouts and enemy variety. Imagine a room with spikes, conveyer belts, and enemies that electrocute Link even with a touch of his sword. One might say that's not too difficult to manage, but there are rooms I think have too much going on for one to process what to do and avoid. Compared to the other Zelda games I've played, it's possibly the hardest or second-hardest with Breath of The Wild somewhere there. But, it's not like all of the rooms are like that, and I think each dungeon has a good balance of fair and hard rooms. Except for ONE of them, but I will be nICE about it and won't give it away which one I'm referring to. It's really refreshing getting items that are useful for progressing and more heart containers, it's nice when a lot of secrets are discovered using the items, and it's cool seeing Link hold such things up in the air. Link has abysmal health at the beginning of the game, and even though he gets healthier, there will be times he will need faeries and the player will get game over screens. Link thankfully starts at the entrance of each dungeon, cave, and the like if he died inside. If he doesn't... he'll have to make a quick trip from a select few places. I kind of liked Link's Awakening approach more, since there will be a warp point after a midboss if defeated, and he starts at the nearest entrance when he dies outside. I think the invincibility frame doesn't last a good while in this game as well.

 

I really enjoyed my time with A Link To The Past, even though there were some BS moments I think some people tend to forget. Once I beat the final boss, I celebrated my victory with an apple. It'll be interesting where I place it, and maybe even A Link Between Worlds now that I have a better appreciation for its predecessor. 

 
 

 

 

3/11- Castlevania for 3DS. 

 

 

 

 


 

Before I began playing this game, I felt a little sick. I knew playing scary games was not on my menu... but, I immediately threw out that thought when I played the original Castlevania. I beat the game within a day... but, that was thanks to the Virtual Console's save feature or whatever. I knew Castlevania was too hard, so I had to cheat the system. But, why is it one of the hardest games? 

 

Castlevania stars Simon Belmont, a man who is a descendant of the vampire-killing Belmont bloodline. Somewhere in Eastern Europe, Dracula is hiding in his castle, full of demons and traps. Simon must stop Dracula from doing evil. ... That's what I got from playing the game. I never really saw backstory in the introduction screen, nor did I read any supplementary items, like an instruction manual. But, the premise is really simple: Simon is a vampire killer, Dracula is a vampire and evil, stop him! 

 

The layout of the castle itself is very strange. Some rooms are inside, while a few are outside, and one is in a sewer-like area. However, most of the rooms don't stray from the dungeon-like feel of the castle, and, the paths are linear. In terms of level design, I think Castlevania is one of the weakest when it comes to variety. The rooms have a similar feel, but there are no set-pieces making each stand out. If it wasn't for the different enemy types, every room would feel the same. And although the palette makes the atmosphere a lot better, it doesn't make the rooms breathe life, for the most part. Outside levels have pitch-black skies, and some of the blocks have mossy green finishes. The enemies on the other hand, and even Simon, work well with their defining colors and pop out... Maybe except for hunchbacks, unless they are carried by birds. A good amount of them come from the usual horror movie tropes, like the skeletons and the ghouls. Even the bosses are memorable, such as a vampire, Igor and The Monster, and Death himself! And, each of the enemies' movements would convey how they would react to Simon coming to their home. Some enemies make an angry ambush towards him, while others would jokingly throw their bones at him. And the music... is my favorite thing of this game. The opening track, Wicked Child, and a few others make the game feel a little moody, but there a few parts in each that makes it seem that Simon can triumph through it all. Still, one will have to hear the death jingle. A lot. Like, 95% of the time. And if one doesn't know... 

  

The worst parts of this game are the controls, random enemy patterns, and the difficulty. Now, the controls are simple enough. Simon does the Belmont strut, a slow walk when moving. One button is for using the classic Vampire Killer, a whip. Simon can only whip in front of him. Simon can also jump, but it's the stiffest jump and jump arc in all of gaming history. Sub-weapons can be found within enemies and candelabras, and can be used by using both the UP and whip buttons, provided that one has the ammunition, or hearts to do so. My favorite sub-weapons are the holy water, the cross, and the stop-watch. Hearts can also be found within candelabras, with other goodies too. Candelabras are a little high up, and even though Simon can hit his whip in mid-air... It's a little difficult to pull off. With all of these things at his disposal, why is Castlevania hard? First, pressing the whip button over and over will not make the whip come out each time, thus Simon can be hit be projectiles and enemies left and right. Also, without the use of sub weapons, Simon can be hit from stuff from above, from below, and even behind. Simon sucks at maneuverability. He is also a victim of the worst thing implemented in video game history: KNOCK-BACK. He falls very fast, and because this game also has bottomless pits, even places that have stairs... expect to die a lot. Next, some enemies can take advantage of Simon Belmont's speed and range. The hunchbacks move and hop around, the medusa heads go up and down in an arch, and the knights retreat when Simon tries to hit them. Also, some clearly cheat and glitch into walls. Why no one has talked about that glaring mistake is beyond me. And don't give me the "home advantage" excuse. It's bad programming. It's cheap. It's obnoxious. Last, the difficulty. Enemies, even bosses hit hard. The maximum that enemies can deal in normal mode is four bars, about a fourth of Simon's health. Unless Simon gets the famous roast and eats it, he won't survive the night. 

