Beat a Game Already, 2022 console edition
13-Dec-22 5:05pmSupremeSarna
Slickriven wrote:
Thanks @EB glad to see you're back. Will get your clears added to the Sheet and OP soon.
You're posting them? Thanks, I've got other BaG business to attend to...
I also beat New Super Mario Bros. U
and Super Mario Bros. 
(originally SNES via Mario All-Stars).
[imgt]https://i.imgur.com/...640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium[/imgt]
[imgt w=1280 h=720]https://pbs.twimg.co...[/imgt]
Slickriven wrote:
Thanks @EB glad to see you're back. Will get your clears added to the Sheet and OP soon.
You're posting them? Thanks, I've got other BaG business to attend to...
I also beat New Super Mario Bros. U
and Super Mario Bros. (originally SNES via Mario All-Stars).[imgt]https://i.imgur.com/...640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium[/imgt]
[imgt w=1280 h=720]https://pbs.twimg.co...[/imgt]
11-Dec-22 7:42pmSupremeSarna
I beat two more: New Super Mario Bros. Wii
and Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters
[imgt]https://i.imgur.com/...640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium[/imgt]
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I beat two more: New Super Mario Bros. Wii
and Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters [imgt]https://i.imgur.com/...640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium[/imgt]
[imgt w=1280 h=720]https://pbs.twimg.co...[/imgt]
[imgt w=1280 h=720]https://pbs.twimg.co...[/imgt]
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9-Dec-22 9:55pmSupremeSarna
I beat three games, two of which I have photographic evidence for:
-3D Fantasy Zone: Opa-Opa Bros.
-New Super Mario Bros. 2
-Megaman: The Power Battle
3DFZ took a lot of tries, but I got it done. I still prefer the watered-down Master System version due to the awesome cheats hidden in that version (easy 25 lives, permanent 7-Way Shot). NSMB2 has so many shortcuts I could beat it during work breaks! It’s my pick for the best NSMB adventure, though if you factor in multiplayer modes, the DS original tops it. Power Battle left me wanting more—I remembered it being a fighting game, but I guess that’s the sequel.
[imgt]https://i.imgur.com/...640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium[/imgt]
[imgt]https://i.imgur.com/...640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium[/imgt]
[imgt w=1280 h=720]https://pbs.twimg.co...[/imgt]
[imgt w=1280 h=720]https://pbs.twimg.co...[/imgt]
[imgt w=1280 h=720]https://pbs.twimg.co...[/imgt]
I beat three games, two of which I have photographic evidence for:
-3D Fantasy Zone: Opa-Opa Bros.
-New Super Mario Bros. 2
-Megaman: The Power Battle
3DFZ took a lot of tries, but I got it done. I still prefer the watered-down Master System version due to the awesome cheats hidden in that version (easy 25 lives, permanent 7-Way Shot). NSMB2 has so many shortcuts I could beat it during work breaks! It’s my pick for the best NSMB adventure, though if you factor in multiplayer modes, the DS original tops it. Power Battle left me wanting more—I remembered it being a fighting game, but I guess that’s the sequel.
[imgt]https://i.imgur.com/...640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium[/imgt]
[imgt]https://i.imgur.com/...640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium[/imgt]
[imgt w=1280 h=720]https://pbs.twimg.co...[/imgt]
[imgt w=1280 h=720]https://pbs.twimg.co...[/imgt]
[imgt w=1280 h=720]https://pbs.twimg.co...[/imgt]
9-Dec-22 9:00pmRenaissance2K
To put my new Analogue Pocket Game Gear adapter through its paces, and to add the platform to my list of completions, I beat GG Aleste for the Game Gear.
I didn't think I'd be revisiting the Aleste franchise so soon after last month's Retro Game of the Month put me through the ringer. Robo Aleste was brutally difficult, even with continues and save states and all the other modern comforts. In reviewing a Game Sack video about the Game Gear in anticipation of my Pocket goodies arriving, though, he described GG Aleste as the antithesis of Robo Aleste. Decent graphics for an 8-bit handheld with Vasoline on the screen, a great soundtrack, and fairly-relaxing gameplay, despite the same power-up mechanics as other games in the series. (Its follow-up sounds like every bit of a nightmare as Robo, but we don't have to deal with that one for the time being.)
Like my Robo Aleste playthrough, I leaned on the homing power-up as much crutch for my seeming inability to scan the entire screen at one. I also made more of an effort to pick up those power-up capsules that rain down from enemies occasionally. I thought they were just for points in Robo Aleste, but they're apparently used to strengthen your primary weapon! With all that in mind, the game was a bit of a breeze, and I made it through nearly every level without having to restore a save state or otherwise pull the ripcord. Even against the final bosses, whose shooting mechanics were enough to catch me off-guard, I had accumulated enough extra lives by that point to poke the warship until it fell to pieces.
I have to say, though... This is the first Game Gear game whose music made me sit up and take notice. I've never been a fan of vanilla Master System or Game Gear music. Despite the similar hardware, Nintendo soundtracks always seem to do a better job with their instrumentation. GG Aleste's soundtrack, in contrast, is a real banger. The game itself won't be taking up much headspace longterm, but I'm going to bounce back to that music on occasion.
Finally, for the current Retro Talkshop Thread's game of the month, I harpooned another white whale and beat Mega Man 7 for the Super Nintendo.
While I played - and fell in love with - Mega Man 2 back in the original Nintendo days, I didn't consider myself a fan of the franchise until I picked up the Mega Man Anniversary Collection on PS2 and proceeded to machine gun the first six games in the series (plus the two arcade spin-offs). None of the follow-ups that I played could hold a candle Mega Man 2, but I still had a blast and was ready to move on to greener pixels once I reached the 16-bit entry. I found the game a lot tricker than many of the earlier games in the series, and I eventually encountered a boss in Wily's Castle that I simply could not get past, no matter which weapon I used or how many save states I leaned on.
Playing through it in modern times with a cartridge didn't fare much better. Unlike when I played through on the anniversary collection, I know about boss order and weaknesses, which gave me barely enough of edge to make this venture not feel hopeless. What I didn't know, however, was that Mega Man 7 adds a whole bunch of new mechanics that are practically required to make it all the way to Wily. The bolts that randomly drop from enemies can be cashed in at a shop, of which there is absolutely no indicator on the menu screen. Rush's items aren't tied to Robot Master completions like in previous games, and while one or two of them are easy to find, the other two require a bit of searching. And speaking of Rush, collecting a series of letttered pickups throughout the game unlocks a new weapon where Mega combines with Rush into a jetpack-powered super robot with a flying punch.
The Super Adapter breaks the game. Jumping puzzles are a breeze when you can activate the jet pack. The rocket weapon charges faster and is easier to use than a fully-powered Mega Buster. Mega Man turns into a juggernaut nearly anywhere that doesn't require sliding. And as luck would have it, the Super Adapter's punch weapon happens to be the weakness of the boss responsible for fifteen years of gaming grief. I unloaded on him... and proceeded to encounter another bad batch of bosses that happen to be even worse.
I've read stories about the truncated development time on Mega Man 7, and I'm wondering if it contributed to how the game lacks the energy and polish of the other mainline Mega Man games. Mega Man X proved that Capcom could build a 16-bit, high-energy Mega Man game that rewards performance, so it's a bit of a surprise that they couldn't deliver the same satisfaction here. Maybe this is why - for better or worse - Capcom pivoted to X for most of its Mega mayhem moving forward. The early game, though imperfect, is still a lot of fun, but Wily's Castle is nothing short of a nightmare.
- Akumajō Densetsu, Akumajō Dracula, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project
- Crysis Remastered, Deathsmiles, Gris, Mass Effect 2, Stray, Subsurface Circular, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Manhattan Missions, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time via Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection
- Alien Soldier, Lunar: Eternal Blue, Robo Aleste, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist
- Valis: The Fantasm Soldier
-
CD -
- Gradius III, Kirby Super Star, Mega Man 7, Super Castlevania IV, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Super Mario World, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters
- Out of this World
-
- NBA Jam: Tournament Edition
-
-
- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Castlevania Chronicles, Rockman Complete Works 2: Dr. Wily No Nazo, Tekken 2
*n64* - Banjo-Kazooie, WipEout 64
- Dynamite Cop
-
- GG Aleste
- The Castlevania Adventure, Castlevania Legends, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue
- Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge via Konami GB Collection Volume 4, TMNT, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus
- Ultimate Spider-Man
- LEGO Rock Band, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Attack
- Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
- Street Fighter X Tekken
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted
-
- 3D Classics: Kid Icarus, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Ridge Racer 3D, Steel Diver, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Freedom Planet
- Astro's Playroom, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered
-
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
- Diablo II Resurrected
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Brothers Unite, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Portal Power
-
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Misc. - E.T. the Extra-terrestrial (Atari 2600), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle for the City (Plug & Play)
Unique Systems Covered: 27/36
Total Games Beaten: 72
To put my new Analogue Pocket Game Gear adapter through its paces, and to add the platform to my list of completions, I beat GG Aleste for the Game Gear.
