RF Generation Message Board

Episode 21 is live!

[img width=442 height=252]http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/matthew-mcconaughey-critics-choice-alright-cw.gif[/img]

Whaaaat?! No small scores being dscussed this time 'round?!

[img width=110 height=96]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/BilDisptd_zps70c91f0a.jpg[/img]

How disappointing. But I'll try really really hard to take a listen to it despite its inadequacies, because I kinda like you guys. Not sure why, I just do.


'Late

They're just too jealous of SirPsycho's instant Saturn collection so everybody must suffer.

When I heard there were no small scores this episode, I got worried it would be an under 2 hour episode, but I'm relieved its still a healthy 3:40 episode.

I have a suggestion for the podcast in general though. One of the other podcasts I listen to (The Walking Deadcast) has each episode broken up into segments, so when you're playing them on an ipod, you can skip ahead to the next segment. I think in the iTunes lingo, they call them chapters, but I'm not certain if that's universal. I think it would help expand on the Collectorcast listenership to include these as I'm sure a lot of people are put off by the long times, they'd be more accepting of these if they were broken into segments. And if some crazy people don't care for something like the small scores, they can just skip it with a push of a button instead of spending 15 minutes fast forwarding and rewinding to get to the next part.

Great episode guys! I love these different format episodes.

Your top 5's were interesting to listen them and you back up your choices very eloquently.

My personal top 5's:

5. Fez - Very nostalgic. Very intelligently made. Very fun.

4. BioShock - The atmosphere and ambiance of the environments sucked me right in. The history of Rapture had me intrigued and I wanted to learn as much as possible about the setting and characters.

3. Ni No Kuni - Excellent modern take on classic RPG formulas and tropes. The battle system was a cool fusion of Pokemon and Tales games. Best of all the Studio Ghibli animations.

2. The Stanley Parable - This game subverts many video game aesthetics and formulas. Player agency is totally mocked and the illusion of choice fuels the game. Imagine Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy style humour in a video game context.

1. The Last of Us - This really had all the ingredients to be a perfect game for me. The writing was excellent and helped elevate the emotional experience. Very realistic survivalist vibe. I've expressed my thoughts on this game in many places here on RFGen.

To those of you who think Genghis Khan wasn't that bad of a guy....give this podcast a listen.

http://www.dancarlin.com//disp.php/hharchive/Show-43---Wrath-of-the-Khans-I/Mongols-Genghis-Chingis

Dar Carlin's Hardcore History dives deep into this dude's reign of terror.  He makes Hitler look like Kevin McCallister.

Great episode btw.  You guys talked me into getting Far Cry.

I'm going to start listening to this tonight while I'm pumping iron.

Duke always pumps me up too

Are you the inflatable one? ;)

Didn't we just agree that puns are lame? ;)

Hey Duke I figured you'd get a kick out of this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIYR7mq3PJQ

In more ways than one, if the rumors are accurate...

[img width=480 height=430]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/RushFore2_zpsdfa3fcdd.jpg[/img]

...much to WildBil's smoldering rage and disgust.  ;)

What rumor? Its no secret that Duke and I have a special relationship.

I couldn't help it. Puns to me are like cheese to mice. But I digress, let's keep things brief. ;)

OK, back to the topic at hand.

Excellent list there, but I have only played BioShock. As for the above, I am really surprised that Bil hasn't mentioned this game before. I would guess this would be his jam.


You're welcome.


[img width=466 height=353]http://www.coachkeats.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/HansFranz.jpg[/img]


Smooth McGroove is awesome. He only became awesomerest with this song.

Special as in... the crash-helmet-wearing, short-bus-riding kind?

[img width=110 height=96]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/StuBill_zpse1d5b745.jpg[/img]


Hey, if it weren't for bad puns, my post count would be only half of what it is now. Whether that's a bad thing or not is something I'll let others debate.

Anyhoo, still listening to the latest 'Cast bit by bit. Hope to post a full response to it one of these days.


Nighters.

