A Winner Is You! (2012)

Worms Ultimate Mayhem (XBLA)

Finished the Worms 3D campaign a few days ago.

61. Gain Ground (Genesis)

This, on the other hand, is one of my favorite games in the Genesis library. Bizarrely enough, I'd never played it on anything but co-op before, and had also only ever played Easy difficulty (which we beat earlier this year).

But it's the kind of game where the main challenge is in learning each character's strength and how to approach each stage, so Hard didn't change too much; if anything it simplifies matters since you no longer have to avoid killing all the enemies in order to rescue your comrades.

OTOH the dynamics of the game totally change in single-player mode, since you can no longer rely on having two complementary characters (i.e. one fast-moving, short-range fighter to clear out the first wave of nearby enemies, and one slow-moving artillery type to nail the foes at the back without risk).

Anyway, this is an absolute classic that accomplishes everything it sets out to do, so the Sega-16 rating is absolutely correct: 10/10. (On another site it might get 9/10 for the lo-fi graphics and abortive ending, but why quibble?)

16. Vectorman 2 - Sega Genesis

http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1350871752

I had been holding-off for this one since the last days of the Sega Genesis. I remember purchasing it, along with a bunch of other cardboard-box only Genesis games, from Toys R Us. I remember it being a major let-down back in the day. Vectorman (the first part) was such an iconic game. It was so well refined and polished. After all these years, decided to give this one another try once and for all. I was pleasantly pleased this time around to find that the gameplay mechanics (specifically, how you control Vectorman) is still very much the same as in part 1. Even though the game turned out to be a little less polished than the first one, I'd say it's still a solid game all-throughout. Boy, what a treat. Vectorman ftw. :D

#29 Choplifter HD (PC)- As a fan of the original arcade game, when this sequel went down to $3.50 for everything (game and DLC together), I decided to give it a try. There were some cheap spots in some of the stages, but I had fun with it. Some of the bantering was humorous, the visuals were pretty good (nice sense of depth), and it offered a decent challenge to get five stars on everything and find all the secrets. Not sure if I'd pay $14 for the whole package, but it was definitely worth $3.50.

Batman Arkham Asylum - Game of the Year (PC)

Fantastic game. Beat it on Normal, loved it from start to finish. Final boss was a little easy for my likening though, but the rest of the game was challenging enough. Gonna restart on Hard and then do the extra modes.

17. Castlevania: Bloodlines - Sega Genesis

http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1351419860

I can't believe I actually beat my first pre-Symphony of the Night Castlevania. This game has everything going for it, gameplay, graphics, music, you name it. Definitely a Grade A title for the system (and 16-bit gaming overall). The game is definitely hard (even on Easy mode), but mainly due to the platforming elements, as is true of virtually every Castlevania game. The bosses are a treat, since you can memorize some of their moves. The only boss I actually had trouble with was the "Gargoyle"/Dragon boss. It requires a lot more concentration than the other ones (even Dracula). I beat it on Easy, and I will consider this one "beaten". At least for now. This game is so addictive, I think it was that very quality of it that allowed me to hone my skills so rapidly. It doesn't feel like a chore at all; and that's when you know you've got a great game at hand.

Grade A title, baby! :D

[EDIT] I just went back and beat the game in "Normal" mode. I'll definitely consider this one beaten. Good times. :D

updating

# 27 – Gradius (PS1)
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From the Gradius Deluxe Pack, in every way equivalent to the Saturn one. Classic.

# 28 – Scramble Spirits (Master System)
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Poor port of the Sega arcade, quite easy even with the iffy hit detection.

# 29 – R-Type (XBLA)
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The HD overhaul is absolutely gorgeous.

# 30 – In the Hunt (PS1)
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The “Metal Slug”-type graphics are very nice, but I wish the pace was a bit faster.

# 31 – Salamander 2 (Saturn)
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Stunning sequel that improves on the original in every possible way. Awesome soundtrack as well.

# 32 – Sine Mora (XBLA)
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A bit misunderstood due to its differences from the norm, and also very cruel to a few stupid mistakes. Still a beautiful game though, worth a try if you’re able to appreciate distinct styles of gameplay.

# 33 – Imperium (SNES)
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A poor man’s MUSHA that gets very hard halfway through.

# 34 – Blazing Star (Neo Geo)
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Probably the most impressive of the Neo Geo shooters. Graphics, sound, challenge, all top notch.

# 35 – Gradius II (NES)
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A little disappointing as far as the well-known difficulty of the Gradius series goes, but fun while it lasts.

