A Winner Is You 2017 Edition

15. Mega Man X7 (PS2): So this game highlighted for me some of the things I love about the Mega Man X series, chiefly how fast and zippy the games are. I can see why Inafune made the dash such a central mechanic of Mighty No.9; it's a lot of fun and looks cool, too.

Because, you see, Mega Man X7 is not fast and zippy. The characters move about so sluggishly that this entry to the series should be called Water Level: The Game. Oh, and this is the first (and last) game in the series to put almost every boss battle in a 3D arena. Boss fights are less a test of speed and skill than an exercise in patience, struggling to keep the enemy in view as you frantically swing the camera around left and right, waiting for the chime of the auto lock to let you know you can get a couple shots in. Bosses take very little damage even when you are using the correct weapon and most subweapons allow only for half a dozen shots or before the energy depletes. Taking damage from enemy attacks is almost unavoidable, so boss battles quickly degenerate into tedious wars of attrition, whittling away at the energy bar with your p-shooter, and occasionally landing a charge shot when the clumsy dash mechanic doesn't make you blast it off in the wrong direction.

Oh, and slowdown.

Speaking of the camera, guess how you control it? With the shoulder buttons! Know how you cycle through your weapons? WITH THE GODDAM RIGHT ANALOG STICK!!! And that works exactly as well as you'd think.

The voice work is atrocious, even by Capcom's standards. Mega Man sounds like a lobotomized He-Man, Zero sounds like Wolverine, the new character Axl sounds like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and the bosses all sound like screaming retards.

Watch this video. I dare you.
https://youtu.be/CfTsvWTtoiQ



On a positive note, the music for Wind Crowrang's stage was excellent. It found a permanent spot on my iPod.

Uh, isn't Inafune a concept art guy, not a gameplay and level designer?

Don't you find the MMX1 stages more lacking then MMX2?

And how would you rank MM4, MM5 and MM6? There is only one correct answer, so choose smart, choose s smart.

45. Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap - PS4
http://i.imgur.com/qk1ngCi.jpg?1

A wonderful rendition of a classic. I really enjoyed the graphics and the music. I really like the dynamicity in these types of games. 'Last of which I played was Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, also on the PS4. Gameplay-wise, Dragon's Trap was very fun. Only one item made it fall a bit short of Pirate's Curse, if I were to make a comparison; and that was its relentless knock-back mechanics. I don't mind getting knocked back as part of the normal flow of gameplay (I prefer to just get hit, though). But here you end up in this loop where you can't escape for some time and you can't even use your sword; making the temporary invincibility kind of pointless. But this is coming from a gamer who enjoys playing aggressively. I'm sure there are others who play much more cautiously than I. I usually don't mind sacrificing some hit-points just so that I can enjoy a level or a boss my own way and get it out the way faster. Other than that, the game was very fun. I gotta say that this game has the most satisfying 2D flying mechanics I've ever dealt with. Great physics. Now I wish I owned the OG on the SMS so I could play it right now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by QuickSciFi

45. Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap - PS4
http://i.imgur.com/qk1ngCi.jpg?1

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Nice one!
Does the game have additional difficulty levels or just the standard one?

Regarding the knock-back, it was present on the original Master System version, so I think they intended to keep the remake as faithful as the original source as possible. If the boss battles on the remake are the same as they were on the original game, I think this work in the game's and also the player's favor, avoiding you from getting cheesed to death, as the bosses are big, very mobile and can only be hit on the head and also avoiding you from doing the same against them, a no-go for good designed boss battles.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Thief

Uh, isn't Inafune a concept art guy, not a gameplay and level designer?

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Well, the core mechanics of Might No.9 are pretty conceptual, right? I'm going to believe that he sketched out the game in broad strokes and then other people realized it (Inti Creates, I think?)

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Originally Posted by Thief

Don't you find the MMX1 stages more lacking then MMX2?

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A week ago I probably would have disagreed, but after replaying X2 recently, I'd concede to that (again, outside of the influence certain stages had on others).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Thief

And how would you rank MM4, MM5 and MM6? There is only one correct answer, so choose smart, choose s smart.

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I'll do you one better and rank the entire series. I have a feeling you might disagree, so I'll elaborate, if needed.

