Games You Have Beaten Recently?

[TDIRunner | 2,738]

I finished Aria of Sorrow for the first time earlier this week (never played it prior to this).  I absolutely loved this game, and I think I enjoyed it more than Symphony of the Night.  This game sucked me in right away and the minor improvements to the controls and inventory system over SOTN were very welcome.  I also really enjoyed the soul system power ups.  Obviously the graphics and music were not as good as SOTN, but that's to be expected with a GBA game compared to a PS1 game.  I made it through most of the game without a guide, but I ended up using one towards the end to set myself up for the good ending.

Spoiler

I accidentally died on the final boss.  I had plenty of health potions, but I simply wasn't watching my health bar.  I was super surprised to discover that you still "beat" the game if you die during the final boss fight and the ending is probably the coolest ending despite not being the "best" ending.  

 

I've been on a Metroidvania kick lately, so I'm thinking about going back to Metroid Zero mission since I've never technically finished that game (made it to the space pirate ship twice).  

Edited February 13 by TDIRunner

[Sumez | 2,951]

10 hours ago, Jaden said:

So, Guardian Legend next?

Using your map to beat Metroid in less than an hour is next

[Sumez | 2,951]

10 hours ago, Jaden said:

So, Guardian Legend next?

Using your map to beat Metroid in less than an hour is next

[G-type | 2,481]

13 hours ago, TDIRunner said:

I've been on a Metroidvania kick lately,

You tried Hollow Knight?

[TDIRunner | 2,738]

3 minutes ago, G-type said:

You tried Hollow Knight?

Not yet, but I've heard of it. 

[TriHart | 88]

23 hours ago, Jaden said:

Talk about a coincidence. I had actually just finished Metroid as well. This was my first time beating the game. And while it is pretty janky in some spots, I still had a blast playing the game, looking for secrets, and defeating Mother Brain. I think Zelda 1 has aged much better than Metroid, but it's still a great time all around. For the record, I was working on a map for this game but never finished it. In the end, I mainly got around by memory and was still able to finish the game without much trouble. The hardest part for me was those stupid infinitely spawning bugs, but the ice beam thankfully makes them pretty much harmless. So, Guardian Legend next?

February 12th, 2024 - Metroid (NES) (Any%)

Haha! That is a funny coincidence. 

 

Last time I played this, I found it to be hard as heck. That happened to be when I was getting into NES and wasn't very good at/used to the NES as a platform. Metroid was very hard for a young me so many years ago. 

This time around I enjoyed it more. I must say I tried initially to go through the last section (Tourian?) Without the icebeam, and that was a total disaster. Had to back track through the purple region (Meridia?) To get the ice beam again. But once I did it was smooth sailing. . 

I think I'll revisit again sooner than later. 

[G-type | 2,481]

just beat Dragonstomper

[TDIRunner | 2,738]

I beat Metroid Zero Mission tonight.  This is the third game that I've beaten for the first time so far this year, so it's been a good year for my backlog.  

My stats weren't great, but I managed to do it without a guide.  As I've mentioned before, I've made it to the space pirate ship in previous attempts, but I never bothered to actually finish the game.  As much as I enjoy this game, every time I play it, it reminds me how much better Super Metroid is.  

 

 

[wongojack | 214]

22 hours ago, G-type said:

just beat Dragonstomper

This is one that I keep de-prioritizing.  I really do want to play it seriously someday.  How was it?

[G-type | 2,481]

39 minutes ago, wongojack said:

This is one that I keep de-prioritizing.  I really do want to play it seriously someday.  How was it?

It's worth playing from a historical perspective as a precursor to games like Dragon Warrior. For the Atari, there really is nothing else like it. It's the only actual RPG on the system. (Adventure doesn't count). As for the gameplay itself, its pretty basic. Roam the landscape, picking fights, grinding up your stats and gold enough to be able to clean out all the shops in the second level before facing the dragon. Very RNG dependent in the early part of the game, but once you've built up your attack enough (called "Dex" in this game), its just a simple matter of not letting your HP (called "Str") drop too low.

[DarkTone | 984]

Lords of exile. 

[Sumez | 2,951]

1 hour ago, DarkTone said:

Lords of exile. 

so how is it?

[DarkTone | 984]

12 hours ago, Sumez said:

so how is it?

Enjoyed it. Took less than an hour, but you unlock a new character, boss rush and speed run modes. I might be biased because I helped make a boss through kickstarter. Soundtrack is incredible 

[TDIRunner | 2,738]

I finished Mario vs. Donkey Kong tonight with all 136 stars.  

[TDIRunner | 2,738]

I finished the Dark Forces Remaster today (PS4 version) along with all trophies.  Most of the trophies are gameplay related (finish a level) and only a few are "missable," but even those were pretty easy to achieve.  So this was probably the easiest platinum trophy I've ever gotten.  

My only complaint is that sometimes the movement controls "stick" and my character will always move forward or backward no matter what I press.  It only happened a handful of times, and it only killed me once, but it was still pretty annoying.  I'm not sure if it's a problem with the game or my controller, but it occurred with both of my PS4 controllers and I've never noticed this on any other PS4 game.  I also found the stick movement to not be as precise was I would prefer.  I messed with the stick sensitivity multiple times, but I still haven't found a setting that is perfect for me.  

[DarkTone | 984]

Enter the gungeon. I swore if I beat it, it would go into my top 10

[NostalgicMachine | 235]

On 2/15/2024 at 12:39 AM, TDIRunner said:

I beat Metroid Zero Mission tonight.  This is the third game that I've beaten for the first time so far this year, so it's been a good year for my backlog.  

My stats weren't great, but I managed to do it without a guide.  As I've mentioned before, I've made it to the space pirate ship in previous attempts, but I never bothered to actually finish the game.  As much as I enjoy this game, every time I play it, it reminds me how much better Super Metroid is.  

