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Beating Games
- Thread starter Octopus Prime
- Start date
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- Tags
- the end times
FelixSH
(He/Him)
I mean, no one would claim that it's better then the Mario Bros games. But it's a decent plattformer in its own right. And while I really wished you would get more hearts, the first three worlds aren't that demanding. It starts to show its teeth in world 4, though. But then, the levels are really short, and you get infinite continues. I think it's pretty competent, and that it gets a lot of things right.
That the physics are reverse-engineered is crazy, though. Amazing.
That the physics are reverse-engineered is crazy, though. Amazing.
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
I just finished up Asterix for the Master System. After playing Land & Castle of Illusion, I wanted to check out some other highly regarded SMS games. Alex Kidd is still on my list.
I can see why Asterix is popular. The character sprite work is good, the platforming is challenging, and you really need to explore the levels to find the key and the exit. Also, Asterix needs to find a potion bottle in each level to unlock his special attack, which is usually required to finish. Plus, there are bonus stages where you play as a dog!
On the other hand, the stage visuals are kind of bland, and some parts drift from challenging to cheap. Also, jumps are a bit floaty for my tastes.
It’s more of an interesting relic than something I’ll be revisiting.
I can see why Asterix is popular. The character sprite work is good, the platforming is challenging, and you really need to explore the levels to find the key and the exit. Also, Asterix needs to find a potion bottle in each level to unlock his special attack, which is usually required to finish. Plus, there are bonus stages where you play as a dog!
On the other hand, the stage visuals are kind of bland, and some parts drift from challenging to cheap. Also, jumps are a bit floaty for my tastes.
It’s more of an interesting relic than something I’ll be revisiting.
Game Boy Tetris, with the Rosy Retrospection hack. Well, I beat each difficulty, anyway.
This is basically the perfect version of Tetris. Original graphics and music, but pieces have a shadow, ‘up’ drops pieces, you get a preview of the next 3 pieces, and a few other bonuses.
This is basically the perfect version of Tetris. Original graphics and music, but pieces have a shadow, ‘up’ drops pieces, you get a preview of the next 3 pieces, and a few other bonuses.
Yo Lies of P is AMAZING. There's some critical thought stuff about its writing that chafes but as a videogame that I played I had more fun playing it than any Dark Souls game and at least as much as I had with Demon's Souls and Bloodborne. The parrying isn't as absurdly intense as it is in Sekiro but my problem with Sekiro has always been the locked in core moveset, and in that a Bloodborne-sized roster of weapons to mess with using its unique handle/blade swapping system is just what I needed. The boss weapons don't use that system but dang are they ALL bangers. For as much as From Software's titles get complaints about samey enemy/boss types I don't think that's a complaint that could be leveled at Lies of P with any seriousness, they really went out of their way to make every new elite enemy and boss do its own thing and it was an absolute joy. Even regular enemies from area to area end up often doing new different things in spite of there only really being three basic enemy types.
The story is for the most part just fantastic for a lot of the same reasons Bloodborne's is. If you've ever seen Dimension 20's Neverafter series its got the vibe of that and Bloodborne being smashed together.
Somewhat unlike any soulslike I've played, I beat the whole game without ever upgrading a weapon. Familiarity with the genre does its usual carrying, but as long as you keep up on your damage stats the extra damage from upgrades is just gravy in this one and that's extremely interesting. It never felt like a boss took too long without, which is wild to me in hindsight.
Absolute triumph for the dev team. They overcame merely making a Soulslike and made something that truly stands up against any progenitor of the genre.
The story is for the most part just fantastic for a lot of the same reasons Bloodborne's is. If you've ever seen Dimension 20's Neverafter series its got the vibe of that and Bloodborne being smashed together.
Somewhat unlike any soulslike I've played, I beat the whole game without ever upgrading a weapon. Familiarity with the genre does its usual carrying, but as long as you keep up on your damage stats the extra damage from upgrades is just gravy in this one and that's extremely interesting. It never felt like a boss took too long without, which is wild to me in hindsight.
Absolute triumph for the dev team. They overcame merely making a Soulslike and made something that truly stands up against any progenitor of the genre.
