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Video Games Finished in 2019


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On 1/21/2019 at 11:54 AM, purple_beard said:

10/30 Link's Awakening

--No special ending.

--A few pieces short of all the heart containers.

--didn't care to get all the shells

--didn't care on the Dampe Dungeon thing.

 

 

 

Pretty fun game and art style.  I'd like to see it used in possibly another remaster of a 2D Zelda game.  I bought two of the Amiibos LOL.  That said, I still think they could have done some back end work to make it run smoother, some of the slowdown in the game just seemed un-Nintendo like for a first party game IMO.  I do think the game was kind  of short but then again, its base was GB.

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- Anthill (Switch)

Always game for a good tower defense game that can keep me so glued to the screen. [image]
 
- Minit (Switch)
I like the concept and it's a clever distillation of the adventure game genre, but I still wish it was a little longer/more fleshed out. [image]
 
- Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age (Switch)
I'm not really a super dedicated Dragon Quest fan but they're always fun, and XI is no exception. Although now that I think about it I've played most of the main series entries, so I guess I'm more caught up on the series than I realized. [image]
 
- Untitled Goose Game (Switch)
Honk.
 
- Mutant Year Zero (Switch)
Fun tactical shooter/RPG once you get into it, though it's pretty challenging even on the lowest difficulty. Shame that the game isn't better optimized for the Switch too, had some annoying glitches when I played it. [image]
 

C : 98

H: 2

P: 0

M: 0

O: 100

Challenges: 16 points

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  • 2 weeks later...

11/9- Fire Emblem Heroes: Season 3 for iOS 

 

 

Season 3 has a story mode involving the ruler of the Underworld and how to deal with her. And, it also brought fourth beasts, Three Houses characters, and dual characters. I think it was also responsible for Rival Domains, Forging Bonds, Grand Conquests, Rokkr Sieges, Lost Lores, and the Aether Raid stuff. There was more stuff for characters I couldn't care less about. It's FEH as usual, but with a lot more stuff that might seem complicated as is, but... I still like it.

 

 

 

11/9 Final Fantasy Brave Exvius Season 2 for iOS 

 

Speaking of which, Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is a game that improved a lot since the first season. There's more bonus characters, like Sora from Kingdom Hearts, and Olberic from Octopath Traveler. The Standard and Fusion/Sale units are separate. There's 7* Star Characters, which perhaps breaks the game in some cases. There's 5* Selectable Tickets. There's exchange shops. There's SUPER TRUST REWARDS. Some characters got new better versions that are 5*! There's more! 

The story... I think went on way too long. What starts as a mission to find a friend in a new world ends with another big boss that wants to rule both Lapis and Paladia, the second which is introduced in this game. Still, some former enemies actually become allies in the new story and have new and better designs. The main cast get redesigns and even 7* models. 

The game is the same combat-wise. But, the attacks are also given more explanation to what they are, and that even goes for the roles each unit plays into. 

The story may have gotten too tedious, but the game's fanbase has not because of the new characters and new redesigns that come each month. Fire Emblem might have a better and simpler story, but FFBE definitely has the better and extensive content.  

... And even with a really good conclusion, they had the nerve to make a THIRD SEASON tease. WHAT. THE. %$%$#%?!

 

 

11/16- Monster Hunter World: Iceborne for PS4 

 

Monster Hunter World was one of the best video games I ever played last year. It currently ties with MHGU in my Top 100. Still, a lot of people say that the monster variation in the game was maybe lacking compared to MHGU. I am one of those too. So, when Iceborne was announced, a lot of people were excited to fight against Nargacuga and Tigrex once more. There were newer monsters too, like a large deer creature, if I can recall, and a new location to explore. Since Iceborne is an expansion of the base game, how well does it make things newer and fresher? 

