So somewhere in the darkness of the late 90s, I decided that the breadth of games that I had gone through merited a list. Perhaps for absurdity's sake, perhaps to try and convince myself to kick the "childish" habit; whatever the case, I now have proof positive that I've done some dumb things in my life, I'm a proud (and old) gamer, and I wish to share that very madness with the Giantbomb community.
Hearing this game be described makes it sound insane to pay for this. But it was kinda enjoyable. Glad I didn't pay $15 for it though.
This was shorter and less entertaining than I had anticipated. It's like a tutorial for how to fly in any game ever as though you had never done it before.
It's the tightness of the controls that make this game pretty good! Once you get into the groove, it's really satisfying to avoid everything thrown at you.
Eh. The flash version of this was all the cute it needed. Everything else was just your run of the mill JRPG pastiche. Whatever.
This was my mindless dual joystick shooter (well, mouse and keyboard shooter) back in the day! Endless fun. And now with this rehash they put in a quest mode which means it's beatable! Sorta!
That was really sweet. Not a game, yeah, But I'm still glad I did that.
Yay! Started 2016 with a hoot of a game. Probably far too hyped for me to think it wasn't just a great iteration to a Saints Row game. Still, it was fun. And thankfully I enjoy these games. Probably need a break until I get to IV though.
ANOTHER ONE OF THESE! The Luigi one holds zero interest for me right now. Also, they NEED to move on from these. I'm hoping Mario Maker invalidates any future attempts at making this game again.
Hey, a new Mega Man! I kinda liked the tag and shock mechanic, just different enough to make it feel refreshing enough. Really sad that there it's still got a "blue bomber" synonym, a mysterious antagonist-friend with a shield, etc etc. I mean cmon, TRY.
Wanted something familiar. It's crazy how much of another full game this is (short of a couple cinematics). Still a good feeling game.
VERY pretty game. Figured out all the puzzles, which tells me good/great design. Story could've maybe been better? It kinda didn't satisfy.
Trick shots were a neat addition. I didn't care for the dynamic camera. These Mario sports games make you WORK, though.
This is next-gen? Woof. I mean it looks alright, but wow is this one-dimensional and repetitive. Isn't this just Viking: Battle for Asgard but prettier?
Good on Nina Freeman for sharing her story, but I think this is the hard limit on these kinds of games for me. Gone Home and the Vanishing of Ethan Carter walk a thin line between games and storytelling. This, to me anyways, is telling a story and you click a couple times before getting the next bit. And it doesn't help that I didn't have any agency on what happened. No risk, no effect. I mean that's also true for visual novels, but at least those typically have some puzzle elements that make you think?
I hate to repeat the same sentiment as everyone else, but this is a GORGEOUS game. It's a short, good metroidvania, so don't expect anything else from it but that. But man, this game really nails its atmosphere.
Didn't think this game was going to reel me in in the same way Bastion did, but it did! Even more in fact! I love all the active/passive/secondary mixes. The style looks great, the music is fantastic, but man, the gameplay is SO good.
I really dug this search engine game! Little bit of a mystery (put it together rather quickly), but it was fun trying to follow all the strings of the story slowly come together as I chased names and key words or concepts. Neat!
That first level was SO LONG! And then the rest of the game got progressively quicker. That was kinda weird. Great game, great premise. Like other Platinum games, sorta lacked something. Variety in gameplay or make the combat feel less repetitive? Still enjoyed it. And wow, what correct nostalgia 25 years past its prime.
It's been a while since one of these, and guess what? Absolutely nothing's different and it remains stagnant and still enjoyable but I probably shouldn't keep going back to this well! What else is new?!
I enjoyed this a great deal. More than the Hitman Go I'd say! It felt great and didn't feel so constraining even though it was in all the dame ways.
I had to take this game slow, two and three puzzles at a time. To be upfront, I'd usually cheat at a game like this at some point. But this game did a fantastic job and giving me JUST enough to figure it out before I got frustrated. I thought it was going to get too complicated, but it never did! Great B level Portal clone.
Neat game! Quick, I love where the narrative goes even if it's been done before (at least in other media). I hope they DON'T iterate on this.
Shorter than the others (maybe thankfully?). I actually didn't mind the transition to 3d, although it did make things less demanding/puzzling. I think I liked it since the level of puzzles made it pretty easy to figure out and run through.
Another one of these! I still can't decide if I enjoy these or not. They're THE SAME! But they're adorable and they don't overstay their welcome. I can't stop myself.
