Halfway Through December - Special Moments in Gaming

So, we come to the very last recap post of this contest. I remember when we first started, I thought it'd never get here, and yet here we are. So, shall we do the usual where I go over the total scores and games added for December...

I think not.

See, I got to thinking, we'll be announcing the winner in a little over two weeks. Come midnight New Year's Eve, this contest will be over, and so will my recaps, unless Guide2Games decides to start another contest for 2015. Hey, stranger things have happened. Just kidding. So, anyway, I thought instead of recapping the scores, why not recap the games instead? Besides, if you've been keeping up with the leaderboard, I think you know the scores already.

I got started on this contest back in March, and for the past 10 months, I have played a lot of games. Seriously, check my scores if you don't believe me. I kept on and on trying to add win after win to my small total. Well, at the time, I'd only beaten two games, so I never imagined I'd be at the top of the heap so far. During that 10 month period, I dug deep into my collection for old titles I'd forgotten and when I could, I scrambled to add some new ones to the collection, largely through digital download. Some moments really stood out to me. I'd achieved some hard-won victories and also found some real gems in my gaming collection. If you don't mind, and if you've been reading my blog so far, you probably don't, I'd like to share some of those moments with you.

April  - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

Ever since I found out that this one was available for the PS3, I wanted it. I started it last year, and then finished it in time for the contest. So, of course that was a memorable moment. There were plenty of difficult moments and some bad bosses, but the end wasn't as bad as the beginning. Plus, it had one of the best ending songs I think I've heard in a game.

Dream Team was another one I began the year before. While it wasn't my first Mario & Luigi win, it was sure one of the toughest. It took me two tries at the final boss, and as with most RPGs, it was a long, drawn-out battle. But that's what made the victory more satisfying.

May - Punch-Out!! for Wii

I never had much luck with these games, so I never thought I'd actually try for it. At first, I thought it was win enough to make it through Contender mode, but I had a hard time with that. Then came Title Defender, and so I fought my way through that. I don't know how I did it, but I managed to put Sandman on his keister again. I didn't get far in Mac's Last Stand, but I honestly didn't think I'd get through all of that. I often wonder if that's how Rocky Balboa felt. lol

June - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

It wasn't my first go round with this, but it was still a pleasure to beat a classic game like this for the contest. While The Wind Waker will always be a favorite of mine, this one still has plenty of charm to make winning it enjoyable.

July - Super Punch-Out!!

I think I really enjoy the punishment, because I decided to give this a shot. I downloaded it off the Virtual Console, and man, was I in for it. I'm either very persistent or very stubborn because I got punched, kicked, head-butted, and taken to the mat over and over again. I thought it was a miracle that I even unlocked the Special Circuit. So imagine the look on my face when I brought Nick Bruiser to his knees. It was a tough one, but the hard ones always have a higher sense of achievement.

August - Mario Tennis Open, Shining in the Darkness, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

This is a game I consider a hidden gem. It was a clearance game, and up until then, I'd never even heard of it. I got to take it on a long road trip, and I have to say it was a lot of fun. After I beat it, I found myself wanting to go back and play some more. Considering I never gave any of my wins another thought, that's saying something.

I don't know how long I played Shining in the Darkness on my Genesis collection for the PS3, but it took a lot of long game sessions to finally face off with Dark Sol. Since it was the first game of its kind for me, that really sticks out in my mind.

I'd never known the Castlevania series to be especially fair, but this one really seemed to take a lot of cake. It was one of the toughest challenges I'd ever had to defeat the final boss, but I finally managed it. Each try, I seemed to last a little bit longer until finally it was me who stood victorious.

September - Super Metroid

This was the very first Metroid game I actually managed to beat. The first game in any series that you manage always sticks out, and I had my share of tough moments. Ridley sure didn't make it easy. But I'll always remember the first time I tried a Metroid game and survived.

October - NBA Jam

While October was also the month I beat Batman: Arkham Asylum, NBA Jam stood out more to me because it was a game I never really thought about trying. My dad played it a lot, and finally I decided to give it a try. Man, was this game ever fun. Like Mario Tennis, I just wanted to keep going. For that reason, I'd call this one a hidden gem too.

November - Natsume Championship Wrestling, Bravely Default

On a lark, I was browsing the Wii Shop selections, and I saw this. Now, I was never big on wrestling games. Heck, I don't even get into TV wrestling (it's fake, we all know it is) but when I saw it was made by the company that brought us Harvest Moon, I decided to give it a go. In its own way, it's kind of addictive, at least to me. Took me a while to grasp the controls, but when I did, I had a real blast.

Bravely Default took me months to complete. All in all, I spent 75 hours grinding, hoping I'd be able to survive the final boss. A lot of days, I just wanted to say forget it since the end didn't look any closer. But again, I'm either persistent or stubborn because I finally manged to make it clear to the final boss and win. This was truly the last of the RPGs I would add for this contest anyway.

There have been other games that I've started for this contest that stood out, although they never managed to become victories. Games like Chrono Trigger and Zombies Ate My Neighbors stood out as games I would have liked to add but I never managed to do it. The original Punch-Out!! is also among them. But all in all, I've had some really fun moments in this contest. Now, we'll see if I can have some more during this last month.

So, what about you? What hidden gems have you discovered in your collection? What sweet victories stand out the most in your collection? I'd be really interested in finding out.