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Violentvixen
(She/Her)
We downloaded this since it's on Gamepass but haven't checked it out yet, thanks for all the info! This moved it up on my list for sure.
People here kept singing the praises of Phoenotopia: Awakening, so I decided to try it. Turns out? Those people were right. Just 100-percented it: it was the evolution of Zelda II that I never knew I wanted.
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I beat Like A Dragon: Gaiden the other day. The ending had me in tears. Also, this is a much more reasonable length for a video game than the usual Like A Dragon/Yakuza game. Good times, I loved it.
jpfriction
(He, Him)
Congrats. I think I tried the final boss 6 or 7 times and moved on with my life. Great game overall though.
Yeah, it was definitely a damage race situation, and I only won that race by stockpiling the best food I could find. I feel like giving the main character a shield, like Link’s in Zelda II, could have made the combat more manageable and more fun.
There are dozens of us...DOZENS!
The photo roll of the dev team during the credits of Batttletech hits different given recent events at the studio. This game was a GOAT, and I enjoyed it way more than I expected to, so it's a real bummer that the sequel they wanted to do will never see the light of day.
Super Mario Bros. 3. I’ve played the beginning of this game a lot, and like a decade ago my roommate & I beat it, but we traded off a lot & used warps. This time I beat every level.
I did get frustrated with the last mid-world fortress. I spent a ton of time trying to find the boss, and was backtracking in the level, trying to find complicated solutions involving a P-switch, and running through a super difficult area that just leads back to an earlier part of the level. I finally looked it up, and you just hit the switch then run past the door to find a second door. The end of the game was relatively easy.
What else can I say about SMB3? It’s very good.
I did get frustrated with the last mid-world fortress. I spent a ton of time trying to find the boss, and was backtracking in the level, trying to find complicated solutions involving a P-switch, and running through a super difficult area that just leads back to an earlier part of the level. I finally looked it up, and you just hit the switch then run past the door to find a second door. The end of the game was relatively easy.
What else can I say about SMB3? It’s very good.
I liked Starfield more than Fallout 4, but I'd still rather have been playing Elder Scrolls VI instead.
Sonic The Hedgehog: Master System Version. Of the 4 main Game Gear Sonic games, this was by far my least favorite as a child. You couldn't play as Tails, there was no spin dash, nary a hang glider or spring boot in sight, and I constantly died. I don't think I ever made past the first couple of areas.
On a revisit, it's actually way better than I remembered! The SMS version is a bit easier because you can see where you're jumping to, and also I took my time instead of running into pits nonstop. (I thought Sonic games were about running as fast as you could?!) The game actually has very tight controls, and the music is top notch. Just a fun, quick little platformer.
On a revisit, it's actually way better than I remembered! The SMS version is a bit easier because you can see where you're jumping to, and also I took my time instead of running into pits nonstop. (I thought Sonic games were about running as fast as you could?!) The game actually has very tight controls, and the music is top notch. Just a fun, quick little platformer.
I'd say SMB3 is one of the best games of all time.
Its been a LONG time since I've played SMB3. I wonder if I could still make my way through the World 8 Door Castle (that is what my friends and I called it). At one point in time I had practically memorized the Nintendo Power Strategy Guide for SMB3. Some games muscle memory kicks in. Not sure it would for the Door Castle.
***
I beat Spider-Man Remastered on PS5. This is the first Spider-Man game I've played. It was good not great. The web swinging felt good and the Spider-Man quips and JJ Jameson tirades were fun. Very obviously care was put into the game. However, I felt like all the boss battles were pretty uninspired. I almost always liked taking on the bases more than fighting the bosses.
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I think I might have gone into Axiom Verge with my expectations too high. I wasn’t that into it. I guess it’s partly because it’s more Metroid than ‘Vania, and I’m not that into Metroid. I liked Metroid II on game boy, but Super just didn’t work for me for whatever reason (it’s the bad grapple, which is replicated here). Still, I enjoyed playing AV, and played it at every opportunity from when I started it to when I finished. I may even play the sequel.