I really enjoyed the Top 5, the Not-Top 5 and the Disappointing 5. Its refreshing to hear about the best games people are playing in a year instead of the games that came out in the year. Since most of these games are bit older, they're much more affordable now and I'm more likely to actually look into getting them.

And Bil, I have Super Hexagon (gotta love the Humble Bundle) and your challenge got me to give the game another chance. As you said, I died pretty much instantly at first so I just gave up on it, but since you put up a challenge,
[img width=280 height=200]http://25.media.tumblr.com/6528b61f8932a13a9dab81358e4b6fdc/tumblr_mhy99gFYve1rg8ypco1_400.gif[/img]

After a few tries, I doubled my old high score, so now I'm at a cool 8.27 seconds on Hard. A few more weeks and I'll be gunning for your score.

I have to respond to the Civ V talk as Bil has seen "me" playing that. It's actually my wife. I was lucky enough to get married to a gamer. Neither of us have ever been super gamers, but we've put our time in. My wife played games plenty as a kid on her C64 and later on her PC's. She has spent a bit of time with the silver ball too, we make a point of eating out at places that have pinball, for her. Morrowind and Oblivion have gotten lots of playtime at this house, mostly because of the wife. When I recently picked up Civ V in a Humble Bundle (along with complete collections of Civ III and IV) I found out the wife hadn't ever played a Civ game. How this is even possible from someone who played games on computers from the 80's on up putting in time on the Simcity series, the C&C/Red Alert, various Tycoon games, Farmville and every other remotely similar PC game, I don't know.

Not to worry though! We have fixed that problem! I pointed out that she would like the Civ games and she's been hooked ever since. Really, she was playing it when I came home from work today. She plays it while working. She works from home and her job is, also turn based, I guess. I had told her that people would leave the older Civ games always running in a window on their computers and just take a few turns whenever. The funny thing is, we have two monitors but one is much bigger and nicer than the other, she plays Civ V on the main monitor and work gets shoved off onto the lesser one. Xbox games with gold recently let us download a console version of Civilization, I've read it's a re-skinning of the first Civ game, she now plays that when I'm playing Skyrim.....

Speaking of Skyrim, I'm still playing it like crazy Bil. I'll get to Civ V, I put in more than a few hours into Civ II back in the day, but it has to wait for Skyrim. Can Skyrim take up my 5 places on my list of games from last year? and this year too? Skyrim, Skyrim, Skyrim. Yea! Skyrim!

Bil talked about The Elder Scrolls Online Beta. I caught the last two weekends because of a friend invite, honestly I was wanting to get back to Skyrim the whole time :P   We had a pretty good time, I have quite a few thoughts on it but will try and hold off. My friend and I are going to try and put together a audio/video-of-screenshots video of our experience. The second weekend was way better than the first, we made a point of leveling up enough to get into Cyrodiil where the pvp was taking place. That changed things a lot for us. Castle sieging is awesome. Don't be too hard on the game, there is plenty of fun to be had. I think the hang up in the first few hours is warranted, especially from a Morrowind/Oblivion/Skyrim player. The game is kinda "fetch-questy" at the beginning. And there is a big shift going from a series in which you were The hero to ESO where you are a hero. Everyone is a hero, you're not even the best hero. That is kinda weird, I want to be The Hero of my games. I'm starting to ramble here, hopfully we'll get that video up soon, I've had a stuffy nose this week and my voice has been funny, thats why its not done yet. If my voice is going to be funny I want it to be my regular funny voice, not a stuffy head, scratchy throat funny voice.

Back to the wife playing Civ V - Bil was saying how the game is very mouse based, when she's not working she'll actually move the keyboard away and just use the mouse. I came home from work today, wife was playing remember, so I put on the bit of the podcast where you guys were talking about Civ V, wife was pretty interested in what you had to say, I could hear her over there commenting to herself about points you brought up.

I think I have more to say, but I also think I am rambling, probably the stuffy head.

















Skyrim!

