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Post by X-pert74 on Dec 22, 2013 20:36:52 GMT -5
What are your thoughts on Etrian Odyssey? I have yet to play it, but you're not the first person to bring it up after my mentioning mapping dungeons
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Post by Super Orbus on Dec 22, 2013 22:06:42 GMT -5
I also like how quickly the turn-based battles conclude, though I dislike that you can't target specific enemies when you make an attack. I hope the later Phantasy Star games let one do such a thing. I'm pretty sure IV does. It's been a lot longer since I played II or III, but I kind of think they do as well.
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Post by cambertian on Dec 22, 2013 22:53:47 GMT -5
Link to the Past.
Not A Link Between Worlds. Just LttP.
All year, every year.
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Post by The Great Klaid on Dec 23, 2013 7:12:49 GMT -5
I also like how quickly the turn-based battles conclude, though I dislike that you can't target specific enemies when you make an attack. I hope the later Phantasy Star games let one do such a thing. I'm pretty sure IV does. It's been a lot longer since I played II or III, but I kind of think they do as well. I think III does for sure, but II is just groups ala Dragon Quest. But you even have to kind of dig around the menu during battle to even do it.
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Post by Ryzuki on Dec 23, 2013 18:00:47 GMT -5
Fire Emblem Awakening was by far the best game I've played all year.
Worst... probably Shadow of the Colossus. If I actually manage to find a colossus, then I might have some fun for maybe 20 minutes. But somehow, I'm supposed to find 16 monsters, one by one, in order, without having any idea where to start. (The map is surprisingly useless) Which basically means I have to continue wandering aimlessly and just hope I'm lucky enough to stumble upon one... 16 times.
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Post by Super Orbus on Dec 23, 2013 18:03:59 GMT -5
Er... it's been a long time since I played it, but doesn't your magic sword kind of point the way to the next one? Like, you hold it up in the air and a beam of light shines towards the next colossus is what I remember.
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Post by Ryzuki on Dec 23, 2013 18:20:27 GMT -5
I know you can find their weak points using the sword, but I never heard about locating the actual colossus that way. I'll give it a try next time I play, thanks. That being said, I suppose I really didn't have many bad gaming experiences this year. A few disappointments maybe, but nothing worth mentioning really.
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Post by cambertian on Dec 23, 2013 19:38:55 GMT -5
But seriously, I think Earthbound would be my best, considering this year was my first time playing it. Maybe because I walked into it with the right mindset? I don't know, but it might have been one of my favorite all-time gaming experiences.
Worst is probably, maybe Contact, though I was having a somewhat enjoyable time with it. It was very poorly designed, but I liked the mysterious story-line and whatnot well enough.
Wonderful 101 is technically the worst for me, simply because I can't play more than 10 minutes of it at a time. It just feels like a letdown to me...
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flok
New Member
Posts: 16
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Post by flok on Dec 23, 2013 20:35:34 GMT -5
Best gaming experiences: Luigi's Mansion 2: Dark Moon: The green plumber's best game yet with creative progressions, addictive multiplayer, challenging collectibles and smooth gameplay. Arkham Origins: Terrible misunderstood prequel that promises all the goods of Asylum and City and spices things up with better boss fights, a well made origin story surrounding Joker and tons of things to do and collect. The minor bugs I encountered were optional at best regarding gameplay. Bioshock Infinite: Amazing presentation, setting and background story, incredible eye for detail and very interesting topics of conflicts, but the main gameplay was hardly fresh, interesting or flexible. Black Mesa: Enhanced mod of the original Half-Life with significant changes such as the expanded levels in Xen, a new soundtrack, a mixture of HL1 and HL2 weaponry usages and more differences such as easter eggs and better modified level design to lessen loading times. The physics have improved and the mod is almost flawless when comparing it's familiarity to the original. Mega Man Unlimited: The best fangame based on the Mega Man franchise that completely felt like a genuine Mega Man 11 and delivered exceptionally with it's content such as longer difficult stages, energetic soundtrack and a fun "what if" tie in towards Mega Man X. Also one of if not the hardest incarnation of the whole franchise. Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine: Co-operative heist stealth game involving Pac-Man and class elements, French culture and a distinguished style of art. Can be very tricky with the later levels. Rayman Origins and Legends: Sublime fluent platformers reminiscent of Donkey Kong Country with adorable cute music, graphics and characters, a speedy framerate and brilliant level design filled with tons of collectibles and secrets. Uncharted Trilogy: I was especially blown away starting with Among Thieves. As I lend a PS3, I managed to play a lot of exclusive games, but I gotta say that Uncharted took the cake for me. It's the perfect franchise for creating summer block busters intended for the game industry. Worst gaming experiences: Paper Mario Sticker Star: I can't believe Shigeru Miyamoto allowed to lower the spirit of this sub-series and pulled a New Super Mario Bros. with it. Wii U collecting dust. ZombiU: Repetitive, very glitchy, few replay value and one of the worst endings ever seen. Decent multiplayer though.