Iceborne picks up after the events of the base game. The duo of the hunter and the handler explore the Ancient Forest to do some research, when a swarm of Legiana fly far away to a new icy world. But, the handler also detects a certain song, which means there's another monster at work. Not only that, but the ecosystem of the New World is rapidly changing. Older monsters have become more dangerous, and newer monsters have appeared out of nowhere. The handler says that the answer to all of these problems and questions may lie in the new undiscovered world, and even though the chief of Astera says it's far too dangerous, he agrees and makes plans for a hideout in this new location. After the hunter takes down a new creature, a new town called Selina is created, and a new chief is appointed. So, the quest begins to solve these mysteries. I love how the expansion expands on the lore of the New World, and the ending to this game leaves on a cliffhanger that might be resolved in another expansion.  

The game still looks and sounds wonderfully, so how has the game changed at the core? New variations of monsters and new monsters have appeared, as said before. A new Master Rank was created for this expansion alone. New weapons and armor can be made, including the new lawyered set which increases cold durability and defense. It doesn't replace the basic armor set at all. A new winter setting is included, which means more hot drink consumption. A new activity at the Steamworks creates items by using ore, crystals, and so on. The hunter has a new house that can have furniture put in places and play music leisurely. It's just to hang out. New gadgets, like the Clutch Claw, allows players to get onto monsters a lot easier than mounting. However, hitting monsters takes away stamina, so it's risk vs. reward. Maybe the Clutch Claw existed before then, but the new stuff in this game makes things more accessible.  

The game is challenging, but rewarding as usual. And, with the events, like the Resident Evil 2 stuff, this game will still keep on going. But, maybe there will be another expansion in the works, since the ending still feels like more questions have appeared. But, Iceborne is worth getting the base game, if one hasn't done so.

 

  

12/16- Poke'mon Sword for Nintendo Switch (Major spoilers)

 

 



 

It's a very grim future for the world of Pokemon. The detailed variety of gyms and leaders, the Elite Four and Champion, rivals, routes and towns, evil teams, and Pokemon seemed to have drastically gone downhill. Now, this might be weird, as I will defend the choices made in Sun and Moon and their sequels from a narrative perspective, and how the trials were an interesting spin on the gym challenges thing. Plus, I love Alola, since it took inspiration from Hawaii, which I also love. Sword, and to an extent Shield... are perhaps the most critically divisive since Pokemon Generation 3... maybe 6. As a fan of the series, there's a couple of things to enjoy from Generations 3 and 6. 3 had abilities, weather, some really amazing Poke'mon, the tight Battle Frontier, tight music, and great gym leaders, Elite Four, and champion. 6 brought in Fairy Types, which made the meta a bit more balanced, Mega Evolution (which doesn't happen much anymore), 3D models, and really good Pokemon. But, Sword and Shield are different. These two games are on the Nintendo Switch, the evolution of console and handheld gaming. And, the Switch has amazing games, such as Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey. Because of the high expectations of a new Pokemon game, people were understandably frustrated and shocked to see the underperformance of one of Nintendo's highest-grossing series. What went wrong, and what glimmers of hope might there be for the third installation... or perhaps sequels? 

 

The story is about a kid who lives in the world of Galar, a United Kingdom-inspred region. His next door neighbor is... Hop. Yes, Hop. Hop's brother, Leon, is the Poke'mon champion. The new kid and Hop get starter Poke'mon from Leon and begin their quest to defeat Leon. The Galar Region handles gyms differently, because it's more akin to soccer/football (where each gym has a stadium and there's thousands of people cheering the challengers on), and there's the Gym Challenge. The Gym Challenge is the same as the usual League battles, but there's more than one trainer at a time now who wants to beat Leon and be the champ, and the people who win all eight badges face each other in the last stretch. In fact, there's no Elite Four this time at all, and it takes some cues from the last generation. But, to even enter the Gym Challenge, the kid has to be endorsed. And, who else to endorse the kid, but the champ?! Along the way, the kid will also run into Marlie, a girl who is constantly cheered by Team Yell (the worst), and Bede, who is endorsed by Chairman Rose (the one responsible for the Gym Challenge). Remember how unique Blue, Silver, Wally, Cheren, and Gladion were? Blue was a jerk, Silver was just a criminal bad boy, Wally had self-esteem issues, Cheren just wanted to learn and make his Pokemon stronger (which may have got him his later job), and Gladion... had that catchy theme music with the cool bass. There is nothing really special that makes Marlie and Bede stand out from other rivals now. So, the Gym structure is the same, the evil team SUCKS, and the rivals aren't even great. I will give the games some points. I love Opal and her Gym, Kabu's Gym, Piers' battle, and Raihan's Gym and battle (even if it isn't the first time we've seen Raihan's gimmick). The rest are just mediocre and safe for Poke'mon standards. The stuff about the Darkest Day isn't entirely new, but it does juxtapose the existence of these games' big gimmick, so it gets somewhat of a pass. Overall, it just feels like a weaker Gen 7 plot. And it might get worse from there. 