You lost me at FarmVille. [img width=90 height=110]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/NupeHappy_zps61e11f80.jpg[/img]

Speaking of Civ Vee: I recall Bil stating that if you don't find such games interesting, you're not gonna like it... or something to that effect.

While it might not have seemed interesting to me at the outset, his description has me curious. My best bud likes to play the Civilization games and similar series-- not to mention *SHUDDER* FarmVille-- so maybe he can hook me up so I can see if that's my kinda jam...

It seems like Bil struck a nerve with his picks. Lots of good feedback, but I would like to here more of your best/worst of 2013 games you played.

Oh, and I agree that Skyrim is awesome. Unfortunately, that would have had to make my 2012 list.

I love that you guys covered games you played during 2013, as opposed to games that were released in 2013.  Makes it more relevant to me (and to most people on this website, I imagine).


(UPDATE: Had to change one. Can't believe that I forgot it. Sorry Just Cause 2!):

(In no particular order)
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery - Music, story, and gameplay puzzles. Great game.
Far Cry 2 - for being the Morrowind of the Far Cry series.
Boku No Natsuyasumi 4 (PSP) - Vacationing on a southern Japanese island set in the mid-80's. And no, I can't explain why I like this so much.
Hotline Miami - A puzzle game hidden within a massive amount of violence.
Avernum: Escape From the Pit - Low-fi CRPG goodness done with a modern sensibility

Biggest surprise - Indie games as a whole.  I'd been sampling indie made games for years (thanks to Spiderweb Software and their amazing low-fi CRPG games), but in 2013 I really dove into indie created games.  For the most part I found the creativity and variation both refreshing and exhilarating.

Biggest disappointment - Elder Scrolls IV.  I don't know why, but I was bored pretty much the entire way through this game.  So much that I avoided pretty much every side quest in the game.  Maybe I expected too much.  Had to be bad timing on my part, so I'll have to revisit this again at some point and see if I like it more.

Had to go look at the beaten in 2013 thread to remember what I played! Here are my favs:

5. Gravity Rush (Vita)
4. Fragile Dreams (Wii)
3. Tomb Raider (360)
2. Tales of Vesperia (360)
1. Persona 3 (PS2)

Biggest surprise - Halo 4 (360), my favorite Halo since Reach.

Biggest disappointment - This isn't a disappointment with the game itself, but I'm hugely disappointed in myself for getting the bad ending in Atelier Totori after playing the game for more than twenty hours. I've tried to replay it and just wasn't into it, which is a cryin' shame because it is a wonderful game.

Great show guys. I really liked the discussions on every game and the difference of opinion regarding Deus Ex was intriguing. Got that game off PS+ a while back and now I'm really curious to try it out.

No small scores :(

I was about to say all your games to play list was voided by saying Kinect Party, but then you said for kids. So that is ok.

Borderlands 2 was pure shit so are the DLC's. Borderlands 1 was fantastic 2 DLC's are ehh, 1 almost ruined the whole game and 1 DLC was fantastic!

Kinect Party was a great game. I had a ton of fun playing that with Rowan.

I still need to give it a listen. I'll flap back thru the games i played last year and see if i can pull together a top 5.

Bomba: I've not played any of the games on your top list, and haven't heard of many. Curious to know which platforms they are for/that you played them on.

GrayGhost: Very interesting list there. I will be playing Tomb Raider on Xbox One soon, and I hear good things. Also, I can understand about the disappointment. I just found the "bad" ending of Bravely Default, but thankfully once you go through it there is an option to pick right back up at the point you make the choice. Square has made Bravely Default the best creation for handling JRPG frustrations ever.

Tynstar: Sorry to disappoint, but if we didn't get this out there it probably would have been another month. Also, so glad to hear I am not alone on Borderlands 2.

Izret: Kinect + young kids = magic. I wish more people would give this one a chance. Microsoft is nuts for not doing Kinect Party 2 for Xbox One yet.

