In August, I started organizing all my Steam games. To that end, I decided to actually start playing a few of those indie games I have hundreds of from cheap bundles. I also decided that it’s time to let go of truly “finishing” games and just call them done once I’m bored. For Steam games, that is. If I spend $80 on a console game, I’m damn well still going to try to wring every bit of content out of it.
~ Game Over ~
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii) – It is finished. Click here to read my long, rambling, final impressions, if you haven’t already.
Monster Hunter Generations (3DS) – Cleared both the solo and multiplayer campaigns. And by “cleared”, I mean “I did all the key quests to get to the final bosses and unlock stuff.” There is still a ton of content to play through! I haven’t even seen all the monsters yet. And the Deviants. Oh Lord, the Deviants!
Bonk’s Adventure (TG16) – I was really into Super Bonk on SNES as a child, and was so awed by the ads for Bonk games that appeared in comics, but I’d never played a “classic” Bonk before. Turns out, ehhhhh, not so hot. The framework of a decent game is there, but the levels are uninspired and Bonk’s got really strange momentum.
Eternal Senia (PC) – I don’t know. There really isn’t much to say about this little game. Other than that it is so sickeningly anime. The gameplay was simple and fun enough, as you just run around and bump into monsters, occasionally solving simple puzzles. But every time a dialogue box appeared was like a waking nightmare. But it was short, and more importantly, free.
Limbo (PC) – I played this on 360 way back in, I don’t know, 2010? I remember being very excited about it, and trying to get my then-girlfriend to be excited about it, too. However, she couldn’t be bothered. I wrote a lot of words about this one.
Ninja Smasher! (3DS) – An excellent little game that came out of nowhere. It looks kind of garbagey, but it’s actually a very fun and speedy metroidvania. It also makes you feel like you’re totally awesome at all times.
Ninja Smasher! (3DS) – Oh, and then I played it a second time. Initially, to do the “beat under 2 hours” speedrun achievement, but then I noticed that three new playable characters unlock when you beat the game. I played with Chain Sickle Ninja, whose special ability is perfect for sequence breaking and speedrunning. This game, man!
Tulpa (PC) – Played this short little puzzle-em-up to the end in a single sitting, then I wrote some words about it.
Tulpa (PC) – And then I played it a second time to gather up all the achievements.
They Came From The Moon (PC) – With a name like that, I was so very disappointed that it turned out to be just a boring Lemmings clone. I gave it ten minutes before uninstalling and shoving it into the “Done Forever” pile in my Steam library.
Apartment 666 (PC) – A crappy PT clone. I mean, I was still scared, because I’m a little baby, but it’s pretty shabby. I would have felt bad if I’d paid money for it, but it came in a bundle with another game that I actually wanted.
~ Now Playing ~
Final Fantasy VIII (PC) – To be playing this game with someone who is unfamiliar and not madly in love with it is helping me to see it a little more objectively. A little. I’ll be an FFVIII “apologist” for the rest of my life. Even if the world map is a horrible blurry mess.
AM2R (PC) – That stands for “Another Metroid 2 Remake” which is I guess an apt title? I don’t know how many Metroid 2 remakes there are. This one is really very good, though. It’s pretty rough around the edges, as all fan games are, but it’s still head and shoulders above most fan games. Go download and play it.
Pokémon Pearl Version (DS) – Lost track of this replay at some point, and now I’m trying to squeeze a little Pokémon time in between Monster Hunter sessions. Part of my Pokémon replays is often to use monsters I normally ignore, but I’m only using two “new” monsters this run: Mismagius and Bastiodon. They’re pretty good, but they’re not Flygon.
Adventure Time: Finn & Jake Investigations (WiiU) – I liked all of Wayforward’s AT games, but I think that an adventure game is probably the best fit for the franchise. It’s like participating in episodes of the show, which really should be the goal for licensed games. If only the combat weren’t so lame.
BOXBOXBOY! (3DS) – Beat it last month, but went back to clear up all the bonus stages. And man, they were some brutal bonus stages. But, brutal in a good way. Because everything about BOXBOXBOY! is wonderful.
Ambition of the Slimes (3DS) – Kind of like a super-simplified Final Fantasy Tactics, and also you play as an army of slimes. It’s a little more difficult than it needs to be because you have to possess your human enemies with the slimes, and then proceed to defeat all non-possessed people. Like all Circle games, the translation is laughably bad.
Cloudbuilt (PC) – A game that looks like Borderlands and (presumably) plays like a third-person Mirror’s Edge. It’s terribly difficult, and I don’t really see myself making it through to the end. I’m certainly not going to be trying to get better ranks. A swath of Cs and Ds will have to suffice.