 

Everyone has talked about how contradictory both games look. The games have the unique charm of making every place stand out from one another. But, that's maybe the only positive. Let's get into the big problems: the games reuse models of the last generation, but makes them look better, and some objects, like the Wild Area trees, are downright awful and lame. And don't get me started on the slow frame rate during internet play in the Wild Area, the pop-in, and the route design. Although the Wild Area is huge, the designers must have forgotten how to make interesting paths... and maybe even towns. There's basically nothing to do in towns but get clothes and go heal and shop as usual. I think the game's length really show how weak that all is. But, if there's one saving grace of the games, it's the soundtrack. Honestly, the Gym Leader- final Poke'mon song is so catchy, that the fans even sing along to it. 

 

Okay, so here's the big one: game-play. Dynamaxing makes every Poke'mon get bigger, and use high-powered moves. Unlike Mega Evolution, Dynamaxing doesn't last too long, and it's not really game-breaking. Seriously, against most of the Gym Leaders, I refused to use Dynamaxing, because I was too overpowered (although that's because the EXP Share cannot be removed this time, to a detriment for many). I was too good. I only used Dynamaxing for at least five to seven battles. Some Poke'mon can wander about, but some Poke'mon are shy until an "!" appears. So, it's the mix of Let's Go and Gen 7 I wanted. Speaking of which, the Wild Area includes a lot of areas and Poke'mon, and the places called Power Spots hold Max Raid Battles and/or Watts. Watts are used for getting some items and so on. The Max Raid Battles feature really strong Dyna/Gigamaxed Poke'mon. When fighting a Poke'mon in this state, one can locally or by the way of the internet battle the Poke'mon with up to three other players. The Wild Area also changes weather in each part every night (which changes which Poke'mon will be there, the Power Spots and other things will randomly appear and respawn, and there are a lot of Poke'mon... that wander around and might destroy a player if they don't have the best badges. Yes, the open-world nature of the Wild Area has a bit of a downside. One might think of going after a Poke'mon... until they realize how much "strong-looking" they are. Going up to an Onix after the first time of arriving might not be a good ideal. The same goes for Max Raid Battles. Like Alola, Galar has a good amount of regional variants, like Galarian Ponyta and Farfetch'd, and new... Poke'mon. 

 

Alright, there's no time to roam around the bush that needs to be beaten... the Galarian Poke'dex controversy has been a huge mess for the fans. The developers said it was because of graphical fidelity and probably Dynamaxing that a whole lot of Poke'mon were... cut. And there will be no way to transfer every Poke'mon into Sword at the very Poke'mon. The ones that are in the Poke'dex and are coded in the games will be able to be transferred. But, because the art style isn't really solid and the dynamaxing felt like it was totally unnecessary, I think there should have been more time to work on the games to include all of the Poke'mon. But, for whatever reason, it felt like these games were rushed... To be honest: THEY WERE. Poke'mon game cycles come around at least every three to four years now. But, for a Triple-A Nintendo Switch title, Game Freak didn't do its fans any favors. Now, some of the replacements felt like necessary goods, but like I said before, there's no method of consistency. I wrote ten evolutionary lines that would've benefited from the game's royal theming, but since then, it's been only the Dragonite, Kingdra, Miltank, Kritcketune, and Pyroar lines. At least 95% of my complaints were solved when I played the game. If Game Freak had a better time-frame to make games, and weren't also working on a new IP the same year, the Sword and Shield games would have fared better. And, if anything's to go by, Dynamaxing might as well came and went like Mega Evolutions and Z-Crystals. They too will be left behind, like most of the series' best ideas. It's only a matter of time Game Freak will make another gimmick that will divide the community.  

