What Games Have You Completed? (2023 EDITION!)
Comments
-
-
Join Date:Posts: 50004
- Sonic Frontiers (PC)
- Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
- Aladdin (SNES)
- Crash Bandicoot 2 (PC)
- Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped (PC)
- Deus Ex: Invisible War (PC)
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero (PC)
- Thief: Deadly Shadows (PC)
- The Firemen (SNES)
- Omaze (Playdate)
- Deception 4: Nightmare Princess (PS4)
- Deception 4: Nightmare Princess - Rachel Pack DLC (PS4)
- Battletoads (NES)
- Contra (MSX2)
- Super Mario Run (Android)
- Star Sled (Playdate)
- Run Saber (SNES)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)
- Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intermission (PC)
- Shin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse (3DS)
- Parameters (Browser)
- Quake 2 (PC)
- Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)
- Astroboy: Omega Factor (GBA)
- Resident Evil 4 Remake (PC)
- Knightmare (MSX)
- Echo Night (PS1)
- Pushmo/Pullblox (3DS)
- Armored Core 6 (PC)
- Starfox (SNES)
- Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly (PS2)
- Bugs vs Tanks (3DS)
Bugs vs. Tanks
Well this was a bit of a let down. This game was part of the 'Guild' initiative by Japanese publisher Level 5. Basically they released two compilations, Guild 01 and 02, each with three smaller games by famous japanese developers. I've not played all the games in this series but the ones I had were excellent, they've been very unique games that used the smaller budget to do a lot of experimental things. Matsuno's Crimson Shroud was the standout.
Bugs vs. Tanks however is the weakest game. The concept for the game comes from Keiji Inafune and his company Comcept with development handled by Natsume. During WW2 a German tank division is shrunk down to the size of insects by some unexplained phenomenon. Instead of fighting the Allies they now have to deal with huge Ants, Spiders, Termites and other creepy crawlies that now tower above them.
What this amounts to is quite a simple top down shooter based in small arenas. Each mission has objectives that add variety but they often repeat, most being a variation of destroy everything, a target or a rescue mission. You control the tank with the circle pad and move the turret. The turret will fire automatically at the ants.
It's not the most exciting game and while not bad it's disappointingly plain compared to the other guild games. There's some humour to be had from how straight faced the game plays the ridiculous scenario but it's never laugh out loud.
I suppose I should have expected disappointment from post Capcom Keiji Inafune.
0 -
-
-
-
Advertisement
-
-
Join Date:Posts: 50004
- Sonic Frontiers (PC)
- Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
- Aladdin (SNES)
- Crash Bandicoot 2 (PC)
- Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped (PC)
- Deus Ex: Invisible War (PC)
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero (PC)
- Thief: Deadly Shadows (PC)
- The Firemen (SNES)
- Omaze (Playdate)
- Deception 4: Nightmare Princess (PS4)
- Deception 4: Nightmare Princess - Rachel Pack DLC (PS4)
- Battletoads (NES)
- Contra (MSX2)
- Super Mario Run (Android)
- Star Sled (Playdate)
- Run Saber (SNES)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)
- Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intermission (PC)
- Shin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse (3DS)
- Parameters (Browser)
- Quake 2 (PC)
- Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)
- Astroboy: Omega Factor (GBA)
- Resident Evil 4 Remake (PC)
- Knightmare (MSX)
- Echo Night (PS1)
- Pushmo/Pullblox (3DS)
- Armored Core 6 (PC)
- Starfox (SNES)
- Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly (PS2)
- Bugs vs Tanks (3DS)
- Mister Mosquito (PS2)
Mister Mosquito
This is one of those weird games that makes exploring the PS2 library so rewarding. Published by Eidos under their 'Fresh Games' label, this label was set up to bring weird japanese games to the West that might not stand a chance of localisation normally. Unfortunately the label was short lived.