  

 

When I defeated Dracula, I had a huge sigh of relief. The game is difficult, but beating it felt gratifying. In the end, it's an alright game.

 

 

3/13- Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest for WiiU 

 

 

 


 

I thought I had the original Donkey Kong Country for the WiiU... and the 7th Fire Emblem game as well, but nope. I plan on getting them and playing them ONE day... but not now. I do have the sequel for DKC, because of... The Completionist. He said that if were to air the last episode, then he would of course go with his favorite childhood game. I never personally grew up with the SNES, and although I came back to see my play time for this game, I had yet to defeat the first boss. I can't remember where my mind was then, but maybe other games were in my way. So, with more free time currently, I can put to rest another video game. And this time, my first Rare game. I have an old copy of Banjo and Kazooie collecting dust... I'm kind of doing a roulette thing of how I am choosing my games right now, so no thanks. 

 

This games brings back Diddy Kong, and brings in the newcomer Dixie Kong, who is Diddy's sister, cousin, or girlfriend. But, where is Donkey Kong? After what transpired in the last game, K. Rool and his Kremlings of course have captured and kidnapped him. Not only do the duo have to stop K. Rool from taking over the world, but have to rescue their leader. Now, since I never knew how Donkey Kong controlled in his first game, and the only point of reference I can really make are his Smash appearances, I can't say his time out of the spotlight was detrimental or beneficial, or if anyone had any problems with Dixie. It somehow worked for this game, but I heard the third game's inclusion of Kiddy Kong... was not as well received. But, Donkey Kong's kidnapping makes this story a lot more personal than the usual resources of bananas. Well, the Kongs need to protect their hoard too, but their leader is a first priority, and it's not like the game is ever about them as much as the first. 

 

This game is no doubt beautiful and full of color. Like the original, it uses pre-rendered 3D into 2D images, from the backgrounds to the characters. The Kongs visit many different and wacky locations, like weird mines, dark forests, ships that have drowned, thorny trees, and... honeycomb caves. Still, nothing really felt out of place or felt off. A lot of the movement is natural too, except for maybe the barrel Kremlings, cause i don't remember them moving their feet. When the Kongs face off against a boss, their eyes become really big for a second, it's really hilarious. I never like it when they lose a life though, cause their animations are sad to watch. I'm not sure how iconic the music is compared to the first, but when I went to Bramble Brast... I knew the song immediately. (Though, I prefer the remix of Brawl's.) Still, the music is rather catchy, and each songs fits ideally with the location and the situation. 

 

Now, since I haven't played the game in a while, I was forced to get back into how the controls worked. And, they work fine, for the most part. Both Kongs can jump, swim, hold onto stuff and throw them, crouch, and climb and slide down. The two have a little difference between them. Diddy can cartwheel into enemies and run really fast. Dixie can spin around and attack with her hair and can even glide with her hair. Since this is a game about platforming, she obviously was my go-to character. But, not all of the situations are best accommodated for her, especially when it comes to ice, so Diddy has some few bright moments. Also, her glide goes in a downward motion, so it's not overpowered, and some enemies can take advantage of that too. The camera has this weird focus as well, so it's even hard to know sometimes where she's going. The game brings back Animal Buddies, with Rambi and Enguarde returning, Squawks finally playable, and Rattly and Squitter. Rambi can charge into and bounce onto enemies, even those with spikes. Enguarde can swim in water and also charge. Squawks can fly and pelt enemies. Rattly can bounce onto enemies, and can perform a super-bounce after charging his energy (the latter ability I only used in one level after finding it by accident), and Rattly can shoot webs and make webs into platforms (the latter again).  

 

Now, I have a few nitpicks with this game. One: the map selection, or rather how to select a map, is kind of counterintuitive. There are six worlds, and until a boss is defeated, or one flies on Funky's plane, there is no way to get to the "overworld" screen. Wouldn't it be annoying if in Super Mario World one couldn't back to another place and the only way to traverse back was to lend Luigi 70 coins, or in Kirby's Adventure Metaknight blocked the way to going back because he taunts the player? There is no reason to handicap the player like this from returning to other worlds. Next, saving. Think of any game that naturally saves after beating a boss or clearing a level. This game requires the player to go to granny's house. And after the first FREE save, she orders the player to get two coins. She presents herself as kind and endearing, but she's a Scrooge McDuck in disguise. (So, yeah, I used the WiiU's save feature thing to cheat, cause I won't get fooled again.) Last, I swear I make some jumps and lands perfectly, but the game sometimes doesn't register that way. Or the game thinks I'm stupid enough to fall off a cliff, when I don't ever mean to. It's not like that all of the time, but the platforming is sometimes never in my favor. Getting a game over is the equivalent of getting it in Super Mario Bros. 3: one will have to traverse a few levels in order to get back where they messed up at. But, you're sent back to granny's. 