I liked that when I died I got sent back to the save point with my exploration and equipment intact, but I found the difficulty uneven - in the early and the late game it was very easy to get killed just trying to get from one place to another, early on because I didn’t have much health in comparison to the damage done, and later because of the distance between save points and the difficult/impossible to avoid attacks of some regular enemies. I didn’t like the lack of fast travel - the long corridor in the middle of the map doesn’t count, though I might have liked it better if I’d understood the mechanics of the vehicle there. For whatever reason I could only get it to go back and forwards between the point where I got on it and the next one along, so I’d then have to walk the rest of the way.
The movement options were pretty good by the end of the game. Having the remote drone in place of a double jump worked pretty well, though again I struggled a bit with the mechanics - it was quite late before I figured out I could manually hatch the egg, which would have gotten me to a few places a bit easier. Also the animation for returning from the drone to the player character was interminable - getting the thing that lets you warp to where the drone is was a huge change just because it did away with that (and also made the bad grapple largely redundant).
The bosses were surprisingly easy. I beat several by standing in place and mashing the fire button, and a couple more by doing the same but occasionally ducking/jumping to avoid projectiles, or moving to a different spot once boss components were destroyed. Even the last boss was no challenge (maybe deliberately?) - it dropped so many health refills I was never in danger of dying.
Maybe my enjoyment was limited a little by playing on Vita - a couple of the controls were relegated to the touchscreen because of the lack of L2 and R2 buttons, I had frequent brief pauses in gameplay, and a couple of times the game crashed when moving between areas.
Anyway, despite all those complaints I played the heck out of it and beat it over a few days. I got 97% map completion but only 79% of items.
I had Sonic 2 SMS as a kid, and part of me wants to claim that as the best SMS Sonic out of nostalgia/loyalty/whatever, but I think the first one is the better game on the whole. For one thing, I can actually beat it as an adult - I know I beat 2 as a kid (the bad ending, a masterclass in minimal storytelling (it is implied that Tails dies), is imprinted on my memory because I could never find the emerald in Gimmick Mountain), but as an adult I resorted to save states.
I liked that when I died I got sent back to the save point with my exploration and equipment intact, but I found the difficulty uneven - in the early and the late game it was very easy to get killed just trying to get from one place to another, early on because I didn’t have much health in comparison to the damage done, and later because of the distance between save points and the difficult/impossible to avoid attacks of some regular enemies. I didn’t like the lack of fast travel - the long corridor in the middle of the map doesn’t count, though I might have liked it better if I’d understood the mechanics of the vehicle there. For whatever reason I could only get it to go back and forwards between the point where I got on it and the next one along, so I’d then have to walk the rest of the way.
The movement options were pretty good by the end of the game. Having the remote drone in place of a double jump worked pretty well, though again I struggled a bit with the mechanics - it was quite late before I figured out I could manually hatch the egg, which would have gotten me to a few places a bit easier. Also the animation for returning from the drone to the player character was interminable - getting the thing that lets you warp to where the drone is was a huge change just because it did away with that (and also made the bad grapple largely redundant).
The bosses were surprisingly easy. I beat several by standing in place and mashing the fire button, and a couple more by doing the same but occasionally ducking/jumping to avoid projectiles, or moving to a different spot once boss components were destroyed. Even the last boss was no challenge (maybe deliberately?) - it dropped so many health refills I was never in danger of dying.
Maybe my enjoyment was limited a little by playing on Vita - a couple of the controls were relegated to the touchscreen because of the lack of L2 and R2 buttons, I had frequent brief pauses in gameplay, and a couple of times the game crashed when moving between areas.
Anyway, despite all those complaints I played the heck out of it and beat it over a few days. I got 97% map completion but only 79% of items.
I had Sonic 2 SMS as a kid, and part of me wants to claim that as the best SMS Sonic out of nostalgia/loyalty/whatever, but I think the first one is the better game on the whole. For one thing, I can actually beat it as an adult - I know I beat 2 as a kid (the bad ending, a masterclass in minimal storytelling (it is implied that Tails dies), is imprinted on my memory because I could never find the emerald in Gimmick Mountain), but as an adult I resorted to save states.
