Tracking Games Beaten in 2020

Video Games
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[35] Double Dragon II: The Revenge (Famicom)

Entertaining beat ‘em up which I beat in the crudest sense - of course I’ll be back for more at a later date.

[36] Paper Mario: Origami King

I enjoyed playing through most of it, and it had some truly wonderful level design, writing and boss battles. And yet I can’t deny it was rather shallow and less unique than Color Splash, which I adore despite its flaws.

Basically, it feels like Intelligent Systems learned the wrong lessons from the last game, which has led to the puzzle-adventure elements being simplified, and many elements that might cause frustration feel like they’ve been smoothed out. At the same time I’m glad to see the series take on another new direction.

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I beat Celeste! What a ride. Absolutely recommended for everyone on this board. 2D gaming at its finest. The difficulty curve is Nintendo-levels of polish and the sense of accomplishment is incredible. Yes, it is hard but very fair and beatable for anyone who frequents a board like this one.

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Do you recommend skipping the collectables or trying to grab them all? I remember feeling really frustrated at some of the strawberries.

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I ended with about 82, I think, out of 175. I typically would try for many that I found and would give up if they were too hard. I did not worry much either way.

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[37] Triforce Heroes

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After over a week of attempts I finally beat the last boss, which certainly cements this game as the hardest Zelda since Zelda II.

I’ll post more over at the Triforce Heroes thread, but the game really surprised me with its approach to cooperative Zelda, it has the perfect blend of puzzle solving and combat, while being demanding enough to demand constant cooperation between you and your two fellow heroes.

[38] Critical Velocity

Surprisingly inspired racing game from the remnants of the Ridge Racer team who were presumably busy with Ridge Racers and Ridge Racer 6. The open ended map design is rather excellent for the purposes of hosting its missions, but the free roaming falls short of other games from the era.

[39] Burnout

Never thought I’d see the day, I got stuck on the penultimate championship for years and thought the game was near unbeatable.

But after a long break I found myself approaching it differently. If you drive defensively the game is much more manageable, don’t fall in to the trap of trying to be as fast as possible. The AI racers are less of a threat if you spend more of your time on the road instead of crashing, which is more likely to happen if you focus on hitting top speed above all else. I managed to top the time and score leaderboards for the final event, so I must have been doing something right, haha.

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I thought this interview with a Criterion designer was intriguing:

IA: Yes that was the last thing I really did at Criterion was the dlc. Did you ever play a Konami arcade game called Thrill Drive?

LC: I may have played it.

IA: If you play Thrill Drive and Burnout 1 they’re virtually identical.

LC: It came up on the Burnout 1 podcast as an inspiration.

IA: It was more than an inspiration from what I was told. I joined after that happened but… Burnout 1 was so hard that Sony refused to certify it because they couldn’t complete it. [Criterion] had to submit a video of them completing it.

Only letdown is how the credits, and special thanks section, don’t make any sort of nod to Konami, despite the game owing a ginormous debt to Thrill Drive.

[40]: Neo Contra

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[36] Paper Mario: Origami King
Paper Mario is a completely different series from the one I fell in love with but I still make a point to play every entry. While Sticker Star is the clear low-point (and imo the low-point for Mario games published by Nintendo) the series is moving in a direction that, while different from the games I cherish, is at least interesting and worth experiencing. Overall, I enjoyed Origami King quite a bit but the battle system had the same fundamental flaw Sticker Star and Color Splash had: there’s no point to them. The puzzle aspect is pretty unique and I enjoyed it enough but a lot of the battles were tedious and there’s no benefit to doing them. Like Color Splash and Sticker Star, I did what I could to avoid them as much as possible. The writing was fun and I enjoyed the characters. There was an air of creepiness throughout which was great and it raised some interesting questions about what it means to be a bob-omb. I’d definitely recommend it.

[37] Toejam and Earl: Panic on Funkotron
With the arrival of my new Mega Everdrive Pro, I needed something to take it for a test spin. While Sega CD support is pretty neat, I am more interested in what it brings to romhacking and software development. Seeing that a MSU-MD hack was released for TJ&E2 and that the series is one of my favorites, it was an obvious choice for first game. Toejam and Earl 2 is underrated in my opinion. It’s a bit long but the gameplay is pretty fun and is challenging enough to stay interesting throughout. The first game is still king but I feel like this is far too overlooked. The CD quality soundtrack is a nice touch. I’m a FM synth purist but this is a great opportunity for some funky guitar solos. If you have an Everdrive Pro, try it out.

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Glad you also enjoyed Origami King! It’s strange, I found the combat oddly compelling despite its lack of strategic depth and experience points, I think it must be the increasing complexity of the lineups, which to be honest wasn’t utilised to the fullest. The Boos in the sand region were a good idea, but other than the quiz show and the (excellent) boss fights it certainly was repetitive.

Color Splash did have experience points by the way, you got those cardboard hammers which increased your paint capacity. At the start of the game you barely have enough paint to colour in a fire flower card, so it was definitely meaningful progression. I replayed the first big paint star last week and was surprised by how many strategic options the game offers you due to the consumables and limited deck space, but the abundance of coins makes it too easy to go shop for the best deck of cards in town!