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Post by Purple Moss on Dec 24, 2013 13:16:04 GMT -5
Some of my best:
Halo 2: Back when I had the Xbox I played this one on Normal. Years later, it's the only Halo game I hadn't completed in Legendary, along with Halo 3 (which I have yet to play). I installed it for the PC, and began a journey across my now-favorite, stupid hard, bullshit-filled, yet lots-of-fun, Halo game/FPS. Overall, it involved plenty of trial and error, fast reflexes, patience, tactics, more patience, and twitchy fingers; with powerful, ruthless enemies all over the place, and a scarce shield that has you cowering in cover most of the time.
Initially, while the game still polished my FPS skills, it wasn't uncommon to be stuck in a checkpoint for up to an hour, trying and trying and failing again. Despite what you may think, though, I had tons of fun. It was a real challenge, and very gratifying when I finished it. Plus, you gotta praise its design. Enemies have a really good AI (creating situations where you must use every weapon and vehicle at your disposal), checkpoints have zero loading times, your companions (especially the elites) are actually helpful, and boss battles are especially intense.
Dragon's Dogma: This truly was fantasy. I felt like in a real party, adventuring to unkown lands; even with the pawns' chatter, which wasn't bothersome, at all. I also liked the soundtrack, even if it was metal and whatnot. At times it sounded like arranged music, but that's not bad.
I did my first run as a sorcerer, and my second as a Mystic Knight. I'd have liked to have done so from the beginning! I loved the melee combat, against foes big or small.
And, at last, fights against dragons that really make sense! As much sense as they can, anyway. Dragons actually have a weak point, you actually have to ground them, and you actually have to deal the finishing blow. Yeah, dragons don't die by striking at their legs.
This year I also tried two new franchises I hadn't tried before:
Ys I & II: Following HG101's recommendation, I acquired the TurboGrafx version. Fast and seamless gameplay, a rocking soundtrack, even voice acting! Although I haven't completed it yet, I can't wait to play the others. I'll try to go in order.
Fire Emblem 7 (Rekka no Ken): After hearing much praise for FE: Awakening, I decided to find out what this whole Faia Emuburemu thing was. I actually got this for an emulator for my Android phone, to play it on the fly. Well, it turns out you can't, because it requires some serious thoughts at times. It seems simple at first, but as you progress strategies become deeper and worries become greater. I usually can't stand SRPGs, save a few exceptions. This was an exception.
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Post by Garamoth on Dec 24, 2013 14:11:30 GMT -5
BESTEST:
Desktop Dungeons: It's a roguelike turned into a puzzle game. Oh, oh, I know, I'll desecrate the altar of a rival god, giving me just enough piety with Dracul the blood god for a Blood Swell, filling my health but cursing me. The curse doesn't matter, I don't have any resistances. I'll have just enough health for that one final hit on the boss! It's foolproof! I won! Ooops, shouldn't have desecrated the Glowing Guardian's altar, he punished me by taking away all my material possessions, meaning all my stuff, including that sword without which I can't deal a killing blow on the boss. Woops, better luck next time. If only I'd started worshipping Dracul after drinking those health potions... good thing dungeon runs last around 15 minutes.
It's brainy stuff, but the RPG elements make the pill go down smoothly. And you do feel pretty brilliant once you do pull off that intricate strategy flawlessly.
According to my Steam library, Desktop Dungeons is the game I've played the longest of them all. Seriously, I'm not crazy, someone should try this!
WORSTEST:
Sorry, I don't do hatin'. I'm a lovecrow. Exclusively.
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Post by TheGunheart on Dec 27, 2013 14:30:02 GMT -5
So, best...
Metal Gear Rising - Revengeance: Punishing stylish action with a cyborg ninja. Some of the best boss fights this generation, and an absolutely amazing soundtrack.
Deadly Premonition: A quirky, open world mystery adventure game that's really hard to describe in words. This is not, a "so bad, it's good" sorta game, just a surprisingly developed world and story with a budget that couldn't quite match its ambition, but is hardly a hindrance. Also one of the first horror games in a while I found genuinely unnerving instead of cathartic. And yeah, Francis York Morgan might be my pic for favorite character this gen.