In Mister Mosquito you play a Mosquito terrorising the Yamada family. This consists of 12 stages where you must reach a quota of blood sucked from the family members to finish. Each plays out like a weird mash up of an arcade flying game, a puzzle game, a stealth game and a shadow of the colossus style boss battle. The controls are relatively simple for flying and sucking blood. Stages have you flying around a room of the Yamadas house looking for ways to expose the vulnerable areas to suck blood from. Once you attach to these areas you need to suck as much blood as you can while watching for how annoyed the unfortunate victim gets. You must control how fast you suck by circling the R stick and keep it within a certain section of the meter. If they get annoyed they may try and swat you which is an instant game over.
Of course you also have to stay hidden from the Yamada's as if they see you this initiate 'Battle Mode'. In this mode the family member will actively seek you out to try damage you unless you can hit all their 'Relax Points'. These moments play out like boss battles.
Mister Mosquito is a strange unique game but also a lot of fun. There's plenty of laughs from the amusing dialogue and how straight faced it plays it. The narrator sounds like she is narrating a nature documentary. The game is relatively short, clocking in at 4 hours although you can play a new game plus that takes place the following summer if you find and fill all the hidden EX tanks. This makes the battle modes much tougher and changes the dialouge.
I've a few minor issues with the game. In terms of gameplay there's a bit too many unskippable cutscenes that begin each level that get infuriating on the more difficult stage. The dodgy acting enhances the game but the mother and father of the Yamada's yellow face it up which comes across a little bit insensitive. The game can also be a bit skeevy with a lot of focus paid to the schoolgirl age daughter and her friend. There's a bath tub scene with her and her friend wears clothes she would catch her death in.
Mister Mosquito is a fun breezy game that has a few laughs and an impressive sense of scale at times. I also love the games opening warning:
1 -
Join Date:Posts: 50004
- Sonic Frontiers (PC)
- Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
- Aladdin (SNES)
- Crash Bandicoot 2 (PC)
- Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped (PC)
- Deus Ex: Invisible War (PC)
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero (PC)
- Thief: Deadly Shadows (PC)
- The Firemen (SNES)
- Omaze (Playdate)
- Deception 4: Nightmare Princess (PS4)
- Deception 4: Nightmare Princess - Rachel Pack DLC (PS4)
- Battletoads (NES)
- Contra (MSX2)
- Super Mario Run (Android)
- Star Sled (Playdate)
- Run Saber (SNES)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)
- Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intermission (PC)
- Shin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse (3DS)
- Parameters (Browser)
- Quake 2 (PC)
- Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)
- Astroboy: Omega Factor (GBA)
- Resident Evil 4 Remake (PC)
- Knightmare (MSX)
- Echo Night (PS1)
- Pushmo/Pullblox (3DS)
- Armored Core 6 (PC)
- Starfox (SNES)
- Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly (PS2)
- Bugs vs Tanks (3DS)
- Mister Mosquito (PS2)
- Beyond the Labyrinth (3DS)
Beyond the Labyrinth
There was quite a bit of buzz about Beyond the Labyrinth in the early days of the 3DS. The early days of the 3DS weren't so good with a lack of quality games on the system. Beyond the Labyrinth looked very promising, being a gorgeous looking RPG that echoed the likes of ICO with the solid RPG developer Tri Ace behind it. It was very disappointing when it became very obvious that Konami wasn't going to localise the game for the West possibly due to the poor sales of the system during the launch window. It's difficult to know why some games don't get localised but it's usually because the game just isn't that good. Thankfully the game received a fan translation so we can judge for ourselves.
After finishing Beyond the Labyrinth I'm absolutely baffled by Konami's decision to localise the game because it's fantastic. There's a lot to talk about here so I'll start with the premise. You might be shocked on starting the game to find yourself in what looks like a old Japanese home computer dungeon crawler. The walls presented in primary colours and choppy first person scrolling like an old Wizardry game. As you get familiar with the battle system three other people join your game. As you explore the maze you keep hearing a girl cry for help before all four of you are isekai'ed into the world of this strange girl. The graphics now resemble a more modern game and you have a strange girl asking for help. You can't can't speak to her but the people playing the game can chat to each other through text. You all decide to stick together until you can help this girl escape the labyrinth.
