Completion Thread: 2009

[Joust Williams]

I beat FEAR2 on MEDIUM today...it was good and I will be doing it again on HARD

[Frogacuda]

Just beat Bioshock. Yes, for the first time. I got the game when it was new(ish) and played maybe two levels before work got the better of me and I never got back to it.

Not like anyone didn't know this, but it's a pretty amazing game on atmosphere alone. The story is pretty excellent, too (not so much the story of the main character, which is a little lame, but the story of Rapture and its many inhabitants). I hope when they do the movie they try to focus more on the backstory and downfall of rapture than retelling the events of the game.

[Tain]

8. Bionic Commando Rearmed



From what I've seen of the original, this is Bionic Commando Girly Man Edition. For all the hubbub about how this is an awesome modern difficult platformer, the differences between it and the original are still a pretty clear example of developers shying away from difficulty.

On the upside, it has its own nice look to it, I like the music, the Challenge rooms are a good idea, and the Shinkiro art is neat.

I should have played the original first.

[dog$]

Are you saying that after beating the game on Super Hard?

If anything the original is easier just for abusable Rocket Launcher alone.

[Tain]

Super Hard's an unlockable difficulty, and that's on top of the fact that 99% of all difficulty levels that aren't default blow nuts in games.

I think I'd need to spend more time with the original (if anything) to back that up.

[BioMechanic]

Vandal Hearts (PS) - My first strategy RPG, and despite the dated tech, I loved it. I was surprised by how political the plot was, but the character development didn't quite match it. Still, the battles were a lot of fun, and the geyser of blood never got old. Extra thanks to Timber for the recommendation! I hope to play more in this genre; I recently found Phantom Brave on the cheap.

Psi-Ops (PS2) - I'd always wanted to try this, as I kept hearing how fun it was. For the most part, it met my expectations. The levels were large enough to allow for experimentation with the arsenal of well-implemented psychic powers. Some weak stuff late in the game - enemies impervious to many of your powers, the lame aura creatures - kind of killed the buzz; I thought the game peaked about halfway through. I'd love to see a current gen sequel, which would at least update the graphics and audio.

[A Robot Bit Me]

Vandal Hearts (PS) - My first strategy RPG, and despite the dated tech, I loved it. ... I hope to play more in this genre; I recently found Phantom Brave on the cheap.

You might want to sell it on the cheap. Playing and enjoying Vandal Hearts, then buying Phantom Brave on Vandal Hearts' merit as an SRPG is like saying "I wanted to see more movies like Taxi Driver (De Niro), so I bought Taxi (Jimmy Fallon, Queen LafuckingTifah)."

[gameoverDude]

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin

I finished it on Normal. There are still some Reflex boosters (6 down, 7 to go for "All Juiced Up") and Intel items to be found, however.

This is a good sequel to the original, with a smoother framerate and even better graphics. You can't dual-wield the pistol anymore, but you'll probably not even bother with that pissweak thing when you could have a Shark Laser, Hammerhead (Penetrator Mk. II), or some other cool weapon. Say goodbye to leaning, but now you can flip/topple/slide objects to use for cover. One particular bit of the enemy radio chatter is quite hilarious: "All available fuckups, get over there & deal with this shit!"

Genevieve Aristide makes an actual appearance, rather than just being heard on the phone messages. Right at the end of the first mission, Armacham's Project Origin Facility goes kablam. A bit later, you end up in the hospital getting that operation which gives you Reflex power.

Sniper rifles in F.E.A.R. 2 are lethal, tearing an enemy apart with one shot. When you get in the Powered Armor, you'll be splattering the Replica troops ED-209 style. The "nightmare" scenes can get a little more creepy at times than in the original game. This one does have a real final boss- who it is comes as quite a shock.

Part 1's kickass garage battle BGM is back again, also.

[Hot Like Wasabi]

#6. Devil May Cry 4 (360)

What a bunch of bs on Capcoms part to make you pretty much play through it twice.

[Joust Williams]

Were you trying to avoid the boosters on purpose? I was afraid I was going to miss one like the first game but sure enough, I got the achievement in the last level. I can't imagine missing 7 of them...