I didn't think I'd be revisiting the Aleste franchise so soon after last month's Retro Game of the Month put me through the ringer. Robo Aleste was brutally difficult, even with continues and save states and all the other modern comforts. In reviewing a Game Sack video about the Game Gear in anticipation of my Pocket goodies arriving, though, he described GG Aleste as the antithesis of Robo Aleste. Decent graphics for an 8-bit handheld with Vasoline on the screen, a great soundtrack, and fairly-relaxing gameplay, despite the same power-up mechanics as other games in the series. (Its follow-up sounds like every bit of a nightmare as Robo, but we don't have to deal with that one for the time being.)
Like my Robo Aleste playthrough, I leaned on the homing power-up as much crutch for my seeming inability to scan the entire screen at one. I also made more of an effort to pick up those power-up capsules that rain down from enemies occasionally. I thought they were just for points in Robo Aleste, but they're apparently used to strengthen your primary weapon! With all that in mind, the game was a bit of a breeze, and I made it through nearly every level without having to restore a save state or otherwise pull the ripcord. Even against the final bosses, whose shooting mechanics were enough to catch me off-guard, I had accumulated enough extra lives by that point to poke the warship until it fell to pieces.
I have to say, though... This is the first Game Gear game whose music made me sit up and take notice. I've never been a fan of vanilla Master System or Game Gear music. Despite the similar hardware, Nintendo soundtracks always seem to do a better job with their instrumentation. GG Aleste's soundtrack, in contrast, is a real banger. The game itself won't be taking up much headspace longterm, but I'm going to bounce back to that music on occasion.
Finally, for the current Retro Talkshop Thread's game of the month, I harpooned another white whale and beat Mega Man 7 for the Super Nintendo.
While I played - and fell in love with - Mega Man 2 back in the original Nintendo days, I didn't consider myself a fan of the franchise until I picked up the Mega Man Anniversary Collection on PS2 and proceeded to machine gun the first six games in the series (plus the two arcade spin-offs). None of the follow-ups that I played could hold a candle Mega Man 2, but I still had a blast and was ready to move on to greener pixels once I reached the 16-bit entry. I found the game a lot tricker than many of the earlier games in the series, and I eventually encountered a boss in Wily's Castle that I simply could not get past, no matter which weapon I used or how many save states I leaned on.
Playing through it in modern times with a cartridge didn't fare much better. Unlike when I played through on the anniversary collection, I know about boss order and weaknesses, which gave me barely enough of edge to make this venture not feel hopeless. What I didn't know, however, was that Mega Man 7 adds a whole bunch of new mechanics that are practically required to make it all the way to Wily. The bolts that randomly drop from enemies can be cashed in at a shop, of which there is absolutely no indicator on the menu screen. Rush's items aren't tied to Robot Master completions like in previous games, and while one or two of them are easy to find, the other two require a bit of searching. And speaking of Rush, collecting a series of letttered pickups throughout the game unlocks a new weapon where Mega combines with Rush into a jetpack-powered super robot with a flying punch.
The Super Adapter breaks the game. Jumping puzzles are a breeze when you can activate the jet pack. The rocket weapon charges faster and is easier to use than a fully-powered Mega Buster. Mega Man turns into a juggernaut nearly anywhere that doesn't require sliding. And as luck would have it, the Super Adapter's punch weapon happens to be the weakness of the boss responsible for fifteen years of gaming grief. I unloaded on him... and proceeded to encounter another bad batch of bosses that happen to be even worse.
I've read stories about the truncated development time on Mega Man 7, and I'm wondering if it contributed to how the game lacks the energy and polish of the other mainline Mega Man games. Mega Man X proved that Capcom could build a 16-bit, high-energy Mega Man game that rewards performance, so it's a bit of a surprise that they couldn't deliver the same satisfaction here. Maybe this is why - for better or worse - Capcom pivoted to X for most of its Mega mayhem moving forward. The early game, though imperfect, is still a lot of fun, but Wily's Castle is nothing short of a nightmare.
- Akumajō Densetsu, Akumajō Dracula, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project - Crysis Remastered, Deathsmiles, Gris, Mass Effect 2, Stray, Subsurface Circular, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Manhattan Missions, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time via Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection - Alien Soldier, Lunar: Eternal Blue, Robo Aleste, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist - Valis: The Fantasm Soldier - CD - - Gradius III, Kirby Super Star, Mega Man 7, Super Castlevania IV, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Super Mario World, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters - Out of this World - - NBA Jam: Tournament Edition - - - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Castlevania Chronicles, Rockman Complete Works 2: Dr. Wily No Nazo, Tekken 2*n64* - Banjo-Kazooie, WipEout 64
- Dynamite Cop - - GG Aleste - The Castlevania Adventure, Castlevania Legends, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue - Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge via Konami GB Collection Volume 4, TMNT, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus - Ultimate Spider-Man - LEGO Rock Band, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Attack - Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles - Street Fighter X Tekken - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up - Need for Speed: Most Wanted - - 3D Classics: Kid Icarus, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Ridge Racer 3D, Steel Diver, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Freedom Planet - Astro's Playroom, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered - - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Diablo II Resurrected - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Brothers Unite, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Portal Power - - Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesMisc. - E.T. the Extra-terrestrial (Atari 2600), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle for the City (Plug & Play)
Unique Systems Covered: 27/36
Total Games Beaten: 72
8-Dec-22 8:46pmRenaissance2K
In the words of a certain angelic hero, "Sorry to keep you waiting!" I have a few quick completions to catch up on, but I'll start with Kid Icarus: Uprising for the 3DS.
When Kid Icarus: Uprising was announced at E3 2010, it was a pretty big deal. Coasting on the momentum of a surprise appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii, the new Kid Icarus was the first new entry to the franchise in twenty-five years. Rather than taking the easy route and make yet another eccentric platformer for the sequel, Uprising would tap into the gaming trend du jour and be an intense third-person shooter with a massive arsenal of collectable weapons, multiplayer modes, and extensive banter. Oh, the banter. Palutena would go down in gaming history as one of the most pervasive "radio buddies" ever, but that's jumping ahead a little bit.
Though my exposure to the franchise was extremely limited (I purchased and played the original on the Wii Virtual Console, only to die a few hundred times on the first level), I pre-ordered the game and picked it up at release because the first run package came with the 3DS Stand, a cheap piece of plastic that would prop your console on a desk at the optimal angle for demon busting. I didn't think too hard about it. I could have asked obvious questions like "Why would the optimal way to play a handheld game be stationary on a flat surface?" and instead just got slackjawed over a free goodie that came with a game that I'd probably end up buying and playing anyway, given its elevated blockbuster status on an otherwise quiet platform.
Nearly every level in Kid Icarus: Uprising follows the same formula. The level begins with an on-rails shooting segment where Pit - endowed with the power of flight for five minutes - approaches the level's primary arena or battleground and destroys whatever resistance standing in his way. I love these segments. They move incredibly quickly, the handheld's 3D effect does them incredible justice, and the experience varies quite a bit with whatever weapon Pit happens have brought into the fray. With 25 levels in the main campaign, the developers did an excellent job of making sure environments and their design language don't get repeated too much, and these introductory sequences do a great job of showing them off.
Pit eventually lands, and the main level segment takes over, which is more like a traditional run-and-gun third-person shooter. Pit moves with the Circle Pad, aims with the stylus, and performs melee and ranged attacks (automatically selected based on the range to your target) by smashing the shoulder button as fast as you can. And if that sounds uncomfortable, well, now you understand why the game was bundled with a stand... to take some of the weight off of your aching wrists. Even before considering consumable weapons and equippable powers, Pit has a pretty advanced moveset, each attack of which is some variation of "move a certain way and shoot," which is probably great for people that take the time to master the game and get extremely technical, but for a mook like me, it just meant that Pit spiced up every encounter with unintentional acrobatics that usually ended with the target exploding.
I played through three Guitar Hero: On Tour games last year, which unforgetably launched with millions of cries of "ARGH, MY WRIST" at the expense of the game's guitar grip controller. Even my cranky old man hands didn't find a reason to complain about it. But DAMN, if my cogs weren't barking after an extended session of Uprising. Maybe it was more tolerable with an old school, original-sized 3DS, but one unstable hand is not nearly enough to support the weight of a full-size, late release 3DS XL, when your dominant hand has to stay completely devoted to the stylus. When things go south, it's way too easy to think that the outcome would have been different if you had been playing with a keyboard and mouse like with a traditional shooter, or even a twin-stick gamepad.