 

 

Awesome game. It's been years; I need to play it again. I'm on a Super Metroid kick atm (how is this game 30?)!

[Reed Rothchild | 9,526]

[TDIRunner | 2,738]

I finished the remaster of Tomb Raider.  Overall, I'm pretty happy with the results.  The game looks absolutely beautiful and my complaints are pretty minor.  The biggest issues is that the "classic controls" are not the same as the original game.  They are very similar, but not exactly the same, and I have absolutely no idea why.  If you don't like the original controls, you have an option for modern controls, and you can also reassign most of the buttons, but for some reason, the exact original controls are not possible, and that makes absolutely no sense to me.

The only other issue I found is the minor split second freezes while things load in the middle of the level.  This never occurred in the original game, so I don't see why it would occur on newer modern consoles.  It's super minor, but still annoying.  

I'll be moving on to Tomb Raider II remaster tonight.  

 

[wongojack | 214]

Half Life Alyx - I borrowed a Quest 2 and finally got a chance to play Alyx.  The technical side of things was kinda rough for the first half of the game in that my Quest 2 kept crashing at various points.  Turns out connecting via a USB cable was the worst option for me, and I got it ironed out connecting wirelessly and adjusting a few settings.  The game is certainly of very high quality, but it still has that feel of VR newness that kinda pervaded the last big burst of creation for the niche.  My main experience with VR has been through PSVR where I originally had all my ooohs and aaaahs turn into something else, so throwing around glass bottles and playing on a VR playground aren't really new and exciting to me anymore. 

Thankfully, there is plenty of quality gameplay and puzzle solving to be had in Alyx.  It feels like it is the first game in a series that would have become even better with a sequel or 2, but we've never gotten those.  As a result, it sorta stands in place with light decay and paint peeling still holding the title of "greatest VR game of all time" (and maybe always will be).  A major point in its favor is the VERY active mod-scene which produces extremely high-quality levels to play once you are done with the campaign.  I've probably put more time into playing story mods than the original game at this point.

I'm left wondering if I hadn't had ANY technical problems what I would think of the game, but that wasn't my experience.  Someone else might score the game higher, but I'm giving Alyx a 4 out of 5.  There's so much potential here and so much user-created content left to play, but it would have been nice to get a more "completed" package.  I would definitely play a sequel even if it isn't Half Life 3.

 

[wongojack | 214]

And . . . a quick one.  I finished Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris with my nephew a few weeks ago.  I think of this game and its prequel as the very best of the trend of smaller games getting a digital release.  I know that isn't novel anymore, but there was a time when it was unheard of, and this series is a good example of what makes it a good thing.  Simple but varied gameplay that still manages to tell a story and give you an exciting conclusion but enough challenges and other activity to keep you playing.  Plus, the almost effortless inclusion of Co-Op players and difficulty that allows for varied player maturity/expertise.  It's great.  I wish there were spinoffs of my all my favorite series like this.  I give it a 5 out of 5.

 

Edited March 22 by wongojack

[DarkTone | 984]

Balatro. 

[Sumez | 2,951]

On 3/22/2024 at 7:52 PM, TDIRunner said:

The biggest issues is that the "classic controls" are not the same as the original game.  They are very similar, but not exactly the same, and I have absolutely no idea why.

What is the difference?

I've heard lots of praise for the remaster, but haven't seen anyone mention this before.

[TDIRunner | 2,738]

46 minutes ago, Sumez said:

What is the difference?

I've heard lots of praise for the remaster, but haven't seen anyone mention this before.

The differences are extremely minor, but they are different regardless.  In general I am extremely happy with the remaster, but if there is something that bugs me, I'm going to point it out regardless of how minor it is.  There is absolutely no reason why the differences in controls should exist.  

Tomb Raider I

• The original controls allowed you to side step left and right using L2 and R2.  This was replaced in the remaster by pressing left or right while holding the walk button.  The L2 and R2 buttons have no use in the remaster.  In the original, if you pressed left or right while holding walk, you would turn the same as you would without holding walk.  In the remaster, you can no longer turn while holding walk. 

 

Tomb Raider II

• The original controls allowed you to side step left and right while holding R2 and pressing left or right.  This was changed from TR1 because an extra button was needed to pull out a flare.  Pulling out a flare was done by pressing L2.  In these remaster, the side stepping was again replaced by pressing left or right while holding the walk button.  Pulling out a flare was replaced by holding the touch pad and pressing walk.  As with TR1, you can no longer turn while holding walk.  Once again, the L2 and R2 buttons have no use.  Why not use them?  

 

Tomb Raider III

• Don't know yet.  I still have 6 levels to go in my TR2 playthrough.  

 

While all of this sounds minor, it can become an issue if you have muscle memory from playing these games every year for over 25 years.  Please note that I don't have an problem with the remaster having different control options.  Allow people to setup the button combinations however they want.  But there is no reason why the controls couldn't be exactly the same as the originals.  As mentioned before, when you go to set the controls manually, there is no option to change side stepping or flare, so it's impossible to set these functions to their original setting, at least not as of this writing.

Edited April 3 by TDIRunner

[srbossman79 | 25]

Y's Books I, II & III

I took down these games on the Analogue duo last week and weekend.  They are a little bit of a slog, but there is a charm about them that shines through.  I would have been blown away by these at the time they released.  I enjoyed I and II much more than III.  I didn't like the half-assed platforming format of III, but I don't hold it against them for trying something new.  Just hold the sword button down and walk forward is basically how that one plays.  I very much enjoyed the music in all the titles.  There are some that really slap. 

I started Book IV, but I want to play some other titles before I come back to it.