What is Firewatch you say? Apparently not my cup of tea. Looks great and the dialogue's on point. But I dunno. The story it tried to put out and how it wanted me to care, it just didn't do it for me. This is a shame, especially given how much everyone else seemed to like it.
I played this so (relatively) soon after the Third, and it's still SO GOOD! I don't know why I'm an absolute sucker for these games, and it doesn't help that they added the Crackdown-like collectibles. Completely mindless satisfaction.
I fell off HARD on this franchise. I got through all the 50cc cups when I realized that I don't want to play this anymore. Yes, 200cc was crazier than usual, but its the same maps with the same rubber banding AI as always, and I have no interest in the multiplayer. Eight cups seems like too much and not enough at the same time. It's just so safe and bland I guess! Oh well, onto bigger and better things.
Another sorta-interesting experimental game for me. Again short, again sort of a impactful story. Still left me wanting though. I'm glad these are made, but I don't think them to be for me.
I loved this game! The mobile version was good until the grind hit. This got hard but then quickly came back around. Great balance made this a great game, I could probably play this forever.
Cute little parody. Felt relatively fair compared to the hurt of the original idea.
Felt a lot better than I thought it would! Single player was straightforward but good of them to make one instead of nothing. I thought I had multiplayer all cinched up until I got plowed by some snipers. Neat concepts.
Neat Amnesia-like! Actually got through this. Enjoyed the forgiving attitude of the game when you got "caught". And not terribly long either helps matters.
Platinum seems to have this problem recently with their licensed stuff that they put all the systems in place for great gameplay, they make sure it makes sense in the universe, then it's like they forgot that they were the ones that had to make a game with it and shove some short, superficial narrative thing out as quickly as possible. Where's that deep Vanquish-level of lore!?
This is a game I've wanted to try ever since I saw the quick look. It looked ridiculous and had a great concept. Super disappointing compared to that. And the fact that it's pretty much guaranteed you barely get to the boss (much less beat him) by the end, I mean I get the replayability benefit, but boo to you making me run through the same boring combat a whole OTHER time for that!!!
As always with these open world games, at first thought I had lost the spark for it. Cut to 20 hours later and I'm devouring everything about this. This game is pretty dumb for wanting me to get every riddler trophy just to get a proper ENDING!! It was still fantastic and I hope rocksteady does something else great.
So granted, I'm playing this in 2016. But for some reason this game felt a bit more slapped together than it did the first time. Or perhaps it was just super iterative for my tastes. I still love my open world games that give you that take-over-the-city kinda progression. Still glad I'm zoomed through it.
That was a clever little game. I really enjoy these bite sized puzzle games for the iOS. It lets these kinds of games live on!
I bought a 360 for Dead Rising 1. I tried it for a couple of hours but the psychopaths were just ridiculous. Dead Rising 2 felt similarly aimless, especially knowing that I will likely need to restart the game just to get through it!? But this one finally made the game accessible enough for me to get through it. And it was great! Silly story, just enough durability stuff to not be annoying (would've loved a little easier/fast travel). One of the super rare instances where I'll likely never go back to play the originals!
I beat it! My first Souls game. I cautiously dipped my toe in, lost a few hours, and didn't know how I felt. But I kept thinking about it when I wasn't playing it. Then 20 hours in, I'm level 40 and only a few bosses through. In less than five hours, I've leveled up 25 more, beaten every boss, and would be contemplating a little NG+ was it not for all the other Souls games (much less other games). Once that Souls "click" goes off in your brain, these games are what people say they are: not HARD, just nasty and punishing. But man, so rewarding/satisfying when you finish something.
I think it's the way the collectibles and checkpoints are handled in this game/these types of games that made me not enjoy this as much. I didn't feel like replaying a whole level just to get one puzzle piece or get that N that I saw and just didn't react fast enough to get. I CAN get everything, but how many times do you want me to replay the whole thing just to get them?! Anyways, still well made, just not my cup of tea these days.
Still keeping it up. Even has a meta puzzle going on. Always just enough intrigue to get me through one of these.
I got tired of this quick two years ago. Came back and "beat" it in a couple of days. Did a couple of things which I should've been more self-impressed about, and I know I could figure out more things that people would say means I didn't really beat Fez. But I did enough of this without going insane. I feel satisfied with what I got out of this game.
