Axiom Verge (PC; Completed 2-2-16) [First Time]
Notes: One of the best indie Metroidvanias I've played. Heavy emphasis on the Metroid part. It really does play very much like a 2D Metroid. The plot is kind of weird, though.
Final Fantasy 9 (PSX; Completed 2-4-16) [Replay]
Notes: Replay #1001. Still one of my favorite games. Shame my PS2 is having trouble with PS1 FMVs...
Dust: An Elysian Tail (PC; Completed 2-15-16) [First Time]
Notes: Another amazing indie Metroidvania. The graphics were gorgeous, the music was excellent, and the gameplay was top-notch. It's a bit on the short side, but at least there's a good amount to *do*.
Guacamelee (PC; Completed 3-5-16) [First Time]
Notes: And, yet *another* amazing indie Metroidvania! This one was a bit tougher than the previous two, since you don't really get *stronger*, and there's a greater emphasis on puzzle solving. So, it was pretty great, but in a way that was different from the previous two I played so far this year. Excellent music, as well.
Megaman: Day in the Limelight (PC; Completed 3-8-16) [First Time]
Notes: That game was brutal. The natural difficulty level, combined with the slightly sticky controls and slightly off mechanics made me turn on the infinite lives option come Wily Fortress and not look back. The game is much more fun when you're not forced to repeat an entire stage every five deaths, I find. Still, feels good to have beaten it.
Megaman: Day in the Limelight 2 (PC; Completed 3-9-16) [First Time]
Notes: Significantly better than the first game. Most of the control issues were resolved, the robots themselves are more useful, the stage design is better, and you have a lot more options for dealing with enemies and obstacles. Not as strategic as the first game, but a lot more *fun*.
Megaman Rock Force (PC; Completed 4-5-16) [First Time]
Notes: Pretty good game. I was foolish enough to try Hard Mode, though, which made things tougher than they needed to be. Oh well. I still enjoyed it.
Okami (PS2; Completed 4-20-16) [First Time]
Notes: Fantastic game. Extremely fun, excellent graphics, very catchy music... it's a very *easy* game, but I had a blast with it anyhow. It was definitely *inspired* by Zelda, but certainly isn't what I'd call a "knockoff", either. 100% completion, natch.
Tales of Eternia (PSX; Completed 6-7-16) [First Time]
Notes: Tales of Destiny 2, as it was called in the west for... reasons. Pretty fun game. Kinda rough around the edges, being one of the series' earlier entries, but fun enough. No cringe-worthy "Tales Moments" to speak of, either, so that was refreshing.
Ys 5: Sand City Kefin (SNES; Completed 6-17-16) [First Time]
Notes: Decent game, though as expected with Ys, pretty short. Not the best game I've ever played, but fun enough, and not really deserving of the burning hatred Japan seems to have for the game.
Xenogears (PSX; Completed 6-28-16) [Replay]
Notes: Still a good game after all these years, and I still wish it'd have been finished. Kind of glitchy on a PS2, unfortunately, but still playable, and hey, I understood the plot this time!
Final Fantasy XIII-2 (360; Completed 7-16-16) [First Time]
Notes: Got all 160 Fragments, even. Meaning I got the SECRET ENDING!!! Hells yeah. This was a surprisingly fun game. Fixed all the major flaws of FF13, and provided a lot to do. Wasn't *perfect*, and was considerably easier and less strategic than FF13, but probably the game I've had the most overall fun with this year so far. Couldn't do the DLC, though.
Ratchet and Clank (PS2; Completed 7-26-16) [First Time]
Notes: Finally finished this game. Pretty fun on the whole. All gold bolts found; seeking them out was certainly enjoyable, as many were well-hidden.
Secret of Evermore (SNES; Completed 7-28-16) [Replay]
Notes: I've always liked this game, but it's considerably more enjoyable if you use codes to max out hit rate. Seriously, an action RPG with Hit/Evade stats... why?
Another Metroid 2 Remake (PC; Completed 8-10-16) [First Time]
Notes: Excellent fan remake. It's exactly what Nintendo would've done... if they still *cared*. Metroid fights were kind of a pain, though.
Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land (GB; Completed 8-10-16) [First Time]
Notes: As old school Game Boy games go, not too shabby. Pretty much a standard Mario game. Fun enough, anyhow.
Metroid Fusion (GBA; Completed 8-14-16) [Replay]
Notes: AM2R made me want to revisit the GBA Metroid games. This one's my fave. 100% completion, of course.
Metroid: Zero Mission (GBA; Completed 8-16-16) [Replay]
Notes: I like Fusion better, but this remake is a good one, too. Sequence breaking is fun.
Cosmo Police Galivan (NES; Completed 8-20-16) [First Time]
Notes: Old-school Japan-only NES Metroidvania. Not too bad, but it's definitely an NES game.
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (GBA; Completed 9-6-16) [First Time/Replay]
Notes: 100%'d the main game, and used a patch that enabled the 38 e-Reader stages, which I also 100%'d. I did use some savestates, but whatever. I'm not a hard-core kinda guy. The extra stages were mostly fun, but there were some BS ROM-hacky levels in there. Pretty good remake, on the whole, and I wave my fist at Nintendo for leaving most of the new content behind a cumbersome pay wall.
Golden Sun: The Lost Age (GBA; Completed 9-18-16) [First Time]
Notes: 100% completion, more or less. Imported data from GS1, beat all optional bosses, the works. Solid RPG. It's the kind of game you play when you're not looking for one that attempts to re-invent the wheel. I give it a solid B+.
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GC; Completed 10-7-16) [Replay]
Notes: And Xel'lotath has fallen. Game complete. True ending get.
Silent Hill 4: The Room (PS2; Completed 10-14-16) [First Time]
Notes: I don't know. It wasn't *as* good as 2 or 3, but it was still quite solid, and I enjoyed the combat significantly more. Just as creepy, though!
Terranigma (SNES; Completed 10-30-16) [Replay]
Notes: Though I've played the game before, this is my first time *beating* it. Pretty good, on the whole. Shame it never saw a US release. That translation, though...
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (DS; Completed 11-13-16) [Replay]
Notes: Played it once before, didn't like it much, never finished it. This time, I enjoyed it a lot more, and actually *beat* the game. Yay!