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The 2019 Completed Games List
Comments
always fun to go back to good old Mega Man!
Kingdom Hearts III
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage(Reignited Trilogy ver.)
Mafia III
Heroes Trials
Devil May Cry 5
I played all of these on the PS4.
Other than that, I beat Steven Universe: Attack the Light on iOS. It was very easy, very short (perhaps 3hrs in bitesize chunks?), but also very charming, with a neat take on the Mario RPG battle system. It made a nice contrast to the time demon that was P3P.
After finishing, I can see some reasons why the game wasn't received too well in Japan. For starters, the sheer amount of insults and negativity thrown towards the Japanese isn't too far removed from a Heel in wrestling insulting the homecrowd, and I can see why this might have struck a nerve given its not too uncommon throughout the story. Furthermore, it does not address all the plot points throughout the story, clearly setting things up for a sequel, which is fair, but not typical for the series. For gameplay, the gimmick of the "Closing Arguement" really gets on my nerves because it literally happens at the beginning of every trial. Its made out to be something serious and a do or die moment, but because of its execution, its not funny and offers 0 tension, leading me to roll my eyes every time it came around. Finally, I feel like this was one of the weaker final cases in the series. It doesn't particularly feel epic, and its probably one of the few times I can think of where the final case just wasn't as compelling as I imagined it could be.
Looking at the good, however, there's a lot here to enjoy. Right off the bat, this game for me is the easily the most funny game in the series. Not only that, but the humor is often used as misdirection earlier in the game which is an effective way to play with the how a mystery might pan out. I loved Sherlock Holmes' Theatre of Logic, it was a good new gimmick that gets you involved while simultaneously being absolutely hysterical. Wish it could have been incorporated more than it was. Looking at the cast of characters, many of them were very compelling. In particular, the defendant in case 3 and the one of case 5 are especially memorable, with one of them bringing near Ema Skye levels of charm. The new Prosecutor is also a fairly likable character that manages to bring his own sense of strength and humor, while maintaining a grounded sense of reason and neutrality.
As a whole, this game for me was quite the mixed bag, and depending on what kind of mood you're in, you could come away either loving or it or being disappointed. For me, this one just doesn't compare to better games in the series like AAI2 or AA3, but its still fairly decent and I liked it a lot more than the most recent Spirit of Justice.
of course
It's an adorable game to be sure, and quite pretty looking, too! It's nice to revisit Kanto, and neat to see what changes were made to this game compare to the original or Fire Red/Leaf Green.
The courage to try again...
Twitter: BerryEggs
Picked this one up recently as it looked like it could have been the kind of hidden gem that goes unnoticed by many. This was an odd mixture of sim-adventure coupled with your standard VN, but I don't think the gameplay mechanics did them any favors. The game is structured that you have a fairly free choice of how you spend your time and chancing upon the various characters as you discover their hangouts and stuff across town. It starts off great, truth be told, because you usually don't get such a complex level of choices in the VNs I've been playing. Unfortunately, the system's major unforgivable flaw is that, seemingly, at least 2 out of the 5 heroines appear to be locked to the player until they beat the game a few times. This means that if you're like me, and happen to aim for those routes first, you will suffer a great deal of lost hours on a wasted ending and have to repeat your playthrough. When you give a player freedom of choice to this degree, your system should absolutely not have an enforced play order like this as it kills the agency of your choices, and would ultimately be better served as a standard VN with straightforward options to guide you along a path until you complete however many the game asks before allowing you to do the other ones. There are other problems with WES on a technical level too, as you can't save whenever you please like most modern VNs, instead having to fight the PS4's clunky save system. Normally I don't need to make too many files in VNs, but I was constantly thinking how much time I could have saved if this had the modern saving system on most PC VNs today.
While the above might be rather scathing, I actually did have a lot of fun with World End Syndrome's story once I was able to play some of the routes. For all the adventure structure's faults, many of the minor events that happen are fairly consistent in their telling and do a good job at providing very minor clues to set up for intrigue, which is basically the game's selling point. The little sound effects that play when something out of the ordinary or mysterious happens are a good compliment and the "follow the breadcrumbs" approach works here pretty well, even if the overall BGM was fairly weak compared to what I've been playing. The characters themselves don't give you much to work with starting out, which might be tough to get people going, but you learn a fair bit about each of them as you play, peeling back a new layer to the onion of the strange happenings in Mihate town as you go. You're always left with something exciting at the end of one to hook you for another playthrough, too. In particular, the True End is a strong pay off to the story that was better than I expected. Definitely worth it. The game's gorgeous animated background art really deserves recognition too. Overall I'm walking away happy and thats all that really matters.
428: Shibuya Scramble (PS4) - Got it during the Golden Week sale. This right here is a stellar visual novel that really deserves a second look from people who are skeptical about the visuals or premise. I had been hesitant to try it because of the promotional material, but within the first half hour I was immediately hooked. There were no lulls where I didn't feel like reading, and the whole thing was very well paced. Choices give you the sense that you can play with the outcome by solving a puzzle, or on the other hand get to watch something absurd happen which are both entertaining. Because 428 doesn't use drawn art, you get tons and tons of "Unique CGs" which lends things towards feeling like an interactive cinematic experience, so its a nice benefit even though I'd still prefer illustration. The story itself is quite a joy ride. You're taken on a wide range emotions from thriller, to comedy, to action, each of them serving a purpose to push a story that really pays attention to the details resulting from the connected actions of the multiple protagonists. One of the extra scenarios you're provided with after finishing is also a fantastic compliment and reward to the overall tale. 428 truly was a great experience, and while it isn't quite at the level of my absolute favorite VNs, it does stand proudly just behind them.