 

The boss fights... are actually really well designed, and for how hard they are, fighting them are like puzzles themselves. All of them are just dodging, and waiting for a specific item to drop down for the Kongs to attack the bosses with... except for a rather unique boss that involves and Animal Buddy. The last boss maybe goes on for too much, but dodging Kaptain K. Rools' attacks never requires the same strategy, as he uses different means each time he's hit. 

 

In terms of some controls and the map and save features, those are the only things I think haven't aged well. But, I can see where The Completionist is coming from. This game really stands tall as one of the best games of the SNES, and I can't get over the charm of what Rare did for the series.

 

 

 

3/14: Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 for WIIU 

 

 

 

 


 

It had been some time since I played Super Mario Bros. on the All-Stars pack for the Wii. In his first game, I felt like Mario felt a little slippery, Bowser being the only boss was weird, and something about the level design and enemy placement. The other aspects are fine and the game itself is a gaming classic. After I played the first game... I began to play other games, probably the hottest new one. I think it was also because of my frustration with controlling Mario. So, finally about a year later, when I had a lot more time on my table, I decided to finally go after some games I needed to finish. Super Mario Bros. 3 was one of them. I knew the US version of SMB2 was a redesign of another game and the game's story is basically ALL A DREAM, and the real version of SMB2 is ridiculously hard. I beat Castlevania... but I'm not THAT hardcore. So, I logically skipped to the best of the NES trilogy. But, why is it the best of them, or possibly the best 2D Mario game? 

 

Super Mario Bros. 3 begins with a different mission compared to most Mario games. Instead of Peach getting kidnapped, seven kings have been robbed of their magic scepters and have been transformed. King Koopa/Bowser and his Koopalings, six of his nephews and one niece, are the ones at fault and are controlling the kings' lands. Mario must defeat his enemies and retrieve the scepters in order to change the kings' physical appearances back to normal. Different, but simple. 

 

One thing that immediately stands out is that the third game has an overworld for each world. Instead of going from level to level as usual without breaks, Mario and Luigi can roam around and also go to Toad Houses and fight overworld enemies, like Hammer Bros. And each world is unique. For example: the first world is the usual grassy plains, whereas the sixth world is filled with ice. There's also the Big World, where everything sans Mario is TALLER! Because of the changes in scenery, the choices of color was heavily expanded. Ice has the white and blue feel to it, while the deserts are filled with tan orange color with green palm trees mixed in. And although Super Mario Bros. will always have some of the most iconic songs of video gaming history... I think the soundtrack of this game is phenomenal. Each overworld theme, the Toad House theme, the ground theme, and even the boss themes are very energetic. Easily, one of my favorite OSTs in a while. (I know the game I played isn't really good when it comes to sound, but that's not to diminish the original or the All-Stars version.) 

 

So, how does Mario feel in his third venture? Well... I will say he's still as slippery to control, but maybe now that I played this and DKC2, maybe my reaction time is at fault. But, maybe I'm not the only person who has this problem, so I can't let it slide as easily. But, he controls better compared to his first ride. One: slope transversal affects Mario's movements a lot more. Two: the charge button that makes Mario run also works with the new P-meter. To coincide with that, three: Mario has new power-ups, like the leaf that transforms him into Raccoon Mario and allows him to fly for a while after charging up the P-meter, or the hammer suit that transforms him into Hammer Mario and allows him to use the destructive force of the Hammer Bros. Like I said, the overworld is new way of getting around, but with the returning castles are the new airships, the real boss levels. Castles house the fabled mini-boss Boom Boom... who grows wings after getting hit once! WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT BEFORE HE RETURNED DECADES LATER?! How cool would he be if he was to spin in mid-air?! Maybe that would be too hard, but I did not expect that! The airships house the Koopalings... *looks up* Iggy, Lemmy, Roy, Ludvig von, Wendy O, Larry, and Morton. They attack similarly, and are defeated in a similar manner. Back to the overworld, there are also obstacles that can be broken by hammers, and pipes that lead other places. There are a few other secrets I intend to leave out. Each level corresponds with their world, and there is a good amount of variation when it comes to enemies. In a few desert levels, THE SUN ATTACKS YOU, while in some water levels, THIS HUGE CHEEP CHEEP NAMED BIG BERTHA CAN SWALLOW MARIO WHOLE. Besides that, there's a lot more enemies compared to the first game, and a few spins on some old ones, like a Blooper having children, or a Goomba in a boot!  