X1 - AWESOME
X2 - ALMOST as awesome
X4 - Production value overshadows the dusty game mechanics
X8 - Frustrating, but nearly successful at innovation and revitalizing the series
X5 - Same game as X4, unnecessarily convoluted story.
X3 - Nifty music, better bosses than X2... boring & frustrating
X6 - Completely boring & unnecessary (story ended at X5). Phoned in by Capcom.
X7 - Miserable attempt to revitalize the series (X8 was the apology for this one).

The ranking of X3 & X5 are pretty interchangeable, but I think X5 edges it out just slightly.

Inafune was the game's planner, something akin to a director. He also 'accidentally' created the wall dash :).

http://shmuplations.com/megamanx/

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MrMatthews

A week ago I probably would have disagreed, but after replaying X2 recently, I'd concede to that (again, outside of the influence certain stages had on others).



I'll do you one better and rank the entire series. I have a feeling you might disagree, so I'll elaborate, if needed.

X1 - AWESOME
X2 - ALMOST as awesome
X4 - Production value overshadows the dusty game mechanics
X8 - Frustrating, but nearly successful at innovation and revitalizing the series
X5 - Same game as X4, unnecessarily convoluted story.
X3 - Nifty music, better bosses than X2... boring & frustrating
X6 - Completely boring & unnecessary (story ended at X5). Phoned in by Capcom.
X7 - Miserable attempt to revitalize the series (X8 was the apology for this one).

The ranking of X3 & X5 are pretty interchangeable, but I think X5 edges it out just slightly.

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There just doesn't feel as much of a level to actually play in X1 as in X2. Especially when you look at the Sigma stages which is just small powerup filler sections before the next boss. I'm not as much of a fan of bosses over actually playing in their stages. Seeing X3 so low is a mystery to me too, but never touched the series past X4 that I had on Saturn and regretted I bought back in the day because I never returned to it - so can't comment on this decision of yours. Strange you like the bosses of X3 better then X2 because I've noticed they are the buttjoke of the speedrunning community, but again, can't personally comment as like I've said I'm not a boss guy. But the jokes are about how stupid and exploitable their AI are and/or how easy they are.

Ok, so can you now answer how you would rank MM4, MM5 and MM6. :D

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Originally Posted by Bottino

Inafune was the game's planner, something akin to a director. He also 'accidentally' created the wall dash :).

http://shmuplations.com/megamanx/

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Thanks for pointing this out for me. And ah, shmuplations. Need to catch up with this site a bit more these days, so nice to see he's still at it.

Alright, I've read that interview up to that wall kick part and so far this interview has done nothing but reinforce Inafune as not videogame planner material.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Thief

Seeing X3 so low is a mystery to me too, but never touched the series past X4 that I had on Saturn and regretted I bought back in the day because I never returned to it - so can't comment on this decision of yours. Strange you like the bosses of X3 better then X2 because I've noticed they are the buttjoke of the speedrunning community, but again, can't personally comment as like I've said I'm not a boss guy. But the jokes are about how stupid and exploitable their AI are and/or how easy they are.

Ok, so can you now answer how you would rank MM4, MM5 and MM6

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.

Truth be told, I rented X2 & X3 at the same time, and beat them both over the weekend. At that time I found X2 pretty "meh," but I loved X3. When I say I liked the bosses, I really meant that I just like their design. I don't really care how easy their weaknesses are to exploit, as that is kind of the point of the whole series. I liked how much more "out there" the animals were for the bosses in X3, compared to how pedestrian they seemed in X2, added to the fact that they were all so much bigger than X was, which was more like X1 than X2. X1 had an amazing soundtrack, and I was disappointed in X2's music. X3, however, was a return to the shredding metal style of the first game (Toxic Seahorse, Volt Catfish, for example).

Replaying X3 recently, however, I found that while the melodies are strong, the tracks themselves loop very quickly. Like how Storm Eagle's stage music is fantastic, but it's only like 30 seconds long: it's pretty much like that for every track in X3. Plus, the level design didn't quite hold up on subsequent playthroughs; they're pretty much just "run to the right until you get to the boss" with very few gimmicks or setpieces to speak of. Also, the power-ups are not so much cleverly-hidden as they were just tedious to get to.

Oh, and I really hate the final Sigma boss fight. Even back then, I didn't care for it.