This game was tweensty in the way I was worried about, but I still really enjoyed it. I probably would've loved this if I was younger and hadn't seen these kinds of tropes a lot over. I did enjoy how sincere genuine the relationship between Max and Chloe is. This fulfills the little niche that The Walking Dead didn't quite deliver on with Season Two.
Did they really just remake Star Fox 64 and sell it for 60 bucks?! This was shorter, controlled worse, and was less satisfying than replaying 64 today. Nintendo yet again missteps by remaking too much of their own great franchises. Get bold or move aside guys.
HUGE let down. The board game stuff, all these items you can use. This just feels bloated! It's not for me in concept, so take that for what you will, but it's losing me quicker now.
Eh, it's fine. I think everyone's complaint about the art is valid; it hearkens Mega Man Powered Up a bit too much. Almost the same gameplay as Striker Gunvolt. Way to sneak yellow devil in there.
Picked up this Zelda clone after Brad did that QL of it. It's solid! Sometimes the forced perspective felt like it was limiting, but they built the game smartly around that.
Well, I guess that's done. Story mode felt not as challenging as IV even though the systems definitely felt more complex. The tone seems way off (although I don't know what WOULD feel good with this franchise). Funny how IV kicked off the new fighting genre cycle, but V may very well be the death knell.
This game is phenomenal! The third person, tight controlled, bosses-only action, the bullet hell stages of each boss, the perfectly pitched difficulty. It's dripping with a really great style and it all comes together in this tightly packed game that I can't seem to stop gushing about!
Yep, this game was fantastic. Every system felt great and it was just the right length. I had a ton of fun tackling the side stuff. The final boss was very lackluster, but it's hard to live up to a game I just did 100% of (a rarity these days).
Only came to this four years later. I had NO interest in trying to get done. Honestly, even after I got back to it, it was kind of a trudge. It seemed phoned in with the few monster types and while I did try a different class than my normal hack and slash, it was a bit of a grind. Another one in the books though!
So this was my first used game I ever bought. I know that because it had an endgame save on it. So being the 6 or so year old that I was, I sorta got that I was cheating by going to the last boss from there and beating it, but that didn't stop me from gloating and said I beat it. Well now I actually went through it and beat it! Still a great series.
Cute little 8-bit take on the modern take on the 8-bit take. So more Mega Man.
I came across this as someone mentioned it was a "Colossus"-like game. I actually really enjoyed this! It feels super stiff, but it's made just in such a way that it makes sense. Clever, the right length, good.
Maybe the best entry in the franchise! Not that that means much, but I like the style, the tight arcade-y levels. Maybe they're getting somewhere with this.
Yeah, that last segment was pretty weird. Otherwise, it was just a Limbo. Honestly, I don't think it was all that much better than the "original". I think it's just been a while since one of these hit the big stage.
I know these games got slimmed down, but this still felt SHORT! I wondered why the weapons stopped leveling up at 3, and that's because I was on the last level. They're still good games to play, but I don't know how WORTH these games are to play since they're so much of the same stuff every time. I'm sure once I get to current-gen, I'll try the rebooted one since it got such praise.
This game isn't for me, it just isn't! I played a few courses, the potential is amazing, but something about it just doesn't grab me. But hey, I "got through" it.
So I heard both sides to this game. Some say it was great, others said it felt derivative and haughty. I loved it. Say what you want about it's "story", the gameplay was tight and demanding, loved it.
Really lost the magic that 3 gave me. I kinda just mainlined this, did the side stuff that I liked. The drug-induced levels seems really constructed, like they wanted to do certain stuff and forced it in there.
I like this game! I've found some new enjoyment out of these NES-era, high score sorta games! It gives me a break from the long stories and the complicated mechanics of modern games.
Of course with the Konami code, but I beat it! So here's the rip: it's cheap-hard, but the bosses are actually surprisingly easy. You just need to get there is all. And man, those ground traps in level 7 are GARBAGE. Reminds me of the TMNT 2 level with the ground traps.
Twirl sword until completion. Famously short (so you can guess why I'm beating it).
I didn't know there was a Dr. Mario 64! Heyyyyy, it's the same. Alright, good job.
This art style makes me feel uneasy. And these games need just a bit more of a push on at least what you can interact with.
So that was what, a game about sex? That was dumb.
That was a cute little shmup. I like the multiple-ship idea rather than options. And it has a leveling mechanic which I appreciate in a game like this.