We should tell Double Fine to get on it ;) Some of the freebie kinect things were pretty good too. I am Super and Mutation Station were two other ones i remember Rowan enjoying but they had much less content.

Kinect Party was the sequel to Double Fine Happy Action Theater.
I believe it was delisted shortly after KP came out and people who owned the original got a free pass for the new one.

Steam.

Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery - Steam, Android, i-devices (I played on Steam)
Far Cry 2 - Steam, Xbox360, PS3, GoG (DRM Free downloads) (I played on Steam)
Boku No Natsuyasumi 4 - PSP and PS3 (I played on PSP)
Hotline Miami - Steam, GoG (DRM Free), Xbox360, PS3, PS4 (soon?), Vita (I played GoG and Steam)
Avernum: Escape From the Pit - Steam, GoG (DRM free), Android, and i-devices (I played GoG)

I am starting to feel like the old man in town since I don't do Steam. Maybe some day they'll have an affordable console.

I am the old man in town and I don't do steam :)

x3 :)

PC Games belong on floppies!!!!

Let's start a support group. ;)

Great show guys. Really sad I missed out on this one. Here is what I would have put down:

Crabmaster's Top 5 Games of 2013:

5. Wind Jammers (Neo Geo MVS) - Got this one as a treat for myself at the store. Most people that see it don't seem interested in trying it, but I've got a few regular customers to try it out and so far everyone that has played it has really enjoyed it. Its basically a wicked version of Pong. We've had a lot of great grudge matches on this game and it usually draws a small crowd since it's quick and flashy. I've yet to get the phrase "Wanna Jam some Wind?" to catch on, but I'm not ready to give up yet. I love it because its so easy to get into that after one match the skill level of each opponent is close enough that either player can come out on top.

4. Super Smash Bros (Series) - I'm going to lump all 3 of them (and project M as well) in here as one game. This is another store related one. I didn't realize how big the Smash Bros community was in town until I held our first tournament. There were far more entrants that I anticipated and each event has outgrown the previous one. Its led to some fantastic rivalries and epic matches that get discussed in the store for weeks after they have happened. I'm been forunate enough to play in a couple of those. During our first few months of operations I had many late nights with new friends just smashing the crap out of each other and having a blast. I forgot how much fun it can be to have a few guys on the same couch and being competitive with each other.

3. Lords of Thunder (TGCD) - shmups have become much more enjoyable for me over the last few years as I've had more time to sit down and get better at them. Lords of Thunder takes what I love about shooters and blends in a couple of my favorite themes (fantasy and sci-fi) with a killer soundtrack. Occasionally a soundtrack can be so good for me that I can overlook a lot of other game flaws and keep enjoying the game regardless. Luckily this one has a wicked 80s Metal (is there anything better?) soundtrack and doesn't skimp at all in the gameplay department. Tight controls, Mega Man style level selection, 4 different suits of armor to choose from and power up, good level of challenge and one of my all time favorite sound tracks makes Lords of Thunder a must own for me. Can't believe it took us this long to find each other.

2. Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing Transformed (Wii U) - I'm not much of a racing fan unless its Kart racing. I like getting power ups, hitting speed boosts/jumps, and making the occasional crazy item induced comeback from last to first on the final lap. This game, which has a pretty stupid title, takes all that I love about Kart racing, perfects it and adds a huge heap of flare and nostalgia. We originally picked it up because at the time we just wanted another Wii U game and it was $20 cheaper than anything else. Its very rare that I feel like I underpayed for a game, but this  was definitely the case. The gimmick of the game is that, depending on which course you're racing, you can morph from a Car to a Boat to an Airplane mid race. Different levels have checkpoint areas that you pass through that change your vehicle (without slowing you down for a second) into the new vehicle type for the new area.