Beyond the Labyrinth is a dungeon crawler at heart. You explore mazes tile by tile and take part in battles with enemies that roam around the maze in real time. When battle is initiated the game becomes turn based. The battle system is initially very simple. You have three elements and there's a rock, paper, scissors affinity between them. You're only open is to attack but you can trade power to affect your turn order in a visible turn queue. Another unique feature is that there's no way to heal using traditional magic or items. If you or an enemy exploit an elemental weakness the HP is sent to a pool which can be stolen by the next participant with that affinity. It means you have to be quite tactical as sometimes it's not work exploiting a weakness if that enemy is attacking next and will just regain health. There are items in the game but they allow you affect the turn order or swap affinities on the fly rather than being the usually array for potions.
The girl that you are escorting starts off initially useless, not able to attack or defend herself. However as the game progresses you will gain the ability to protect and she will gain the ability to use magic. You can build up the girls magic in a separate pool which can be added to or multiplied. As a result the girl goes from useless to the most valuable member of the party. The battle system ramps up complexity so as to not leave the player confused. There's some really great fights and boss fights as a result.
The game looks absolutely stunning for a 3DS game. Strangely the game foregoes any kind of texture filtering, possibly to increase performance, but it's not that noticeable on the small 3DS screen. The game echoes the likes of Ico or shadow of the colossus, it's one of the best looking games on the 3DS. The girl is well animated and feels very natural. There's not a whole lot of story here, it's more about how the girl and the 3 gamers bond. I particularly like the banter between the three gamers that join you. Prof is a bit of a nerd and is all about gameplay mechanics and science. Lily is the girl of the group who is more spiritual and talks about nature and is very empathetic. And then there's Edge who is your typical gamer and a bit of a dick. Their interactions provide a lot of laughs but they also grow through the experience and get very invested in the girls faith.
One last thing I have to mention is the soundtrack. Composed by long time Tri Ace collaborator Motoi Sakuraba, I don't use any hyperbole in saying it's one of the all time great videogame soundtracks. Check it out on youtube, it's up there with the likes of SMT4 and Shadow of the Colossus.
The fan translation is pretty high quality with a few typos and lines that don't make sense slipping in rarely. The translator unfortunately drops the 'R' word on one occasion which is very jarring. They have expressed regret for it and wished they could change it but the code is lost. Just a warning if anyone is going to try the game. I recommend you do though as it's such a great RPG and not too long, clocking in at 25 hours.
Again I really don't get why Konami held this back from a Western release, it's a game that deserves much more exposure than it got. Anyway, some trailers to get across what the game actual is:
0 -
-
Join Date:Posts: 50004
- Sonic Frontiers (PC)
- Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
- Aladdin (SNES)
- Crash Bandicoot 2 (PC)
- Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped (PC)
- Deus Ex: Invisible War (PC)
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero (PC)
- Thief: Deadly Shadows (PC)
- The Firemen (SNES)
- Omaze (Playdate)
- Deception 4: Nightmare Princess (PS4)
- Deception 4: Nightmare Princess - Rachel Pack DLC (PS4)
- Battletoads (NES)
- Contra (MSX2)
- Super Mario Run (Android)
- Star Sled (Playdate)
- Run Saber (SNES)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)
- Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intermission (PC)
- Shin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse (3DS)
- Parameters (Browser)
- Quake 2 (PC)
- Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)
- Astroboy: Omega Factor (GBA)
- Resident Evil 4 Remake (PC)
- Knightmare (MSX)
- Echo Night (PS1)
- Pushmo/Pullblox (3DS)
- Armored Core 6 (PC)
- Starfox (SNES)
- Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly (PS2)
- Bugs vs Tanks (3DS)
- Mister Mosquito (PS2)
- Beyond the Labyrinth (3DS)
- Pilotwings (SNES)
Pilotwings
Pilotwings was a launch title for the SNES and meant as a showcase for it's fancy new pseudo 3D mode 7 effects. It was also the first SNES game with an enhancement chip, in this case the DSP. The SNES had a bit of an issue with a fairly weedy cpu, especially in comparison to the megadrive so it needed so extra processing power to calculate the 3D co-ordinate maths needed for a 3D game like pilotwings.