Sleeping Dogs: Probably one of the best open world action games I've played, combining one of the only cases of a movie-like story I actually enjoyed with fun fighting and shooting mechanics and well-designed missions, not to mention a surprising amount of customization given the fully established lead character.
BioShock Infinite: Frankly, I enjoyed the more run 'n gun combat compared to its predecessor's bullet sponges, and finally a story that doesn't revolve around your mission control being secretly evil...well, okay, it does seem to crib heavily from BioShock 2 instead. And some of the Shock mainstays like item scavenging feel kinda forced with the more linear structure, but it's one of those rare cases where I honestly feel the overall experience was worth it.
Tales of Graces f - Lineages and Legacies: Main game's kinda a bore, but the post game content was surprisingly fun, especially Richard going from brooding and stoic to an absolutely fabulous hammy troll. The Accel mode was a fun gimmick as well, and I liked how it gave some real closure to the characters compared to the main game's borderline non-ending.
DmC - Devil May Cry: Well, I ended up getting all the achievements, so I guess it counts, somehow. As long as you skip the cutscenes, which are pretty much 90% dull exposition.
Honorable Mention Due to not Completing Them:
Tales of Xillia: The repeating backdrops really drag it down, and the combat has DmC's problem of being more about catharsis than skill, but I like the story and characters thus far. Surprisingly light on standard Tales buzzwords, too.
Final Fantasy XIV - A Realm Reborn: I haven't played a lot of MMORPGs, but I have to put this one in with City of Heroes and Star Trek Online in terms of ones I've actually enjoyed. Very pretty too look at, and the battle system is surprisingly fast with satisfying feedback.
GRID 2: I kinda enjoy its midway point between arcade and sim, to be honest, more so than my recent experiences with Need For Speed.
Worst:
Castlevania - Lords of Shadow: Oddly, not really for the game itself, which is just barely adequate (though I'll admit it picked up a little after finding the dash boots). No, it's because my Internet went out for a while, and the damn thing wouldn't give me my achievements.
Assassin's Creed III: All of the series' flaws reach critical mass in this joyless slog through a Revolutionary War theme park exhibit while whatever strengths it had were tossed aside. The story, both past and present, is extremely rushed and boring; the past on account of the lack of character development and growth, and the present on account of the whole thing being about finding a save the day button. To say nothing of the boring architecture, the utterly bizarre fast travel placement in the frontier (where the majority of the game takes place!), the bright idea to include two stretches of the game in winter where your movement speed slows to a crawl when off road...ugh, I lose count of all the ways this sucked.
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Post by Scylla on Dec 28, 2013 17:48:34 GMT -5
Best for me in 2013 would probably be Sweet Fuse for PSP, which is funny since it actually came out in 2013 too (when most games I play are retro). It really surprised me with just how much I thoroughly loved it, and I've been getting a lot more into otome stuff since then.
Other highlights were getting a bunch more PC-FX games and playing through Welcome to Pia Carrot and Chip-chan Kick, completing my first Ys game (both 1 and 2 actually, via Legacy of Ys on DS; I know Ys snobs pooh-pooh those versions but I had a lot of fun), and playing Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams at the beginning of the year (even if I'm not very fond of playing games on a PC). And while I'm still in the middle of it, I've been trying to beat Jurassic Park on SNES for the first time ever, after owning it for 20 years, and I already feel so accomplished getting farther than I ever did as a kid.
Worst? Probably Aero the Acro-Bat for SNES. It's not an awful game, but it became a total chore to play after a little while. I really had to push myself to finish it.
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Post by Bobinator on Dec 28, 2013 18:02:54 GMT -5
Worst? Probably Aero the Acro-Bat for SNES. It's not an awful game, but it became a total chore to play after a little while. I really had to push myself to finish it. Aero 2 and Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel are a lot better, if you're curious. 2 is a lot easier, since there's no longer Mega Man spikes slathered everywhere. Zero's a good deal harder, although not unbearably so, and the 'flying' gimmick is really fun, once you figure it out. ...Also, I can't think of any really good experiences I've had this year. Sorry. X:
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Post by TheGunheart on Dec 28, 2013 18:38:39 GMT -5
Worst? Probably Aero the Acro-Bat for SNES. It's not an awful game, but it became a total chore to play after a little while. I really had to push myself to finish it. Aero 2 and Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel are a lot better, if you're curious. 2 is a lot easier, since there's no longer Mega Man spikes slathered everywhere. Zero's a good deal harder, although not unbearably so, and the 'flying' gimmick is really fun, once you figure it out. ...Also, I can't think of any really good experiences I've had this year. Sorry. X: Not even MURI?
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