That said, it's hard to not be really impressed with the game. From the moment it boots, it bears more than just a passing resemblance to Super Smash Bros. Brawl with its large, colorful menu icons and layout. Brawl seems to have been a template for packing game content as well as Uprising features a whole bunch of collectathon mechanics - equippable powers, idols (think statues from Smash Bros.), and more weapons than you can shake a bag of sticks at. It may as well be thousands, considering how many there are, and how difficult it is to obtain all but the most common ones. Speaking of difficulty, like Smash, each level has a baseline difficulty (and rewards generosity) that can be increased or decreased by paying out currency. Higher difficulties unlock challenging side paths with special weapons drops, and they increase the power level of a handful of one-off "legendary" weapons that are scattered around the universe. You can use Play Coins to roll for new idols, weapons can be combined to make new weapons, there's a Treasure Hunt screen - another Smash callback - that reveals artwork as certain objectives are met, and if that's still not enough content, you can pay a 3D model of Palutena to... well... I'm not really sure exactly. She just kinda floats closer to you or something. That's it.
Did I mention the banter? Pit, Palutena, and their cornucopia of side characters talk A LOT as the game unfolds in front of you. It's hard to adequately convey exactly how much dialogue there is in this game. It's CONSTANT. And for their credit, Pit's goofball personality and neverending barrage of fourth wall breaks are actually genuinely funny more often than they're cringey. But it's almost alarming how pervasive the conversations end up being, to the point that - if you find yourself in a moment of peace and quiet - it probably means you're taking way too long to do something important.
The single most commmon thought I had playing the game, though, is sheer disbelief that this was just a 3DS game. For fans of the platform, it's an incredible demonstration of what the little handheld could pull off with a lot of passion. For fans of Kid Icarus, wherever they may be, it's better than what they could have ever hoped for after such a long absence. It's like jumping straight from the original Super Mario Bros. straight into Super Mario Galaxy.
- Akumajō Densetsu, Akumajō Dracula, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project
- Crysis Remastered, Deathsmiles, Gris, Mass Effect 2, Stray, Subsurface Circular, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Manhattan Missions, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time via Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection
- Alien Soldier, Lunar: Eternal Blue, Robo Aleste, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist
- Valis: The Fantasm Soldier
-
CD -
- Gradius III, Kirby Super Star, Super Castlevania IV, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Super Mario World, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters
- Out of this World
-
- NBA Jam: Tournament Edition
-
-
- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Castlevania Chronicles, Rockman Complete Works 2: Dr. Wily No Nazo, Tekken 2
*n64* - Banjo-Kazooie, WipEout 64
- Dynamite Cop
-
-
- The Castlevania Adventure, Castlevania Legends, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue
- Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge via Konami GB Collection Volume 4, TMNT, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus
- Ultimate Spider-Man
- LEGO Rock Band, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Attack
- Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
- Street Fighter X Tekken
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted
-
- 3D Classics: Kid Icarus, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Ridge Racer 3D, Steel Diver, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Freedom Planet
- Astro's Playroom, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered
-
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
- Diablo II Resurrected
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Brothers Unite, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Portal Power
-
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Misc. - E.T. the Extra-terrestrial (Atari 2600), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle for the City (Plug & Play)
Unique Systems Covered: 26/36
Total Games Beaten: 70
There's still a couple of other quick completions that I need to update, but I'll break here so I don't lose this monstrosity that I just typed.
In the words of a certain angelic hero, "Sorry to keep you waiting!" I have a few quick completions to catch up on, but I'll start with Kid Icarus: Uprising for the 3DS.
When Kid Icarus: Uprising was announced at E3 2010, it was a pretty big deal. Coasting on the momentum of a surprise appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii, the new Kid Icarus was the first new entry to the franchise in twenty-five years. Rather than taking the easy route and make yet another eccentric platformer for the sequel, Uprising would tap into the gaming trend du jour and be an intense third-person shooter with a massive arsenal of collectable weapons, multiplayer modes, and extensive banter. Oh, the banter. Palutena would go down in gaming history as one of the most pervasive "radio buddies" ever, but that's jumping ahead a little bit.
Though my exposure to the franchise was extremely limited (I purchased and played the original on the Wii Virtual Console, only to die a few hundred times on the first level), I pre-ordered the game and picked it up at release because the first run package came with the 3DS Stand, a cheap piece of plastic that would prop your console on a desk at the optimal angle for demon busting. I didn't think too hard about it. I could have asked obvious questions like "Why would the optimal way to play a handheld game be stationary on a flat surface?" and instead just got slackjawed over a free goodie that came with a game that I'd probably end up buying and playing anyway, given its elevated blockbuster status on an otherwise quiet platform.
Nearly every level in Kid Icarus: Uprising follows the same formula. The level begins with an on-rails shooting segment where Pit - endowed with the power of flight for five minutes - approaches the level's primary arena or battleground and destroys whatever resistance standing in his way. I love these segments. They move incredibly quickly, the handheld's 3D effect does them incredible justice, and the experience varies quite a bit with whatever weapon Pit happens have brought into the fray. With 25 levels in the main campaign, the developers did an excellent job of making sure environments and their design language don't get repeated too much, and these introductory sequences do a great job of showing them off.
Pit eventually lands, and the main level segment takes over, which is more like a traditional run-and-gun third-person shooter. Pit moves with the Circle Pad, aims with the stylus, and performs melee and ranged attacks (automatically selected based on the range to your target) by smashing the shoulder button as fast as you can. And if that sounds uncomfortable, well, now you understand why the game was bundled with a stand... to take some of the weight off of your aching wrists. Even before considering consumable weapons and equippable powers, Pit has a pretty advanced moveset, each attack of which is some variation of "move a certain way and shoot," which is probably great for people that take the time to master the game and get extremely technical, but for a mook like me, it just meant that Pit spiced up every encounter with unintentional acrobatics that usually ended with the target exploding.
I played through three Guitar Hero: On Tour games last year, which unforgetably launched with millions of cries of "ARGH, MY WRIST" at the expense of the game's guitar grip controller. Even my cranky old man hands didn't find a reason to complain about it. But DAMN, if my cogs weren't barking after an extended session of Uprising. Maybe it was more tolerable with an old school, original-sized 3DS, but one unstable hand is not nearly enough to support the weight of a full-size, late release 3DS XL, when your dominant hand has to stay completely devoted to the stylus. When things go south, it's way too easy to think that the outcome would have been different if you had been playing with a keyboard and mouse like with a traditional shooter, or even a twin-stick gamepad.
That said, it's hard to not be really impressed with the game. From the moment it boots, it bears more than just a passing resemblance to Super Smash Bros. Brawl with its large, colorful menu icons and layout. Brawl seems to have been a template for packing game content as well as Uprising features a whole bunch of collectathon mechanics - equippable powers, idols (think statues from Smash Bros.), and more weapons than you can shake a bag of sticks at. It may as well be thousands, considering how many there are, and how difficult it is to obtain all but the most common ones. Speaking of difficulty, like Smash, each level has a baseline difficulty (and rewards generosity) that can be increased or decreased by paying out currency. Higher difficulties unlock challenging side paths with special weapons drops, and they increase the power level of a handful of one-off "legendary" weapons that are scattered around the universe. You can use Play Coins to roll for new idols, weapons can be combined to make new weapons, there's a Treasure Hunt screen - another Smash callback - that reveals artwork as certain objectives are met, and if that's still not enough content, you can pay a 3D model of Palutena to... well... I'm not really sure exactly. She just kinda floats closer to you or something. That's it.
Did I mention the banter? Pit, Palutena, and their cornucopia of side characters talk A LOT as the game unfolds in front of you. It's hard to adequately convey exactly how much dialogue there is in this game. It's CONSTANT. And for their credit, Pit's goofball personality and neverending barrage of fourth wall breaks are actually genuinely funny more often than they're cringey. But it's almost alarming how pervasive the conversations end up being, to the point that - if you find yourself in a moment of peace and quiet - it probably means you're taking way too long to do something important.
The single most commmon thought I had playing the game, though, is sheer disbelief that this was just a 3DS game. For fans of the platform, it's an incredible demonstration of what the little handheld could pull off with a lot of passion. For fans of Kid Icarus, wherever they may be, it's better than what they could have ever hoped for after such a long absence. It's like jumping straight from the original Super Mario Bros. straight into Super Mario Galaxy.
- Akumajō Densetsu, Akumajō Dracula, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project - Crysis Remastered, Deathsmiles, Gris, Mass Effect 2, Stray, Subsurface Circular, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Manhattan Missions, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time via Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection - Alien Soldier, Lunar: Eternal Blue, Robo Aleste, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist - Valis: The Fantasm Soldier - CD - - Gradius III, Kirby Super Star, Super Castlevania IV, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Super Mario World, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters - Out of this World - - NBA Jam: Tournament Edition - - - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Castlevania Chronicles, Rockman Complete Works 2: Dr. Wily No Nazo, Tekken 2*n64* - Banjo-Kazooie, WipEout 64
- Dynamite Cop - - - The Castlevania Adventure, Castlevania Legends, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue - Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge via Konami GB Collection Volume 4, TMNT, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus - Ultimate Spider-Man - LEGO Rock Band, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Attack - Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles - Street Fighter X Tekken - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up - Need for Speed: Most Wanted - - 3D Classics: Kid Icarus, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Ridge Racer 3D, Steel Diver, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Freedom Planet - Astro's Playroom, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered - - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Diablo II Resurrected - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Brothers Unite, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Portal Power - - Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesMisc. - E.T. the Extra-terrestrial (Atari 2600), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle for the City (Plug & Play)
Unique Systems Covered: 26/36
Total Games Beaten: 70
There's still a couple of other quick completions that I need to update, but I'll break here so I don't lose this monstrosity that I just typed.