 

The post-game also feels lackluster. In the last generation, there was a really amazing plot which involved certain past individuals. It was insane! But, there's nothing there now. Except for catching more Poke'mon in the Wild Area, these games... might have the worst stuff afterwards. And camping with Poke'mon is rarely fun. The games have good ideas that might be left out in the next bunch. If they don't fix what needs fixing... we're doomed. 

 

As I tried to make a review for this game in particular, I tried to catch a Shiny Wooloo. Instead, a got a Shiny Rookadee. That's right: this game is a gray bird. Sure, this game has serious problems that might jeopardize the series with its strange exterior, but at the core of the matter, there are some really good bright beacons that could either make or break Poke'mon as we know it. Game Freak, just please listen. Take your time. Make the anime go as long as needed so you have enough time to make the best Poke'mon game you can. You need to slow down before things go horribly wrong. The community deserves better right now. Work on the models, work on the gameplay, and get working on those models we'll eventually see in 2024. I... We believe in you.

 

Edited by XLW
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Zero Time Dilemma 

Deadly Premonition 

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Shantae Half Genie Hero Ultimate Edition (Ninja Mode) 

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse

MegaMan X

MegaMan Zero 2

Super Castlevania IV

 

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - I have extremely mixed feelings about this particular oft-beloved classic. I want so much to love it as so many other people do. And the first half of the game- up until you fight Richter- is pretty great. I also respect the game for pioneering a new direction for the series. But I can't get over a few points of annoyance. Level design and enemy placement is occasionally so bad that I found myself bouncing between enemies and hazards, being comboed without a chance to recover. It's also very secretive, which I suspect is something you either hate or love, and I'm one of the former.  The entire reverse castle was an exercise in frustration before I looked up how to use the Gravity Boots online, and some of the later bosses require- yes, require, on account of rare undodgeable attacks- equipment that's tucked away in secret rooms that you'd never find on a casual playthrough. I'm looking at you, Beryl Circlet. Ultimately it's a much looser experience than the classicvanias, and I do lament that it defined Castlevania going forward, even though the format led to Order of Ecclesia. This was my first run, and maybe I'll feel differently about it on subsequent playthroughs. I hope so, at least. 

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- Gato Roboto (Switch)

A fun micro-Metroid game, though I wish it were longer (and that the controls weren't so slippery; I definitely crashed into things a lot). [image]
 
- My Friend Pedro (Switch)
Honestly, didn't like it as much as I thought I would. There's a surprising difficulty curve to really getting the hang of the game's sense of flow which means if you don't take the time to really train with the game it isn't that interesting. [image]
 
- The Last of Us Remastered (PS4)
Stealth kills are always satisfying—honestly I could do without any of the gun fights, just give me the stealth sections. The "puzzle" elements of the game are definitely meager, though. [image]
 
- Astral Chain (Switch)
Stylish and satisfying combat—pretty much what I'd expect from Platinum Games. [image]
 
- Banner Saga 2 (Switch)
Another great entry in "Excruciating Decisions: The Game." Looking forward to playing the third game and being similarly paralyzed with indecision. [image]
 

C : 103

H: 2

P: 0

M: 0

O: 105

Challenges: 16 points

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Zero Time Dilemma 

Deadly Premonition 

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Shantae Half Genie Hero Ultimate Edition (Ninja Mode) 

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse

MegaMan X

MegaMan Zero 2

Super Castlevania IV

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

 

Gravity Rush Remastered - I just came back to Gravity Rush after putting it down for nearly two years, and was quickly reminded of how much I loved it. The ending doesn't quite satisfy me, though, so the fact that I don't have to wait for the sequel is pretty great. I love the characters, the music, and the sheer joy of flying through the world. It's really unlike anything else. 

