Currently Playing

[Nester the Lark]

Been playing Sonic Lost World on Wii U. I've really enjoyed it, and I think its getting more flak than it deserves.

At the same time, I can understand why it's getting flak. It has a very different rhythm from the last couple of Sonic games. Also, the controls have an oddly steep learning curve, so it seems a little clumsy at first, but plays like a dream once you learn it.

I can see this game being looked back on more favorably a year or so from now once the initial reaction has worn off.

[aj52294]

Started going through Picross 2. Definitely my favorite puzzle series, Picross 3D was great. I've been playing for over three hours and I'm still not bored, plus it's relaxing because it's not overly complicated.

[Da Robot]

BUMP

Well, it's been a while.

Got a new laptop played L4D, L4D2 and brought Portal 2, tried Jet Set Radio, controls are awkward with KB&M and seems to be only designed for a controller annoyingly.

3DS, played Super Mario Bros deluxe, it's little difficult.

Brought Mole Mania, wonderful, wonderful game. How many of you have seen this comic talking about the game.

Also player Steel Diver: Sub Wars, spent quite a few hours with the free version, played some online, and than finally brought the premium version. Extra missions are nice, though very difficult on higher difficulties. Mission 4 felt like a cop out though. An entire mission based off transmitting morse code was a neat idea, but could of at least had some submarine piloting instead of just sitting still and relaying words in morse.


Finally New Art Academy, on lession 3, and drawing in pencil. I just need to stop playing MM though.

[Da Robot]

Wow, it's been awhile again!

Did all main intro lessons in New Art Academy (still haven't done advanced or and some of the mini lessons)

Completed Virtue's Last Reward. Good game, recommend playing 999: 9 hours, 9 persons, 9 doors first though.

Completed the single player of Kid Icarus Uprising. Nice game, controls take some time to get used to though.

3D Space Tank (Known as X-Scape in NA) The game has a nice limited color pallet with low polygon object, give the game a very distinctive appearance. The game play is good. Though the tunnel sections get a little tiresome, when traveling to multiple planets in a short timeframe (but the tunnel music in them is awesome!)

Smash Bros on 3DS is pretty good. It's not perfect but it's good for being the first portable version of the series.


Other games, might not be all of them and not all in order

Portal 2 single player (months ago).
Mole Mania, got stuck at final boss world. (months ago)
A bunch of 3DS demos.
The Expendabros promo game on Steam (Broforce/The Expendables 3 game)
Some more Steel Diver Sub Wars.
TF2 Halloween update. (Log in to get free cosmetic items and the bumper cars are a nice new Halloween gameplay feature).

[The Qu]

Been playing Fallout 3. Super fun to just explore the wasteland. Buggy as all hell though. Lego Batman 3 comes out Tuesday, so that's next on my list.

[Nester the Lark]

I've played so much Hyrule Warriors over the past five months, I can't believe I've been playing it fairly regularly for that long. I've been trying to take a break from it, but now the boss pack DLC is out.

Beyond Wii U, I got all of the Ys games on GOG, and I've been really absorbed in Ys Origin. I'm on my third playthrough with the final playable character. It takes a lot to get me to play through an RPG three times in a row. I think this is one of my favorite action-RPGs I've ever played.

Also working my way through the remake of Shadowgate, and it just might be one of the finest remakes I've ever played (up there with the 2002 remake of Resident Evil and Metroid: Zero Mission). It's faithful to the original, but absolutely gorgeous, and includes numerous modes and options. There are multiple difficulty settings, including a mode that removes deaths and time limits entirely and simplifies the puzzles. There are also several retro options, including the chiptune soundtrack and transition animations from the NES version.

[nocturnal YL]

Bump for talking about my recent games... well, not so recent in some way. My last post was from July 2013, so there were about two years to cover. While I do occasionally talk about them elsewhere, I never went into great details. I was always under the impression that I don't really have an audience here; while I think some of you guys may be interested, I don't really have much to say about those games (games are hard to summarize), nor do I feel like advertising them since everyone likes different series and genres.

