PixlBit

I got to 35 hack 'n' slash games in March. The early ones go quick and some later ones just stopped me dead at some point with confusing mission objectives, difficult mechanics or some other dumb thing I couldn't stand. I have been trying to stick to each game as long as I can, pushing beyond my limits. I'll try even harder next month. There's nothing like actually finishing a game. I think I finished exactly 6 of these - all mentioned below.

NES era

Pretty much every game from the NES era (including arcade games) annoyed me to no end. There's just a lot of difficult gameplay, rather uninteresting graphics and nonexistent stories. However . . .

The music in Gauntlet II caught my attention.

The story intro to the NES port of Astyanax was lengthy and appreciated. A little silly and predictible but it was more than most games of the time.

Ninja Gaiden for its controls - After only a few levels I could feel the difference from other NES games I played. The moves were just very responsive. I loved how you could grab onto and climb just about anything. This game is still hard though, but at least it gave you the good mechanics to work at.

Genesis/SNES era

And now in the Genesis/SNES era there are some stuff I really liked. It seems the technology had to level up to make hack 'n' slash games fun and interesting to look at.

Golden Axe (Genesis) - Always a favorite. I wonder why GA 2 and 3 aren't labeled hack 'n' slash games even though they are basically the same gameplay as the first. There's quite a lot of inconsistency in genre listings both on wikipedia and on game booklets.

Strider for its graphics on Genesis - I love the graphics in this game and all the robots that both attack and help you. The 2D plane is also varied vertically, making it more interesting to traverse. But this game is hard, darn it.

Magic Sword, Sengoku, Arabian Magic, Warriors of Fate, Dungeon Magic all arcade games that are fantastically gorgeous to look at, play great - allowing instant continues without replaying levels -, and challenging boss fights. Taito, SNK and Capcom all made great hack 'n' slash games in the early 90s. I only wish I was visiting arcades back then and played them on the cabinets.

Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master but for graphics only because this game on Genesis is hard. I love the 2.5D environments and colorful graphic palatte though.

PS2/Xbox/NGC era

Rune: Vinking Warlord - In addition to the arcade games mentioned above, this was the sixth and last game I completed this month. I had to battle some very dark environments along the way, but it was manageable. This is the PS2 port of the PC game Rune. I especially loved having to decapitate zombies whom otherwise just get up again. Also, being able to carry like six different melee weapons and switch quickly among them: maces to crush skelletons, swords for zombies and axes for everything else.

Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy - I had a lot of fun with this one even though the one speeder bike level almost made me quit. Enemies get progressively more challenging as you go with robots whom have temporary force power invincibility and others with their own dual light saber skills. The story is pretty good, better than a lot of the movies, and I enjoyed customizing my light saber and upgrading my force powers. 

Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance II - I love a good isometric-view action-RPG with lots of slashing about and magic powers. I would've loved this better in co-op, but it was still fun solo. It took me a while to figure out how to assign spells and craft items with no in-game tutorial, but I got it eventually. Now if I can just find out what to do in Lycan's Hold.

X360/PS3/Wii era

Star Wars The Force Unleashed - Just a great series. I love the story of Vader finding a boy and making him his apprentice who becomes you, the player. Then later you can choose to betray him or not. Force powers are super fun. I just throw everything at everybody. It takes a little getting used to the delay after a use of the force, but I'm sure if I kept at it, I would get the right rhythm. I feel like I did more force pushes than saber strikes. 

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - I didn't get to God of War this month because I had put my PS2 away right at the end there, but this game did well as a substitute. Although not 100% as great as GoW, it is still pretty great, and I enjoyed it immensely. If I could only master that flaming rock grab-and-throw in the Chapter 2 Titan battle, I would still be playing it right up until the 31st. 

And that's the highlights of the month. My list was over a hundred games long and so there are many more to try if I do this again next year.