8-Dec-22 12:13amSupremeSarna
I beat New Super Mario bros.
[imgt]https://i.imgur.com/...640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium[/imgt]
19 to go.
I beat New Super Mario bros.
[imgt]https://i.imgur.com/...640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium[/imgt]
19 to go.
6-Dec-22 6:02pmbenstylus
It's Mr. Iwata's birthday so I beat a Nintendo game.
It's one that was intended for earlier in the year, but the game ended up being a lot longer than I thought; so I ended up putting it down several times as I went through it. I knew it went beyond the arcade game but didn't realize just how many levels there were.
It's Donkey Kong for Game Boy!
What starts out as a perfectly good portable rendition of Donkey Kong evolves into a vast array of dozens of levels of puzzle platforming. Each world has its own gimmick and there are some great throwbacks to classic DK levels as well. If you want to see the genesis of Mario vs Donkey Kong on the Game Boy Advance, this game is the template.
https://photos.app.g...
One of Game Boy's best. It's even better on Super Game Boy if you can play it that way.
January:
#1 Tetris DS 1/1
#2 The Oregon Trail 1/1
#3 Donkey Kong Jr. on 
1/1
#4 3D Classics: Urban Champion 1/1
#5 Adventure
on Evercade 1/3
#6 Super Mario Land on 1/4
#7 Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe 1/4
#8 Super Mario Advance 1/5
#9 Yoshi's Cookie 1/5
#10 Peggle 1/6
#11 Dynamite Deka on 1/6
#12 OutRun Online Arcade 1/6
#13 Trax 1/7
#14 Twinkle Star Sprites on 1/7
#15 Cat Girl Without Salad ~Amuse-Bouche~ 1/7
#16 Parodius
on 1/8
#17 The Hyrule Fantasy: Zelda no Densetsu
on the Legend of Zelda 
1/8
#18 NightSky 1/8
#19 Armored Warriors Arcade on 1/10
#20 Knights of the Round Arcade on 1/10
#21 Metal Slug: 1st Mission
on 1/10
#22 Maru's Mission on 1/10
#23 Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre 1/11
#24 Wario Blast 1/12
#25 3D Altered Beast 1/12
#26 Pazuru 1/12
#27 Donkey Kong
on 1/13
#28 Super Dodge Ball on 1/13
#29 Kirby's Dream Land on 1/15
#30 Kirby's Dream Land 2 on 1/15
#31 Glass Arcade on Evercade 1/15
#32 Mole Mania 1/17
#33 Maestro! Jump in Music 1/17
#34 Elite Beat Agents 1/20
#35 Picross e9 1/26
#36 Streets of Rage 3D on 1/29
#37 OutRun 3D
on 1/29
#38 Fantasy Zone 3D Arcade on 1/29
#39 The Super Shinobi II 3D
on 1/29
February
#40 Genesis & Master System Picross 2/2
#41 Dangun Feveron Arcade on
2/3
#42 Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom Arcade on 2/4
#43 Winter Heat 2/4
#44 2Do Arukotowa Sandoahru 2/4
#45 Peggle 2 2/5
#46 Rescue Rangers on 2/5
#47 Interactive Storybook DS Series 1 2/5
#48 Utacchi! 2/7
#49 Balloon Fight GB
on 2/10
#50 Pong Arcade via Pong: The Next Level 2/10
#51 The Legend of Zelda 2: Link no Bouken on the Legend of Zelda 2/10
#52 Excite Truck 2/12
#53 Ghost Squad 2/14
#54 Super Mario Advance 4 Super Mario Bros. 3 on 2/15
#55 Super Mario Bros. on Ambassador Program 2/16
#56 Bubble Bobble via on 2/17
#57 Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode I: Homestead Ruiner on 2/17
#58 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2/18
#59 ToeJam & Earl on Sega Vintage Collection 2/19
#60 X-Men Arcade on 2/19
#61 Dungeons & Dragons Shadow over Mystara Arcade on 2/23
#62 3D Streets of Rage 2 2/24
March:
#63 Point Blank DS 3/1
#64 Space Manbow on 3/3
#65 Final Fight 2 via 3/5
#66 Pop'n Music GB Animation Melody 3/10
#67 Pop'n Music GB 3/10
#68 Pop'n Music GB Disney Tunes 3/10
#69 Fighting Vipers 2 3/19
#70 Sega Marine Fishing 3/19
#71 Hako Boy! 3/30
April:
#72 Astro's Playroom 4/6
#73 Kirby Super Star Ultra 4/8
#74 Bound 4/9
#75 Contra via Contra Collection on 4/9
#76 Rolling Thunder via Namco Museum Archives 2 on 4/9
#77 Warriors of Fate Arcade via Capcom Beat-em-up Bundle on 4/9
#78 Stretchmo 4/11
#79 Commander Keen in Keen Dreams: Definitive Edition 4/20
#80 Mysterious Stones Arcade on Evercade 4/21
#81 Yie Ar Kung-Fu II: The Emperor Yie-Gah on 4/22
#82 Pirate Pop Plus 4/30
May:
#83 NIGHTS into dreams... 5/2
#84 Radirgy de Gojaru! 5/6
#85 Yakuman 5/9
#86 Excitebike World Rally on 5/11
#87 Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham 5/19
#88 Rakugaki Showtime on 5/28
#89 Magic Orbz 5/28
#90 Style Savvy 5/30
June:
#91 Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX via 6/11
July
#92 Double Dragon III: The Rosetta Stone Arcade via Evercade 7/1
#93 Double Dragon II: The Revenge Arcade via Evercade 7/2
#94 Gluf via Evercade 7/4
#95 Alter Ego via Evercade 7/4
#96 Star Fox 2 7/13
#97 Ninja Commando Arcade via ADK Damashi on 7/16
#98 GoTris via Evercade 7/27
#99 Spacey McRacey via Evercade 7/27
#100 Forza Horizon via 7/29
August
#101 Rez Infinite on 8/4
#102 Tetris Effect on 8/6
#103 The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree 8/6
#104 Sega Casino 8/6
#105 Super Mario Maker 8/15
#106 Mom Hid My Game 8/16
#107 Tetris 8/30
#108 Side Pocket VS. via 8/30
September
#109 Harold's Walk 9/1
#110 Zimo - Mahjong Fanatic on 9/8
#111 Miles & Kilo 9/17
#112 Steamworld Dig: A Fistful of Dirt 9/23
#113 Bike Rider DX 9/29
October
#114 Around the World in 80 Days 10/7
#115 Fishdom H2O: Hidden Odyssey 10/7
#116 Drancia Saga 10/15
#117 ＠SIMPLE DL Series Vol. 15: The Mahjong 10/19
#118 Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge on 10/22
#119 Rusty's Real Deal Baseball 10/13
#120 Mansion of Hidden Souls
10/31
November
#121 Super Mario Land 2: Some Coins or Something on 11/5
#122 Ide Yousuke no Kenkou Mahjong on 
11/5
#123 Nintendo Badge Arcade 11/19
#124 Pokémon Violet 11/26
December
#125 Psycho Dream
via online 12/3
#126 Donkey Kong via 12/6
It's Mr. Iwata's birthday so I beat a Nintendo game.
It's one that was intended for earlier in the year, but the game ended up being a lot longer than I thought; so I ended up putting it down several times as I went through it. I knew it went beyond the arcade game but didn't realize just how many levels there were.
It's Donkey Kong for Game Boy!
What starts out as a perfectly good portable rendition of Donkey Kong evolves into a vast array of dozens of levels of puzzle platforming. Each world has its own gimmick and there are some great throwbacks to classic DK levels as well. If you want to see the genesis of Mario vs Donkey Kong on the Game Boy Advance, this game is the template.
https://photos.app.g...
One of Game Boy's best. It's even better on Super Game Boy if you can play it that way.