I don't know about whether to start a new thread or just post here; my post will cover both 2014 and 2015 (in terms of when I play them, not when they were released). For games I played in 2013, see this thread.

Nintendo 3DS
This may be quite obvious, but I got A Link Between Worlds and Kirby Triple Deluxe. Sufficent to say, I liked both quite well. In terms of their long-term replayability, though, Fire Emblem Awakening and Mario Kart 7 remain the game cards in my (JP and NA) systems for the most part.

Much later, I got Yumi's Odd Odyssey, a high-difficulty platformer, just a few days ago (JP retail version together with its OST). I have yet to play it because I'm currently busy with Seraphisno (see the Flash Player section), and I meant to get Yumi's Odd Odyssey as some sort of filler before I move on to Fire Emblem if.

Wii U
You guys probably know that I have Super Mario 3D World and Puyopuyo Tetris. I also got Smash Wii U last year and Kirby and the Rainbow Curse in January.

I've recently beaten Puyopuyo Tetris; the final challenge was really hard: beat anyone in Club mode. Unlike normal online matches (with matchmaking), it's mostly powerful "no items, Tetris only" players with VS rates of above 8000 (sometimes you run into people with 9999 too) who play in the official Clubs. Took me almost a year to finally beat one such player.

And I'm still stuck with Super Mario 3D World. I've got the first 11 worlds cleared, and now I have to collect the Green Stars. In that context, I hate Grumpblump Volcano.

For Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, I'm at 111/140 challenges. I'm giving up for the rest, and the requirement to spend coins on Classic doesn't sit well with me because I'm awful at Smash. I just ended up playing lots of standard and 8-player Smash, completely ignoring the challenges. I don't even have 450 trophies.

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse did not disappoint me (besides the short length). Miiverse is full of posts saying this game is hard, but I think it's quite the opposite. You can draw longer lines than in Canvas Curse, the lines last longer (and it's context-dependent now; lines used for blocking laser beams last longer) and more than one can appear at the same time. To me, the biggest selling point of this game is its atmosphere -- a cute little story about Kirby and Elline's little adventure.

In terms of replayability, in long term PuyoTeto won out. Feels kind of strange that a multiplatform SEGA game (that's also on the 3DS, but falling block puzzles are best played in Full HD!) got me interested in Wii U than anything else. Maybe Mario Maker will change that.

Flash Player
Besides playing escape games almost daily, there are a few that I really liked. Once in a while, a lengthy RPG or adventure game that last 30-60 hours depending on your playstyle would show up, and completely free of charge.

The first one (and the only one in English) is Phoenotopia, and I'm sure you can find its inspiration from several commercial adventure games. Without going much into details, one thing I like about this game is that it feels like a console (as opposed to PC) adventure game. That and... good music and good story and all that... the physics feels a bit hard to get used to, but otherwise it's an excellent title. Lasted about 35 hours for me.

Then there's Totsugeki! Tonari no Akazukin (Strike! Little Red of the Neighbourhood), a parody of many different things, starting from Little Red Riding Hood. I like the humour of this one: its heroine is being self-centered and not all that heroic, and they see no problems in wrecking havoc as long as they get their current task done. The game lasted 70-ish hours for me to get to full completion. Extensive Japanese language knowledge and research skill recommended if you want to solve all its (optional) puzzles. And speaking of this game, the same author's earlier ARPG Tomo-chan Bokujo 4 (shorter and with no dialogs) is worth looking at too.

And most recently, I'm (still) playng Seraphisno*, a sci-fi RPG from 2011 as one of the first fully 3D Flash games. I tried to play this much longer ago, but at that time I did not like its semi-realtime menu-based battle system (I always think menu-based battle systems should not be realtime because reading speed should not be a gaming skill in most cases). With my second (and current) attempt though, I find that the game is easier and more forgiving than I thought. I likes its... well, everything. Story, graphics, use of stock music, characters, humour (less prominent due to this game's more serious story) and not trying to be a dating sim. Still can't say if this is my favourite Flash game, but it's definitely there at the top. This game should last at least 20 hours for me; I'm at 10 hours and level 110, but a wiki guide says you need at least level 220 to have any hope in the hidden dungeon.