 

The game can be difficult at times, I strangely had a lot more fun and amusement. I was planning on playing the All-Stars version of this game, but my Wii bar wasn't with me, so I settled for a decent replacement. Sure, this is basically a re-remake, but I finally understood why people consider this to be a stellar Mario game. If not for the wacky costumes, it must be the wacky worlds. It looks odd in some places, but this game is the definition of strange, in a clever way. I highly recommend any version of Super Mario Bros. 3

 

   

3/20- Fire Emblem (The Blazing Sword) for WiiU  

 

 

 


 

Out of the many Fire Emblems games that have come out in the West, I had yet to beat Path of Radiance and Blazing Sword, the latter being the first to be brought everywhere. My first experience with Fire Emblem was Sacred Stones, the game that came after Blazing Sword. Years passed by, and even though I knew Blazing Sword existed, I never thought about finishing it. Blazing Sword is more than fifteen years old, and the recent games have made some of Fire Emblem's mechanics a lot fresher. As for why I hadn't defeated both it and Path of Radiance... it's because they were not in the back of my mind when I was younger. I was in school, and I think I played a lot more Poke'mon. And maybe it was because of one of the series' most defining traits. I currently have a lot more time on my hands, and Blazing Sword was on the chopping block for games I wanted to finally take care of.   With other Fire Emblem games in my head, how does Blazing Sword hold up today? 

 

Blazing Sword has a bit of a backstory behind it, as humans and dragons once lived together in the continent of Elibe. However, that soon changed when a war between both broke out; a war which was called "The Scouring". Humans fought and forced the dragons to be exiled behind the mythical Dragon's Gate. The details behind the war become a lot more clearer during the game, but the real story begins when Lyn, a Sacaen woman, wakes up a person lying in bed (the player, the tactician). After fighting a few enemies and finding new allies, she hears that her grandfather of noble descent has been waiting for her. The grandfather has never seen Lyn, and might not get the chance, as he is slowly dying, and there is someone who is preventing her from seeing by means of armies. Lyn has to overcome the odds to see her grandfather before it's too late. The true story picks up after a third of the game later, and a year later after what happens in Lyn's story. I won't spoil anything, but I think it's just as great, if not better than: Sacred Stones, Shadow Dragon, Fates, and even Echoes. The game has the same motion of "not every enemy is inherently evil", and even though it's a strategy RPG, the plot is mostly simple, and there a good amount of characters one can relate too. When good and bad moments happens, they feel real. Not since Fates, or even Awakening have I felt such rushes of emotion. 

 

The music is really amazing, and the standouts are by far the first map theme, the attack theme, the recruitment theme, and the Black Fang theme. Not sure if it personally beats Sacred Stones in that regard, and I think besides Shadow Dragon it's not better than the rest of the later Fire Emblem soundtracks. It's still enjoyable to listen to anyway. I always thought Sacred Stones did well with sprite work, and it's just as great in this game. And I'm pretty sure this game has a lot more enemy variation and maps and their variations compared to its following game. And cutscenes. 

 

Blazing Sword has tutorials for everything, but one of the main mechanics is the weapon triangle system. Lances beat swords, swords beat axes, and axes beat lances, and same goes for magic. What Blazing Sword brought to the table are support conversations, where two allies just talk. The conversations not only expands on some of the ensemble, but they're also stat buffs. It's not as fleshed out as Awakening's, but it's still as good as the rest.  The conversations require a lot of killing... but, hopefully not one of the allies! Permadeath exists in this game, and because most of the crew are really good and memorable, I had to reset the chapter... or use the WiiU's broken save feature. This game can be really hard at times, and some enemy and obstacle placements can be the worse. Even the places sometimes have environmental roadblocks, like snow restricting movement or the night making things difficult to see enemies. 

However, even though the game is challenging, some of the bosses are memorable, such as the Black Fang quartet special ops Four Fangs. I had to regretfully restart even when one of my characters died. The game can be tricky, but if one knows which unit they should take to the field, then the allies could be hits or... disasters. I think some of the recruitments are not worth it. I won't talk about another "mode", because it's really cool and I don't want to spoil it, but please note that it adds a good amount of replayability for the game. I love Blazing Sword, and who knows if it will top Sacred Stones.

 

 

3/31- Final Fantasy VII for Nintendo Switch 

 

 

 

 


 

About twenty years ago, Final Fantasy VII graciously arrived to everyone everywhere on the PlayStation. Square left Nintendo for the higher quality CDs of Sony that would bring a lot more flair to the gaming world. Final Fantasy VII was going to be bigger, grander, and better than VI. It would have cutscenes, pre-rendered backgrounds, polygons, and 3D character art. And because the game was leaning towards a more steampunk and modern environment, it would stand out against the usual fantasy and renaissance vibes of the last six games, even though some of the later games tried to emulate that feeling with less success. It also marked the era of the emotional main character that had weird hair and/or a big grand sword. It was revolutionary, and is considered to be one of the best Final Fantasies, if not one of the best games ever. But, that was close to twenty years ago, so has Final Fantasy aged at all? 

