I'll start with what I've played, which is basically Kingdom Hearts.
Kingdom Hearts 1.5
It is difficult to argue against the value of this collection, which includes two full games (KH1 and Re:Chain of Memories) and a movie based on the cutscenes from the DS exclusives 358/2 Days. Square-Enix went the extra mile with this remaster. In KH1 textures are redrawn across the board, character models replaced with newer versions (from Dream Drop Distance) and music reochestrated. It looks lovely and sharp and sounds absolutely beautiful, too. In addition to looking great, it also runs incredibly smoothly. As with many HD collections, this is also the first time many younger gamers will have played the games, so originally being PS2 titles shouldn't count against it.
The gameplay in 1 is dated in many ways - platforming is particularly wonky - but the game has such charm to it that it remains utterly delightful to play through. The massive cast of Disney characters, many of which are voiced by the original actors, really enhance the game from a presentational standpoint. The story is simple by Kingdom Hearts standards and works very nicely. The blend of Disney and Final Fantasy is masterfully done.
For European gamers this was the first time we got the PS2 remake of Chain of Memories, which was originally a Game Boy Advance title. It's a wonderful and underrated gem with a brilliant, fast-paced and fun card-based battle system. Many people have problems with it because they don't use combos. Seriously, use combos. Most locations are from the first game, but between the story and excellent battle system, this manages to feel a fresh and important entry in the series.
After Sora's campaign, there's a second, shorter one where you play as Riku. It's completely different to Sora's in terms of story, and Riku's battle style and moves are different too. Its story is quite essential to the wider Kingdom Hearts plot.
In all, 1.5 is nothing less than VERY IMPORTANT.
Kingdom Hearts 2.5 had less work done on it than 1.5. Kingdom Hearts 2 was already a great looking game (one of its generation's finest), and so outside of the upscale, the visuals remain the same as the original. The music in 2 has been completely reorchestrated and like 1.5 before it, sounds beautiful. The game runs smoothly, though there are some loading issues when changing Sora's form - it takes several seconds to load in, which is rather annoying. It's by no means a game-breaker, but it does make this less polished than 1.5's remasters.
For many gamers Kingdom Hearts 2 was already the best game in the series. Everything ups the ante from 1 - the worlds are bigger and better designed, there are more of them and combat is deeper and more fluid. The story is also more intricate; I enjoyed the nuance and (at that stage) moral ambiguity of the villains.
This is the first time Western gamers got the "Final Mix" versions of 2 and Birth by Sleep. In 2, the little story additions and new cutscenes improve the flow of the story and also gives more context to certain plot elements, particularly the motives of the villain. Between this and the gameplay tweaks and new bosses, 2 Final Mix is a better game than the original PS2 version.
Birth by Sleep was originally released late in the PSP's lifespan and so many gamers missed it. This version holds up nicely, although its PSP origins are evident - locations are smaller, and the visuals, while remaining colourful and attractive, are simpler than in the other games. There are three inter-connected campaigns, each enjoyable to play through. The Final Mix version also has new bosses and story links to 2, as well as an entirely new gameplay episode at the end that leads directly into the strangely named 0.2 episode in the PS4's 2.8 collection.
Birth by Sleep has one of the best combat systems in the series and was a huge influence on 3. It's fast and extremely fluid, and has the added benefit of being able to dodge and block from the outset. The real meat is in the "combat styles", where using certain moves, be they spells or physical attacks, will trigger a form change whereby your character temporarily has a new attack style and combo finisher. You can also "link" with other characters in lieu of having actual party companions, which gives you temporary access to other abilities and finishers.
The final piece of the puzzle is the system used to gain abilities. Abilities are linked to battles moves (spells/attacks), which are unlocked as those moves are used. In turn you can fuse moves to gain new spells, attacks and even more abilities.
Birth by Sleep has a nice selection of Disney world's, chosen so that the game very much feels like "the beginning" of the saga. As with other titles, original actors are used where possible.
Sorry, I've been a bit AWOL over the last few days. And I don't think I'm going to add much here either, because I haven't played a single game from this list.
Here's what I know though:
Jurassic Park is considered one of the weaker Telltale offerings, in fact I'd forgotten it existed until now. However, I've heard good-ish things about the story, which runs parallel to the events of the first film and concerns the contacts who Denis Nedry was supposed to meet at the docks on Isla Nublar, before he got waylaid by a spitty dilophosaurus. The puzzles and the general gameplay let it down, I think. The brainteasers apparently were nothing of the sort, while the moment-to-moment gameplay consisted of the worst of Telltale, and was unexciting.
Despite being a huge Katamari fan, I never got around to Katamari Forever, partly because it consists of rehashed stages from earlier games (only three new levels out of the 34 featured, cheers Wikipedia). The idea is that The King of All Cosmos has amnesia, so you have to remind him of these stages by playing them again, or something. The other half of the game is then set in the present. I'm going to quote directly from Wiki here, because I can't think of a way to re-word what follows:
"RoboKing, a robotic version of the King of All Cosmos created by the Prince and his cousins, goes on a rampage and destroys all the stars in the sky, which, unlike the King, he feels extremely remorseful for"
This will have series veterans sagely nodding their heads, while everyone else has already left the room. So basically it's Katamari - it's glorious, but at the end of the day it's more of the same.
Existing for both games, I reckon, with Katamari being higher in the category.