* 1st link to play, 2nd link for the game's introduction, 3rd link for the manual, and 4th link to download the game, though the web version is newer.

Win32
Very minor compared to everything above, but the little action game Princess Remedy proved to be humourous. I like its ending the best, though it may not be of the taste of everyone. Lasts 1-2 hours.

There's also Misamino, which turns SRS Tetris into a turn-based game. I have yet to beat its default AI even once.

[TV Eye]

Mar 22, 2015 6:27:22 GMT -5 nocturnal YL said:

And I'm still stuck with Super Mario 3D World. I've got the first 11 worlds cleared, and now I have to collect the Green Stars. In that context, I hate Grumpblump Volcano.

You think that's tough? Wait til you get to Champion's Road.

Mar 22, 2015 6:27:22 GMT -5 nocturnal YL said:

For Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, I'm at 111/140 challenges. I'm giving up for the rest, and the requirement to spend coins on Classic doesn't sit well with me because I'm awful at Smash. I just ended up playing lots of standard and 8-player Smash, completely ignoring the challenges. I don't even have 450 trophies.

Same, I stopped playing as well because I'd run out of coins all the time. It's such BS.

I've been playing Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call which is SO GOOD. I'm in love with this game, if any of you guys like Elite Beat Agents and/or Final Fantasy, I'd highly recommend it. They even have music and characters from games I wouldn't have guessed would get in including Final Fantasy Mystic Quest which was made specifically to cater to Americans and Final Fantasy Tactics. There's also DLC from The World Ends With You, Chrono Trigger, and the Mana series.

I also got One Piece Unlimited World Red (for the Vita, but it's basically the same game as the 3DS and Wii U version) and it's a blast as well. It's basically Monster Hunter but with One Piece characters. There's also combos and the controls are better than the MH series in my opinion.

Of course, I also got Majora's Mask 3D. I actually beat it 100% in just three days. It was so good, I couldn't put it down. Really love that game, wish they added more content, though.

[Nester the Lark]

I've seldom posted in here because I figured most people probably don't care what I'm playing, and maybe I don't need everyone to know what I'm playing at all times anyway. But I posted here a week back just because I randomly felt like talking about the games I was playing.

I finished Ys Origin and moved on to Ys I Chronicles, which I then proceeded to finish in four days. The original Ys really is a short game, but I kinda like that.

I've played the Turbo CD versions of Ys Book I & II on Wii Virtual Console before, and... I really have mixed feelings about it. It is what it is: an archaic PC RPG from 1987 dressed up in an admittedly way-ahead-of-its-time presentation. The map design is really annoying, as are the boss fights, but at the same time, the game definitely has a certain charm to it, and I can understand why so many people love it.

I had hoped that the Chronicles version would alter the more annoying bits, but it stuck pretty closely to the original game, so I still came away from it feeling mixed.

I've started on Ys II Chronicles, and IIRC, the map design is even worse in this game.

[TV Eye]

Mar 22, 2015 13:46:04 GMT -5 Nester the Lark said:

I've seldom posted in here because I figured most people probably don't care what I'm playing, and maybe I don't need everyone to know what I'm playing at all times anyway. But I posted here a week back just because I randomly felt like talking about the games I was playing.

Yeah, I read what you guys post. I've always been meaning to play the Ys games, I own a few on PSP and I've heard they're really good. Also looking forward to getting the Ys game on Vita.

[Nester the Lark]

I've finished Ys II, and I think I actually liked it just a bit more than Ys I. The boss fights were better thanks to being able to use projectile magic. However, the map design was still confusing and maze-like, and the absolute worst is Solomon Shrine. Not only is it unnecessarily confusing, but you're forced to backtrack around it several times. It really bogs down the last part of the game.