Becksworth
Aging Hipster Dragon Dad
Gunbrella is like an anti-metroidvania and bucks as many genre conventions as it can while still being a 2D Action Adventure with light RPG elements and the ability to backtrack through an interconnected world map.
R.R. Bigman
Coolest Guy
I have beaten Super Mario RPG for maybe the eighth time. However, this one was in the form of Super Mario RPG (2023). This is maybe the most one-to-one remake I’ve seen. Your memories will not betray you! I do like quality of life improvements, and the triple attacks are fun to watch, even if you never need them with the game being pitifully easy.
I am looking forward to seeing the Post-Game stuff. Especially the rematch with a certain dimensionally challenged foe.
I am looking forward to seeing the Post-Game stuff. Especially the rematch with a certain dimensionally challenged foe.
Alan Wake II is a game I liked that I wish I loved.
The Hero of Hyrule still has a place to hang his silly hat. Good job, UNCLE!
I beat two games that are both alternate versions that mess with the screen size.
Sonic Triple Trouble - sms. This is a hack of the GG game that just gives you a bigger viewing area. There are a few weird effects from this - in some places you can see past the edge of the stage, and the game still doesn't let you move outside of the original screen area. Also, level titles had some weird glitches. Overall though, it's a totally functional version of the game. But, unfortunately, Triple Trouble kind of stinks. It's fine, it's just very easy, and being able to see more of the screen makes it even easier.
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. This is a GBC port of the original Super Mario Bros. The GBC has a lower resolution than the NES, but instead of re-doing the graphics they just chopped off the edges of the screen. I was a bit worried about this going in, but it works totally fine. There are a few places where you need to press up or down to see where you are jumping to, but that becomes second nature really quickly. It also adds animated water/lava, a map screen, and a bunch of extras. I only beat the main game so far (without warps), but I just unlocked the Lost Levels, plus there's a red coin collecting challenge and a mode where you race a boo through remixed levels. Super Mario Bros. is an all time classic, and the additions are really good. I'll definitely be going back to this one.
Sonic Triple Trouble - sms. This is a hack of the GG game that just gives you a bigger viewing area. There are a few weird effects from this - in some places you can see past the edge of the stage, and the game still doesn't let you move outside of the original screen area. Also, level titles had some weird glitches. Overall though, it's a totally functional version of the game. But, unfortunately, Triple Trouble kind of stinks. It's fine, it's just very easy, and being able to see more of the screen makes it even easier.
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. This is a GBC port of the original Super Mario Bros. The GBC has a lower resolution than the NES, but instead of re-doing the graphics they just chopped off the edges of the screen. I was a bit worried about this going in, but it works totally fine. There are a few places where you need to press up or down to see where you are jumping to, but that becomes second nature really quickly. It also adds animated water/lava, a map screen, and a bunch of extras. I only beat the main game so far (without warps), but I just unlocked the Lost Levels, plus there's a red coin collecting challenge and a mode where you race a boo through remixed levels. Super Mario Bros. is an all time classic, and the additions are really good. I'll definitely be going back to this one.
The Talos Principle II is a good follow-up to the first game, but I'm not sure it needed to be 30 hours long.
FelixSH
(He/Him)
How is the puzzle difficulty? Does it start easy again, or at the level of the end of the first game? Do you use all the tools from the first game from the start? Completely new tools maybe?
It starts pretty easy and then ramps up. There's in intro sequence that's basically a speedrun tutorial of the stuff they kept from the first game, and then each new area adds another new mechanic, with a sequence of puzzles that go from easy to pretty tough. I can't remember the first game too well but the difficulty curve is more like a series of waves than a steady climb to a summit, though the optional puzzles near the end are really hard.
Speaking of first person puzzlers, I finished Viewfinder. The central concept is very cool, but the openness of it made me sometimes unsure if my attempted solution was incorrect or I was just not pulling it off. And the rewind feature is buggy so sometimes you might have to just restart the puzzle without realizing it. It was still neat.
Speaking of first person puzzlers, I finished Viewfinder. The central concept is very cool, but the openness of it made me sometimes unsure if my attempted solution was incorrect or I was just not pulling it off. And the rewind feature is buggy so sometimes you might have to just restart the puzzle without realizing it. It was still neat.