Games You've Beat in 2014

[TheFlyingGerbil]

I do feel the characters actually had character (and development) in Skyward Sword compared to other Zelda games and it seemed to be the plot that drove you forward rather than just the discovery of new items. Definitely an enjoyable game.

[TheMightyEthan]

 

Pikmin 3.  Really enjoyed it, best of the series imo.

[TheFlyingGerbil]

I can see it's a good game, I just can't enjoy it, unfortunately. I only got to the first boss - lost a truck load of pikmin and remembered I can't deal with the stress of deciding how many pikmin is an acceptable loss or whether to restart the day - plus there are the fruit supplies to worry about so you have to decide if you've been productive enough that day to justify a juice being used up. Pretty much I'm always second guessing myself and hesitant to press on.

 

I think to enjoy it I'd need it so the only constraint is finishing your tasks during the day/night cycle. Losing pikmin would be fine if I knew I could spend the next day concentrated on growing more, but in the current game that would be a waste of juice.

Edited July 2, 2014 by TheFlyingGerbil

[TheMightyEthan]

It's so easy to stockpile huge amounts of juice though.  I finished the game in 42 days and still had 59 days' worth of spare juice in my hold.

[TheFlyingGerbil]

I'll definitely go back to it. Just probably only play a few days at a time and I'll probably have a read around on strategies for simpletons.

[TornadoCreator]

Games I've beat this year so far include;

 

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D - 3DS

Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete - PSVita

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune - PS3

Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers - Dreamcast

Super Mario 3D Land - 3DS

Alice: Madness Returns - PS3

DmC: Devil May Cry - PS3

 

So far I've really enjoyed the games I've played this year with Alice and Dynasty Warriors being so good they've made it into my top 10 games of all time. Currently I'm playing though a few Wii U and PS3 games that I'm really into too that may well make it into my top 10 also... it's been a good year for games for me.

[TheMightyEthan]

Ooh, of you liked Uncharted you really need to play Uncharted 2, it's better in basically every way.

[TornadoCreator]

Ooh, of you liked Uncharted you really need to play Uncharted 2, it's better in basically every way.

 

It's on my shelf, on my backlog list. I'm just playing a few others first. I try not to play games from the same franchise one after another as I don't want anything to get old and samey. I hope to get to Uncharted 2 before the end of the summer though.

[toxicitizen]

It's on my shelf, on my backlog list. I'm just playing a few others first. I try not to play games from the same franchise one after another as I don't want anything to get old and samey. I hope to get to Uncharted 2 before the end of the summer though.

Uncharted 2 won't feel samey coming from Uncharted 1. From 2 to 3, though, now that's another story.

[Mal]

Wolfenstein The New Order (Slight spoilers)

 

In short, this game blew me away. Specs Ops The Line wished it had this good gameplay. This might be the Sleeping Dogs of the FPS genre.

 

This game is the prime example of what devs can do if they focus on one part of the game, single player in this case. First off, the levels are made in similar ways to Wolfenstein 3D where there are hidden secrets or passages within the level. So while the game is linear, the gameplay isn't. You totally can start on top of a building, working your way down or you can just start on the ground floor then get to the basement. You can also suddenly become quite powerful if you manage to get to some hidden weapons (Who knew a pistol or knife is so useful?). Overall the levels are designed really well in which it is old school in a good way (Unlike say Doom where you can get totally lost). The levels and the enemies are also quite varied. The enemies will all function the same but they will visually be distinct with their appearance based on the levels they are found in. For example, you will be on the Moon (MOON NAZIS) and you'll reenact Star Wars where the stormtroopers, who fire lasers, can aim and murder you.

 

Gameplay wise, it feels meaty and dense but it doesn't mean that you can go total BJ on some Nazis. So this game allows you to approach the enemies however you want. So your first playthrough you might find yourself playing a cover shooter with a healthy dose of stealth but later on, you might go Rambo even though ideally you may want to be stealthy. Weapon wise, it is nice and concise without being boring. You'll find yourself using most, if not all, of the guns. They all have their place.