Still, I was pretty satisfied once I finished it. I'm glad I played through Ys I & II again, and I prefer these Chronicles versions to the TurboGrafx versions. Looking forward to starting The Oath in Felghana!

I must be in the mood for quirky RPGs lately, because I also started playing Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire (the fan remake). I played the original game last year and loved it, but I've had a really hard time staying interested in the second one. It's just so boring. But I'd like to get through it eventually so I can move on with the rest of the series.

Finally, I also got F-Zero: GP Legend on Virtual Console.

[nocturnal YL]

I did say I have interest in Ys some time ago. I just hope they're release them on platforms I'd bother with. I'm also wary of actually buying story-oriented games, because it'd be a letdown if their endings turn out to be worse than I thought. Seraphisno (that Flash game I was playing) turned out that way (beat it yesterday) -- the universe ends prematurely, the main cast managed to perform dimentional warp on all involved planets... and that's it. Ouch. I want to see what has become of each character.

I'm now seeing if I can make my own game that has the characteristics I want. It would be difficult (the biggest obstacle right now is that I can't draw).

F-Zero GP Legend was good, but it was utterly dwarved by F-Zero Climax. They should release it in the west anyway, like any other old Japan-only releases.

[Nester the Lark]

Finally finished Ys: The Oath in Felghana. It was good, but seemed a lot more grindy than the other games.

I'm glad I've finally had the chance to play some Ys games, but after four in a row, I think it's time to take a break.

Playing a little Advance Wars on Wii U now. I've just finished the tutorial.

[Da Robot]

Wow, it's been a while. Quick summary.

Wii U with MK8 and Smash Bros last Christmas. MK8 DLC is awesome. Only DLC for Smash was the free Mewtwo from registering both 3DS/Wii U Smash games.

Completed Pandora's Tower around Easter (I should have gone through this game faster admittedly).

Played Bayonetta 1, Wonderful 101 and Bayonetta 2. Also still playing Splatoon.

Started playing Project Zero 2: Wii Edition (Fatal Frame 2) just got to the final boss battle this weekend and now I'm considering restarting the game because of how frustrating it is and also: the lack of good film to damage to boss/2 unskippable cutscenes (under a minute long each but still annoying)/long walk to the boss with enemy ghosts/boss has one hot kill attacks. Should have started playing this game much, much earlier considering some of the free time I'm had in the past to play it (I'm brought it back in 2013 and I think I was still playing Pandora's Tower then). Also wanted to beat the game before FF5 came out but that time has obviously passed.

Started Pikmin 3 and Super Mario Maker which I need to play more of.


Completed Mole Mania, had to use the Restore Point feature to save scum the final boss, because of it's annoying speed.

Got the first ending of Kirby's Dream Land 2 (VC version), a game I have wanted to play for many years after seeing the box on store shelves as a child (and playing the original KDL back then).

Started playing Donkey Kong (94) a great game, I like the little features such as ememy grabbing from SMB2 and the vine climbing/descending mechanic from DK Jr have returned in this game.


And probably lots of demos for 3DS and Wii U titles.

On PC completed Gone Home, played BioShock (not completed).

And I think that's about it.

[Nester the Lark]

Still feeding an unhealthy Splatoon addiction.

Occasionally playing some other stuff, like Super Mario Maker.

I finished the Wii version of Rodea: The Sky Soldier a while back. It's pretty fun. Definitely something that would appeal to fans of Saturn or Dreamcast-era Sega. All it's missing is a virtual pet minigame and a theme song by Marlon Saunders or Crush 40. I can see it becoming another Yuji Naka cult-classic along the lines of Nights, Burning Rangers and Billy Hatcher.

The Wii U version, on the hand... didn't really hold my attention. It just didn't flow like the Wii version, and wasn't as satisfying to play. Kadokawa really messed it up.