January:
#1 Tetris DS
1/1#2 The Oregon Trail
1/1#3 Donkey Kong Jr.
on 1/1#4 3D Classics: Urban Champion
1/1#5 Adventure
on Evercade 1/3#6 Super Mario Land
on 1/4#7 Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe
1/4#8 Super Mario Advance
1/5#9 Yoshi's Cookie
1/5#10 Peggle
1/6#11 Dynamite Deka
on 1/6#12 OutRun Online Arcade
1/6#13 Trax
1/7#14 Twinkle Star Sprites
on 1/7#15 Cat Girl Without Salad ~Amuse-Bouche~
1/7#16 Parodius
on 1/8#17 The Hyrule Fantasy: Zelda no Densetsu
on the Legend of Zelda 1/8#18 NightSky
1/8#19 Armored Warriors Arcade on
1/10#20 Knights of the Round Arcade on
1/10#21 Metal Slug: 1st Mission
on 1/10#22 Maru's Mission
on 1/10#23 Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre
1/11#24 Wario Blast
1/12#25 3D Altered Beast
1/12#26 Pazuru
1/12#27 Donkey Kong
on 1/13#28 Super Dodge Ball
on 1/13#29 Kirby's Dream Land
on 1/15#30 Kirby's Dream Land 2
on 1/15#31 Glass Arcade on Evercade 1/15
#32 Mole Mania
1/17#33 Maestro! Jump in Music
1/17#34 Elite Beat Agents
1/20#35 Picross e9
1/26#36 Streets of Rage 3D
on 1/29#37 OutRun 3D
on 1/29#38 Fantasy Zone 3D Arcade on
1/29#39 The Super Shinobi II 3D
on 1/29February
#40 Genesis & Master System Picross
2/2#41 Dangun Feveron Arcade on
2/3#42 Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom Arcade on
2/4#43 Winter Heat
2/4#44 2Do Arukotowa Sandoahru
2/4#45 Peggle 2
2/5#46 Rescue Rangers
on 2/5#47 Interactive Storybook DS Series 1
2/5#48 Utacchi!
2/7#49 Balloon Fight GB
on 2/10#50 Pong Arcade via Pong: The Next Level
2/10#51 The Legend of Zelda 2: Link no Bouken
on the Legend of Zelda 2/10#52 Excite Truck
2/12#53 Ghost Squad
2/14#54 Super Mario Advance 4 Super Mario Bros. 3
on 2/15#55 Super Mario Bros.
on Ambassador Program 2/16#56 Bubble Bobble
via on 2/17#57 Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode I: Homestead Ruiner
on 2/17#58 3D Sonic the Hedgehog
2/18#59 ToeJam & Earl
on Sega Vintage Collection 2/19#60 X-Men Arcade on
2/19#61 Dungeons & Dragons Shadow over Mystara Arcade on
2/23#62 3D Streets of Rage 2
2/24March:
#63 Point Blank DS
3/1#64 Space Manbow
on 3/3#65 Final Fight 2
via 3/5#66 Pop'n Music GB Animation Melody
3/10#67 Pop'n Music GB
3/10#68 Pop'n Music GB Disney Tunes
3/10#69 Fighting Vipers 2
3/19#70 Sega Marine Fishing
3/19#71 Hako Boy!
3/30April:
#72 Astro's Playroom
4/6#73 Kirby Super Star Ultra
4/8#74 Bound
4/9#75 Contra
via Contra Collection on 4/9#76 Rolling Thunder
via Namco Museum Archives 2 on 4/9#77 Warriors of Fate Arcade via Capcom Beat-em-up Bundle on
4/9#78 Stretchmo
4/11#79 Commander Keen in Keen Dreams: Definitive Edition
4/20#80 Mysterious Stones Arcade on Evercade 4/21
#81 Yie Ar Kung-Fu II: The Emperor Yie-Gah
on 4/22#82 Pirate Pop Plus
4/30May:
#83 NIGHTS into dreams...
5/2#84 Radirgy de Gojaru!
5/6#85 Yakuman
5/9#86 Excitebike World Rally
on 5/11#87 Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
5/19#88 Rakugaki Showtime
on 5/28#89 Magic Orbz
5/28#90 Style Savvy
5/30June:
#91 Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX
via 6/11July
#92 Double Dragon III: The Rosetta Stone Arcade via Evercade 7/1
#93 Double Dragon II: The Revenge Arcade via Evercade 7/2
#94 Gluf
via Evercade 7/4#95 Alter Ego
via Evercade 7/4#96 Star Fox 2
7/13#97 Ninja Commando Arcade via ADK Damashi
on 7/16#98 GoTris
via Evercade 7/27#99 Spacey McRacey
via Evercade 7/27#100 Forza Horizon
via 7/29August
#101 Rez Infinite
on 8/4#102 Tetris Effect
on 8/6#103 The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree
8/6#104 Sega Casino
8/6#105 Super Mario Maker
8/15#106 Mom Hid My Game
8/16#107 Tetris
8/30#108 Side Pocket VS.
via 8/30September
#109 Harold's Walk
9/1#110 Zimo - Mahjong Fanatic
on 9/8#111 Miles & Kilo
9/17#112 Steamworld Dig: A Fistful of Dirt
9/23#113 Bike Rider DX
9/29October
#114 Around the World in 80 Days
10/7#115 Fishdom H2O: Hidden Odyssey
10/7#116 Drancia Saga
10/15#117 ＠SIMPLE DL Series Vol. 15: The Mahjong
10/19#118 Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge
on 10/22#119 Rusty's Real Deal Baseball
10/13#120 Mansion of Hidden Souls
10/31November
#121 Super Mario Land 2: Some Coins or Something
on 11/5#122 Ide Yousuke no Kenkou Mahjong
on 11/5#123 Nintendo Badge Arcade
11/19#124 Pokémon Violet
11/26December
#125 Psycho Dream
via online 12/3#126 Donkey Kong
via 12/63-Dec-22 3:04pmbenstylus
Time for me to add a December clear. Decided to see what had been added to Switch Online and found Psycho Dream, a super famicom game that I had considered buying before but decided against it due to the price.
Although the cost of the cart is a bit high, there's really no better way to describe this game than a poor man's Castlevania.
You start out with a ridiculously short range weapon, but after several powerups you get a six-way screen filling shot that makes short work of anything but bosses (and it makes long work of them).
Take too many hits when powered up though and you go back to the original dinky weapon of worthlessness.
https://photos.app.g...
It's...okayish. Controls are average, hit detection is very sloppy. Level design is sometimes a slog but they do try different things in some of them which is nice. The bosses are large and cool and easily the best part of the game.
It takes maybe 45 minutes to an hour to clear it, so if you have Switch Online you might want to check it out. No English required - there is some story text at the very beginning of the game but that's about it. It's an action game the rest of the way through. Honestly though, any castlevania game is better.