 

Before I start with the story, I have heard about the extended lore thanks to The Completionist... even though his original videos are no longer on YouTube due to some legal issues. Crisis Core is the prologue to this game, but because it's on PSP, I couldn't bother playing it, so again, thanks Completionist. At the start of the game, the action takes place in the city of Midgar, the center of the planet Gaia and the most industrious city. A cutscene introduces the player to the flower girl, who will have a pivotal role in the story, the city, and a train about to land. The music changes to something dire, as a group of people get off and attack some nearby guards. They are part of AVALANCE, a group of mercenaries who want to stop the big bad company Shinra from wasting the planet's life energy, known as Mako. Their leader is Barret, a huge man with a gun as a hand, and the newest recruit is Cloud, the main protagonist with spiky hair and a huge sword, Ex-Soldier 1st Class. Their mission is to blow up the nearest Mako Reactor, one of Shinra's buildings. Sounds simple, right? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO. What I just said is about 1/50th of the whole story. For there is a lot to take in with this game: revenge, grief, anger, sorrow, confusion, loneliness, happiness, shock, loss, sadness, angst, acceptance, identity, goals, relief, fun, and frustration. All of the nine characters, even the optional two playable characters, go through moments of character development and moving on from their pasts and mistakes. But, isn't there one big person I've leaving out?... Sephiroth. He and Kefka are the most notorious villains from the Final Fantasy series, and even though Kefka's clearly the better one, that doesn't diminish how much pain Sephiroth inflicts on the whole world and the cast. Although his goal is really heinous, his motive is somewhat understandable and maybe relatable. Still, how he goes about to get his goal doesn't excuse him very much.  

 

The visuals themselves are a little bit of a mixed bag. About fifty-percent good, fifty-percent bad. The cutscenes, the pre-rendered backgrounds, the battle locations, and the character models in battle are all execute nicely. Buuuut... the character models outside of battles and the overworld "boundary-popping" have aged the game a little poorly compared to the earlier games. And, the camera is perhaps the most finicky thing to work with. The map can be zoomed in... to some extent, and locations on it are barely visible. Last, interacting with the environments at times can feel rather clunky. Some of the dialogue also have errors and some childish and immature swearing, even if it's presented in the magical language of "%$^" . I know the mid-90s was full of "extremity", but that just shows its age. ... Or maybe not, if one can give me a modern T- or R- rated RPG that's full of cursing. The music... is legendary, and is perhaps the only thing that is timeless about this game. From the first cutscene song, to the battle and boss themes, to Aerith/Aeris's theme, the overworld theme, the Gold Saucer theme, and Sephiroth's theme, don't tell me that there's one song that feels out of place.  

 

Most of the stuff from the last six games, from visiting towns and dungeons, finding items, talking to people, battling, and buying and selling stuff is similar or the same. So, what makes Final Fantasy unique in terms of gameplay? One, the game has a good amount of side-quests and mini-games not seen before, but for those wondering, I won't say more... Two, along with the ATB bar, characters now have Limit Breaks, but they're only available after a character receive the right amount of damage. Each character have unique limit breaks, and there are four levels for each that require time and patience. Each level, except for the fourth and some other instances, have two limit breaks that can be gained naturally. Still, the first level of limit breaks is the fastest for getting the limit break bar to fill up, compared to the later levels. But, pulling off a level-4 limit break is really rewarding. Unfortunately, if a character loses their life, the Limit Break Bar will reset to zero, so getting hit is still a hassle. Even Cloud uses most of his limit breaks in his Smash appearances, including Omnislash as his Final Smash. Unlike the other games where the characters' abilities could be used at any time, the game demands the player to wait a little bit. Last, there's Materia. Now, similar to Magicite, the characters can learn and level up the different kinds of Materia, and the stats of the characters change with each Materia equipped. However, unlike Magicite, the Materia only have one kind of use, they level up with AP themselves, and they can be equipped to the weapons and armor. The characters don't inherit the Materia's power, and there are different kinds of Materia. The armors and weapons have slots which can house Materia, and some Materia can be linked to have different effects. For example, when linking "Restore" and "All", instead of just one character getting HP, all of the characters can receive HP. There's a lot of Materia to find and buy, but I just only got the ones needed to help me on my way.  

 

Now, what's the deal with the Switch version? One: one can turn off random encounters with the press of the L3 and R3 buttons... The buttons to move stuff ... Now, the player cannot avoid bosses, so grinding is still necessary. It's only really needed in the cases of backtracking and needing to find a save point for health. Two: there's a fast-forward button. Summoning is a lot better, and getting the ATB bar to fill this way might be fine. But, this too is double-edged, as the enemies can attack while one is off-guard, and the player cannot skip past the cutscenes and certain moments, as much as they want to speed-run. Those are the only two things I've really noticed, so maybe there's more I haven't seen yet.

 

With the exception of a few bosses, and THOSE EVIL SUPER-DUPER-BOSSES THAT MAKE ME FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN THROUGH A SIMILAR SITUATION BEFORE, the game can be a breeze for the most part. When it came to the 3rd part of the game... I spent about fifty percent of it trying to level up my characters. ... All for nothing, because of a hard roadBLOCK. The last third is maybe where I got the most bored, as I got my team to 90, with the exception of Cloud, who went to 99. But, it made some optional fights and the last boss a complete joke by the end. And, I spent the other fifty finding and collecting stuff that would work for beating the last boss too, so it wasn't all that bad. Comparing it to VI will be tricky, since both games did things better than the other. One might see this later on my TOP 100 soon. With the Switch getting ports of some of the games, I might defeat IX, XII, and XV to find a place where they fit in my Top Ten Final Fantasies later. I’m not going to play II, VIII, XI, and XIII for good reasons. I might play X, though I know parts of it are horrible, and I might get into XIV, even though it won’t be on my list because it’s an MMORPG.   

