I just beat __

I beat Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia on hard and classic mode without any causalities. It is no easy feat either.
You get the ultimate badge, the Fire Emblem for meeting those requirements.
 
LYNE (PC)

Also available on: Mobile

A simple game where you connect a single line between two identical shapes, and up to three pairs can appear in each puzzle with each pair requiring a line each. The game has 26 sets with 25 levels each, making it 650 levels in all. There are also Daily levels where up to 3 sets can appear, which I occasionally played. The game has some sort of cryptic message that is likely author's commentary given what I could find on Steam's community forum, since each Trytes (triangle collectibles) has a symbol that can be viewed in a separate menu.

The puzzles are overall quite enjoyable, as at its most difficult it still manages to stay manageable throughout even though the final puzzles are more complex. Admittedly I looked up a solution for a small number of puzzles because I spent too much time of them to linger any further.

Thank you for reading.
 
I just beat Ninja Gaiden on the NES!

I challenge any of you guys to do the same if you have it!

I also challenge you not to rip your hair out while doing so because this game is very frustrating :mad:
 
That_Yellow_Mushroom said:
I just beat Ninja Gaiden on the NES!

I challenge any of you guys to do the same if you have it!

I also challenge you not to rip your hair out while doing so because this game is very frustrating :mad:

I've done it
 
NiGHTS into Dreams... (PC)

Also available on: Sega Saturn, PS2, PS3, XBox 360

This game is made by Sonic Team, so one can expect great music. In this game, one can choose either Claris or Elliot, and each person has three levels exclusive to them. In the individual levels there will be monsters stealing Ideya from them, so they have to merge with NiGHTS and destroy the machines that contain them, and that requires 20 orbs. There are four phases before a boss battle will be fought, and quick completion multiplies the score. At the end of the level, the player is ranked from A to F, and the higher the score, the higher the rank. The fourth level can only be unlocked when every other level is at least a C-rank.

After finishing the game, I have also unlocked the Christmas NiGHTS portion which is basically the first level of the game with a Christmas theme, and there's even cutscenes exclusive to this mode, complete with narration.

The game is quite fun and relaxing, because the sensation of flying is very breathtaking and the music is great. Not to mention how creatively designed every area is. One area for example is a museum where everything is bouncy.

Thank you for reading.
 
Super Mario Odyssey (100% completion)

The only power moon that really was a problem was the Bound Bowl Grand Prix. It took me WAY too much time to complete. But I also got all regional coins and outfits (so far).
 
I've beaten

latest


and was seriously dissapointed.

I was really excited about Wolfenstein The New Order. It looked gorgeous, it was made by the developers of the fantastic The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay and it was hailed by journos and fans alike as an unapolegtic tribute to ~old school shooter~ tropes. While TNO does make some skin-deep concessions to its heritage (being able to hold more than 2 weapons, finite [albeit partially-regenerating] health and no accuracy penalty if you don't use ironsights), it's otherwise very much a modern shooter, what's with its abundance of scripted events, linear levels, emphasis on shooting from cover, upgrade trees, and lenghty walk and talk segments. While I don't think those elements are *inherently* bad (beside the forced story stuff that is), I feel TNO doesn't do this stuff all that well.

The shooting is pretty underwhelming. BJ moves fairly slow and the feedback from getting it is weak, so it's very easy for an enemy to sneak up on you and empty your health reserves before you realize it. The result is that the most efficient strategy is to camp and take leaning potshots from cover, as trying to run and gun on anything above the easiest difficulty will get you killed, especially as most of the enemy types are damage sponges. The weapon roster is stock as it can be: the weapons at your disposals are a knife, a semi-automatic pistol, an assault riffle that can be upgraded with the obligatory rocket shot later in the game, an automatic shotgun, a sniper rifle that can double as another assault ri fle later in the game, and a laser cutter thing, the one vaguely creative gun in the game and one that it conspires to make you use as much as possible. You can dual wield all of them and find various upgrades (such as a silencer for the pistol or bouncing shells for the shotgun) but none of them feel particularly fun to use, and the game often has you lose your entire arsenal between chapters, which makes your work in scavenging ressources feel wasted.