January:
#1 Tetris DS 1/1
#2 The Oregon Trail 1/1
#3 Donkey Kong Jr. on 1/1
#4 3D Classics: Urban Champion 1/1
#5 Adventure on Evercade 1/3
#6 Super Mario Land on 1/4
#7 Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe 1/4
#8 Super Mario Advance 1/5
#9 Yoshi's Cookie 1/5
#10 Peggle 1/6
#11 Dynamite Deka on 1/6
#12 OutRun Online Arcade 1/6
#13 Trax 1/7
#14 Twinkle Star Sprites on 1/7
#15 Cat Girl Without Salad ~Amuse-Bouche~ 1/7
#16 Parodius on 1/8
#17 The Hyrule Fantasy: Zelda no Densetsu on the Legend of Zelda 1/8
#18 NightSky 1/8
#19 Armored Warriors Arcade on 1/10
#20 Knights of the Round Arcade on 1/10
#21 Metal Slug: 1st Mission on 1/10
#22 Maru's Mission on 1/10
#23 Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre 1/11
#24 Wario Blast 1/12
#25 3D Altered Beast 1/12
#26 Pazuru 1/12
#27 Donkey Kong on 1/13
#28 Super Dodge Ball on 1/13
#29 Kirby's Dream Land on 1/15
#30 Kirby's Dream Land 2 on 1/15
#31 Glass Arcade on Evercade 1/15
#32 Mole Mania 1/17
#33 Maestro! Jump in Music 1/17
#34 Elite Beat Agents 1/20
#35 Picross e9 1/26
#36 Streets of Rage 3D on 1/29
#37 OutRun 3D on 1/29
#38 Fantasy Zone 3D Arcade on 1/29
#39 The Super Shinobi II 3D on 1/29
February
#40 Genesis & Master System Picross 2/2
#41 Dangun Feveron Arcade on 2/3
#42 Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom Arcade on 2/4
#43 Winter Heat 2/4
#44 2Do Arukotowa Sandoahru 2/4
#45 Peggle 2 2/5
#46 Rescue Rangers on 2/5
#47 Interactive Storybook DS Series 1 2/5
#48 Utacchi! 2/7
#49 Balloon Fight GB on 2/10
#50 Pong Arcade via Pong: The Next Level 2/10
#51 The Legend of Zelda 2: Link no Bouken on the Legend of Zelda 2/10
#52 Excite Truck 2/12
#53 Ghost Squad 2/14
#54 Super Mario Advance 4 Super Mario Bros. 3 on 2/15
#55 Super Mario Bros. on Ambassador Program 2/16
#56 Bubble Bobble via on 2/17
#57 Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode I: Homestead Ruiner on 2/17
#58 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2/18
#59 ToeJam & Earl on Sega Vintage Collection 2/19
#60 X-Men Arcade on 2/19
#61 Dungeons & Dragons Shadow over Mystara Arcade on 2/23
#62 3D Streets of Rage 2 2/24
March:
#63 Point Blank DS 3/1
#64 Space Manbow on 3/3
#65 Final Fight 2 via 3/5
#66 Pop'n Music GB Animation Melody 3/10
#67 Pop'n Music GB 3/10
#68 Pop'n Music GB Disney Tunes 3/10
#69 Fighting Vipers 2 3/19
#70 Sega Marine Fishing 3/19
#71 Hako Boy! 3/30
April:
#72 Astro's Playroom 4/6
#73 Kirby Super Star Ultra 4/8
#74 Bound 4/9
#75 Contra via Contra Collection on 4/9
#76 Rolling Thunder via Namco Museum Archives 2 on 4/9
#77 Warriors of Fate Arcade via Capcom Beat-em-up Bundle on 4/9
#78 Stretchmo 4/11
#79 Commander Keen in Keen Dreams: Definitive Edition 4/20
#80 Mysterious Stones Arcade on Evercade 4/21
#81 Yie Ar Kung-Fu II: The Emperor Yie-Gah on 4/22
#82 Pirate Pop Plus 4/30
May:
#83 NIGHTS into dreams... 5/2
#84 Radirgy de Gojaru! 5/6
#85 Yakuman 5/9
#86 Excitebike World Rally on 5/11
#87 Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham 5/19
#88 Rakugaki Showtime on 5/28
#89 Magic Orbz 5/28
#90 Style Savvy 5/30
June:
#91 Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX via 6/11
July
#92 Double Dragon III: The Rosetta Stone Arcade via Evercade 7/1
#93 Double Dragon II: The Revenge Arcade via Evercade 7/2
#94 Gluf via Evercade 7/4
#95 Alter Ego via Evercade 7/4
#96 Star Fox 2 7/13
#97 Ninja Commando Arcade via ADK Damashi on 7/16
#98 GoTris via Evercade 7/27
#99 Spacey McRacey via Evercade 7/27
#100 Forza Horizon via 7/29
August
#101 Rez Infinite on 8/4
#102 Tetris Effect on 8/6
#103 The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree 8/6
#104 Sega Casino 8/6
#105 Super Mario Maker 8/15
#106 Mom Hid My Game 8/16
#107 Tetris 8/30
#108 Side Pocket VS. via 8/30
September
#109 Harold's Walk 9/1
#110 Zimo - Mahjong Fanatic on 9/8
#111 Miles & Kilo 9/17
#112 Steamworld Dig: A Fistful of Dirt 9/23
#113 Bike Rider DX 9/29
October
#114 Around the World in 80 Days 10/7
#115 Fishdom H2O: Hidden Odyssey 10/7
#116 Drancia Saga 10/15
#117 ＠SIMPLE DL Series Vol. 15: The Mahjong 10/19
#118 Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge on 10/22
#119 Rusty's Real Deal Baseball 10/13
#120 Mansion of Hidden Souls 10/31
November
#121 Super Mario Land 2: Some Coins or Something on 11/5
#122 Ide Yousuke no Kenkou Mahjong on 11/5
#123 Nintendo Badge Arcade 11/19
#124 Pokémon Violet 11/26
December
#125 Psycho Dream via online 12/3
Time for me to add a December clear. Decided to see what had been added to Switch Online and found Psycho Dream, a super famicom game that I had considered buying before but decided against it due to the price.
Although the cost of the cart is a bit high, there's really no better way to describe this game than a poor man's Castlevania.
You start out with a ridiculously short range weapon, but after several powerups you get a six-way screen filling shot that makes short work of anything but bosses (and it makes long work of them).
Take too many hits when powered up though and you go back to the original dinky weapon of worthlessness.
https://photos.app.g...
It's...okayish. Controls are average, hit detection is very sloppy. Level design is sometimes a slog but they do try different things in some of them which is nice. The bosses are large and cool and easily the best part of the game.
It takes maybe 45 minutes to an hour to clear it, so if you have Switch Online you might want to check it out. No English required - there is some story text at the very beginning of the game but that's about it. It's an action game the rest of the way through. Honestly though, any castlevania game is better.
January:
#1 Tetris DS
1/1#2 The Oregon Trail
1/1#3 Donkey Kong Jr.
on 1/1#4 3D Classics: Urban Champion
1/1#5 Adventure
on Evercade 1/3#6 Super Mario Land
on 1/4#7 Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe
1/4#8 Super Mario Advance
1/5#9 Yoshi's Cookie
1/5#10 Peggle
1/6#11 Dynamite Deka
on 1/6#12 OutRun Online Arcade
1/6#13 Trax
1/7#14 Twinkle Star Sprites
on 1/7#15 Cat Girl Without Salad ~Amuse-Bouche~
1/7#16 Parodius
on 1/8#17 The Hyrule Fantasy: Zelda no Densetsu
on the Legend of Zelda 1/8#18 NightSky
1/8#19 Armored Warriors Arcade on
1/10#20 Knights of the Round Arcade on
1/10#21 Metal Slug: 1st Mission
on 1/10#22 Maru's Mission
on 1/10#23 Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre
1/11#24 Wario Blast
1/12#25 3D Altered Beast
1/12#26 Pazuru
1/12#27 Donkey Kong
on 1/13#28 Super Dodge Ball
on 1/13#29 Kirby's Dream Land
on 1/15#30 Kirby's Dream Land 2
on 1/15#31 Glass Arcade on Evercade 1/15
#32 Mole Mania
1/17#33 Maestro! Jump in Music
1/17#34 Elite Beat Agents
1/20#35 Picross e9
1/26#36 Streets of Rage 3D
on 1/29#37 OutRun 3D
on 1/29#38 Fantasy Zone 3D Arcade on
1/29#39 The Super Shinobi II 3D
on 1/29February
#40 Genesis & Master System Picross
2/2#41 Dangun Feveron Arcade on
2/3#42 Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom Arcade on
2/4#43 Winter Heat
2/4#44 2Do Arukotowa Sandoahru
2/4#45 Peggle 2
2/5#46 Rescue Rangers
on 2/5#47 Interactive Storybook DS Series 1
2/5#48 Utacchi!
2/7#49 Balloon Fight GB
on 2/10#50 Pong Arcade via Pong: The Next Level
2/10#51 The Legend of Zelda 2: Link no Bouken
on the Legend of Zelda 2/10#52 Excite Truck
2/12#53 Ghost Squad
2/14#54 Super Mario Advance 4 Super Mario Bros. 3
on 2/15#55 Super Mario Bros.
on Ambassador Program 2/16#56 Bubble Bobble
via on 2/17#57 Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode I: Homestead Ruiner
on 2/17#58 3D Sonic the Hedgehog
2/18#59 ToeJam & Earl
on Sega Vintage Collection 2/19#60 X-Men Arcade on
2/19#61 Dungeons & Dragons Shadow over Mystara Arcade on
2/23#62 3D Streets of Rage 2
2/24March:
#63 Point Blank DS
3/1#64 Space Manbow
on 3/3#65 Final Fight 2
via 3/5#66 Pop'n Music GB Animation Melody
3/10#67 Pop'n Music GB
3/10#68 Pop'n Music GB Disney Tunes
3/10#69 Fighting Vipers 2
3/19#70 Sega Marine Fishing
3/19#71 Hako Boy!
3/30April:
#72 Astro's Playroom
4/6#73 Kirby Super Star Ultra
4/8#74 Bound
4/9#75 Contra
via Contra Collection on 4/9#76 Rolling Thunder
via Namco Museum Archives 2 on 4/9#77 Warriors of Fate Arcade via Capcom Beat-em-up Bundle on
4/9#78 Stretchmo
4/11#79 Commander Keen in Keen Dreams: Definitive Edition
4/20#80 Mysterious Stones Arcade on Evercade 4/21
#81 Yie Ar Kung-Fu II: The Emperor Yie-Gah
on 4/22#82 Pirate Pop Plus
4/30May:
#83 NIGHTS into dreams...
5/2#84 Radirgy de Gojaru!