 

 

 

4/5- The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages for 3DS 

 

 



 

About seven years ago, I returned and beat one of my favorite games, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX.  Since it was one of the first games I ever played in my childhood, I hold it with really high regards to this day, even though there's some parts that might be not as great as I thought they would be. As I began to return to games that I have played but never beaten, I finally took notice of Oracle of Ages. I do remember playing it too, but I don't remember why I... I... I... in comparison to Link's Awakening. Was it because it felt similar to Ocarina of Time in name alone, was it because it felt similar to other games in terms of nearly everything, or was it because of the bonus element of the game?  

 

The story starts off with Link, as he is chosen to save the world. Link then lands in the world of Labrynna, and later meets Nayru, the Oracle of Ages. After she sings for a while, a sorceress named Veran takes her, and they both go back in the past. Veran takes control of Nayru and plunges the past and present of Labrynna into chaos. Link meets Impa, who tells him to seek the Maku Tree. After the Maku Tree tells him to find the eight Essences of Time, and Link is bestowed with the Harp of Ages somewhere in the intro, Link begins his quest. He not only has to save Nayru, but has to stop Veran from completing the Black Tower and disrupting the flow of time in Labrynna. And I'll stop right there. Not only does it take the cues of saving the world once more, but the eight essences thing was copied over from Link's Awakening. I would say A Link To The Past too, but one has to save Maidens, even though the end goal is similar. 

 

The game takes a good amount of cues when it comes to the art style and music of Link's Awakening DX. Sure, there might be new characters and enemies, but most of the stuff feels recycled from the past games. Now, since I never played A Link To The Past before Link's Awakening DX, and Link's Awakening had some new elements because it was the first Zelda handheld, I felt like Link's Awakening DX was unique compared to its processors. Other than Maple, the cute witch who bumps into Link from time to time, and the new main characters, I couldn't tell what was original in this game. Even Zoras and Gorons make a return. And, for the most part, the goes for the music too. There are some new themes, but the overworld for both the past and present feel the same as the first and fourth games.

 

And it doesn't stop there. The structure of finding a dungeon's key, finding the dungeon, navigating the dungeon, fighting the midboss, finding the thing that might take down the boss, finding the boss key, finding the boss door, and beating the boss is taken straight out of Link's Awakening. Some of Link's Awakening's weapons and items return because some are in the other, and only a few are brand new, like the main item the Harp of Ages. The Harp of Ages starts out restricted like its ocarina counterpart, but can do much more with a few more songs. The Oracle games also bring in Moosh, a flying bear which can hover over pits, Ricky, a kangaroo boxer that can jump over pits and punch stuff, and... Dimitri, a lizard thing that can swim. But, after Link gets a few items, they aren't really useful.

 

So, if the game is a hybrid of the third and fourth games and only added a few gameplay elements, where's the enjoyment out of the game? Labrynna isn't as memorable as Koholint, and that goes for the cast too. Well, Oracle of Ages compared to Link's Awakening is a lot more puzzle oriented. And though I have no problem with puzzles, some of the solutions are really cryptic. I got stuck a good amount of times and had to look up the solutions online. The 7th dungeon itself is basically THE WATER TEMPLE of Ocarina of Time. That doesn't mean the whole of them is bad. The eighth dungeon is straightforward at first, but gets a lot more complicated as Link traverses down the dungeon. Heck, the fifth/sixth dungeon is an underwater dungeon that is mechanically similar to the Spirit Temple of OoT as well. 

 

After I beat the game, one of the most shocking things I have ever seen is presented after the credits. It basically says I have to beat Oracle of Seasons to get the TRUE ENDING. Sure, Resident Evil 2 and Octopath Traveler did a similar thing, and Sonic 3 & Knuckles is kind of like that, but the Oracle games were meant to be two distinct games... three from what was supposed to happen. That means, in order to give this a fairer rating, I have to beat Oracle of Seasons, which I heard was much more combat-oriented.

Edited by XLW
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On 2/28/2019 at 12:39 AM, Malkon said:

6 games:
-FFXV
-KH: Final Mix
-KH re: Chain of Memories
-KH re: Chain of Memories Rebirth/Reverse
-KH II: Final Mix
-KH 358/2 Days

idk how many games, i feel like I need a judge to confirm.