Still a great game, it's just that looking closer, you can see the laziness and paint-by-numbers game design that Capcom all too often leans on.


Mega Man 4, 5, and 6?

First of all, I like them all.

But if you twisted my arm, I'd put rank them as 6, 4, 5.

4 looks great and sounds great, but there's not much that separates it from Mega Man 3. One of my favorite soundtracks in the series, however.

5 was Capcom phoning it in. It's still Mega Man, but outside of Gravity Man, there's nothing particularly inspired about that game. I know everyone likes Napalm Man, but I think he's a poser.

6 is the most underrated game in the whole series, in my opinion. Capcom was too lazy to even publish that one themselves. I really liked the multiple pathways through the levels and the "secret exits." Oh, and I thought the mechanic of having Rush turn into a suit was way cooler than the silliness they were doing with him in Mega Man 5.

I just asked for 4, 5 and 6 because those are the latest MM games I've played. I played them backwards too and my conclusion was 4, 6, 5. So at least we both agree 5 is the weakest. But really, I'm not that crazy for 6 either. 4, however, is really great and stands more toe to toe with my childhood 2 & 3 memories.

My only complaint about Mega Man 4 is that the charge shot drowns out the music. :?

Charge shot should never have been introduced.

It renders the special weapons moot.

Oh, and to anyone who wants to state the obvious:

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Originally Posted by Johnny Jackass

DURR, why don't you liek, not use the charge shot and stuff? Git gud! Pwned!1!!!

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Because I'm from the NES era. It's pure muscle memory to hold the B button down for the entirety of the game.

Stuff it, Johnny.

Sonic Mania (PS4)

Originally pre-ordered the PC version, but the delay happened, I couldn't wait, yada yada. So PS4 version. The game is pure nostalgia, and I loved every min of it. I felt like I did all those years ago when I came home from school and saw my father playing a game featuring Sonic on the Mega Drive which puzzled me as I owned both of them, yet this one was alien to me. It was Sonic 3. Sonic mfing 3. I remember being blown away by it, and that's exactly the feeling I had here.

The remixed zones didn't bother me as much as I thought they would as they borrow elements from other stages in other games, making them truly unique experiences. But man, the standout part of this game is the new levels. Wow. They really scored a hole in one with those, really well designed and memorable. I esp like the final stage, mainly for the fact it blends in the best bits from Metropolis and some of the aesthetics of Gene Gadget. And the music. Damn, this game's music is good. Standouts for me being the Robotnik theme and Lava Reef Act 2.

Beat the game as Sonic without going for the emeralds. Did try to get them via the Cleared save, but I couldn't get my Saturn adapter to work with the console, and there's no way I could do them with the DS4 (yes Thief, the dpad sucks. I finally agree with you on that now. For 2D games at least.), so I gave up. In all, one of the best Sonic games I've ever played. S3&K still knocks it by miles, but it now sits in the top 5 for me, at third place (Sonic CD being 2nd - overrated, my ass. Underrated more like!).

Sonic Mania (PC)

So I finally got to play this again on the format I originally wanted it on. And it was well worth the wait. Played it at 4k as Sonic and Tails, with my Saturn controller (yay!) and somehow enjoyed it even more. Even got all the emeralds this time, so I got to play the true final boss, and thus properly beat the game. In all, fucking brilliant game. Would recommend it to anyone.

My only worry now is, all interest in Sonic Forces is gone. I NEED more 2D Classic Sonic in my life, and Forces just look shittier by the minute.

16. Mega Man Network Transmission (GameCube):

This is a direct sequel to Mega Man Battle Network on the Game Boy Advance, only instead of an isometric quasi-RPG, it's a 2.5D platformer. From a glance, it's your typical Mega Man game; this version can still run, shoot, jump, and slide. Any additional moves and weapons beyond the stock Mega Man skillset are activated by "chips," which are collected from defeated enemies and doled out randomly in sets of five. The only real challenge in this game comes from the annoying RNG element of this chip system. Often times the game comes to a screeching halt while you wait for a specific chip to come up so you can overcome a certain enemy or obstacle.