Having all the racers and levels based on a large variety of SEGA franchises was fantastic. Sonic Racing is packed to the hilt with fan service. Its just amazing speeding through levels based on After Burner, Golden Axe, Shinobi, Panzer Dragoon, Billy Hatcher, Sonic, Jet Set Radio, Samba De Amigo, NIGHTS Into Dreams, Burning Rangers, Crazy Taxi, etc. etc. etc. Since Sonic is the most recognizable SEGA franchise they have the most racers, but there is a lot of other characters to unlock such as NIGHTS, Alex Kidd, Ai Ai, BD Joe, Ulala, Vyse and many others.

The single player game is very challenging and rewarding. You have to get good at it and can't just luck your way through the game with good weapon gets. It takes a lot of practice to progress and unlock all the new levels and racers. The multiplayer was also fantastic and supports up to 5 people on one console with the Wii U version. We had several late nights, playing the awesome multiplayer modes both with younger players and same age friends.

Really can't recommend this game enough for any racing game fans and especially Kart racing or SEGA fans. Its hard to describe how incredible it feels to be racing through familiar landscapes that are dynamic and changing during each lap in order to both keep the level feeling fresh and also open up new ways to race past your opponents.

1. Mega Man X (SNES) - Over the last several months I've been playing though the Mega Man X series with a friend of mine and loving every second of it. Mega Man X is a game Ive beaten many times in the past, but this was the first time I've beaten it in probably around 3 years. It takes everything I love about one of my favorite series and adds just enough to make it feel new and the polishes the hell out of all the mechanics, level design and music. It doesn't do anything to revolutionize the series it just perfects an already fantastic formula. This is really just one of my pinnacles of gaming. I just can't find a flaw in Mega Man X. Its fun from start to finish, its challenging, its varied, its not too long or too short, each stage is its own world, one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard. This is one of my favorite media experiences of all time, not just gaming and not just 2013. Its been a bit sad that each consecutive game in the series fails to meet the level of quality set out by the first X game, but when you set the bar that high its to be expected. One of the best games I've ever played in my life and one I'll likely continue playing until they pry a controller out of my cold dead hands.

Honorable mentions:

Shadow of the Ninja (NES) - Very awesome co-op ninja action

Duck Tales Remastered (Wii U) - Great re-imagining of a timeless game. Far too heavy on the use of cutscenes, but otherwise a great new take on a childhood favorite.

Mega Man X4 (PS)- A nice surprise in the X series and my favorite after the original X game. Why couldn't they stick to this formula?

Lollipop Chainsaw (PS3) - Quirky fun meets ultra violence at its best!!

Fire Emblem Awakening (3DS) - Solid entry in the Fire Emblem series. Random map encounters and the ability to grind to improve your characters (not something I feel should be in a Fire Emblem game) kept it from making my top 5

Biggest Disappointments of 2013:

Bioshock Infinite (PS3) - I'm probably a bit more disappointed in me than the actual game. After playing the other 2 Bioshock games to completion and knowing in advance of playing that we would be discussing the story heavily I used all the focus I could muster to soak in the atmosphere of the game. Even so I came away missing lots of subtle points and more importantly key story elements. The fact that the murder of crows upgrade also over powered the character very early on (ala Metal Blade in Mega Man 2), was quite a let down as well as I had no reason to dig into my aresenal of other abilities. I tried so hard to understand, but I still can't get the appeal of the game and it baffles me as to why it gets the critical acclaim that it does.

Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom (NES) - Point and Click adventures are often known for their quirky sense of humor. Its very satifsying to solve incredibly silly puzzles and interact with hilarious and bizzare characters. So when popping in a point and click game based on vegetable people I was hoping to be in for a real treat. For some reason even though the game had the very unusual cast of garden vegetables the story was bland and the dialogue had a quite serious tone. It was a very generic save the princess from the evil guy trying to usurp the throne. I think they missed a great opportunity to play with the theme here.

Life Force (NES) - Moving and regenerating walls are the worst possible thing in a shmup as far as I'm concerned. Having them as the focus of the level in several different areas is incredibly frustrating. One of my least favorite Konami games on the NES.