7-9 games:
-FFXV
-KH: Final Mix
-KH re: Chain of Memories
-KH re: Chain of Memories Rebirth/Reverse
-KH II: Final Mix
-KH 358/2 Days
-KH Birth by Sleep Final Mix ~Terra's Path~
-KH Birth by Sleep Final Mix ~Ven's Path~
-KH Birth by Sleep Final Mix ~Aqua's Path~

Now, TECHNiCALLY all three of the BBS FM games are 3 sides of the same story, however each took me 8+ hours to play and each had a set of credits and I had to play from level 1 each time...so I'm hoping you will count them as separate games since they all had end credits and were TECHNICALLY 3 different new games that I started. Let me know either way <3

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Since I feel Shovel Knight's stories did the same thing, I can agree with that. Plus, each character has a distinct weight and fighting style in Birth By Sleep from what I know, and even though they each share a similar plot, they each have different objectives and difficulties, similar to how Shovel Knight goes about its playable characters.    

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On 3/6/2019 at 11:50 PM, Malkon said:

idk how many games, i feel like I need a judge to confirm.

7-9 games:
-FFXV
-KH: Final Mix
-KH re: Chain of Memories
-KH re: Chain of Memories Rebirth/Reverse
-KH II: Final Mix
-KH 358/2 Days
-KH Birth by Sleep Final Mix ~Terra's Path~
-KH Birth by Sleep Final Mix ~Ven's Path~
-KH Birth by Sleep Final Mix ~Aqua's Path~

Now, TECHNiCALLY all three of the BBS FM games are 3 sides of the same story, however each took me 8+ hours to play and each had a set of credits and I had to play from level 1 each time...so I'm hoping you will count them as separate games since they all had end credits and were TECHNICALLY 3 different new games that I started. Let me know either way <3

I'm just gonna assume it's okay to count those as separate games.

10 games:
-FFXV
-KH: Final Mix
-KH re: Chain of Memories
-KH re: Chain of Memories Rebirth/Reverse
-KH II: Final Mix
-KH 358/2 Days
-KH Birth by Sleep Final Mix ~Terra's Path~
-KH Birth by Sleep Final Mix ~Ven's Path~
-KH Birth by Sleep Final Mix ~Aqua's Path~
-KH Re:Coded

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It does sound like three distinct scenarios, and sounds reasonable to count as three "different" beats, even if they're all within the same title. 

 

There are a handful of games out there with multiple campaigns. I think XLW makes a good point with Shovel Knight- the "Treasure Trove" can be purchased as one game, but there are distinct differences between the initial Shovel Knight campaign and DLC campaigns. 

 

I think it's either a case-by-case or "be reasonable" sort of situation here. I think most of us are reasonable enough to recognize the difference between multiple playable campaigns and multiple playable characters, and won't try to pad out their games beaten list accordingly. 

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- Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition (PS4)
This game is all kinds of gratuitous chaos. Still, rewarding the player for doing flashy kills is a nice change of pace for an FPS. [image]
 
- Liar Princess and the Blind Prince (Switch)
Really cute little game. Gameplay is pretty light but overall it's still a fun experience. [image]
 
- RICO (Switch)
Everything about the game feels pretty half-baked. Could've been at least an okay arcade-esque FPS if it were a little more polished. [image]
 
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (PS4)
That was a trip down memory lane—I remember playing the original a ton in college with my friends. I don't think I'm going to put in the time to unlock decent weapons in multiplayer, though. Too tedious to feel so underpowered until you rank up a bunch. [image]
 
- Kirby Super Star (SNES Classic)
Wrapping up the last couple of games on my SNES Classic (that I actually want to play at least—I'm not going to struggle through Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts). Kirby Super Star is a game I used to love as a kid but we never bought it for some reason, so I would rent it several times just to play it over and over. Still love it, though it's harder at times than I remember (certainly harder than modern Kirby games!). [image]
 

C : 25

H: 0

P: 0

M: 0

O: 25

Challenges: 3 points

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Beat Pokemon Let's Go Eevee at the end of last month. Going to just count it now, was wanting the whole pokedex filled out but missing version exclusives and trade evolves. Think I am at around 129 or 130 caught or something like that. I enjoyed the game and found it to be just as good as the older gen 1 titles. Just beat FFXV Pocket Edition on Switch and it was pretty good for a "demake." 

 

C: 5

H: 1

PC:

M:

O: 6

 

Challenges:

 

Games Beaten:

1. Shining Force: Sword of Hayja (3DS VC) 1/6/2019

2. Shining Force (Switch) 1/13/2019

3. Torna The Golden Country (Switch) 1/31/2019

4. South Park: The Fractured But Whole (Switch) 2/16/2019

5. Pokemon: Let's Go Eevee (Switch) 2/26/2019

6. Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition HD (Switch) 3/15/2019

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On 3/11/2019 at 3:41 PM, Malkon said:

I'm just gonna assume it's okay to count those as separate games.