5/6#85 Yakuman
5/9#86 Excitebike World Rally
on 5/11#87 Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
5/19#88 Rakugaki Showtime
on 5/28#89 Magic Orbz
5/28#90 Style Savvy
5/30June:
#91 Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX
via 6/11July
#92 Double Dragon III: The Rosetta Stone Arcade via Evercade 7/1
#93 Double Dragon II: The Revenge Arcade via Evercade 7/2
#94 Gluf
via Evercade 7/4#95 Alter Ego
via Evercade 7/4#96 Star Fox 2
7/13#97 Ninja Commando Arcade via ADK Damashi
on 7/16#98 GoTris
via Evercade 7/27#99 Spacey McRacey
via Evercade 7/27#100 Forza Horizon
via 7/29August
#101 Rez Infinite
on 8/4#102 Tetris Effect
on 8/6#103 The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree
8/6#104 Sega Casino
8/6#105 Super Mario Maker
8/15#106 Mom Hid My Game
8/16#107 Tetris
8/30#108 Side Pocket VS.
via 8/30September
#109 Harold's Walk
9/1#110 Zimo - Mahjong Fanatic
on 9/8#111 Miles & Kilo
9/17#112 Steamworld Dig: A Fistful of Dirt
9/23#113 Bike Rider DX
9/29October
#114 Around the World in 80 Days
10/7#115 Fishdom H2O: Hidden Odyssey
10/7#116 Drancia Saga
10/15#117 ＠SIMPLE DL Series Vol. 15: The Mahjong
10/19#118 Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge
on 10/22#119 Rusty's Real Deal Baseball
10/13#120 Mansion of Hidden Souls
10/31November
#121 Super Mario Land 2: Some Coins or Something
on 11/5#122 Ide Yousuke no Kenkou Mahjong
on 11/5#123 Nintendo Badge Arcade
11/19#124 Pokémon Violet
11/26December
#125 Psycho Dream
via online 12/32-Dec-22 5:55pmRenaissance2K
For Frank's Game of the Month thread, I finished Super Mario World for the Super Nintendo.
I already talked about how Super Mario World was my favorite Mario game when I beat the Game Boy Advance port last year. If there was any doubt to that devotion, I picked the game again back up again year to take it all the way to 100% with every exit and every Yoshi Coin collected. Despite the love I have for the game and its portable version, never having a childhood Super Nintendo means I've spent comparitively little time with the original, save for a brief playthrough with the Wii Virtual Console release, and a 100% run on an emulator back in college.
(Bonus Artifact: One of my suitemates noted that the mustachoed, baseball-capped "fall" variant of Koopa Troopas looked like a mutual neighbor named Adil. I still have the 22-year-old screenshot that we used to immortalize that revelation.)
Taking Frank's nomination as an opportunity to revisit one of my favorite games, I played through it this time on my MiSTer for the first time on an analog display since I played it in a friend's living room three decades earlier. As usual, I spent way too much time uncovering secret exits in Donut Ghost House, breezed through Star Road with an arsenal of colored Yoshi's under my arm, and limped my way through the front door to Bowser's Castle after the trial and error of figuring out which doors don't lead to deathboxes.
Before long, I was starting at the end card that a friend had once - in the pre-Donkey Kong Country era - considered the best graphics he'd ever seen.
- Akumajō Densetsu, Akumajō Dracula, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project
- Crysis Remastered, Deathsmiles, Gris, Mass Effect 2, Stray, Subsurface Circular, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Manhattan Missions, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time via Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection
- Alien Soldier, Lunar: Eternal Blue, Robo Aleste, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist
- Valis: The Fantasm Soldier
-
CD -
- Gradius III, Kirby Super Star, Super Castlevania IV, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Super Mario World, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters
- Out of this World
-
- NBA Jam: Tournament Edition
-
-
- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Castlevania Chronicles, Rockman Complete Works 2: Dr. Wily No Nazo, Tekken 2
*n64* - Banjo-Kazooie, WipEout 64
- Dynamite Cop
-
-
- The Castlevania Adventure, Castlevania Legends, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue
- Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge via Konami GB Collection Volume 4, TMNT, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus
- Ultimate Spider-Man
- LEGO Rock Band, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Attack
- Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
- Street Fighter X Tekken
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted
-
- 3D Classics: Kid Icarus, Ridge Racer 3D, Steel Diver, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Freedom Planet
- Astro's Playroom, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered
-
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
- Diablo II Resurrected
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Brothers Unite, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Portal Power
-
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Misc. - E.T. the Extra-terrestrial (Atari 2600), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle for the City (Plug & Play)
Unique Systems Covered: 26/36
Total Games Beaten: 69
We're approaching the end of the year, and with a long vacation and another large video project on the horizon, it doesn't seem likely that many of my ten remaining platforms will see a completed game by the time 2023 rolls around. I'm expecting to finish Mega Man 7 for the Retro Talkshop Thread, and I'm working my way through the epic final stages of Kid Icarus: Uprising, but both of those are on platforms that have already been checked off for 2022.
There's a chance I might be able to squeeze in a Game Gear, Vita, or even a Stadia game because of their portable natures, but we'll see how time and network connections can afford such things. With my Analogue Pocket Game Gear adapter (and dock!) coming tomorrow, I'm itching to try the console's Game Gear support and screen filters.
For Frank's Game of the Month thread, I finished Super Mario World for the Super Nintendo.
I already talked about how Super Mario World was my favorite Mario game when I beat the Game Boy Advance port last year. If there was any doubt to that devotion, I picked the game again back up again year to take it all the way to 100% with every exit and every Yoshi Coin collected. Despite the love I have for the game and its portable version, never having a childhood Super Nintendo means I've spent comparitively little time with the original, save for a brief playthrough with the Wii Virtual Console release, and a 100% run on an emulator back in college.
(Bonus Artifact: One of my suitemates noted that the mustachoed, baseball-capped "fall" variant of Koopa Troopas looked like a mutual neighbor named Adil. I still have the 22-year-old screenshot that we used to immortalize that revelation.)
Taking Frank's nomination as an opportunity to revisit one of my favorite games, I played through it this time on my MiSTer for the first time on an analog display since I played it in a friend's living room three decades earlier. As usual, I spent way too much time uncovering secret exits in Donut Ghost House, breezed through Star Road with an arsenal of colored Yoshi's under my arm, and limped my way through the front door to Bowser's Castle after the trial and error of figuring out which doors don't lead to deathboxes.
Before long, I was starting at the end card that a friend had once - in the pre-Donkey Kong Country era - considered the best graphics he'd ever seen.
- Akumajō Densetsu, Akumajō Dracula, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project - Crysis Remastered, Deathsmiles, Gris, Mass Effect 2, Stray, Subsurface Circular, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Manhattan Missions, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time via Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection - Alien Soldier, Lunar: Eternal Blue, Robo Aleste, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist - Valis: The Fantasm Soldier - CD - - Gradius III, Kirby Super Star, Super Castlevania IV, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Super Mario World, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters - Out of this World - - NBA Jam: Tournament Edition - - - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Castlevania Chronicles, Rockman Complete Works 2: Dr. Wily No Nazo, Tekken 2*n64* - Banjo-Kazooie, WipEout 64
- Dynamite Cop - - - The Castlevania Adventure, Castlevania Legends, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue - Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge via Konami GB Collection Volume 4, TMNT, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus - Ultimate Spider-Man - LEGO Rock Band, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Attack - Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles - Street Fighter X Tekken - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up - Need for Speed: Most Wanted - - 3D Classics: Kid Icarus, Ridge Racer 3D, Steel Diver, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Freedom Planet - Astro's Playroom, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered - - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Diablo II Resurrected - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Brothers Unite, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Portal Power - - Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesMisc. - E.T. the Extra-terrestrial (Atari 2600), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle for the City (Plug & Play)
Unique Systems Covered: 26/36
Total Games Beaten: 69
We're approaching the end of the year, and with a long vacation and another large video project on the horizon, it doesn't seem likely that many of my ten remaining platforms will see a completed game by the time 2023 rolls around. I'm expecting to finish Mega Man 7 for the Retro Talkshop Thread, and I'm working my way through the epic final stages of Kid Icarus: Uprising, but both of those are on platforms that have already been checked off for 2022.
There's a chance I might be able to squeeze in a Game Gear, Vita, or even a Stadia game because of their portable natures, but we'll see how time and network connections can afford such things. With my Analogue Pocket Game Gear adapter (and dock!) coming tomorrow, I'm itching to try the console's Game Gear support and screen filters.
29-Nov-22 4:34pmSupremeSarna
I beat Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions .
[imgt]https://i.imgur.com/...640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium[/imgt]
What a remake! I played the GBA version in high school after playing PiT through DT, and I had a few beefs with it. When they announced the remake in 2017, I nodded, figuring that a remake could fix the issues that bogged down my first playthrough. Alphadream did just that—the graphics look good now, the Bros. Actions are far more streamlined and less of a chore to perform, the special moves remind you how to use them in the heat of battle, and the map is more convenient. They brought out the best in that wacky adventure!