Pilotwings is split into license tests each consisting of 2-4 challenges involving differing methods of aeronautic sports. There's 100 points up for grabs in each challenge and to gain your license and move on to the next set of challenges you have to hit a certain points threshold.
It's a simple set up seen in many sports games but what sells pilotwings is how they nail the feel of each event. The four types of challenge consist of either a light prop plane, a parachute jump, hang glider or a rocket pack. There's also a fun Apache attack helicopter mission that shows up at the halfway point and the end of the game. Each mode has a fun and nuanced physics model which is tricky but rewarding to master and the game never strays into full on simulation, everything can be controlled with the dpad and two buttons.
Pilotwings is a great example of how to let technical advances inform game design. It showed what new game experiences the SNES could bring that weren't possible on 8-bit systems and even its competitors 16-bit systems. It's not only a fantastic tech showpiece and launch title but also a great game. The mode 7 effects looked incredible at the time, that type of scaling and rotation would have only been seen in top of the line arcade machines, but the game remains addictive and enjoyable despite the ravages of time. I could see this one being in regular rotation especially if your friends called over.
0 -
Advertisement
-
-
-
Join Date:Posts: 50004
- Sonic Frontiers (PC)
- Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
- Aladdin (SNES)
- Crash Bandicoot 2 (PC)
- Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped (PC)
- Deus Ex: Invisible War (PC)
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero (PC)
- Thief: Deadly Shadows (PC)
- The Firemen (SNES)
- Omaze (Playdate)
- Deception 4: Nightmare Princess (PS4)
- Deception 4: Nightmare Princess - Rachel Pack DLC (PS4)
- Battletoads (NES)
- Contra (MSX2)
- Super Mario Run (Android)
- Star Sled (Playdate)
- Run Saber (SNES)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)
- Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intermission (PC)
- Shin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse (3DS)
- Parameters (Browser)
- Quake 2 (PC)
- Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)
- Astroboy: Omega Factor (GBA)
- Resident Evil 4 Remake (PC)
- Knightmare (MSX)
- Echo Night (PS1)
- Pushmo/Pullblox (3DS)
- Armored Core 6 (PC)
- Starfox (SNES)
- Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly (PS2)
- Bugs vs Tanks (3DS)
- Mister Mosquito (PS2)
- Beyond the Labyrinth (3DS)
- Pilotwings (SNES)
- The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX (GBC)
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
Link's Awakening is regarded by some as one of the best, if not the best Zelda game and after finally finishing it it's not hard to see why. It's a real technical achievement for the Gameboy platform. It's incredible that they managed to fit a full sized Zelda game that feels as big as and plays similarly to of A Link to the Past on the SNES, which at the time would have been a top tier console release.
Link's Awakening takes place after A Link to the Past with the link from that game getting shipwrecked and ending up on the mysterious Koholint Island. However something is a little off about Koholint Island. The residents feel a bit off and there's a giant egg on the top of the central mountain said to contain the windfish. As link you sent off to make sense of it all. What this entails is exploring the island of Koholint, uncovering 8 dungeons, battling the nightmares within and using the items you collect and your wits to open up new areas.
Link's Awakening isn't just a great Zelda game but a great handheld game as well. Koholint is big enough to be fun to explore but also not big enough to be a slog to traverse. It never gets too difficult although the final two dungeons and final boss can get pretty tricky.
What I really like about this game is how weird it feels. LttP was revolutionary when released but it kind of feels a little vanilla now whereas Awakening has a lot of fun with the Zelda formula. There's cameos from other Nintendo games and some of the enemies are taken straight from the Mario series. The strange thing is, there's actually pretty good story justifications for this. As for the story, it's got one of the strongest in the series, it starts off pretty simplistic until you start to uncover the truth before it's bittersweet culmination.
I do have a few niggles about the game. The inventory is a little clunky due to the lack of buttons meaning you'll have to constantly engage the menu to swap tools and weapons. My other complaint is specifically for the DX version made for the Gameboy Colour which adds a new dungeon based around colour and they really shouldn't have bothered as it's terrible. The reward is either take half damage or do double damage, both of which aren't removable and break the balance of an already quite easy game.
1