# 36 – Hyper Duel (Saturn)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oj4Pq9jH-d...erDuel_Box.jpg
Good old Technosoft goodness, the game is just beautiful in Saturn mode. It’s decent, albeit a bit too short.

# 37 – Strike Witches (Xbox 360)
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dFSomsjDBS...itches_Box.jpg
Twin-stick shooter with poor graphic design, but there's a mildly engaging scoring system hidden in there.

# 38 – Gradius III (SNES)
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The watered down difficulty makes this a considerably easier game than the arcade original. Still a very nice game.

62. Onslaught (Genesis)

Beat Amateur/Tutor mode last night, and Professional/Human mode today, albeit using two very different approaches.

I'm planning to review this hybrid platformer/strategy/tube shooter for the site, so I'll refrain from saying anything except: uggggggh.

38. Castlevania Chronicles (PSX): This is probably the hardest game I've beaten so far (thank god for unlimited continues). Fortunately, the considerable difficulty never made me want to snap my PSP in half. Although there were some spectacularly cheap moments in the game's latter half (eat my fucking asshole, Clocktower, you goddam cunt), it was nice to see that levels that seemed truly insurmountable on the first few playthroughs became much more manageable once the level design and enemy lay-outs became more familiar.

In the end, Dracula himself ended up being a bit more of a pushover than I expected. After using half a dozen continues getting the hang of his attack patterns, he eventually fell to the age-old tactic of spamming boomerangs in his face.

Special shout-out to the soundtrack. I've been enjoying "Tower of Dolls" on my iPhone for a while and never knew which game it came from.

^I felt the same about Dracula in Castlevania Bloodlines. To this day, the hardest end-level boss I've had to beat has been Dracula in Circle of the Moon (and that's with all kinds of power-ups, sub-weapons, magic cards and such. Go figure).

I beat CotM a looooong time ago (as in, there were probably only a dozen other GBA games to choose from at the time), so I don't remember the specifics of the battle. But you aren't the first person I've heard who said that Dracula battle in particular was especially annoying. I don't remember struggling with it very much, but I remember it taking forever. My strategy, as I recall, was to keeping super jumping past the top of the screen, but I don't remember exactly what advantage that afforded me.

Yup. you remember it alright. That's pretty much the only strategy I remember myself. It was more of an endurance battle than anything else. And that's what made it difficult.

...bump

18. Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi - Sega Genesis

http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1351653755

I can't believe how easy this game was, especially with the one-hit-kills that take you all the way back to the beginning of the level. I thought this was going to be some hardcore game like Revenge of Shinobi, or even Rolling Thunder 2 (with which is shares the same style of gameplay). I really liked this game. It reminds me of earlier sidescrollers like Two Crude Dudes, with just 5 levels, but all of them awesomely addictive. This is what gaming is all about. Perfectly-smooth gameplay, lightning fast responsive controls (I'm looking in your direction Revenge of Shinobi) and no frustrating levels in the middle of the game that would break an otherwise perfectly smooth of gameplay (I'm looking in your direction Earthworm Jim). I give this one to thumbs way up.

Took out three Game Boy games while the power was out:

63. Jimmy Connors Tennis (Game Boy)

Decent groundstroke mechanics that reward attacking play, but undermined by ridiculously slow serving, shoddy programming, and repetitive gameplay (you take on the same opponent over and over again). Looks like a rush job, but it does encourage you to play a bit like Connors ca. 1991: retrieve improbable overheads, take big cuts at powderpuff serves from well inside the baseline, and win points with artless but punishing half-volleys. 4/10.

64. Go! Go! Tank (Game Boy)

You're a plane, and your job is to get the eponymous tank to a fortress at the end of the level. You use a hook attached to the bottom of your plane to move blocks around, remodeling the landscape so that the tank doesn't endlessly crash into walls (or fall into irretrievable pits). Meanwhile, enemies shoot at you and otherwise harass you. Great concept, but the execution is overly frustrating, thanks to finicky timing and occasional cheap hits from edge-spawning enemies on a small screen. 5/10.

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

Competent action-platformer offers a stage select from the beginning -- but also offers a better ending than the one I got if you play through from start to finish with no GAME OVERs, so that adds some necessary challenge and I'll probably revisit it. Still, I thought this was just OK, and was disappointed by the lack of differentiation between the turtles. 6/10.

Felony 11-79 (PS1)

Finished all three (yes, THREE) missions today. Shame it was THAT short, since it was a pretty fun game. I still need to unlock all cars, though.

I think I should move on to Runabout 2.