Posted January 1, 2016 (edited) Suppose with 2015 gone, it's time I got my diary up to date! (Even if it's a bit late... don't hate, it's not up for debate!) First off the bat is Captain Toad Treasure Tracker! (speaking of late...) What a gem of a game! Brilliantly simple in concept and execution. It takes the basic concept that was grounded in Super Mario 3D World and runs with it at the speed of Toad. Over 70 levels, with each introducing new gameplay mechanics and ideas along the way and in true EAD Tokyo fashion, no mechanic or idea outstays its welcome. Deceptively simple looking, this game is actually pretty challenging and really requires you to master the use of camera controls (some levels going so far as near enough requiring you to make use of the good ol' Monster Hunter Claw to triumph over them!) Makes great use of the Gamepad's two screens in select levels as well, with the player tasked to keep track of both screens at once to keep an eye out for that glint in their eye. What else don't you already know? It's a classic, bursting with content and replay value and it's a First Party Nintendo game; of course it's a must play! Oh and yes... You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse SCREW YOU MUMMY ME MAZE FOREVER! SCREW YOU RIGHT IN THE EAR! Gunstar Heroes 3D Classics: It's Gunstar Heroes... IN THREEEEEEEDDEEEEEEEE!!! And it's every bit as awesome as you'd expect! What can I say? It's perhaps the best run and gun 2D platformer ever made. Insanely inventive and creative, unrelenting action and crazy bosses that have you sitting on a knife edge all throughout (ouch... Ok, maybe it doesn't hurt quite as much as that sentence might suggest) Of course it has, factually, the single (it technically counts as single!) coolest boss of all time... It's insane just how Treasure got it so right on their first try! Why the hell haven't you played it yet!? (and if you have, why aren't you playing it again!?) The 3D effect is of course, spectacular, as you'd expect from the SEGA 3D Classics series and I recommend it without any hesitation. Go get it NOW!! Splatoon Single Player Mode (Octo Valley) The single player mode doesn't get enough love in general. It's really very good and much like a miniature Super Mario Galaxy in many ways. It's not just a glorified tutorial for the multiplayer mode (though it does do a very good job at just that as well ), but rather it's a great game in its own right. In particular, it plays up the platforming elements of Splatoon to a much greater degree than the multiplayer and shows how the base mechanics can work in a linear 3D platformer. While I do think that it could've done with a little bit more enemy variety, it does a fantastic job at keeping things fresh all throughout, with brilliantly creative mechanics like the sponges that expand when you shoot them with ink (allowing you to use them as platforms); only made all the more creative when they introduce enemies that can remove them by replacing your ink with their own. The bosses are also a real treat and will definitely remind you of the ones seen in Mario Galaxy (it should be noted though that the US version has an English script that is far superior to the EU version. It's colourful, exciting and hilarious, whereas the UK English version is sadly very dry and literal in comparison ) Nonetheless, if you haven't taken a trip to Octo Valley, why the hell not!? Captain Cuttlefish needs your help! Get in there and take back your turf from the Octavian scum! (and get a really cool looking hat for doing so ) Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition Screw your HD Editions, this is the definitive version of Resident Evil 4 and it's all thanks to this... There's no contest, not even close. The game is just made far more fun and enjoyable with those Wii Remote and Nunchuck controls. Your pistol is literally more accurate than the sniper rifle! And for those that bemoan them saying that it makes the game too easy (and perhaps there is a point to be made for that), you can actually choose to use the original controls from the GCN version; so those people are made happy too! As far as the Wii U eShop re-release is concerned, the faster loading times are very nice (as I said a few months back, they go so fast that the Now Loading screen doesn't even appear anymore!) and sadly that picture that I posted of that stupid screen asking you to connect the Nunchuck is the reason why you can't do Off TV Play with the downloadable Wii game; a real pity, because I would've loved to be able to do that But anyway, there really isn't much point going over the game itself. Chances are that you've all played it before; but I will say that I do think that thematically it definitely stands apart from later games in the series. It may have changed the style of gameplay, but it is certainly still a horror game and not just an action game in Resident Evil clothing. Rather than removing the horror, it instead replaces the jump scares and psychological horror that the series was known for (and had been retrodden to death by that point) for tension and suspense through insurmountable odds and it does it very very well. The atmosphere is tense and creepy