Thanks to Destiny, I can scarcely remember what else I played in 2015. I'd like to have a better record for 2016. Initially started this as a strictly "Finished" list, but after seeing a couple other members put up games played lists, decided to follow in their foot steps.
First time I ever played this! Started late 2015, finished Saturday, Jan 16 2016. Totally holds up, easy to see why this title means so much to so many. Loved how atmospheric this game is!
Playing the Wii Virtual Console version. Started in mid-January. Prior to this, I'd only ever played the PSP remake and even then, only enough to unlock the original and Symphony of the Night. At the time, I'd found the remake extremely brutal; but playing the original now, I'm finding the game far less difficult. At least in so far as just blazing through it, not looking for alternate paths, secrets, or unlocks.
Resident Evil's younger less-famous sibling. Started mid-January. Yo. You wanna open this door? Find me two keys, then solve a cross-word puzzle!
Am I gonna search for Dr. Kirk? No. Screw that guy. Finished January 30, 2016.
Sitting at the crossroads of Dynasty Warriors and The Legend of Zelda. I don't normally go in for Dynasty Warriors unless its under the guise of a franchse I care about, like Gundam, or Zelda. Finished Legend Mode January 30, 2016. ...trying to wrap my head around Adventure Mode.
Started January 31, 2016.
Man... that... that poor rat.
Currently on day six after being stalled out on the final boss of day five for weeks due a combination of illness and getting my ass kicked by the boss.
Gravity Rush: Remastered, specifically. Started February 8, 2016.
Played around up to the point Kat starts squatting in the sewers. Great looking port, gonna get into this for realzies after I clear a few other things off my plate.
Started February 15, 2016
Just goin' for a routine brain scan, then everything turned all Dead Space up ins!
Played through the XBLA version on February 19, 2016
First thing you do after getting back on Xbox Live after not touching your Xbox 360 in ...two years?
Played through Arcade Mode with Eileen on February 19, 2016
...Jeff's right. We're never getting another Virtua Fighter, are we?
Started February 23, 2016 -- finished Campaign Normal February 28, 2016.
I've got some thoughts about this game, its a strange one. Smart-link is a strange ADS compromise, the campaign is largely devoid of Halo's signature combat playgrounds in service of funneling you down a murder chute -- even most of the vehicle sequences are down narrow corridors! I hate the new BR. ...and I find it odd that a game that made you fight the same boss over and over again at every opportunity, did not deploy that boss for the final encounter.
Assume subsequent Halo entries to follow are done so via the MCC!
Started and Finished Campaign Normal February 28, 2016.
Part of the way through Halo 5, I thought it might be neat to experience The Master Chief's journey in reverse. So here we are. I'll say this for Halo 5, at least it made the Promethean weapons fun to use... hoo boy.
Okay so... hmm.
Started Campaign Normal February 28, 2016. Finished the fight March 1, 2016.
Man. Halo 3. The idea that its been nearly ten years since its original release kinda makes me want to scream. This was the game I bought a 360 for, fully invested in the Xbox infrastructure and sunk probably hundreds of hours into the multiplayer suite. ...now part of an HD collection.
Going back to finish the fight was entertaining, to say the least. Where Halo 4 and 5 had me playing fairly cautiously, in Halo 3 you are every bit the unstoppable murder machine the Spartan IIs were publicized to be. Which was glorious!
But there were some sour notes in there, too. Up front and center is the dramatic change done to the controls to better accommodate dual-wielding. Going back to Halo 3 always makes my brain skip a beat trying to constantly remember to use RB rather than X for reloading and context interaction and playing through again through the MCC was no different. Also wasn't doing myself any favours by bopping back and forth between this and Halo 5 multiplayer.
This is getting long in the tooth, so lemme finish with Halo 3 AR sucks. Flood pure forms suck. ...and either the port work or the bump to 60 FPS screwed with the enemy AI routines. Maybe I should write a blog post?
Started Campaign Normal March 02, 2016. Finished Sunday March 06, 2016.
Smokey jazz and exploring the city at night are still super rad. Discovered that the Brute Plasma Rifle is secretly OP, paired with a Carbine or Sniper/Beam Rifle, you might as well be Master Chief. ...which is a shame because the new-for-ODST Suppressed SMG and Pistol have really sharp designs, but aren't worth spit when the heat is on, especially the SMG and its limited ammo reserve. Glad Buck returned for 5, but he really put in his best work here.
"Take my advice, Rookie. You ever fall for a woman? Make sure she's got balls."
Anniversary Edition. Started Sunday March 06, 2016. Finished Tuesday March 08, 2016.
Maaan... those cutscenes are pretty. Maybe *too* pretty. They kinda really take the wind out of the sails of the updated visuals. Damn good to be playing as my boy, Keith David again!
...aaand done. Ugh. Not that I'd forgotten, but everything after the Arbiter's debut level is such a tedious slog and playing through it again only further cements what a crappy time the back half of this game is. It did a ton to expand the scope of the world of Halo, but boy oh boy are some of those levels and encounters poopy. Like from a butt.
Started Campaign Normal Tuesday March 08, 2016. Finished Thursday March 10, 2016.
I can't tell if its because the back-end of Halo 2 bummed me out so bad, or if its from having played this game so many times over the years. ...but I'm finding my enthusiasm for this Halo retrospective at an all-time low. The 343 Terminals sprinkled into the Anniversary release offer a real stark contrast to the tone of the game they've been inserted into. You've got these extremely lore-heavy deep dives into the furthest reaches of Halo's universe in-between segments of what was, and still remains a fun, campy sci-fi shooter romp.
Did the Master Chief always sound like a trotting horse while walking around?
Phew. Thank crumb that's over. I know the big weapon talking point is the Pistol and how over-powered it is ...and it is, no question. But dude, have you gone back and used the H1 Plasma Pistol? That is a hell of a workman's weapon in this game, cuts through Grunts, Jackals, and Elites like nobody's business. Which is a real shame given that the plasma pistol from H2 onward is only good for draining shields and shutting down vehicles. My hat's off to you, H1 Plasma Pistol!
Thursday March 10, 2016. My training has begun.
Literally. Like, learnin' the combo system over here.
Played some casual local Horde Mode with friends the week of March 13th, 2016
Started the PS Plus version on Saturday March 19, 2016.
Its awesome to see just how much more work has gone into this incredibly dumb game. But by the same token, the PS4 version still needs a little work. There's a slight pause about 4 seconds into the start of every level that can be detrimental to play on certain levels. ...and the load times are out of control.
Started Saturday March 26, 2016.
Dynasty Warriors. With boobs, magical girl transformation sequences, exploding clothes, aerial raves, moe, and boobs. Weren't all these rival dojos trying to kill each other in Shinovi Versus? They start this game seemingly cool with each other, but now they're gonna fight because of contrived circumstances. Anime gotta anime.
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