10 games:
-FFXV
-KH: Final Mix
-KH re: Chain of Memories
-KH re: Chain of Memories Rebirth/Reverse
-KH II: Final Mix
-KH 358/2 Days
-KH Birth by Sleep Final Mix ~Terra's Path~
-KH Birth by Sleep Final Mix ~Ven's Path~
-KH Birth by Sleep Final Mix ~Aqua's Path~
-KH Re:Coded

11 games:
FFXV
-KH: Final Mix
-KH re: Chain of Memories
-KH re: Chain of Memories Rebirth/Reverse
-KH II: Final Mix
-KH 358/2 Days
-KH Birth by Sleep Final Mix ~Terra's Path~
-KH Birth by Sleep Final Mix ~Ven's Path~
-KH Birth by Sleep Final Mix ~Aqua's Path~
-KH Re:Coded
-KH Dream Drop Distance Final Mix

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Beat Final Fantasy IX at 100% completion finally.  The only thing I have never done in this game (this is at least my dozenth  playthrough) is get Excalibur II. I finally managed to do it in 11 hours and 15 minutes. With the Cutscenes it would have pushed it close to the 11th hour if they weren't skippable like they used to be on PS1. So that is beaten and trying to see if I can get into Dragon Quest finally. 

 

C: 6

H: 1

PC:

M:

O: 7

 

Challenges:

 

Games Beaten:

1. Shining Force: Sword of Hayja (3DS VC) 1/6/2019

2. Shining Force (Switch) 1/13/2019

3. Torna The Golden Country (Switch) 1/31/2019

4. South Park: The Fractured But Whole (Switch) 2/16/2019

5. Pokemon: Let's Go Eevee (Switch) 2/26/2019

6. Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition HD (Switch) 3/15/2019

7. Final Fantasy IX (Switch) 3/18/2019

Edited by Irondog666
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We are updated through this post. As usual, if I've missed something, let me know. 

 

I've also formally added the Battle Royale challenge.

 

I've also also decided to announce March's challenge game now, because why not? 

 

Yoshis-Crafted-World.jpg?resize=1600,800

 

That's right, it's Yoshi's Crafted World. Three months in, and we're finally getting a Nintendo game! 

 

I've also also also beaten Pokémon Let's Go Eevee, which has been added to my list. 

 

HnpV6zB.jpg

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I will bite.

  • A Hat In Time
  • RWBY: Grimm Eclipse
  • Celeste
  • Donkey Kong 64 (finished 101% even)
  • Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight
  • Freedom Planet
     

Most games I have completed are listed elsewhere so it is pretty easy. I don't really care about points though, so I am not going to keep track of that. I also haven't really saved screenshots of most of these completions, and most games are not beat 100%.

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- Mega Man X (SNES Classic)
Overall easier than I remember it being, though Sigma is still a pain. [image]
 
- Aragami: Shadow Edition (Switch)
Takes a couple levels to really get interesting, and even then it still feels kind of rough, but overall a decent stealth game. [image]
 
- Bayonetta 2 (Switch)
I'd forgotten how much easier normal mode is in this game than the original—well, just clearing stages is much easier, bosses and getting all pure platinum medals are still challenging. Really can't wait for Bayonetta 3 now, I hope they show something at E3. [image]
 
- Windscape (Switch) 
Surprised by how short this game ended up being—kind of feels like a rough draft that wasn't fully developed. [image]
 
- Cosmic Star Heroine (Switch)
A fun, relatively short RPG. Low on frills but the battle system was engaging, especially with all of the playable characters you gradually pick up. [image]
 

C : 30

H: 0

P: 0

M: 0

O: 30

Challenges: 3 points

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Did a live stream of Castlevania Bloodlines on my Twitch Channel (PixelatedMetalHead is my name on there). Took entirely too long to beat that little game but it has been awhile since my last playthrough. 

 

C: 7

H: 1

PC:

M:

O: 8

 

Challenges:

 

Games Beaten:

1. Shining Force: Sword of Hayja (3DS VC) 1/6/2019

2. Shining Force (Switch) 1/13/2019

3. Torna The Golden Country (Switch) 1/31/2019

4. South Park: The Fractured But Whole (Switch) 2/16/2019

5. Pokemon: Let's Go Eevee (Switch) 2/26/2019

6. Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition HD (Switch) 3/15/2019

7. Final Fantasy IX (Switch) 3/18/2019

8. Castlevania Bloodlines (Genesis) 4/4/2019

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Beat Mortal Kombat and Beavis & Butthead in the last few days. I am going to go ahead and claim my first Challenge with Castlevania Bloodlines since I have proof of that on my Twitch Channel for proof. Still need to upload photos for other challenges but too lazy right now. 

 

C: 9

H: 1

PC:

M:

O: 10-1

 

Challenges: 1

http://www.twitch.tv/PixelatedMetalHead

 

Bronze #3: Castlevania Bloodlines

 

Games Beaten:

1. Shining Force: Sword of Hayja (3DS VC) 1/6/2019

2. Shining Force (Switch) 1/13/2019

3. Torna The Golden Country (Switch) 1/31/2019

4. South Park: The Fractured But Whole (Switch) 2/16/2019

5. Pokemon: Let's Go Eevee (Switch) 2/26/2019

6. Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition HD (Switch) 3/15/2019

7. Final Fantasy IX (Switch) 3/18/2019

8. Castlevania Bloodlines (Genesis) 4/4/2019

9. Mortal Kombat (Genesis) 4/4/2029

10. Beavis & Butthead (Genesis) 4/5/2019

Edited by Irondog666
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