Much like the GBA original (which I played 15 or 16 years ago), I neither hated or especially enjoyed my playthrough of this game. I really don't like this version of Mega Man, and the chip system never grabbed my attention. I think even Capcom was skeptical about bringing this game to North America, as they didn't even completely localize it. All the menus and pop-up dialogue boxes were in English, but the characters all spoke Japanese. The graphics aren't too hard on the eyes and some of the alternate versions of characters like Fire Man and Shadow Man are pretty cool, but the cutscenes are animated with motion capture (gross!).

Moving on...

46. Inversion - PS3
http://i.imgur.com/w6KJU5c.jpg?1

Finally! A 3rd person shooter I can fully enjoy with normal camera controls. It's been such a long time. And I don't think I've ever been able to enjoy one like this at that. At most, I'd say something close to 70% enjoyment. This one was downright perfect for the job. And it was a great game as well. It's no 10/10, or even 9/10. But it will remain a fully enjoyable experience in my book. Fun gameplay dynamics, interesting story, and very good graphics. Very satisfying trigger haptic feedback as well, might I add. And now that I've finally crossed that bridge. I think I'm ready for some Gears of War before I lose this streak. I hope I can get used to both styles from now on (at least windshield bug view, that is).

[EDIT]

ALSO, it's official. I've now beaten as many PS3 games as I have Sega Genesis games. Exactly 94 each. Both my most played consoles of all time. I wonder which one will reach that 100 games mark first. :D

17. Alien Hominid (GameCube):

I love Behemoth games. I'd like to have some record of how many hours I've poured into Castle Crashers, as I'm sure it rivals just about any other game I've ever played.

Alien Hominid has the same art style and humor, but not quite the fun level. It is ludicrously hard right out of the gate, yet almost unfairly forgiving. You can literally bulldoze through this game using what are basically infinite continues (getting a GAME OVER sends you back to the title screen, but you can still choose to restart from the last level you played).

There doesn't seem to be much incentive to play through the game well, however. It's odd, then, that this got a full console release, as there's not really a lot of content here for even a budget title. The game is also a bit too long for me to consider it particularly replayable, so I doubt I'll be revisiting this one too often.

The alien is undeniably adorable, however.

47. Gears of War - Xbox 360
http://i.imgur.com/TB4komr.jpg?1

Premise is confusing. Story is incomprehensible. But the gameplay is on-point! WoW! I've been meaning to tackle this one with ease. First I had issues with the lack of x-axis camera inversion; then it was the fact that my saves got deleted my mistake bc of a major design flaw in the menu system (the Continue button is second to the Start New Game Button; which always kills me when this is stupidly implemented in modern games. I'm way too quick to restart the game to ponder on which option I need to choose to continue my last save :?). But, finally, I got accustomed to play it as though I would a normal FPS (with normal camera controls). And I tried to rush it so as to avoid pressing that stupid Start New Game button by mistake again.

This game has the most satisfying standard rapid-fire trigger button I've ever played in any shooter, ever! Here's to hoping the rest of the series has the same haptic feedback and standard rapid fire on some of the weapons. I loved this game. Mainly because of the gameplay. I had some issues with coping with the fact that it is also 50/50 a cover game/shooter; since I'm more of an aggressive gamer when it comes to this genre. But once I got used to the slow-downs getting behind covers, I really started enjoying it at just the right pace. I can't wait to get throught this series. It's all leading towards Gears of War 4. The game has amazing graphics and it is probably the last worthy Xbox console exclusive game I actually want to play. So I'm definitely stoked about that one.

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Originally Posted by QuickSciFi

47. Gears of War - Xbox 360
http://i.imgur.com/TB4komr.jpg?1

Premise is confusing. Story is incomprehensible.

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Yeah, I always found it odd that there is a fair amount of backstory hinted at in this game, but the game itself doesn't really waste much time on exposition.

I'll be interested to hear your opinion of Gears of War 2. They changed music composers for that one (to Steve Jablonsky from the Transformers movies), which was part of the more melodramatic turn they took with the series from here on out.

Still a blast to play, though. I also liked the extra gameplay modes they brought in.

Yeah, I did forget to mention how amazing the music was. Very John Williams like. It felt like I was listening to Star Wars tunes at times. On that note. I also noticed some 90s and early 2000s SciFi inspiration as well in plot and gameplay design; a bit of Starship Troopers (the movie), A bit of Pitch Black.

As far as story goes, I still don't know what the bad guys really are, what they want, or if this is even Earth.

The story in Gears of War 2 is more like Lord of the Rings (deliberately so, I think).