First two thirds I found great, last third I found it a slog. Bad last boss. Ending sets up a sequel that never happened.
Score: 6/10
Super Metroid (SNES)
Been too long since I play these two, in fact there a randomizer that combine these two, I did have a hard time, did not remember as much as I though. But it was a fun fresh way to play these two
Hoshi Ori Yume Mirai (PC) - Finished this one awhile back, but didn't report on it because I didn't finish all the routes. At this point I don't think I'm going to do all of them so may as well post now rather than forget later. Another pure romance visual novel by Tone Works, this one really surprised me after Hatsukoi. Artistically you're getting some excellently drawn characters and CGs that put most other studios to shame with their vibrant, saturated colors. The OST to this game is superb, offering some top tier gentle, soft, nostalgic, and dreamy tunes that set a pristine atmosphere for a charming tale throughout. Seriously, it might be my favorite VN OST, and I generally prefer faster paced battle music or creepy mood setters. Started out by picking the Rikka route which was 100% the right call. Its packed to the gills with sweet, lovey dovey moments that totally capture the heart while still providing just a little bit of uplifting drama to keep the read entertaining. You also get a more complete look at the relationship than other games tend to offer, showing how things develop over quite a few years of time and how the characters subtly develop their own personalities and goals. The Rikka route was so enchanting for me that, taken on that merit alone, its one of the best visual novel's I've read. Unfortunately, some of the other routes I've played just don't compare to this one, and thats okay, since you're given 6 different options. Ultimately I really enjoyed my with with it, so much so that I've been struggling to find something else to really get hyped about since then.
Yes, working on Last Recode now. I've cleared the game, just got a couple more things to wrap up and then off to Reminiscence. This was a fun ride and I can't wait to find out to see how this ends. And yes, the fact I played the first series does help with understanding; shame many can't b/c that the first series (on PS2) is very rare now. (Thanks again Shadowcat for letting me play those.)
And yes, this time it's mine and I can keep it. ^_^
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Undertale - Switch
Another one of those games that everyone else seems to have played, but I have missed out on. Weird game. Didn’t like the graphical style particularly, and the bullet hell combat is, frankly, not to my taste, but the music was good and, above all, the writing was so quirky and the characters so much fun, that overall I really quite liked it. Got the full pacifist ending (and the normal ending on the way there), but don’t think I can even try for the genocide ending because the game does such a good job of taking you on a guilt trip. Also, the prospect of more dodging blocks in those tiny windows isn’t appealing. Glad I played it, though. 3.5/5
Catlevania: Dawn of Sorrow - DS (via New 3DS)
They don’t make them like this any more. Although, with Bloodstained, maybe they do (here’s hoping). Great game. I hit the final boss, but put off finishing it to go find more monster souls and upgrade weapons - a great sign that I wasn’t ready to let it go. Love that the RPG elements are truly baked into the gameplay. Only quibble is the glyph drawing - quite a few bosses got a second or third (or fourth) life thanks to that. Grrr... Other than that, pretty much a perfect Metroidvania. 4.5/5
I have finally, finally said goodbye to Lordran. I ended up FAQing the heck out of this game, as all the warnings about difficulty made me too craven to try to tackle it blind - I was constantly fretting about finding the next bonfire. Mostly played offline, but then accidentally (I'd never seen a summoning sign before) got a fellow player to help me take down Ornstein and Smough on my second try. Still, even with a guide, this game must have taken me 75 hours. For much, even most, of the time, I was thoroughly into it, but at other times I just wanted it to end. Was very pleased to see off the final boss, after realising that I really didn't have a clue how to parry, having never used that mechanic throughout the entire game. Fortunately, the guide meant I was able to summon some help. The music for that final fight is wonderful, I'll just add.
Not sure about NG+, but I'm tempted to try again from the start with a different, more focused, character build. My stats were all over the place. 4/5
If it had a few more interface conveniences (mainly, if turning off battle animations actually turned off ALL animations) it would have pulled me in more, but it's a game about grinding where everything and every action has an exp bar on it so I can't really complain that it was too grindy. I can only complain that it should have let me grind more efficiently or faster.
Super game. I may even try to beat it as Cadence, but probably won't bother with the other characters. It's certainly whetted my appetite for more roguelikes. Might have to look into ZHP Unlosing Ranger on PSP...
a fun little game, you can beat it in only an hour, but there is 3 characters, so you can triple that time if you want to finish with all 3, I guess it could take less time each time
Another one knocked out of the park by Square Enix. Phenomenal
Well Pokémon game always been kind of easy, but this one is even easier... this is not a bad game, but lot of thing that I did not like!
I like
The fact that you can see what the nature of the Pokémon does.
Also that you can judge a Pokémon and see if his stat are any good, I even wish it will stay!
That every hidden item respawn, so you can have more that 2 moon stones, since there is 4 Pokémon that can evolve with it...
That all skills that you need to use in the in the world are not taking any spot on your Pokémon skill, i.e Cut, surf...
That your partner do the item find option.
I do not like
The way you catch Pokémon, that I know beforehand, but I manage to get it for 40$ new, so I say why not.
That you cannot breed, I know the first generation you could not too, way back then, but it is today and you should be able to.
Every skills that each Pokémon learn as it level up, is a lot less that it used to be.
There is no Safari zone, no fishing and no game corner.
You need to catch Pokémon to level up, it is random and way too long.
So I say, can’t wait for a real Pokémon at the end of the year!
I'd say this is their best expansion yet for either XI or XIV! Wow.
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Fun plateformer, with some rage endorsing moment! But I did manage to 100% under 10 hours