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Now that Namcot Collection finally arrived I’m getting stuck in to some Famicom games. Dragon Spirit was today’s pick:

[41] Dragon Spirit

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I liked the battle system but at times felt like it was a little too time consuming so it would be better to avoid it.

Did Color Splash have that? I honestly don’t remember the battle system much other than that it was a huge improvement over the disaster that was Sticker Star.

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Yeah, looked it up and they were called hammer scraps in Color Splash, getting enough of them would level up your paint metre.

I had the same issue in Origami King, if coins are the only payout, there became a point in the game where I was familiar enough with the battles in a new area that it wasn’t worth bothering with them anymore.

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[42] Super-C

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Finally managed to clear the final level - without dying once - even if it took a few dozen attempts. Holding on to the spread shot that you get near the beginning is highly beneficial for dealing with the moving ceiling that plagues the second half of the level.

Otherwise I thought this game was near-perfect, the levels are insanely varied, the bosses inventive, the enemy bullet patterns providing a firm-but-fair challenge.

[43] Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti

This might have been more effective a stress buster than even Super Contra, enjoyed winding down this evening playing this game. Final boss made my blood boil though - these things do tend to balance out! More impressions to follow in the Namcot Collection thread…

[44] Operation C

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An Impressive rethink of Contra around a lower resolution display. Having autofire (machinegun?) and the homing weapon appear here first was clearly a consideration around the reduced real estate.

Ironically the stages which made my blood boil the most were also the ones that were best designed, area 3 and area 5. Area 5 is a big ask given its length though, and got a bit reliant on rote memorisation near the end when you’re on the elevator. Super Contra never handed you an unfair challenge, this game sometimes does.

If I ever see a Game Boy cart going for a reasonable price that’s my ticket to revisit, bet it looks a real treat on a Game Boy Pocket.

[45] WRC: Rally Evolved

I was so glued to this that I went and did a world championship. With that out the way my focus is on the super tough Historical Challenges, where you pick an iconic rally car of the past and try to clear tough times on specific courses

[46] YU-NO’S GREAT ADVENTURE

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This bonus game that came with the Switch remake of YU-NO was much better than the one for Steins;Gate, they didn’t decide to shrink down the story of the game into a Famicom adventure game format this time and just went for a platform action game.

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[38] Mega Man X
I’ve always loved this. Zero is just so rad and the action is tight and exciting. I can play it a million times and it will still be just as fun. This game has a lot going for it. Each upgrade makes a huge difference and is a lot of fun to use. The levels are interesting and the music is god-tier. It’s a bit awkward for me to handle dashing, jumping, shooting though. I’ve always made a weird claw shape and need to try to get used to using a shoulder button instead for dash (which I do on 4 on Saturn).

[39] Mega Man X 2
This is good but I feel like it’s a step-down from the first game. The helmet and armor upgrades aren’t very useful (although I thought the armor upgrade was badass as a kid) and the levels aren’t nearly as memorable. You can tell this is where Inafune’s influence started to take over and the anime tropes started to seep into the series. I like Zero, of course, but I feel like they sabotaged X’s personality to put all the focus into Zero. That said, being nearly as good as Mega Man X is quite an achievement.

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[47] Mappy
Been playing a lot of Mappy on and off between the Famicom version in Namcot Collection, the arcade version in Namco Museum Battle Collection, and the Famicom Classic GBA version…and while this really is a forever game, I’m glad to have finally made it through all 16 stages…only to be swiftly defeated in the game’s harder second round…I’ll be back.

[48] Kai no Bouken/Quest of Ki
Wonderful platforming prequel to Tower of Druaga where mastering the ability to slowly levitate is the main appeal of the game. The difficulty level is perfectly pitched, too, giving you space to breathe when things get tricky. On the special stages now.

[49] Moon: Remix RPG Adventure

A beautiful game that has a lot to ask us about why we play games - particularly RPGs - in the first place. The ending completely threw me, and I think it’s a work of art in itself. It was not what I was expecting at all (though note that the game is unpredictable to begin with), it was a beautiful ending though that brought a tear to my eye. If you love games, and love game worlds that encourage adventure game-like experimentation and discovery, you’ll find a very special game within moon.

In 1997 it must have been way ahead of its time, but even today it’s so refreshingly different to everything else out there. It also helps that it is so naturally designed, in that the game world maintains a sense of presence since all non-mandatory content presents itself right where it is and it never devolves into checklists or abstract MMO-style questing.

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[40] Diablo
The classic. This game does everything perfectly to set a mood. From the amazing Tristram theme to the dark ambient music which builds anxiety within the dungeon. The colors are dreadful in a good way with a consistent art style that is really lacking in its sequels. In general, I feel like the sequels made several wrong decisions. Rather than feeling like a hopeless quest against the devil they feel like simple adventures. One aspect that’s really lacking from the sequels that I love about this is that even though I played as a rogue this time I was still able to use the play-style of a warrior or mage with slight handicap. I can easily go back to this game whenever.