Speaking of ressources, TNO has this dumb mechanic where you need to mash the E key to pick up items. While this makes sense to an extent for mission-critical items and health pickups (as you can pick up extra health and temporily "supercharge" it beyond your baseline level), there was no need to extend this mechanic to ammo collection. It doesn't make the game more immersive, challenging, or interesting, it's just unnecessary tedium

TNO features an upgrade system where you can get various attributes by accomplishing various challenges, such as killing X number of enemy commanders without being detected or killing X number of enemies with an assault riffle, divided among various trees. I guess the idea was to have the upgrade system naturally reward your preferred play style, but it runs into the two majors problems this sort of upgrade system causes which is that 1) a lot of the upgrades you get (particularly the ammo-related ones) feel like they should be there from the start and that 2) you feel forced to do the challenges even if they're not what you'd naturally do.

The narrative is the most praised aspect of the game, and it's not bad at all. The writing tries really hard (and succeeds) at making William "B.J" Blazkowicz a nuanced and three-dimensional character, as well as showing just how repugnant the Nazi ideology is. On the other hand, I couldn't fully get into it because I found a lot of the side characters irritating and underdeveloped.

A big problem that doesn't have to do with game design is that TNO simply doesn't play nice with modern AMD cards. There are various folder tweaks documented online that alleviate the framerate hiccup and frequent crashes (which I never experieced during my playthrough) but the game still chugs on busy-ish sequences on a GPU (RX 580) that really should be able to run the game at the highest settings without breaking a sweat. So yeah, keep that in mind.


I didn't dislike The New Order at first, but the deeper I got into the game, the more it frustrated me. If you want modern-ish Nazi killing fun times, I'd sonner recommend the underrated Medal of Honor Airborne or Raven Software's underloved 2009 Wolfenstein game (but that one is no longer buyable digitallly). I guess Machine Games' take on Wolfenstein just isn't for me.
 
I beat Fire Emblem Awakening, man the endgame was hard, I had strong attackers attacking the boss and the back front was falling like flies. I almost lost Chrom... twice, but it was fun.
 
Obulis

Even though this game looks like it could be ported to a phone, I think I know why this game is only on PC: it's practically made by 2 - 3 people, with two people doing the bulk of the work, and it's also an old game (2008) so it might be deemed unfeasible to bring this game.

This game plays similarly to Cut the Rope, a well-known mobile game where one has to cut the rope to feed the monster (Om Nom) candy. This game has a similar objective: cut ropes so that the coloured marble enters the same coloured pot. The ropes and marbles have their own physics, so if the rope is cut while the marble moves fast, it translates to a faster moving marble. It also appears that there's no friction so the marble keeps rolling until it hits something. Interesting to note that this game is older than Cut the Rope, but I felt I need to point that game out to make it easy to understand.

Each level has a number of themes and a few branched out levels. One type of level is the Inner Sanctum, which are levels taking place in a dark grassy area with lots of hidden tunnels. They are generally stated to be tougher but I found them just fun to figure out, and they need to be finished to unlock some difficult levels that are tougher versions of regular levels.

Every level is generally short, requiring around a minute to solve if the solution is figured out. The problem is that some of the levels require the proper timing to solve, and while the physics are generally consistent in this game, there are like two or three that are so precise that doing the same thing will yield different results, making them somewhat more luck-based compared to most levels. Thankfully they are in the strong minority. I had to look up a solution online for some of them, and was surprised how strict the timing for a few of them are.

It's a nice relaxing game since there are no physical characters, but it can be kind of plain since it doesn't have characters and the game isn't cutesy. Being short and sweet, completing this game is a breeze to go through.

Thank you for reading.
 
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (SNES)

I was never a fan of Power Rangers, but damn this game is fun! Nothing groundbreaking but a great Final Fight style beat em up with an awesome soundtrack.
 
Completed a number of games this few days! The first two are completed on the same day I completed Obulis, while the latter games are completed later.

Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav

Given that I have finished Dark Eye: Memoria earlier, it's natural that I tackled this game given that it's the first game to Memoria the second. If I knew I had this game in my library then I would have gone with that one first. Anyway, coming from the sequel, the game felt less intuitive mainly because the sequel added many improvements that made it a better experience, such as a hint system and not requiring right-clicking to advance the game. In my opinion the story is better in the sequel because while they are both dark, at least Memoria is less dark.