Good job, Parappa. You can go on to the next stage now.
VERY IMPORTANT
Just Cause 2
Killzone 2
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5
IMPORTANT
Killzone 3
Kingdoms of Amaulr: Reckoning
EXISTING
John Woo Presents Stranglehold
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle
Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights
Just Dance 2
Just Dance 3
Just Dance 2014
Katamari Forever
Killer is Dead
King of Fighters XIII
Kung Fu Panda
UNIMPORTANT
Janline R
Jeopardy
Jimmie Johnson's Anything with an engine
John Daly's ProStroke Golf
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men
Kane & Lynch: Dog Days
Karaoke Revolution Blitz Games
King of Fighters XII
Knights Contract
Kung Fu Panda 2
Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends
POINTLESS
Jurassic Park: The Game
Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore
Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2
Kick-Ass 2: The Game
I've only played LBP, and I'd say the first one is VERY IMPORTANT. No idea if the second one improved on it a lot, but I've heard quite often that the third game wasn't that good; so I'd say LBP 3 is just IMPORTANT or maybe EXISTING.
I'd say EXISTING is fair for LBP3. I haven't personally played it, but my brother insists it isn't as good as 1 or 2. With the general reception and apathy towards it, it's hard to contradict that view.
I enjoyed LBP1 a lot in co-op (both playing through the game and making a level); I didn't play it on my own. It's a landmark game both for its extensive crafting tools and sharing of user created content. Floaty physics aside, it's fair to say it stands as one of the PS3's best and most important titles.
LBP2 seemed to pile on a lot of stuff that made it seem a little fussy, although the story mode does have some very inventive levels.
EXISTING
Lego The Hobbit
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
LittleBigPlanet 3
Lollipop Chainsaw
Lost Dimension
Lost Planet
Madden NFL 07
Madden NFL 08
Sorry, I've not had much time to chip in, but the list looks good to me, although I'd bump LBP2 and LBP3 up a little.
LBP2 was such a good game and the various devices really were game-changers when it came to what the community were able to make online. I agree that the first game is the best though. The story levels are just incredible, and I remember them to this day, despite having forgotten many levels from 2 and 3.
As for Little Big Planet 3, I think this is a very underrated game. The biggest change were the new characters and all three of them had really enjoyable levels. There was a lot going on under the hood in LBP 3 and it actually finished my poor old PS3 off. I'd have it in Very Important also, but that's perhaps getting carried away. Important at least for me.
I'm no Lego games connoisseur, but I've played through most of Lego The Hobbit with my kids and I had a great time. Of the Lego games I've played this one was the most fun, and it really captures the feel of the movie.
Lollipop Chainsaw I've played a little bit of. It's a strange one, that's for sure. Quite funny in places, although the camera could be a bugger. That's about all I can remember on that one.
As ever, I'm happy to be overruled on any of this.
Good job, Parappa. You can go on to the next stage now.
Lollipop Chainsaw is rather hilarious with tongue firmly in cheek (it's jointly written by James Gunn, the director of Guardians of the Galaxy), and the gameplay is great fun. It's a typical Suda 51 game for sure and also a good example of the genre. It's arguably Suda 51's best game and certainly very underrated. Y'know what, I have to say I consider it to be important, simply because of how absolutely outrageous it is - and underneath that it's a fun game. However, if we're being very critical, I guess existing wouldn't be entirely unfair.
I only played Lost Planet a few years ago. It was an important early release on the Xbox 360, for sure, but by the time it released a year later on the PS3, it had lost that lustre because by 2008 the generation was in full swing and we were getting some really great games. Compared to other games in the genre from the same period, it's heavily dated. For me personally, I'd bump it down to unimportant. At best it's at the very low end of existing.
Bit conflicted with Lightning Returns. I enjoyed the game a lot and it nicely wrapped up both Lightning's story (Lightning is AWESOME) and the wider Final Fantasy XIII plot in a satisfying way. Given how complicated the Fabula Nova Crystallis lore had become, this was no easy task. For me, the final boss fight is one of the Final Fantasy franchise's absolute highlights. At the same time the presentation is rather rough to the extent where it's obvious that it was made on a much lower budget than its immediate predecessors. Some of the NPC models are hideous (search Lightning Returns dog) and certain environments are a little bland with muddy texturing.
There are four areas this time round - each presented as a sort of mini open-world sandbox. To make up for the rather short main story there are a gargantuan amount of side quests which somewhat vary in quality. Some are excellent, others are tedious fetch quests. There's also a constant timer counting down in a similar manner to Majora's Mask, with the game split into days. You can actually gain more days by completing more sidequests, so in a sense they're not entirely optional. The world is on the verge of apocalypse, and it's up to Lightning to bring salvation to as many souls as possible before the countdown is finished.
The battle system - which this time round is a curious blend between real-time and ATB - has a nice amount of depth and customisation, and as a result is rather fun, but its also quite difficult to get to grips with. Balancing between defending and attacking is key, and running out of ATB points opens Lightning to attack with little she can do to avoid it.
Music is one of the presentational highlights, which is to be expected. Another great soundtrack from Masashi Hamauzu.
All said, it isn't up to the calibre of the other XIII games and is rough around the edges. I'm oscillating between important and existing. It would be a low important but a high existing...
I remember the Mobot and Usuain Bolts lightning stance. Good Times.
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