After playing the first two games 3-4 times each (and then watching all the cinematic moments to Gears of War 3 on YouTube to give myself closure to the story), I can honestly say that the story stays pretty nonsensical all the way through.


Oh, and Steve Jablonsky's score is probably the better of the two (give "Armored Prayer" a listen), but I prefer how bombastic the original Kevin Reipl score was. I know he was working on some stuff for Gears of War 2, but I think this just ended up not fitting with the direction they wanted to take the series in.

http://www.sega-16.com/forum/attachm...7&d=1504627563

Persona 4

After beating P3 FES earlier in the year, I immediately acquired a copy of its sequel, a game I'd heard about for years but never experienced. After putting in 80 hours over the past two months, I can say this game is definitely an experience - an emotional rollercoaster. At the start, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it as much as P3, but by the end, I was in love.

More than any game I can think of, I became so attached to these characters. Over the year of time you spend with Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, and the others, you learn so much about their personalities, fears, and dreams that you can't help but care about them, and you'll be thinking about them long after the game ends. The cast is excellent. You learn the streets of Inaba, and though it is a little more cramped than the island from P3, its still cozy.

The story is a little more grounded than P3, at first seeming like a Scooby Doo murder mystery, but it eventually blossoms into much more. You and your band of friends roam the streets and dungeons searching for clues as to who is murdering the residents of your town and what is behind the mysterious Midnight Channel and TV world that you have access to. The story is not as relentlessly dark and depressing as P3, but there are still some very serious elements.

P4 addresses all kinds of issues, from struggles with gender and sexuality, the influence of mass media, repressed emotions, sociopathic teens, etc. In order to master their personas, each member of the gang must confront their shadows, the worst parts of themselves that they are most afraid of: repressed sexuality, jealousy, fear, rage, immaturity. It is only by accepting these parts of themselves that they can truly change and become heroes.

The graphics are wonderful and expressive. The music is somehow even better than its predecessor. Voice acting is top-notch. The dungeons are more varied. The events are fun and hilarious. Bosses are tough, but rarely frustratingly hard. Altogether, this is not only one of the best games I've played this year, its one of the best games I've played in my life. I don't have a Vita, but I may have to get one to experience the definitive edition, P4 Golden. I highly recommend this series to all RPG fans and anyone who enjoys a good story and wonderful characters. You will not be disappointed.

Now I need to play Persona 5!

10/10

http://www.sega-16.com/forum/attachm...6&d=1504627547

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MrMatthews

The story in Gears of War 2 is more like Lord of the Rings (deliberately so, I think).

After playing the first two games 3-4 times each (and then watching all the cinematic moments to Gears of War 3 on YouTube to give myself closure to the story), I can honestly say that the story stays pretty nonsensical all the way through.


Oh, and Steve Jablonsky's score is probably the better of the two (give "Armored Prayer" a listen), but I prefer how bombastic the original Kevin Reipl score was. I know he was working on some stuff for Gears of War 2, but I think this just ended up not fitting with the direction they wanted to take the series in.

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Being a dedicated fan of Tolkien, I'd say Lord of the Rings may be a bit of a stretch for a comparison ;); but I can see where you're coming from. You're probably thinking about the films.

48. Gears of War 2 - Xbox 360
http://i.imgur.com/TB4komr.jpg?1

I enjoyed the first one thoroughly. I enjoyed part 2 even more! I loved the dynamicity in level design. Not a dull moment. I also enjoyed the gameplay even more here. I deferred from using the main chainsaw bayonet on part 1, mainly because it detracted from a quick melee kill; but since you were forced to use it from the start, I enjoyed how satisfying those kills were. And, boy, after that moment with Dominic's wife... soooo heart-wrenching! I just wanted to do exactly what he wanted to do. Mayhem! Pure mayhem! Judgement should've been about Dominic. I don't know what part 3 entails yet (maybe he dies? I don't know. But what I do know is that I wanted so badly to take Dom's reins and just destroy everything!

Also, I keep forgetting how old these games actually are. They are not only spot-on in terms of gameplay design; but also in graphics. Definitely ahead of their time. So glad this and the Halo series mark a solid exclusive franchise on the Xbox brand. I love exclusives. :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by QuickSciFi

Being a dedicated fan of Tolkien, I'd say Lord of the Rings may be a bit of a stretch for a comparison ;); but I can see where you're coming from. You're probably thinking about the films.