The Walking Dead (PS3) - After hearing much praise for The Walking Dead and it receiving the luxury of a budget priced retail release I had no reason not to pick it up. My wife and I are both fans of the series we I invited her to join me in trying it out. Gaming together in anything other than a game of Mario Party is not something we often do together. After playing through the first episode we were both thuroughly underwhelmed though. I didn't feel as though I had played a game and neither of us felt like we had watched anything compelling. We just went through the motions until the predictable story had come to and end. After that one episode we decided we'd had enough and never pulled it out of its case again.

Killer Instinct (XO) - After building up a small, but competitive fighting community through my store we were all pretty pumped to try out the new Killer Instinct game coming out for the Xbox One. In fact it was the only game that looked at all appealling for either new system to us. After getting over the extremely frustrating fact that it was a downloadable only game I swallowed my pride and hit the Buy button. After spending a couple days trying to figure out why none of us enjoyed it we really couldn't put our finger on it. Not  single one of us. One member even pointed out that "they seemed to do everything right, but its just not fun". We ended up putting far more time into the original game which came as an extra download than we did with the new one. After collecting dust for a while we eventually sold the entire system until something more interested was released for it.

Nice picks, Crabbo. I hope that you'll join us for the 2014 retrospective. I'm especially down with Lords of Thunder. I need to buy a copy of my own at some point in time instead of playing it by less scrupulous means.

I've never been a huge fan of the X series after having grown up on regular Mega Man, but I can agree the game is really well done. Also, it seems like they went so far away from a great formula down the line. What a shame.

Obviously people can go back and listen to our BioShock show, but I can understand that all games aren't for all people. Are you at least going to give Burial at Sea a shot?

Lifeforce... what is wrong with you? So good.

As to the Walking Dead, I've said it before but I think you should give it more time. Episode one is just setting the stage and introducing characters. The choices that come farther down the line are tough, and some of the scenarios are very Walking Dead.

Killer Instinct - I played this a ton at launch, but have drifted away from it. It is a good fighter, but as you mentioned it just isn't a lot of fun. I can watch Twitch streams of Street Fighter tournaments and love every minute, but I think I would pass if this was on. It's a nice try, and maybe it will get better with the new developer.

I second those remarks about The Walking Dead. The game has a slow start, but after a few "episodes" you'll be interested in the characters and there are some great surprises. Of course, you'll be faced with some tough decisions too, Crabby. Stick with it. Season Two is great so far, and I hope you get to play it at point. Maybe when I visit I can push you to finish the game.

I found the first episode of season 1 to be like the first episode of the TV series.  Very little happens in the beginning, as they are just setting up the story.  But once you get into the meat of the game (or TV series), it starts to get really good.  I want to pick up the DLC for the first season, and I'll probably play through the second season when (if?) it ever comes out on a disc.

I only played the first ep and it was ehhhh. i thought the controls sucked at times.

finally caught up on the collectorcast again! loved this episode, you guys should do one every year :)

I'm always terrible at deciding which games i like more than others, especially when i'm considering widely different genres. if i have to pick though this would be my top 5:

5. Oddworld Abe's Oddysee
4. The Last Story
3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
2. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
1. The Last of Us

Nice top 5, techwizard. I haven't played Link's Awakening, but to put it over Link to the past must mean it is incredible.

i had never played either until 2013, and i've been playing all the zelda games in release order so link's awakening came after which might have something to do with my final opinion of the two. my main comparison that puts awakening above aLttP though is the gameplay, i felt it was vastly improved, and i actually enjoyed the story more than i did in aLttP. the only thing aLttP has going for it imo is the graphics and music.

Link's Awakening is also my favorite Zelda game. So much fun.

It must be a western Canada thing to hold Link's Awakening as one's favourite Zelda game.

Just an aside, Crabby what's with your American English spelling? Are you embarrassed of the arbitrary placement of U's in British English?

[img width=681 height=463]http://cdn.masterstudies.com/element_db/65/655_AmericanBritish.JPG[/img]

He's a supporter of the superior American English!