[41] Dragon Quest 2
I saw in an interview that the producer of the Shining series was the executive producer of this game so I had to play it. I had always knew it was an influence but not to this extent. This game does Dragon Quest right. It’s a charming adventure that can be quite brutal. The prince is a pretty useless partner unfortunately. Being just useful enough that you need him but constantly dying. I was able to get through this rather quickly only needing to grind a bit at the end. I could see people skipping this since it’s rather simple but that’s a huge draw for me. I’d definitely recommend it.

[42] Shining Force 3
It was finally time to play through this again. There’s not enough space for me to talk about how much I love this. It’s pretty crazy to me that they were able to craft 90+ battles that have unique circumstances and require different strategies. Nothing feels like filler (unlike Shining Force 2 in North Parmecia). This game had a huge impact me awakening me politically. I love how bureaucratic and real everything in the plot is. I play this multiple times a year and can never see myself stopping.

[43] Sonic Adventure
Continuing the theme of parallel storylines is Sonic Adventure. Clearly this isn’t as good as the Genesis titles but they did a great job transitioning to 3D here. The music is the star of the show here but the gameplay is great as well. There’s some great levels here. It’s highly replayable. The only real issues are awkward at times cameras and occasional bugs. One thing that stood out to me this time that I never realized before is that the last boss is the same as in NiGHTS. Kinda blew my mind.

Sega: release a Chao F2P phone game

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[50] Crazy Climber 2

Another ‘forever’ game that you’re never truly finished with, but I was surprised to find the game has a conclusion/ending past round 6, rather than loop you back on to round 1 again. This is one of my favourite platformers ever, really, and remains highly unique today even though its roots lie in the origin of the genre itself.

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I am gonna have to try this one after all your recent posts about it.

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[51] Vs Super Mario Bros.

Master Quest before Ocarina of Time Master Quest, this game really does play with any preconceptions you had about Super Mario Bros. Some of the levels drove me mad, but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

[52] Ridge Racer Type 4

Before I put the NeGcon away I found myself playing through an entire Grand Prix again…the epilogue music is still as affecting as it was the first time.

[53] Ray Tracers

Fun Taito racing romp that reminds me a bit of Chase HQ. The move to early 3D visuals sounds like a bad idea in theory, but it’s not an issue at all due to good programming. Game looks and plays the part.

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Satisfying!

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I finished Doom 64 on PC. I remember not really liking it when it came out but this time around, playing an older style fps without all the set pieces and simple combat was refreshing.

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[54] Super Mario 64

Never gets old, still intrigues and inspires wonder years after my first playthrough. Some of the worlds are such surreal playgrounds, you’d think they came out of the more modern Noby Noby Boy or something.

[55] Gunstar Heroes

Finally cleared this after getting past the (figurative and literal) roadblock of stage 5. Game is seriously impressive shooter - posted enough about that in the other threads though…

[56] Super Monkey Ball

Went back and cleared Expert again for the first time in eighteen years! Still one of the best applications of physics in video games, but it’s also the level design that makes it. Game provides a firm but fair challenge before its sequel descended into trial and error madness with its (admittedly impressive appearing) puzzle oriented levels.

[57] Super Mario Sunshine

Equal parts intriguing and frustrating, but that’s fine. It’s rare to find a Mario platformer with an abundance of what would be today seen as disagreeable design choices, yet for the most part the game is better and more interesting because of them. It hasn’t been watered down by overfamiliarity.

[58] Touge 3

Fantastic Touge racing game, its the new handling model and focused structure that makes this one sing. Couldn’t put it down until I saw the credits this evening! It’s a pretty successful leap forward from the PlayStation games.

[59] (Game Gear) Out Run

This one’s interesting, since there’s significantly less traffic on the roads, yet it’s probably the most challenge I’ve gotten out of a game of Out Run in years. You have to be near perfect to stand a chance of clearing a route, since one fatal collision or a few small scrapes, and it’s harder to pass vehicles in part thanks to some dodgy collision detection. Importantly the thrill is still there.

[60] (Game Gear) Puyo Puyo 2

Wow, this is a great portable conversion! And the first time I’ve preserved toward clearing Puyo Puyo 2, normally I let the continue timer run down once I have no hope of getting a high score.

[61] (Game Gear) Sonic the Hedgehog

A pleasant surprise, Ancient crafted a unique game designed around the Game Gear rather than ported to it. The level design takes great advantage of Sonic’s ability to run really fast and jump in an accelerating manner from a standstill. It’s so much better than Aspect’s Sonic 2 on the same format, where your first jump scrolls the screen vertically and even the first level is filled with leaps of faith.

[62] (Game Gear) Baku Baku Animal

This puzzler really comes into its own when played on hard mode, it’s frantic fun where the tide of battle seemingly turns every few seconds. I love how the two types of block (animal and food) interact with each other and the considerations you have to make to set up chains later on, with the risk of filling the board always looming over…

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