all throughout and it straddles a very different line than the likes of RE5 and RE6, which just gave up entirely in favour of chasing the popular western shooters of the day (and though RE5 tries so very hard to ape the parts of RE4 that everyone loved so much, it fails so very miserably in doing so - Shinji Mikami's absence is very much felt throughout). Anyways, it's a classic and the Wii version is the best of them all (now made even better as a Wii U download! The Speedrunner's version of choice ) Konami Krazy Racers: Ahh yes, the game that everyone bought in the run up to Mario Kart Super Circuit... some even say that it stands as the better game. So, playing it for the first time here on Wii U, how does it hold up now; coming out well after Mario Kart Super Circuit has had its day (on both GBA AND Wii U now)... It's pretty good actually! Right off the bat, you note the colourful visuals and the catchy theme that (no matter how much you try) you will never be able to get out of your head. In fact, I'm gonna go ahead and get that stuck in your head right now... The track design isn't particularly special however. The tracks are wide, they lack any real shortcuts and because the Kart controls lack any sort of advance sliding techniques (not that they're bad, but they are pretty basic; featuring basic turning and no sort of hopping or drifting mechanics to speak of), the track design lacks any sort of nuance to it. On top of that, in terms of Konami fan service, the tracks are also kind of lacking. Why not have searchlights that slow you down if they catch you on the Metal Gear track? Or medusa heads that push you back in the Castlevania stage? The only one that features any sort of mechanic from the original game it hails from is the Power Pro Baseball track (the baseballs that fall onto the track and slow you down) and even that's pretty pedestrian really. That's not to say that it's not fun, because it is. It's not particularly long or difficult to beat, but you'll have a good time along the way. It's no Mario Kart beater, but you'll be hard pressed to not crack a smile when playing this one Bike Rider Ultra DX - World Tour Go on, give the main site a bit of love and give my review a click. You know you want to Ninja Gaiden 2 and 3 VC Weekly 364 is the place to go to read what is factually the bestest and most amazingliestestist review of Ninja Gaiden 2 and 3 for the NES on the entire interwebz. I have wanted to play these for a long time actually, never did get round to getting them on the Wii VC and have been waiting for them to come out on Wii U for a long time. Long story short, they don't disappoint. Short story long, READ MAI REVIEWZ!!! And that's all of the games I have beaten in 2015! My full 2015 hitlist can be found below... Mario Golf Advance Tour Golden Sun Super Mario World Layton VS Ace Attorney Kirby Triple Deluxe Kirby's Adventure Wii (100/200%) Super Mario Galaxy 2 (120 stars) Tengami The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D Yoshi's Island DS DK King of Swing Gunman Clive 2 Resident Evil Revelations 2 (PC) Strider (2014 - PC) Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze Earthbound Beginnings Ace Attorney Dual Destinies Kirby & The Rainbow Curse Sin & Punishment: Successor of the Earth (Easy, Normal and Hard modes beaten) The Beginner's Guide Sonic The Hedgehog 2 3D Shovel Knight: No Relics, No Health Upgrades, No Items, No Checkpoints replay playthrough. Pocky & Rocky With Becky Captain Toad Treasure Tracker Gunstar Heroes 3D Classics Splatoon Single Player Mode (Octo Valley) Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition Konami Krazy Racers Bike Rider Ultra DX - World Tour Ninja Gaiden 2: The Dark Sword of Chaos Ninja Gaiden 3: The Ancient Ship of Doom But as an addendum, I am also going to briefly touch upon games that I haven't finished and games that are really of the pick-up-and-play variety, where you don't really go out of your way to finish them... Super Mario Maker It's my most played game of the year by a landslide (go check out the 2015 Activity Feed thread for proof!) and I have had a ton of fun with it! Making levels is such a joy, but even better is watching others play through them. One particular highlight involved watching my friend struggle for more than three hours to try and beat one of my levels (3-4 in case you're wondering; he just couldn't let Donut Block Bowser beat him! ) Makes me wish that I had the technical skill to be an actual game developer (but alas, programming is just too hard for me; I'm just useless at learning and remembering languages ), but Mario Maker at least lets me live out the fantasy! I can only hope that we see another entry in the future and that said future installments continue to use the same interface in one way or another (I will not accept anything worse than the Gamepad for this game!) Mario & Luigi Dream Team Bros I'm currently playing through it and I'm nearing the end. I'll save the in-depth impressions for later on, but I have to say that so far I'm a bit disappointed. The battle system is SUPERB, but the out of battle gameplay is somewhat lacking... Too simple and it lacks the platforming and exploration elements