Discussion of the podcast can be derailed so easily now. So, I'll hold back on any sarcastic spelling comments. ;)

All I'll say is that red, white, and blue are the colors of Crabby's favorite neighbor.

What you mean it's not spelled moustache?! Or theatre?!

Hey now,


Not to make the topic even more drifty, but... Crabby is actually an American agent assigned to turn the Canadian anglophones away from that bougeoisie international English, and towards the proletariat UnitedStatesian kind. His reward: a lifetime supply of Bud Lite, a $1,000,000 US Wal-Mart gift card, and free admission to any Disney theme park at any time of the day. Don'cha know, hoser?

BTW I ran into the -ense-versus-ence deal when I recently posted some James Bond 007 Licence / License to Kill movie memorabilia on eBay. Wasn't a big problem, though; I just put both spellings into each item title.

I live in America, and have always spelled it practice. I have never seen anyone spell it practise.

I've always let Microsoft Office dictate my spelling. It'll accept the color vs colour type spellings without issues, but if I get those red squiggly lines I learn from my mistakes.

So can we start talking about our favourite/favorite games of 2013 now?

F7 for the win.

Plus practice is not an -ence word.
Maybe ice and ence are the same endings in nonMerica.


What was this thread about again?

Kinect Party
[img width=700 height=420]http://cdn3.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/7326429/CloneOMatic.jpg[/img]

Just want to set the record straight. LoZ: Link to the Past, in my opinion, is FAR superior to Link's Awakening. Lttp, was, is, and probably always will be, my favourite Zelda and I dwell in western Canada. Feel free to call me out on my spelling. Both my Paternal grandparents were 'Merican.

You grandparents should have taught you better; it's properly spelled 'Murica.

LoZ: LttP is still my personal fave as well, with Wind Waker a close second.


Which might explain your G.I. Joe collection. G.I. Joe is a real North American hero... emphasis on the North.


F*CK YEAH!!!

[img width=90 height=110]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Nupoile-TI_zpsaa040151.jpg[/img][img width=110 height=96]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/BilCAME_zpsdcf8284e.jpg[/img][img width=100 height=107]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/92d10548-8a4d-4b35-9cff-226f2e409b7c_zps43ace253.jpg?t=1396805513[/img]


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R5A0pg4oN8
Freedom is the only way, yeah


'Late

Alright so i scrolled through the few hundred games i played in 2013

I was able to pull out ~15 games that really stood out. I cropped that list down a bit more to kick out things that were only enjoyable for 1 specific reason.

Honorable mentions:
 
THPS HD - doesn't quite recapture the original amazement of the first 3 games but the nostalgia was still there. It was great to be able to use tricks from later games on earlier game maps to string together even longer combos than i could back in the day. For the most part the "collectables" were an enjoyable challenge to grab too.

Midway Arcade Origins - Really can't go wrong with almost any classic/arcade compilation.

The Walking Dead - I think this only made the list because of the ending. That and the episode where you are on the farm(with the off limits barn) are the only two that still really stand out to me. On the whole it was great to play but the more time passes the less remarkable the the experience feels in my memory.
 
The Bridge - Super artsy puzzler. It reminded me of Braid in that sense. But it doesn't rely so heavily on time control. Also shorter and i enjoyed it more.

SoulCalibur II HD Online  - I loved running through this game again. I hit a couple roadblocks that i didn't remember from when i played it on Xbox. But again some of the charm was just missing. I didn't find myself trying to find the best weapon or running through with every character to get familiar with their attacks.

Shadow Complex - i had already done a 100% run a year or 2 ago. This time through i did the minimalist run and it was still really enjoyable but leveling unlocks certain things (like unlimited foam) so where sequence breaking was something people found out how to do in Super Metroid this game sequence breaking was essentially every persons second(and subsequent) playthru.


