Games completed in 2014
i didn't finish a lot of games in 2013. i probably won't finish a lot of games in 2014 either
List items
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| Xbox 360 | January 4th | Finished in Co-Op |
It was fun! It really does feel like an expansion pack to Saints Row The Third, or something like that but the humor hit the right notes for the most part, the super powers were a lot of fun and I thought it was pretty great how absolutely nothing was impossible in the story.
The mission structure was kind of mindless, though, as by the end, I was literally just firing rockets and dubstep everywhere until I completed the objective. In some way, that's pretty awesome, though.
Also, Roddy Piper is in it. I don't know. That probably means it's pretty good.
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| Xbox 360 | January 7th |
I was pleasantly surprised. I expected some sort of Apocalypse Now sorta thing going on with the story, with lame gameplay. I ended up liking the shooting part of the game, and while super simple, I had fun using the squad orders just because I don't play nearly enough games that have that sort of thing. It was rough around the edges, but it wasn't rough enough to be any sort of hindrance. Though, I played it on easy, so...
The story was fascinating, too, thanks to a good job from the voice cast and some totally effed up situations. I'm currently in the middle of being burnt out on military theme shooters, but there's some pretty cool stuff in here that I wish we saw more often in terms of the story's direction and design choices as the game progressed.
So... yeah, cool game, especially for less than 10 dollars!
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Left Behind
| PlayStation 3 | February 22nd |
A special addition to a game that felt complete by the time the credits rolled. There's, for better for worse (worse), a bunch of combat that is just as frustrating as ever, especially with all of the infected you have to fight. The story stuff with Riley on the other hand, is heartfelt and something worth seeing.
In a way, it's pretty much The Last of Us in a nutshell, with really powerful story beats mixed in with combat that you kind of wish wasn't there at all. Even with that, it's probably some of the best add-on content that I've ever played. I think that speaks for how excellent the sections with Ellie and Riley are.
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Episode Two: A House Divided
| Xbox 360 | March 8th |
A step up from episode one, which is saying something since I thought the first episode was pretty great. A lot less of those annoying QTEs and some genuinely tense situations (as always) made for a good time... well, a good time looking at bad things. Whatever.
It felt short, though. Shorter than usual, anyway. The ending caught me a bit by surprise as I was definitely expecting a little bit more before it wrapped up.
Episode Three: In Harm's Way
| Xbox 360 | May 17th |
Excellent, and legitimately frightening, packed with great moments. Episode Three does a great job at developing a terrifying, unpredictable villain and creating an unsettling atmosphere that really ramps up in the closing minutes. Not to mention, it introduces a character with a strong first impression who I can't wait to see more of.
Episode Four: Amid The Ruins
| Xbox 360 | July 26th |
Episode four was the weakest of the season thus far, and perhaps the entire series. The pace was slow, with little character development and wonky sound design that generally killed the mood or surprise of some particular moments (the ending, for example). The character moments, for what were there, were enjoyable at the time but they had me questioning their purpose by the end of the episode. To virtually no one's surprise, some characters kick the bucket, but their departures were not sold well whatsoever-- something that The Walking Dead usually sells successfully. Additionally, the insignificance of player choice was especially transparent this time around. It took me out of the moment.
This isn't a bad episode, as the writing and characters remain great, alongside some intense and satisfying moments with new character Jane, but it couldn't even see the high bar set by the rest of the season, with special attention to how great the last episode was. I'm, regardless, excited to see how they wrap up the season.
Episode Five: No Going Back
| Xbox 360 | August 31st |
With my expectations collapsing after the last episode, the wrap-up for the second season was a pleasant surprise. I thought that the character moments in this episode were some of the most genuine and fascinating scenes that the entire season has had. The callbacks that are made, both to the first season and to some of your previous decisions are surprising and actually really cool, especially in regards to a specific one towards the end.
It's certainly no season one finale, by leaps and bounds but as cynical as I was about playing this one, I was happy with The Walking Dead's second season. I thought they were some wrinkles, but they're, to my own surprise, not bumpy enough to take away from the overall satisfaction that I had by the time the credits rolled.