 

Surprisingly enough, it has a decent story. Okay, some of the stuff doesn't make sense but then again, this is Wolfenstein where Nazi science experiments meant something. One of my favorite parts isn't even where I shoot people but merely interacted with characters. Since I mentioned Specs Ops The Line, I don't think I need to say more but say that you should just play the game. Like Spec Ops, this game is rated M for good reasons.

---

So the problems... there are a few cases of bad level design and/or coding. The most glaring one is one level you'll find yourself without much cover in a level which can spawn in a totally different item set than that you jump into if you die and respawn. You could potentially miss out on a collectable which is needed for unlocking a special mode. Not to mention you respawn in a condition lower than which you checkpointed with. I do not recall any other spots that does all this. Everywhere else, everything respawn as is as do me.

 

The passive AI really suffers from being near sighted, with the dogs being notable. Think MGS1 bad. What am I standing in front of, a Jurassic Park T-rex?

 

Lastly, you would think shooting or tossing munitions up there should change things but no (also I should mention that you have the option walk away certain stuff which is nice, not sure if that changes anything though...).

 

 

 

It's on my shelf, on my backlog list. I'm just playing a few others first. I try not to play games from the same franchise one after another as I don't want anything to get old and samey. I hope to get to Uncharted 2 before the end of the summer though.

Uncharted 2 won't feel samey coming from Uncharted 1. From 2 to 3, though, now that's another story.

 

Quoting for emphasis. As a whole package, U3 is pretty shitty compared to U2. I love U2.

[TheMightyEthan]

Yeah, 3 will feel samey after 2, but 2 is quite a big change from 1.

[toxicitizen]

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

 

Oh man, what a disappointment. It's kind of hilarious, actually. Because of all the talk around its initial release about how it was basically MGS5 in all but name, combined with Ground Zeroes' use of some of its characters, I kinda figured I was missing this big chunk of Metal Gear canon by never having played it. Turns out that's simply not the case. The story is kind of garbage and those characters just aren't fleshed out at all. I don't really feel like I know more about them now than I did before. And I had only played like 6 hours of the story back then. Also, the graphic novel presentation would've probably bothered me if I wasn't such a big fan of Yoji Shinkawa's art style. It just kind of undermines some of the bigger moments in the story.

 

But that's just the story. This is Metal Gear Solid, so the gameplay was still a lot of fun. Surprisingly so, considering the small size of the maps, but this was a PSP game so that can't be helped. Abducting guards using the Fulton system looks so fucking stupid (especially when doing it from inside a fucking building) that it actually added to my enjoyment. I'd just Fulton everything that moved while giggling like an idiot.

 

That being said, one major complaint would be how grindy it can be. I'd heard of it but it wasn't an issue for most of my playthrough. Then I got to the final battle against Peace Walker and... it was just fucking impossible. So I had to grind to get better R&D dudes in my base, so that I could research a better rocket launcher so that I could actually stand a chance against PW. That was about 3 hours of mindlessly replaying side-missions. It seriously killed what little momentum the story had going for it.

 

I might keep playing it a bit more since all the Mother Base stuff is oddly addictive and kinda fun. But overall, I wouldn't rank it anywhere near the main series as far as quality goes.

[staySICK]

Beat Watch Dogs today.  Now I'm just running around wreaking havok and doing a lot of the side missions.  I really don't understand the hate for this game.  Yes - the toned down graphics are disappointing.  Other than that its a pretty good open world game with some neat elements.  Just wish the music library was a whole lot larger than 28 songs or whatever.  And I get the connection on a lot of them, surprised there's no Kanye though. Homecoming would have been a pretty good addition.  