In my other opinion, Memoria's ending is better because with Chains of Satinav I can get an idea on what will happen in the end, since it's a prequel after all. Both of them have good outcomes in the ending, and the bad outcome I can kind of accept since it takes place in a cruel medieval setting, after all. Unfortunately I have Deponia, which I heard have a dreary ending, so I am kind of cautious of that game when I will tackle it.

Raining Blobs

A competitive puzzle game in the vein of Puyo Puyo but it plays quite differently. For one, while you drop pairs of blobs, they can only be cleared when the joining set of blobs has at least two starred blobs within. It's also a game where you can clear different set simultaneously and have the same effect as a chain of the same number. Amusingly, there is a gameplay mode that apes Puyo Puyo by clearing four blobs at a time, but because of how the combo system works, it's not the same game as Puyo Puyo despite controlling similarly.

I completed the game by two things: 1) I completed the campaign with every one of the 8 playable characters, and then I unlocked the portraits of the 9 characters (8 + 1 unlockable) through Puzzle Mode, which I am better at.

The game's presentation is decent, where you have great pixel art though the character portraits doesn't look too well-drawn. The game's English is kind of off, and this is what people would call "Engrish" if you know what I mean. Music is also decent and catchy which is a good thing since it makes going through the game easier.

Clearly this game is somewhat unpopular, since I managed to get first place in the leaderboard for Puzzle Mode, even though I could've done better. Also, because Puyo Puyo Tetris is now on Steam, this game is going to get a lot less popular, with the main draw now being its much, much lower price compared to Puyo Puyo Tetris, which is much more expensive but more likely to attract an audience due to the Tetris brand.

2048 (Mobile)

Also available on: Browser, Apple TV, 3DS

It's Practice Mode, sure, but I finally did this:
5A8aQ3K.png


(Speaking of that, I didn't know 2048 is also available on the 3DS)

140 (PC)

Also available on: PS4, Wii U, Xbox One, Vita

Another number title, but I can assure you it's not about numbers. Instead it's about shapes. The game is essentially an abstract platformer where you control a shape that changes depending on how you move it (square is when it touches a surface, circle is when it's moving on a surface and triangle is when jumping in air), but the main draw to it is how it's also a rhythm game, for you see, obstacles' behaviour is based on the track's rhythm. The bosses are different for each level, which is something I liked.

There are also mirrored levels where checkpoints are absent, but I rather not crack my head going though all that trouble since the main levels were already kind of tough.

Battle Chef Brigade (Switch)

Also available on: PC

This game is a combination of a puzzle-matching game and a brawler, where you control your character and fight monsters to gather ingredients. With those ingredients, they are dropped in a cookware that is represented by a 4x4 grid, which is where the puzzle-matching part comes in: match 3 in a row to produce a stronger element, which will enhance the dish's quality. To make it more challenging, the player is required to include at least one ingredient from a selected monster.

It has several things I like. For one, it has a puzzle element in the form of a simple match-3 portion where you can use certain ingredients to determine the pieces that you set. Another thing I liked is how every character presented oozes with personality, and the fact that the fighters have their own styles opens up for playable potential... but that part's sadly not realised since there are practically only two characters you can pick from. What's also great is how the art style is hand drawn artwork, meaning that even though there isn't much animation it's still very good to look at. Music is nice to listen to, so that's good too.

I think this game is great, but it's kind of short. There are six chapters, but each chapter's length is of varying lengths: the first chapter didn't take long to pass and the sixth one is over in just a battle, while both the fourth and fifth chapters have more meat in them. I wish there is eventually a free update due to this game's relative success on the Switch, since there are features the developers had planned (but ended up unused), such as a third playable character and an extra chapter starring that character. It's weird that one of the modes Daily Cook-Off only has two characters to pick and enough space to pick a third character.

Overall a great game but its potential has yet to be fully realised. Here's hoping for a surprise update that adds additional content to this game.

Thank you for reading.
 
Sonic Lost World (PC)

Also available on: Wii U, 3DS

So I've finished Sonic Lost World, after it's been on my backlog for a while. I decided to get the PC version for being cheaper. The game was developed with the Wii U in mind, which is why there are a few leftovers from that version, such as the loading icon and the fact that the characters used a Gamepad-like device. As far as I know, the PC version lacked several features from the Wii U version, such as the Nintendo-based levels (only the NiGHTs level remains), a Carnival-themed minigame, 2-player mode and the ability to use RC-vehicles from the 3DS version, essentially making it comparatively basic.