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Granted I haven't read much of the books... BUT I got a distinct Return of the King vibe from the last half of the game... and that was before they added the extra chapter where Marcus & Dom disguise themselves as Locust (which I never played :( )

I noticed that on what I think is the "All Fronts Pack". I was 50/50 on whether I wanted to play it or move on to Part 3. I went with Part 3 ;). 'Way I see it, if i got caught up on every single DLC extra level type content, It would take way longer to access the rest of my library.

49. Sonic Mania - PS4
http://i.imgur.com/wqXnRhQ.jpg?1

Loved it! :D Game physics are on point. Graphics are fantastic. Music is perfect. I beat the regular mode; only managed to get 3 emeralds on my first playthrough. I will consider this one beaten in the meantime. I was really hoping to get emeralds on the blue sphere 3&Knuckles style zones, but there were coins instead. That's too bad, I was kicking ass in those. But after a while, I gave up trying hard on them since there weren't emeralds given. The whole game felt really fluid. Someone mentioned it was longer than Sonic 3 & Knuckles combined. I don't know about that. It felt more like the same length or perhaps shorter. Either way, I'm definitely giving this one another playthrough. And if the emeralds cross over with your saved games, I will definitely try to go for all of them.

Here's hoping it gets a physical release. I would most-definitely double-dip.

How about the zone sizes, did they feel bigger then the ones in S3&K?

^Sonic stages got larger and larger starting with Sonic 3. I remember how long they felt in Sonic 3 & Knuckles the first time I played them after Sonic 2. Mania didn't feel utterly long. Just right.

50. Sonic Colors - DS
http://i.imgur.com/wEGuh2D.jpg?1

Yet another Sonic game crossed-off my to-do list, and yet again another great game. Like I've said before, I love experiencing more and more Sonic games on my own, as more and more they prove the "general" Nintendrone consensus utterly wrong about Sonic games being bad after Adventure (1). If anything, they continue to be awesome.

This game is completely in 2D. It's the usual handheld counterpart of its namesake console version; a more concise, shorter version. But still perfectly fun, and a unique game in its own right. You get but a taste of each of the Wisps' abilities (one per stage); after which you move on to the next until you beat the game. Which version should you play? Both! While not the graphical marvel that Sonic Colors was on the Wii (quite possibly one of the best-looking Wii games ever made), this DS version still holds the same fun factor as most 2D Sonic titles. A solid 2 to 3 hours of pure fun.

Not exactly talking length. But overall verticality and width of stages. They didn't feel as funneling as the ones in S3&K, basically felt too much go in any direction reminisce of an open 3D world collect them all-athon.

^I think you have forgotten Sonic 1 and 2 already. You have to go in all directions in many levels to reach the end of the stage. Nothing new.

51. Sonic the Hedgehog - Sega 3D Classics Collection -
3DS
https://imgur.com/s3TiwWf.jpg?1

Simpler than its counterparts, made all the more awesome with the added spin dash and 3D grapbical effects loved it. You can even enter stage select mode with the press of a button. Not a feature I normally use, but it's nice to know it's there.

52 Altered Beast- Sega 3D Classics Collection -
3DS
https://imgur.com/s3TiwWf.jpeg?1

It's Altered Beast, the Sega Genesis version, and it looks super colorful and beautiful. Plays great. Difficult to get the hang of the action buttons at first, but it's doable and still fun.


53. Spongebob's Atlantis Squarepantis - Nintendo DS
https://imgur.com/Qb290Rm.jpeg?1

What can I say, I'm bored, with only some handhelds left with some juice after the power went out. This is one of those dollar titles you find at GameStop and pick it up based on the covers. I had no expectations from it, and that's why I had fun with it. Very simplistic with noticeably-unpolished design, but still very playable.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by QuickSciFi

53. Spongebob's Atlantis Squarepantis - Nintendo DS

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No game left behind. I approve.

I'm not saying that all games deserve your attention, but I love the pleasant surprises that come from taking some chances on throwaway titles (see also: Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland on DS)

Thanks, MrMatthews. I thought you'd approve.:) I would rep, but can't yet.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by QuickSciFi

^I think you have forgotten Sonic 1 and 2 already. You have to go in all directions in many levels to reach the end of the stage. Nothing new.