[deanb]

Oh god the Music library in Watch_Dogs was probably my most hated part of all of it. So few songs, no radios, and practically all of them not the kinda crap I like listening to. Saint's Row pretty much still the best. Nothing beats heading to a mission with Ride of the Valkyries blasting out

[staySICK]

I was happy for the Lawrence Arms, Alkaline Trio, and Rise Against... all in all I think there were like 5 songs I cycled through . Give us a bigger library and don't feel the need to tie a trophy to it.

 

 

Ministry was also an unexpected surprise, especially that song.

 

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

tortoise, squarepusher, digitlaism, 2chainz, kid cudi, nas, puiblic eneemy, the cool kids, wu tang clan, vampire weekend, curtis mayfield

 

certainly not a bad selection. though the "punk" section is a bit of joke on the list I saw.

[TheMightyEthan]

Guacamelee!  I really enjoyed it.  Challenging without being punishing, which was a pleasant surprise since I'd gone in expecting punishing based on what I'd heard people say about it.

[Alex Heat]

Finally beat Shantae: Risky's Revenge while I was on vacation and Vegas.  Miles ahead of the first game, but it seemed like some of the upgrades barely did anything (looking at you, Super Silky Hair Creme).

 

Got around to finishing Infinite Undiscovery.  Gameplay was alright, but characterization heavily reeked of anime character archetypes and all the associated tropes.

 

Also finished up Resident Evil: Revelations today.  Really enjoyed it, though I was not a fan of the Dodge mechanic since I played it after RE6, where I could evade whenever I damn well pleased and not just when I was being attacked.

[TCP]

Oh god the Music library in Watch_Dogs was probably my most hated part of all of it. So few songs, no radios, and practically all of them not the kinda crap I like listening to. Saint's Row pretty much still the best. Nothing beats heading to a mission with Ride of the Valkyries blasting out

 

Yeah what a joke, there is literally maybe two good songs in there? And not enough selection as it is. 

I mean, it's a game set in Chicago, so of course you're going to put the Smashing Pumpkins in... but you pick NEW Smashing Pumpkins? Get the fuck out of here, Ubisoft.  

Ideally, you would be able to load your own MP3s in to the game.

Edited July 7, 2014 by The Cowboy Poet

[toxicitizen]

Metal Gear Solid 3.

 

That would be the Vita version. Peace Walker didn't quite scratch the MGS itch I had so I felt like replaying this one. I'm playing them out of order but whatever.

 

I've stopped counting how many times I've replayed it over the years but it's up there with the original Max Payne and Ocarina of Time. Definitely one of my all-time favorites. That ending never fails to give me chills. Man, what a game. It's always a blast to revisit it and doing so on Vita was pretty damn great but also very frustrating at times. See, they kinda mangled the controls pretty badly. But, to be fair, I think they did the best they could with the limited options they had.

 

The problem is, this is a game that made use of damn near every single function the DualShock 2 provided. So, not only does the Vita lack two shoulder buttons as well as clickable sticks, the DS2 actually had fucking pressure sensitive face buttons on top of that. As a result, I was forced to adapt my play style because some things just couldn't be pulled off reliably. 

 

For example, when pressed against a wall, there was no telling if I'd be able to move or if Snake would just get locked into place and peek to his sides instead. To say it was frustrating is a massive understatement and I could never figure out what I was doing wrong. It just seemed finicky as hell. Then you had to do these obnoxious swipes on the back touchpad for more "advanced" stuff like interrogations, throat slitting and first-person peeking/leaning. It was a fucking nightmare. But, control issues aside, the port is otherwise pretty solid (hehehe...). The framerate takes a hit whenever there's a lot going on on-screen but that was to be expected. I was actually surprised by how well it ran most of the time, especially considering this is a game that pushed the PS2 to its limits.

 

I was following a guide to get the platinum in a single playthrough but apparently I fucked up at some point. I thought I had done everything right but at very end the score screen said 1 kill. One. Fucking. Kill. I don't even know how it could've happened, I was so careful. So I'm missing just the no-kill trophy before I can get the platinum. Thank fuck I didn't miss any of those stupid Kerotan frogs, though, because fuck redoing that shit. Also, shooting every single one of them unlocks the stealth camo and the EZ Gun, which should make a NG+ no-kill speedrun fairly trivial. Also, turns out there's a camo suit that makes your footsteps silent on top of that, so I can literally just run right in front of enemies and they'll never know I was even there. Kinda gives a new meaning to ghosting.