I know this was the first walking simulator, but THIS is what I feared. Zero gameplay and (I'm sorry but) a pretentious story. Blech.
I never played one of these before. The form changes sort of remind me of the ps2 era mortal kombat stance changes. It plays decently well. Shenlong busted my butt teaching my how to cheese the beast change to keep your health going forever, but it got me gud so I could get through this.
I always saw this game at Blockbuster and thought it looked like it wasn't my thing. Finally played through this notoriously quick game. It was good though. Some zelda puzzles, nothing too easy or hard. Disney/Capcom combos never disappoint.
I remember playing this game once when I was a kid. I was too confused by the door mechanics (at the time...I was like 6, cmon). I enjoy these NES puzzle games, they're just engrossing enough.
This game is brutal. I cursed at this thing like a Souls game. I got pretty good at grabbing that pterodactyl though.
This game doesn't give a good first impression, but it's actually pretty solid. Gameplay feels good (for what it is), the hindu motif is pretty novel, and the bosses are neat. Another quick action game by Enix of old!
What a fantastically bad name. Beat em ups though.
Neat Metal Slug playing game. The animation is so sexy on these NeoGeo games.
It's amazing how surprisingly well these vector games feel. Probably because of the amount of analog feel they allow for. I dun blew up that Death Star a bunch.
A cute little Mega Man game by Capcom. Bosses were treacherous, but nothing unattainable.
This was a 2003 game?! Wow, this feels ancient. I'm always up for a mindless dual joystick.
I always like a good shmup. The story tried SO hard, but it was easy enough to groove through.
I played this courtesy of Dan's recommendation (I'm as shocked as you are on that). But it was good! Tad bit of nonlinearlity, some upgrade systems, wasn't too hard. Disney knew what they were doing back then!
I NEVER USED A SUPER SCOPE! This thing was cute. Not hard, creative boss design. VERY simple, but glad I went through it.
All this game needed was some patience, really. A couple of lucky starts but otherwise nothing too crazy here.
This game was SO BAD! I remember playing this way back in the day and I figured I was confused by all the systems. Nope, just extra hard towards the end and you HAVE to use a full power super attack to win even though you need to use it ASAP to not die?! Thanks, Japan.
SNK made a Street Fighter II clone. Why do I say that? They have a guy that looks like M. Bison named "Brocken". No shame, zero. So terrible too.
I remember thinking this was so intense back when I was a kid. Like Killer Instinct but it didn't destroy me immediately. Well this is a bad feeling game.
Just a crappy shooter. Nothing to write home about.
So this is a really neat jezzball! A couple of enemies towards the end are maybe unavoidable? but it's good of the most part. I'm on a really weird SNES kick as of late, if that wasn't obvious.
A combatative jigsaw puzzle game that isn't terrible! There are some powers, it seemed difficult but fair, until you actually know the puzzles, because then you dominate.
This is one of those games I always wanted to play but never figured out the flow of this game. Well I got it finally, and it wasn't easy (especially as it got cheap towards the end), but it's in the bag!
Data East's shameless SF2 knockoff. WAY worse out of the lot of these.
This is the one with the old grandma that sucks your face. Only later did I realize they stole this from...was it Fatal Fury with the old guy that got buff?
We'll count this only because it had a mixed sorta game in the middle.
Felt like a good ol' installment in the Kirby franchise which is always nice. Looked real pretty, a bit of new stuff in there with the robot stuff. Couple of cute, well hidden secrets in there. Otherwise nothing shocking here, good stuff.
This game is REALLY good! You shoot lines up to break up balls and try not to get hit. I can't explain it, but it felt good and I just kept on loving it.
This felt better than I remember it. Maybe Alpha is my secret favorite SF? I dunno.
This felt bad. I'm with the science of Ranking of Fighters on this.
So this was a really neat action-pinball sorta game. I really liked this. Like Jeff, I like a good action pinball game, and I never knew this one existed!
I BEAT THIS! It actually wasn't HARD, per se. It was the most frustrating thing ever though. For someone who played a lot of Snood where you make really tight shots that move through small spaces, this one where everything just attaches as soon as possible is the worst! But good game.
This is a neat mode 7, F-Zero sorta game. You shoot and avoid, you have some Space Harrier sorta bosses. Again, something I never came across back in the day but a good sorta concept.
REALLY liked this, probably my best Super Scope game (aside from the sequel). Kinda glad i played the sequel's tutorial before I played through this so I was prepared.