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I didn't forget, I meant the Genesis Sonic games had more focused routes through their stages then what I felt in Sonic Mania which seemed too exploring focused to the point of losing motivation in exploring anyway. Basically Sonic Mania level design is not focused enough for running away with the idea that more is better.

Maybe you played it with a focus to access those special emmerald stages. I played it like I did any other Sonic game, I just kept going nonstop until I hit the end of the act. It felt just right. :)

Not at 1 emerald.

Yeah, I got access to like 5 UFO stages without even trying. I'm sure if I played it as much as I did Sonic 2 bitd, I could speed run it with a mindset of acquiring all the emeralds.

I finally got 10 games down in 2017, so let's get my winner's log rolling :D

http://www.kollision.biz/games/xbl/v...reRage_Box.jpg
1. Vampire Rage (XBLIG)
Vertizontal with visuals heavily influenced by Mushihimesama Futari, plus some GigaWing'esque reflect mechanics thrown in.
Not bad, but painstakingly short.

http://www.kollision.biz/games/xbox3...ersary_Box.jpg
2. XII Zeal (Xbox 360)
Known previously as XII Stag on the Playstation 2, this spiritual prequel to Trizeal has uneven difficulty but it's fun enough be it for survival or for scoring.

http://www.kollision.biz/games/xbl/o...hNoes2_Box.jpg
3. Oh Noes!! 2: Attack of the Space Burger! (XBLIG)
Crazy ass twin stick shooter with a flavor of Hollywood's old movies about a giant killer burger vs Ecco the Dolphin, Red Crab and Slayer Chicken.
Got wack?

http://www.kollision.biz/games/xbl/p...cSolid_Box.jpg
4. Prismatic Solid (XBLIG)
At first I thought this nice and colorful game did not get any harder on higher loops, but it (fortunately) does. It's like a vertical Xexex/X-Multiply/Silpheed on polygonal steroids.
It's reasonably fun, but a little more boldness from the developers would've certainly made this a really GREAT game (I don't know if the PS4 version has any improvements).

http://www.kollision.biz/games/megaD...usSeed_Box.jpg
5. Dangerous Seed (Mega Drive)
Watered down and much easier version of a tough arcade game.
The port feels rushed in its second half, it seems the developer ran out of ideas or resources.

http://www.kollision.biz/games/pcEng...oldier_Box.jpg
6. Final Soldier (PC Engine)
More of the same, in fact this one seems like a rehash of Super Star Soldier with no new things added.

http://www.kollision.biz/games/pcEng...rBlade_Box.jpg
7. Soldier Blade (PC Engine)
The sequel gets a little better and more cohesive all around, but still... Not really remarkable in the long run.
I tried, but now I know I'm not a fan of the Soldier games.

http://www.kollision.biz/games/pc/bl...ection_Box.jpg
8. Blue Wish Resurrection (PC)
Outstanding freeware shooter with amazing gameplay, inspired by Cave. I beat Original mode with the Blue Wish ship.

http://www.kollision.biz/games/ps2/g...dius34_Box.jpg
9. Gradius IV (Playstation 2)
After a few months of free practice I finally got the clear, using configuration type 6.
Even though it lacks the epicness of part III, I like the visual upgrades and the fact that you can recover from all checkpoints in Gradius IV.

http://www.kollision.biz/games/nes/scat/scat_Box.jpg
10. S.C.A.T. (NES)
A neat little mix of Forgotten Worlds and Contra. A few more levels would've been better, but it's okay for a quick diversion.

You beat Gradius IV and two Soldier Blade games recently? Need to check that blog out pronto. I've been watching Aquas from STG Weekly stream getting back into Gradius IV too recently, made me charge up my PSP again for some Gradius action myself.

I love me some Gradius, but damn ... I'm not particularly good at any of the games. I practiced for weeks at SNES Gradius III and could only beat it on easy. I tried the arcade version on the PS2 collection and got my ass handed to me pretty quickly.

And Thief, I don't care what you say: Gradius II is hard.

Gradius III (ac) and IV are the hardest in the series without a doubt.

Oh and btw cleared Metal Slug and Tatsujin recently :) (well I played Tatsujin months ago but now I went for more loops)