Additionally, that added a fun new mode: Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser. It tells the story of what happened to Bowser’s loyal followers after the Koopa Cruiser crashed at the start of the game. Turns out with the power of amusing retcons, a single Goomba—your unconfident hero—inadvertently caused many of the problems Mario, Luigi, and Bowser faced. Huuuuh-whoops! He and his band of fellow minion captains are a likeable bunch, and you find yourself really rooting for them to beat Fawful and earn the respect of their brainwashed superiors. The mode is a sort-of RTS, with two armies clashing and you passive influencing their stats and attacks. You might find yourself grinding a bit as it gets harder, as enemy levels just keep increasing and you’re frequently switching out your team, and the EXP isn’t evenly distributed as a result. But it’s worth it to see the conclusion:
[imgt]https://i.imgur.com/...640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium[/imgt]
I beat Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions
.[imgt]https://i.imgur.com/...640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium[/imgt]
What a remake! I played the GBA version in high school after playing PiT through DT, and I had a few beefs with it. When they announced the remake in 2017, I nodded, figuring that a remake could fix the issues that bogged down my first playthrough. Alphadream did just that—the graphics look good now, the Bros. Actions are far more streamlined and less of a chore to perform, the special moves remind you how to use them in the heat of battle, and the map is more convenient. They brought out the best in that wacky adventure!
Additionally, that added a fun new mode: Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser. It tells the story of what happened to Bowser’s loyal followers after the Koopa Cruiser crashed at the start of the game. Turns out with the power of amusing retcons, a single Goomba—your unconfident hero—inadvertently caused many of the problems Mario, Luigi, and Bowser faced. Huuuuh-whoops! He and his band of fellow minion captains are a likeable bunch, and you find yourself really rooting for them to beat Fawful and earn the respect of their brainwashed superiors. The mode is a sort-of RTS, with two armies clashing and you passive influencing their stats and attacks. You might find yourself grinding a bit as it gets harder, as enemy levels just keep increasing and you’re frequently switching out your team, and the EXP isn’t evenly distributed as a result. But it’s worth it to see the conclusion:
[imgt]https://i.imgur.com/...640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium[/imgt]
28-Nov-22 11:25pmRenaissance2K
Still not willing to put down the can of turtle soup, I found an excuse to boot up the PC version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection and play through the original arcade version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time.
I've played various ports and versions of Turtles in Time over the years and came to the conclusion (like many others) that the Super Nintendo port is my favorite, if not the superior version. Still, the arcade version has the best animation, a slightly better instrumentation, and a lot more voice integration than its console counterpart, and none of its shortfalls keep it from being a good time.
The Cowabunga Collection adds a couple of optional game tweaks, the most notable of which is Nightmare Mode. The enemy count seemingly triples (which the menu mentions), and the enemy difficulty shoots up (which the menu doesn't mention), effectively turning your turtle into the love child of a pinball and a green pinata. The game doesn't scale evenly on a Steam Deck, which was the driver for me getting the PC version, but it looks glorious and crisp on a full-size PC without too much noticeable lag either. But the most memorable - and probably the most unsettling - thing about the Cowabunga Collection is the acknowledgement that *some people playing Starbase 2100 today will still be alive when the actual 2100 rolls around*. Whoa, dude.
For the first time, after jumping back and forth between Leonardo and Donatello for years, I finally played through the game as Michelangelo without too much of a fuss. He doesn't reach as far as his purple and blue brothers, but his special attack still covers a ton of ground, which makes him play about the same. When the Steam Deck failed to record my playthrough (I guess this is why they tell you to make a test recording first...), I attempted to play through the game again, this time as Raphael, but Raph's vertically-oriented special attack made the game feel clumsier than I liked. I switched back to Donatello and took down Shredder neither much fanfare nor a "Weren't you just here?" acknowledgement from the spiked one.
- Akumajō Densetsu, Akumajō Dracula, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project
- Crysis Remastered, Deathsmiles, Gris, Mass Effect 2, Stray, Subsurface Circular, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Manhattan Missions, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time via Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection
- Alien Soldier, Lunar: Eternal Blue, Robo Aleste, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist
- Valis: The Fantasm Soldier
-
CD -
- Gradius III, Kirby Super Star, Super Castlevania IV, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters
- Out of this World
-
- NBA Jam: Tournament Edition
-
-
- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Castlevania Chronicles, Rockman Complete Works 2: Dr. Wily No Nazo, Tekken 2
*n64* - Banjo-Kazooie, WipEout 64
- Dynamite Cop
-
-
- The Castlevania Adventure, Castlevania Legends, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue
- Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge via Konami GB Collection Volume 4, TMNT, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus
- Ultimate Spider-Man
- LEGO Rock Band, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Attack
- Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
- Street Fighter X Tekken
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted
-
- 3D Classics: Kid Icarus, Ridge Racer 3D, Steel Diver, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Freedom Planet
- Astro's Playroom, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered
-
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
- Diablo II Resurrected
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Brothers Unite, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Portal Power
-
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Misc. - E.T. the Extra-terrestrial (Atari 2600), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle for the City (Plug & Play)
Unique Systems Covered: 26/36
Total Games Beaten: 68
Still not willing to put down the can of turtle soup, I found an excuse to boot up the PC version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection and play through the original arcade version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time.
I've played various ports and versions of Turtles in Time over the years and came to the conclusion (like many others) that the Super Nintendo port is my favorite, if not the superior version. Still, the arcade version has the best animation, a slightly better instrumentation, and a lot more voice integration than its console counterpart, and none of its shortfalls keep it from being a good time.
The Cowabunga Collection adds a couple of optional game tweaks, the most notable of which is Nightmare Mode. The enemy count seemingly triples (which the menu mentions), and the enemy difficulty shoots up (which the menu doesn't mention), effectively turning your turtle into the love child of a pinball and a green pinata. The game doesn't scale evenly on a Steam Deck, which was the driver for me getting the PC version, but it looks glorious and crisp on a full-size PC without too much noticeable lag either. But the most memorable - and probably the most unsettling - thing about the Cowabunga Collection is the acknowledgement that *some people playing Starbase 2100 today will still be alive when the actual 2100 rolls around*. Whoa, dude.
For the first time, after jumping back and forth between Leonardo and Donatello for years, I finally played through the game as Michelangelo without too much of a fuss. He doesn't reach as far as his purple and blue brothers, but his special attack still covers a ton of ground, which makes him play about the same. When the Steam Deck failed to record my playthrough (I guess this is why they tell you to make a test recording first...), I attempted to play through the game again, this time as Raphael, but Raph's vertically-oriented special attack made the game feel clumsier than I liked. I switched back to Donatello and took down Shredder neither much fanfare nor a "Weren't you just here?" acknowledgement from the spiked one.
- Akumajō Densetsu, Akumajō Dracula, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project - Crysis Remastered, Deathsmiles, Gris, Mass Effect 2, Stray, Subsurface Circular, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Manhattan Missions, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time via Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection - Alien Soldier, Lunar: Eternal Blue, Robo Aleste, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist - Valis: The Fantasm Soldier - CD - - Gradius III, Kirby Super Star, Super Castlevania IV, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters - Out of this World - - NBA Jam: Tournament Edition - - - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Castlevania Chronicles, Rockman Complete Works 2: Dr. Wily No Nazo, Tekken 2*n64* - Banjo-Kazooie, WipEout 64
- Dynamite Cop - - - The Castlevania Adventure, Castlevania Legends, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue - Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge via Konami GB Collection Volume 4, TMNT, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus - Ultimate Spider-Man - LEGO Rock Band, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Attack - Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles - Street Fighter X Tekken - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up - Need for Speed: Most Wanted - - 3D Classics: Kid Icarus, Ridge Racer 3D, Steel Diver, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Freedom Planet - Astro's Playroom, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered - - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Diablo II Resurrected - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Brothers Unite, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Portal Power - - Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesMisc. - E.T. the Extra-terrestrial (Atari 2600), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle for the City (Plug & Play)
Unique Systems Covered: 26/36
Total Games Beaten: 68
28-Nov-22 3:30pmSupremeSarna
I beat Mario’s Picross (originally GB).
[imgt]https://i.imgur.com/...640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium[/imgt]
Quality Picross, though the other two Mario ones are better. Every Mario Picross game has a bafflingly annoying design choice that sours the experience at the last minute—this game gives you 80 more puzzles to solve after you finish the Star-level puzzles but doesn’t let you choose them from a list like the other modes, instead giving them to you randomly and not recording which you’ve already cleared. Given that the game doesn’t tell you when you’ve finished the final batch of puzzles, and they’re technically postgame content, I’m calling this game done. Fun puzzles, though.
I beat Mario’s Picross
(originally GB).[imgt]https://i.imgur.com/...640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium[/imgt]
Quality Picross, though the other two Mario ones are better. Every Mario Picross game has a bafflingly annoying design choice that sours the experience at the last minute—this game gives you 80 more puzzles to solve after you finish the Star-level puzzles but doesn’t let you choose them from a list like the other modes, instead giving them to you randomly and not recording which you’ve already cleared. Given that the game doesn’t tell you when you’ve finished the final batch of puzzles, and they’re technically postgame content, I’m calling this game done. Fun puzzles, though.