Top 5 (alphabetical order cop out)

Ascend: Hand of Kul - a free to play (which for a change was not a bad thing) 3rd person action RPG. When i started i was under the impression it was supposed to be an MMO but the interactions between you and the other people playing are extremely limited. But just running through the story completely free you can easily sink 30 hours into it. If you want to grind out levels, or souls for magic upgrades, or gear be aware that everything costs souls. Leveling is still XP based but learning new magic or upgrading existing spells costs more souls. Repairing/upgrading/buying weapons costs souls. After leveling X# of times you can ascend and change factions (Dark, Light, Void) to gain access to new abilities/spells while carrying over previous spells or certain items that you have made "legacy" items.

FarCry 3 Blood Dragon - Enough has been said about this game.

Gears of War: Judgement - I think this was my favorite game in the gears series. Which makes me an oddity since most people seemed to hate it. I liked the way the story was presented and i loved playing the co-op. It was awesome that you can play two stories. The official report and the classified details(which they actually call declassified). The previous gears games i don't think would have even made it into a top 10.

Singularity - If you see this game for sale grab it. The graphics were pretty tight, controls were solid, story was interesting.  Highly underrated and i actually read this story well after playing it and made me respect/like the game that much more after the fact. http://www.polygon.com/2014/3/3/5462994/singularity-two-years-to-make-a-mess-ten-months-to-clean-it-up

Sniper Elite V2 - Loved the way this game played. I actually felt like a sniper instead of a soldier who happened to have a sniper rifle. I am actually really excited for Sniper Elite V3


As i started putting the top 5 together i realized how much i was nitpicking with myself and pointing out all the flaws the games had as to why they didn't deserve to be there The first 4 i put in i did without too much difficulty. The hard part was getting the 5th one.





Also finally started listening thru the ep.(I have about an hour left) Cube movies were fantastic. AFAIK none of them have been on Netflix as long as i have had a subscription. I haven't seen them in years :-/

I can say that the Cube movies were on Netflix years ago, but I haven't looked lately.

Very interesting list you got there. I can't say I have even heard of half of them.

I "played" something like 300+ games last year. It was easy to weed out TONS of them obviously.

I would have to agree with Borderlands 2 being a letdown for my personally. I had it preordered and played a bit but i wasn't sucked in like i was hoping. The first one i played through close to 10 times (between US and JP versions with different groups of people.) I will go back to it but hopefully with one or more people. But i don't think i played it at all in 2013.


Ascend could also get lumped into a letdown for the year. Since it is still technically in Beta i guess i can't be too upset that it didn't get the new story content that seems to be always on the horizon. Still no sign of the Badlands story line but they added some info about a Swamplands expansion and the PvP(which i am not a huge fan of)/Co-Op is also still in the works last i knew. Still for a free game it was fantastic.

BONUS!
Let downs for 2013

Castle of Illusion I enjoyed it quite a bit playing thru with my son but the controls did not feel precise at all. The game felt floaty most of the time. Had the the jumps felt more controlled i think this would have dodged the let down list.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons another letdown for me. People praised it as GOTY worthy but the fact that the characters "talked" like i was playing The Sims completely killed the experience for me of what was supposed to be an extremely emotional story.

Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I Don't Know was by far the biggest disappointment (oops started that first week of 2014...)

Nexuiz makes the list for having servers shut down. (THANKS THQ!) It was like a highspeed version of Unreal Tournament.(Or maybe i just played UT on a slow PC 15 years ago lol) Nordic picked up the license if memory serves and they recently fixed the issue with the Darksiders 2 servers so maybe this will get turned back on some day. I should try touching base.


While skimming the list for disappointments i realized i missed Telltale Games' Poker Night 2 this should have at least gotten an honorable mention if not taking that 5th spot i was having trouble filling for top 5. Absolutely fantastic game. Dialogue does start getting recycled after a few games but there were just some things that made me laugh every time. Claptrap was generally involved... 

Couldn't agree more - plus one of the 5 players can race on the WiiU GamePad screen, something you can't even do on Mario Kart 8.

It is awesome for the WiiU and definitely one of the most underrated titles in its small library.