that the first three games had in abundance. There's a lot to love though, including some brilliant music, amazing visuals and top notch in-battle gameplay. But again, more in-depth impressions for later... Affordable Space Adventures I haven't finished this (it has been on the backburner for a while), but I really like it! It's very creative, very funny (the sound of your beat up old hunk-o'-junk always makes me crack a smile) and one of the best uses of the Gamepad to date. One particular highlight from when me and Glen-i played it was when we cut the engines to sneak past the sensors and ended up Doing The Fish up a crevice to nudge the ship up past without being detected (it worked! ) And now it has even more content packed into it! It's a brilliant game that everyone should play! : peace: Towerfall Ascension This is a brilliant little multiplayer game that brings to mind Shadow Battle from Four Swords Adventures and Bomberman. Super tight controls, creative level design and insanely addictive One-Hit-And-Your-Dead gameplay that brings you back time and time again. It's criminal that such a brilliant multiplayer game isn't available on Wii U (you know, the console that is built for amazing local multiplayer!) Lethal League A weird mashup of Super Smash Bros Melee and Baseball, it's lightning fast and crazy fun! A PC exclusive, it's a fantastic couch multiplayer game that we've spent many hours on. If you're looking for a new multiplayer mainstay amongst you and your friends, give this one a serious look! It's ridiculously good! : peace: Duck Game Yet another fantastic local multiplayer game that I've had a ton of fun with. It's simple, silly and very very fun (and even comes equipped with a dedicated Quack button! That's how you know that you're in for a good time ) Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Evolved The series takes a cue from Nano Assault and moves the series onto three dimensional shapes! The core gameplay is fun, but I feel that it's a matter of too much being spread too thin. There's a ton of content, but so much grinding and unnecessary bloat that gets in the way. I loved the simplicity of the first two games (and particularly I think Geometry Wars 2 stands as the high point of the series, taking the ideas from Geometry Wars Galaxies and condensing them down into 6 insanely addictive modes) and I feel that Geo Wars 3 just tries to do too much. It's fun, but not as fun as the earlier games. The Legend of Korra It's Platinum Games on a shoestring budget and it's nowhere near as bad as many claim it to be. Of course it's no Bayonetta or Metal Gear Rising, but when you look at what it is (a $15 licensed game from Activision as publisher), it's a miracle that the game turned out as good as it did! They smartly decided to focus on making the core gameplay (which blatantly runs on the Bayonetta gameplay engine) as fun as possible instead of focusing on adding more content and maximised the pitiful amount of resources on offer to make the best game they could. And really, it is a good game for what it is. I had a decent time with it and I don't watch the show at all; for fans of the show, I'm sure they would've been thrilled with this one! Nidhogg Another great local multiplayer game that I've had much fun with. Dead simple controls yet remarkably nuanced gameplay. A surefire winner at parties for sure! Woah Dave A modern day take on the original arcade Mario Bros. It absolutely nails that Just-One-More-Go factor and is insanely addictive, high score chasing fun! Speedrunners More multiplayer madness! You race to try and get the other players off screen as fast as you can. Last player standing wins! Brilliant fun, why the hell is it not on consoles yet!? A must have for anyone who loves a riotous local multiplayer game! One Finger Death Punch A masterclass in Game Feel. It's dead simple gameplay is carried entirely by just how good the game feels to play. The visual and audio feedback is incredibly satisfying! It's a ton of fun and anyone can just pick up and play it and just have a great time! Go buy it right now! Mushihimesama Steam Edition It's a classic and one of my favourite Cave Shooters. I'm ecstatic that we finally have an easy accessible (and English language!) version of the game! Works flawlessly with my Tatsucap arcade stick and it's a joy to play! I have yet to 1CC even Novice mode, but I'm getting there! One day... And that's all I have time for for now! That's my 2015! Going into 2016, the first two new games I plan on getting stuck into are Undertale (finally!) and Bayonetta 2 (once my AV Receiver gets back here and sorted out on January 8th, I finally plan on tucking into MOAR BAYO!!!! at long, long last! I've put it off for a long time and I think that now's the perfect time for me to finally dive in! ) Speaking of which, what happens with this thread? Do we rename it to Your Gaming Diary 2016? Or do we start a new one? Edited January 1, 2016 by Dcubed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 1, 2016 It's time to bring my own personal gaming diary to a close for 2015 with the full list of games I cleared throughout the year Star Wars: Rogue Leader (GC) Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (GC) Viewtiful Joe (GC) The Last of Us: Left Behind (PS3) ICO (PS2) Yoshi's New Island (3DS) Dino Crisis (PS1) Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D (3DS) Okami (Wii) Super Mario World (Wii VC) Replay Professor Layton and the Curious Village (DS) Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Wii U) Super Smash Bros (N64) Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii) Kirby: Power Paintbrush (DS) Pandora's Tower (Wii) Starfox Assault (GC) Replay P.N.03 (GC) Splatoon (Wii U) Starfox Adventures (GC) Replay Ikaruga (GC) Replay Starwings (SNES) Replay Starfox Command (DS) Replay Starfox 64 3D (3DS) Replay Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush(Wii U) Killer is Dead (PS3) Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii) Streets of Rage 2 (Wii VC) Replay Metal Slug 3 (Wii VC) Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (PS3) Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii) Olli Olli (3DS) Thomas Was Alone (Wii U) Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (PS3) Tomb Raider (PS3) Goldeneye 007 (N64) Replay Mario Tennis (N64) Rayman Raving Rabbids (Wii) Steel Diver (3DS) Yoshi's Woolly World (Wii U) Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (3DS VC) My total stands at 41 games for the year, which is pretty good going for me Looking back through the list, I can recall plenty of fond memories from some great games along with a few that I'd almost forgot I even played I probably look back on Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker most fondly as it was so much better than I ever thought possible, given what we saw of the idea in Super Mario 3D World Killer is Dead probably goes down as the biggest disappointment as I didn't think it was particularly good. Having loved Killer7 and No More Heroes, the lack of quality in this title hurt that little bit extra My biggest surprise of the year, apart from actually managing to make my way through Xenoblade Chronicles, was probably Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow on Gamecube. I enjoyed the original years ago and had played a little bit of this sequel before but it managed to grab me this time and I thoroughly enjoyed stealthing my way through it almost an entire year ago Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 got squeezed in right at the end of the year. I had tried out the first couple of levels a few months ago but didn't think much of it in comparison to the previous Super Mario Land games. Having got into it a little more over the last few days, I cleared the game yesterday afternoon liking it considerably more than expected. In fact, I spent the last hour or two of 2015 going back through each area to find the remaining secret exits and hunt down the rest of the treasure in order to build a better castle I dealt the final blow to the genie at the end of the game mere moments before the countdown to 2016 began and, with that, my year in gaming was over : peace: Here's to 2016 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 1, 2016 My total for 2015 was 2 games. Fucking woo. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 1, 2016 My total for 2015 was 2 games. Fucking woo. I hope it was a case of quality over quantity..? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 8, 2016 (edited) I didn't get close to my 100 game dream Finished 38 games... Jan Batman Origins (Wii U) Tengami (Wii U) The Room (iOS) TLOZ: Between Worlds (3DS) Captain Toad (Wii U) Super Mario Land 2 (3DS) Shovel Knight (Wii U) Siesta Fiesta (3DS) Feb The Room 2 (iOS) March Framed (iOS) Blek (Wii U) Where's Wally HD (iOS) Mega Man 2 (Wii U) Donkey Kong Country (Wii U) Out Run 3D (3DS) April Kuru kuru kururin (Wii U) Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS) Shantae + The Pirate's Curse (3DS) Mega Man 3 (Wii U) Contra 3 (Wii U) Space Harrier (3DS) May Tomb Raider (PS4) July Her Story (iOS) Splatoon (Wii u) August Batman Arkham Knight (PS4) September Monument Valley + DLC (iOS) November Yoshis Wooly World (wii u) Hitman Go (iOS) The Heist (iOS) LIT (iOS) December Battlefront (PS4) Octodad (Wii U) Rayman Fiesta (iOS) Geometry Wars 3 (Apple TV) FAST (Wii U) Tomb Raider Go + DLC (iOS) Kirbys Pinball Land (3DS) Picross E1 (3DS) The break down was Wii U: 14 iOS: 12 3DS: 9 PS4: 3 Doesn't include DLC packs or stuff like Smash and Mario Maker which you can't really finish. Next year I will get to 100!! Best game finished: Splatoon Worst: Tie between Rayman Fiesta and Siesta Fiesta (names coincidental). I loved Jungle Run, but the unlocking structure of Rayman bored me senseless and it quickly became a huge chore. Edited January 8, 2016 by dazzybee Automerged Doublepost Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 8, 2016 I didn't realise Octodad came out on Wii U? What's it like? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 8, 2016 I didn't realise Octodad came out on Wii U? What's it like? I really liked it; a few hours long, simple one note joke but it's good fun for the few hours it lasts. You wouldn't want it to last longer than it does. If you can get it for a fiver then well worth it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