Oh, and that very final scene? Cute.
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| PlayStation 4 | March 18th | Rank C |
It was fun! It looks and sounds really good and all of the combat and stuff feels great. There wasn't much in the way of story (especially since I haven't started Peace Walker yet) but it did good at making me really excited for whatever The Phantom Pain is.
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| PlayStation 3 | March 18th |
I did it. I have slain all of the demons.
Well, not all of them. I missed two of them according to the trophies but... whatever! There's nothing else I can say that hasn't been said already. Demon's Souls is a very good game.
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| PlayStation 3 | May 2nd |
Revengance is unapologetically silly, as if the game's subtitle didn't make that obvious enough. It's one hell of a good time... or one rip of a good time, I don't know.
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| PC | June 19th |
It was a good time. It has very mashy combat, and it was stupidly hard, but I enjoyed it. I always have a soft spot for modern Japanese games that look like they were from the PS2 era.
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| Mac | June 29th |
After years of being afraid of this game's unsettling atmosphere and generally not giving it a chance, I finally played through and finished the first Postal in one sitting. As expected, it's a pretty shallow game, with outdated, clunky controls, headache-inducing sound design and generally unsatisfying shooting with the basic weapons. It's a game that just reeks of 1990s teenage angst, with a mood that outright opposes society and everything it stands for.
However, even with all of that in mind, it kept my interest enough to see it to the end. The shooting, eventually became pretty fun with some of the later weapons and some of the levels, such as the supermarket, were surprisingly enjoyable, especially considering the low quality of the other levels.
I ended up being satisfied with my time spent with Postal, especially given that I ended up playing through most of the game with cheats. For 99 cents, it was a a good time.
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| PS Vita (PS One Classics) | September 8th | X Scenario (with Ultimate Armor)
Mega Man X4 was one of the games from my childhood that always bugged me because I could never finish it. I adored it, sure, but there was always an itch that I needed to go back and scratch to feel totally satisfied.
Over a decade later, and with the help of the Ultimate Armor, I finally kicked Sigma's ass. Granted, he kicked my ass a whole lot first, but it was a good feeling to finally progress through what 8 year old me couldn't touch.
I have a fondness for the PlayStation Mega Man games, with this one in high regard for it's great style (especially in comparison to the later PS1 X games) and fantastic music. The 2D graphics have aged, but that only makes them look even more appealing. The story is surprisingly cool despite how brief and melodramatic it is.
The time I spent with X4 this past week put things into perspective, like how short these games are (and how that relates to speedrunning), how tough they are, and more importantly, how fun these games still are. I had a great time, and while not nearly as excited as I was for X4, I'm still looking forward to playing Mega Man X5 again once it drops on the PSN store tomorrow.
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| PS Vita (PS One Classics) | September 17th |
Mega Man X5 is cool, though I feel like it's the most bland MMX PS1 game. None of the stages or bosses in particular are all that memorable, though the music is pretty good. It certainly feels much more dated than MMX4, where its age only enhanced the revisit.
I remember X5 particularly for its ending, which I remember making me really sad. It's the first game I can remember playing where a main character was seemingly killed off, and perhaps the first time a game moved me in that emotional sort of way. Due to that, this game kind of has a special place in my heart. All of the MMX PS1 games do for their own reasons.
With that said, goodness, that ending really just goes by quick. It beats MMX4's ending by leaps and bounds, but I definitely don't remember Zero's emotional death just being shrugged off like that. It felt... weird, but then again, the entire game just seems to be full of goofy writing and melodrama in a way that isn't particularly effective in any positive way.
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| PlayStation 4 | September 20th | Ultimate |
I have very mixed feelings on this game; feeling that I'll hopefully go into at a later date through some kinda blog post. Generally, I had a surprisingly good time with Warriors Orochi 3. As repetitive and (for the most part) easy at it all is, the combat is pretty fun and it is really satisfying, and pretty hilarious to destroy crowds of enemies with crazy special attacks.