Anyway, as a preface, I have never played a boost Sonic game, which encompasses Unleashed, Colors, Generations and even Forces. That means unlike the vocal Sonic fans out there, I have not experienced what is definitively the best way to control 3D Sonic. By comparison, the only 3D Sonic games I have played prior to Lost World was 3D Blast and Heroes, which means I have a fresh take on my opinion about how Lost World handles 3D Sonic.

In my opinion, the control is decent, because of the ability to control Sonic's speed. On areas with precise platforming, the ability to go slower for precision reasons is a godsend, but I think that, given how running is the norm, the button should be used for going slower instead. There's also the ability to run up walls or along the walls which is a great way to move around the terrain, even though completion of the game doesn't require this (although you NEED to know how to do them if you want to get the Red Rings). Strengthening homing attacks is also a neat idea, especially in Time Attack modes since scoring multiple hits take longer than in a 2D game, as with the option to either hit them normally or to kick them into other enemies. And then there's the Spin Dash, which I heard is absent in the "boost" Sonic games but makes a return here. I think this version of the Spin Dash is really good because if you can hold the Spin Dash you can keep going at great speeds until you jump or hit something that you can't defeat. The biggest gripe I have with the control is that, when you use the Switch Pro Controller, the inventory is assigned to the left stick as opposed to the right stick, which is very troublesome because as you might be aware, the left stick is primarily used for movement, so accidentally pressing it will halt Sonic's movements, putting him in danger most of the time.

There are also Wisps, and they are harmless additions. Amusingly, most Wisps are actually not a requirement to complete the game, except the Drill Wisp since there are some places that are stuck behind the ground, and to a lesser extent, the Rocket Wisp since there are places where you need to use it (not all are required). I think they usually make the levels easier to complete since their abilities come in handy. For example, the Rocket Wisp in Tropical Coast is great for taking shortcuts, and the Hover Wisp is introduced in the penultimate level, but the ability to float helps greatly in a level with lava pits.

If there's one thing about this game that might scare off potential players, it's the fact that this game is on the difficult side among Sonic games. The unconventional control scheme is one thing, but there's also the fact that this game have certain portions that are difficult to get past, especially in Lava Mountain, the final level. It's even more difficult in Time Attack, where there are no checkpoints so you have to start the level all over again if Sonic falls off once. In fact, I didn't bother to complete Time Attack in Lava Mountain Zone 2 and 3 due to being tough. At least it's not the 3DS version, which I heard is more different and difficult than the others, except possibly Lava Mountain (which are boss-only levels).

As per the norm for Sonic games, this game has terrific music, which enhances the experience. The Deadly Six theme is one of the best themes in the game, which is probably why there are a number of rearranged themes of it. Of course, the Wonder World theme is also quite great. I also liked the art style used for this game, where the environments are shaped geometrically, with bright popping colours everywhere. Even the enemies are very neat throwbacks to the older Sonic enemies, though there are some new faces too, like the blowfish and the dung beetle.

In regards to the cutscenes, I decided to skip them all because I have already seen them but I do love the final cutscenes that it's one of the few I am willing to watch again. The Deadly Six is regarded negatively by Sonic fans, as the biggest sticking point is how underdeveloped they are due to (most of) them showing simple personalities, but that somehow never bothered me. Probably because I am a Mario fan, which aren't known for giving characters developed personalities.

All in all, really good game. I guess I'm not as critical as everyone else, as I think it's a good direction for a 3D Sonic game since I feel that it has a lot of potential.

Thank you for reading.
 
Kairo (PC)

Also available on: Mobile

This is a first-person puzzle game where you control a faceless character who can only walk, jump and push certain object, which would have been classified as a "walking simulator" because there's not much else the character can do. Luckily the world is merciful, for you see, there are no enemies or dangerous obstacles, and falling off the edge will put you back where you fell off.

The world itself is rather alien, for the world is made of simple geometric shapes and has symbols here and there. There aren't any variety of colours in the room so it's monotonous all around, since each room is governed by a tint (so some rooms are blue and some are green, for example). Because of how simple the world looks, it's rather eerie.