 

But yeah, those fucking frogs, man. I did a Kerotan run years ago back on PS2 and redoing it now was as much of a pain in the ass as it was back then. Whoever thought it was a good idea to have a bunch of them during the bike chase needs to have rusty nails shoved up his ass. When you miss one (and holy shit are they hard to hit), you can't just restart the checkpoint and there's no easy way to kill yourself. You're forced to quit back to the main menu, go through all the splash screens and reload your game completely. After an hour of that shit, I was ready to throw my Vita against the wall. Ugh... I'm glad that part's behind me.

Edited July 8, 2014 by FLD

[Mister Jack]

I finished Wind Waker for the first time, specifically the HD version on the Wii U.  It's definitely an improvement over the Gamecube one, but I think I'd still rank this as my least favorite 3D Zelda game.  The swift sail was appreciated but sailing still sucks and serves no real purpose except to give the illusion of an open world and probably mask loading times.  I was still enjoying the rest of the game for a while, though, and after the third or fourth dungeon I started thinking that maybe Wind Waker would climb up a few ranks on my list.

 

Then came the Triforce shards.

 

Good god, the Triforce shard quest is the worst thing to happen to Zelda since the CD-i.  Nintendo did try to make it less tedious by cutting down the number of shards from 12 to 8 and replacing several charts in treasure chests with actual Triforce pieces, but even with those concessions it's still a boring, monotonous, completely unnecessary grind that would have been better off being dropped from the game completely and replaced with something else.  Where previously I had been having a lot of fun, now I was just groaning and waiting for it to be over with.  It's padding of the absolute worst kind that drags the game down for the sake of making it longer.  At least the final boss fight was decent, even if the ending kind of sucked.

[danielpholt]

I finished Wind Waker for the first time, specifically the HD version on the Wii U.  It's definitely an improvement over the Gamecube one, but I think I'd still rank this as my least favorite 3D Zelda game.  The swift sail was appreciated but sailing still sucks and serves no real purpose except to give the illusion of an open world and probably mask loading times.  I was still enjoying the rest of the game for a while, though, and after the third or fourth dungeon I started thinking that maybe Wind Waker would climb up a few ranks on my list.

 

Then came the Triforce shards.

 

Good god, the Triforce shard quest is the worst thing to happen to Zelda since the CD-i.  Nintendo did try to make it less tedious by cutting down the number of shards from 12 to 8 and replacing several charts in treasure chests with actual Triforce pieces, but even with those concessions it's still a boring, monotonous, completely unnecessary grind that would have been better off being dropped from the game completely and replaced with something else.  Where previously I had been having a lot of fun, now I was just groaning and waiting for it to be over with.  It's padding of the absolute worst kind that drags the game down for the sake of making it longer.  At least the final boss fight was decent, even if the ending kind of sucked.

 

I finished the game about a month ago and I felt almost exactly the same. It really did cloud what was a pretty enjoyable experience. 

[TheMightyEthan]

I like it a lot better on subsequent playthroughs.  I got the original game for Gamecube when it first came out, was SO excited, and quit playing when I got to the triforce part, and didn't finish it for years afterward.

[Hot Heart]

I beat The Wolf Among Us. Well, I 'saw it through to its conclusion' more than beat it, but there's not really a thread for that. Let me start over...

 

I completed The Wolf Among Us. Really good stuff. A teensy bit QTE-heavy in the last episode but a nice ending, very noir. Really hope they do more (even if they just straight up ignore the comic canon).

[TheMightyEthan]

I also just finished The Wolf Among Us.  I really liked it, though I'm not quite seeing the people who are saying it's better than TWD Season 1.