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I believe we are updated through this post, let me know if your score on the first page is wrong. 

 

Beat: One Piece Pirate Warriors 3, Switch

 

This game is a spin-off of a spin-off, of which I have played neither series it spun out of. 

 

 

hTuSLnI.jpg

Edited by blcdude1
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  • 2 weeks later...

- Dead End Job (Switch)

Review will be posted Monday! I'll hold off comments until then. [image]
 
- Pokémon Sword (Switch)
Another perfectly adequate Pokémon title. Kind of feels like one step forward, one step back, but overall it's still a fun Poké adventure. [image]
 
- Banner Saga 3 (Switch)
I think, after three games, I sort of have a handle on the combat system now. Still trap my characters in the middle of enemy units far too often though. [image]
 
- New Super Lucky's Tale (Switch)
Cute little game that does 3D platforming well even if it doesn't do it in a particularly new way. [image]
 
- Titanfall 2 (PS4)
Played through the campaign, which was pretty fun, and definitely has some neat ideas that separate it from a typical FPS, even beyond the whole Titan thing. Not sure how much of the multiplayer I'll actually play though. [image]
 
Challenges complete:
Silver 1) Three's a Crowd: Beat a Trilogy of games — Banner Saga trilogy
(I think I technically completed this one a while ago but wasn't paying attention)
 
Challenge games completed:
Astral Chain (Again, should've noted this one earlier)
Pokémon Sword
 

C : 108

H: 2

P: 0

M: 0

O: 110

Challenges: 21 points

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- Ori and the Bind Forest (Switch)

Beautiful Metroidvania platformer, though I got a little tired of those chase sequences where you'd have to restart the whole thing if you die. [image]
 
- EarthNight (Switch)
Love the weird style and premise of this game. Gameplay could have more depth, but it's an endless runner, so what are you gonna do. [image]
 
- Life is Strange 2 (PS4)
Have to admit, this game didn't have nearly the same emotional resonance as the first one for me, which is kind of key for a story-driven game like this. Still enjoyed it, but not as much as the first game. [image]
 
- Shovel Knight Showdown (Wii U)
Fun for a bit of chaotic multiplayer mayhem, though honestly I got pretty annoyed by how easy it is to get knocked back. [image]
 
- Shovel Knight: King of Cards (Wii U)
Yacht Club Games once again puts an incredible amount of work into making a new boss knight's campaign feel unique. Didn't love the card game, but after the first stage of card battles it feels much less frustrating. Really want to replay all of the Shovel Knight campaigns now! [image]
 

C : 113

H: 2

P: 0

M: 0

O: 115

Challenges: 21 points

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Zero Time Dilemma 

Deadly Premonition 

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Shantae Half Genie Hero Ultimate Edition (Ninja Mode) 

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse

MegaMan X

MegaMan Zero 2

Super Castlevania IV

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Gravity Rush Remastered

 

River City Girls - Played it couch co-op with a friend, the way it's meant to be played. Beat 'em ups aren't really my thing, and I have my problems with this one from a level design perspective. The map system is a little confusing, and a few times I had a moment where I'd solved a puzzle, but the game asked me to go back and do it again because the story hadn't called for me to solve that particular puzzle yet, necessitating some annoying backtracking. But I had a pretty fun time. Kyoko attacking people by dabbing is adorable. And Wayforward definitely handled the writing. Still the best thing about this one is the soundtrack. I love me some good synthwave, and it's nothing but good synthwave here. 

Edited by Laclipsey
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