Unfortunately I got seasick when I navigate the environment, so I decided to follow the walkthrough so I don't have to spend too much time with it, getting 100%. I know walkthroughs ruin a game by removing the mystery, but I can't see myself spending too long with this game. I have to admit that the secret ending is really funny (don't look it up if you're not looking to be spoiled).

This is one of those games where there's a run button that you might not know about. If you are playing this game, remember: hold Shift to run! I only realised this when I am almost done with it, and running would be a whole lot helpful if only I knew of it earlier.

Thank you for reading.
 
Super Mario Odyssey

That entire ending sequence surprised me, I'm so glad I played the game blind.

The jump rope minigame still has me salty, however.
 
Mario Odyssey, like everyone else, apparently. Loved that Peach is just like, "Alright, I'm out." and almost just leaves them there. I completed it a week ago, and I'm up to about 700 moons. (Balloon World is profitable heheheh. Time to go to Crazy Cap...)
 
Wario Land: Shake It

Just a casual run, cleared all five worlds and defeated the Shake King. Nothing spiffy.
 
mega man x2

i played most of it years ago, just never got around to finishing the final stage for some reason.
anyway great game, would recommend
 
Sonic Generations (PC)

Also available on: XB360, PS3, 3DS

Back in 2011, this game was a big deal because it was Sonic's 20th anniversary so a game that celebrates the previous games the titular character starred in is appropriate for the occasion. This game has put Sonic's older version into the spotlight once again, and he's known as Classic Sonic here. To put both of them into the spotlight, the past Sonic and the present Sonic both have their own levels, with past Sonic being strictly 2D while present Sonic has a mix of 2D and 3D. By the by, I refer to Modern Sonic as present Sonic since this version of Sonic is considered the official version of Sonic that's normally present, and besides, in this game he's considered the present in that game's context.

The type of level that past Sonic has are simpler, for it's only 2D and his movement options are likewise simpler. As such the game commented that past Sonic's levels are easier. Present Sonic, on the other hand, have his moveset taken from his latest game Sonic Colours, where he can not only do homing attacks, he can also boost, drift around corners and do ground pounds. If controlling present Sonic in 3D, he feels like a mix of a platforming and a racing character. Therefore, present Sonic has tougher levels to accommodate his more complex moveset.

Levels are naturally taken from nine selected games, probably because it might be difficult to fit in more than that. The notable game that's not featured is Sonic 3. After completing a set of three levels with two acts each, Challenge levels are unlocked, and to get to the boss at least one must be completed. Most of the Challenge levels have generous time limits, but getting the S-rank is generally challenging. Each level has five Red Rings, and collection of them is necessary to unlock Super Sonic. The limitations of Super Sonic is still present, where he will drain rings until you don't have any more.

In terms of control, past Sonic felt kinds stiff. As an example, after I perform a spin dash, I can't seem to jump immediately. Present Sonic seems fine mainly because it felt like the developers has a better understanding of the character. In any case, this game has glitches here and there, and there were a couple of times when I was stuck in a wall and can't get out, and one where past Sonic fell through the terrain. While the controls and gameplay could be better, the level designs more than make up for it. You see, while each level is different from the source material, they have multiple pathways that is ideal for scoring low times, and generally the tougher paths are the most rewarding and shortest paths. There's also the fact that each level has some feature to write home about, such as City Escape's GUN lorry and Rooftop Run's giant clock.

Overall this game is quite good, and now I am hoping that the Super Mario Generations mod cooperates with me this time since I want to play the Friend Challenges with Mario characters.

Thank you for reading.
 
Super Mario Odyssey (100% completion)
Got all 880 Power Moons, and beat Bowser in the second painting. Also have all souvenirs, music, captures, and non-DLC outfits. I still need duplicate moons and DLC outfits, but that's technically optional and I can proudly say I beat this game 100%. That ending photo must be a callback to Sunshine...

EDIT: I now have 999 moons total, and have all DLC outfits. I still have yet to uncover the extra Hint Art in the news feed, though.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Episode 3)
Beat this game with all 192 Super Gems, but not all the Crown Stamps. I played those 3D World levels in the bonus episode, and they may be the best levels in the whole game. I may get the Switch version and see if the Odyssey levels match up, but I'll hold off on it for now.
 
Back