I'm playing the Ultimate version, so there are still four additional chapters left. I'm just throwing this up here because I completed the base game.
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| Nintendo 3DS | October 16th | Hanzo |
I liked this game way more than I thought I would. The beat-em-up gameplay is incredibly easy all the way through (with exceptions to sudden difficulty spikes in missions towards the end) and completely mindless, but there's fun to be had in having gigantic combos and using ninpo in crowds. Chances are, though, the gameplay isn't what drew you in. The fanservice is... well, you either love it or you hate it, and I embraced the game's ridiculous style. It helps that the game has some fun customization features, and tons of nice unlockables.
What was legitimately surprising, though was how the game created genuinely likable, relatively fleshed-out characters with fascinating motives and backstories. It's... certainly not something I expected given the game's over-the-top fanservice, but it went a long way in making this game something more than just a repetitive brawler sprinkled with one-dimensional busty ninja girls. The visual novel elements were, while sometimes fuzzy on whose perspective it was, well-written and really fun to read through.
I mean... by the end of the Hanzo storyline, I was legitimately satisfied with the ending and was left with a warm feeling. It does a nice job at humanizing the antagonists, making them as important and likable as the main cast.
I liked this game a lot. I think it's crazy that something like this even came out in North America, but I'm so happy to support XSEED in bringing over more unique, risky stuff.
| Nintendo 3DS | October 25th | Hejibo |
The Hejibo storyline is a worthwhile companion to the Hanzo storyline. It does just as good of a job (if not, better) of characterizing and defining not just the Hejibo students, but the entire cast of characters. The ways that the story changes key events is a little confusing, especially in regards to which one actually ends up being canon, but they're great character moments regardless. In particular, the moments between Ikaruga and Yomi are probably my biggest highlights.
The story is pretty good the entire way thorough, though the combat kind of drags down towards the end. A second campaign doesn't do well at extending the appeal of Senran Kagura's overly simple, button mashy combat. It didn't help that the game's difficulty suddenly notches up towards the end, in what feels like an undeserved difficulty spike in a game that isn't especially deep. Part of that may have been because I plowed through just the story missions without any regard for leveling up my characters sans Hikage, who breezed through every single mission.
...but, I mean, even with that stuff, Senran Kagura rules. I've found myself suddenly invested in this series, enjoying the heck out of the story, characters, and... you know, the other stuff. I think a lot of my praise comes from how surprised I was at how much I actually ended up liking this game. I was real satisfied with how the story wraps up, and overall, my time with the game.
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| Xbox 360 | November 7th | "Remastered" version |
This playthrough has reassured my notion that San Andreas is one of my all time favorite games. A crappy port of an excellent game that still holds up depending your perspective.
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| PlayStation 4 | November 8th |
Call of Duty, huh?
After falling off of the mediocrity that was Call of Duty: Ghosts, I didn't expect myself to play a non-Treyarch developed Call of Duty campaign to completion ever again... yet, here we are. I guess double jumps and Kevin Spacey go a long way.
Advanced Warfare is alright. The future setting actually ended up being one of the best parts of the campaign, with tons of cool ass tech (with special mention to Irons' business card). The set pieces also look gorgeous, and blow up real nice like Call of Duty always has.
I thought that the story went way off the rails in the second half, with half of things not really making sense at all in my tiny brain to a fault. The ending, especially was... well, I mean, I guess you could call that an ending? It ended, that's for sure, and it wasn't satisfying whatsoever.
I guess unsatisfying is a good way to put Advanced Warfare's campaign? Sure, stuff blows up a lot, there are a couple of seriously over-the-top sequences and Kevin Spacey (as always) does a pretty great job but I couldn't help feeling half the time that none of this was wowing me like it did in Modern Warfare 2. I would say that Call of Duty hasn't been good in "recent years" but man... Black Ops II.
Hey, everyone over at Treyarch; kill it next year.
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