My annual "Games of" series took a solid shape starting with "Games of 2015." There have been minor tweaks, but the 2015 post has served as a solid template. I have always wanted to "remaster" older posts to include the stats and screenshots newer "Games of" posts are known for. I also wondered if I could fill in the gaps. The missing posts for the years 2011 and 2012 have always been sore spot for me. Because of achievements, save files, and old posts, I discovered I could fill in those blanks in my post history. I also discovered I could fill in the years going back to 2005! Thus, "Games of Remaster" was born!

Modern "Games of" posts have several personal stats. My goal for the "Remasters" was to fill as many of the following stats: number of hours played, number of achievements earned, number of screenshots taken, acquisition date, acquired from, and purchase price. Because game tracking for my gaming history is incomplete, many of these stats are lost to time. If I do not have a stat, then I put "NA" for "not available."

I have added two additional stats which are required for these posts: date played and completion status. "Games of" posts are sorted by the order I played the games, so "date played" was needed to get the order correct. This stat is based on achievement timestamps, save file timestamps, and/or old posts. "Completion status" gives a little bit of insight into my thoughts on the game. I think I will be carrying this stat into future "Games of" posts.

As with the modern posts, I have included a paragraph or two with my thoughts on the game. I tried to look at old posts to get my thoughts from that period. I tried to link to the post when I could. If I had never written about the game before, then I wrote something from memory, which may or may not be accurate. Except for "2013" and "2014," I have not included screenshots. It takes a lot of time to gather screenshots, especially from older consoles.

Please enjoy these windows into the past.

"Games of 2006" never existed, but here it is, now. It is a list of games I played in 2006, as well as some of my stats and my thoughts. I tried to gather stats from old save files, but lot of them are lost. The Wii is surprisingly good at game tracking, so those games have some good data. I wanted to use old blog posts as reference for my thoughts, but I did not write about many of these games. Many of these thoughts are just my fading memories. For the few games I did write about in the past, I included a link to the post. Each game gets its own – mostly humorous – category. Let's begin.

Rated "M" For Meat

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (PS2)

Release date:      10/21/2003
Date played:       01/04/2006
Hours played:      9.00
Completion status: Complete
Achievements:      NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date:  08/25/2004
Acquired from:     Gamestop
Price:             $19.99 (List NA)

I got on a Castlevania kick, and played Castlevania: Lament of Innocence. This is not the first time I played it, but it is the first time I beat it. I had fun playing it. I kind of wondered why the game was rated M, but the last boss answered that question. Whipping skeletons and vomiting zombies is fun.
"I did use orange before," 8/25/2004

Killed Time At School

Mario Kart DS (DS)

Release date:      11/14/2005
Date played:       01/12/2006
Hours played:      NA
Completion status: Complete
Achievements:      NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date:  01/26/2006
Acquired from:     NA
Price:             $34.99 (List $34.99)

I put a lot of hours into Mario Kart DS. During free periods at school a bunch of us would play this. The ad-hoc wireless for playing together is brilliant. Some people did not even have to own the game to play! The DS version of the game made me fall in love with the series.

Popping Wheelies

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)

Release date:      10/26/2004
Date played:       03/29/2006
Hours played:      22.25
Completion status: Complete
Achievements:      NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date:  03/06/2006
Acquired from:     NA
Price:             $19.99 (List $19.99)

I love Vice City, but Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is so much better. I am shocked that Rockstar was able to fit the size of this map on a Playstation 2 disk. It is the same gameplay, but more. I wish I did not have to workout and eat, but it is not too extreme or realistic. Rockstar continues to show that they are the masters of open world story telling.

Mini Me

Burnout Legends (PSP)

Release date:      09/13/2005
Date played:       04/03/2006
Hours played:      6.00
Completion status: Midway
Achievements:      NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date:  12/06/2005
Acquired from:     NA
Price:             NA

Burnout Legends is a portable version of its Playstation 2 siblings. All of the modes are here, and they are just as fun. It is nice to be able to take Burnout on the go, but the loading times suck. I am not a huge fan of Crash mode, but the long loading times make me hate the mode even more.
"When the world caves in," 1/01/2006

Big Things Come In Small Packages

New Super Mario Bros. (DS)

Release date:      05/15/2006
Date played:       05/20/2006
Hours played:      NA
Completion status: Complete
Achievements:      NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date:  05/15/2006
Acquired from:     NA
Price:             $34.99 (List $34.99)

2D Mario is back in New Super Mario Bros., and he is bigger than ever... because of the Mega Mushroom power-up. There is even a Mini Mushroom for those who prefer small and floaty. It feels good to play a new 2D Mario game. There is a level select map, and there are eight main worlds as Miyamoto intended. The physics are just right, and wall jumping feels great. For added difficulty, there are giant coins to collect in each level. The game brings back memories of playing Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World. I hope Nintendo never stops making 2D Mario games.
"R&R," 5/20/2006

Aged Like Milk

Warcraft: Orcs & Humans (PC)

Release date:      11/23/1994
Date played:       06/25/2006
Hours played:      NA
Completion status: Complete
Achievements:      NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date:  NA
Acquired from:     NA
Price:             NA

I wanted to get into the lore of Warcraft, so I started with Warcraft: Orcs & Humans. This is rough to play. I played with cheat codes, just to get the story. RTS games have vastly improved since this game was released in the early 90's. I would recommend you skip, and just read a plot summary online. I will say it was interesting to see the beginnings of this universe firsthand.
"Summer Thought," 6/25/2006

Aged Just Fine

Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (PC)

Release date:      08/31/1997
Date played:       07/07/2006
Hours played:      NA
Completion status: Complete
Achievements:      NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date:  NA
Acquired from:     NA
Price:             NA

Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness aged a lot better than its predecessor. It is a little rough, but still perfectly playable. There are a lot of improvements from the original; there are even more improvements if you play the Battle.net Edition. The Second War is a lot more interesting than the first one. Blizzard became better storytellers with this game. I played just for the story, so I used cheats to get through the game quickly. It is still fun to play this way.
"Summer Thought," 6/25/2006

Shoot And Slice But Not At The Same Time

Red Steel (Wii)

Release date:      11/19/2006
Date played:       12/26/2006
Hours played:      3.25
Completion status: Early
Achievements:      NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date:  11/19/2006
Acquired from:     Target
Price:             $49.99

Red Steel shows off what the Wii controller can do. However, I gave up on it early into the story mode. It has both sword fighting and gun play. Sword play is not great. When guys showed up with swords, I was forced to use my sword; I was not able to use my gun like Indy. Gun play is better, but it does have a bit of a learning curve.

The graphics are subpar, with the exception of fire and explosions; not sure why those things look great. The story is alright. Multiplayer is lacking, especially since there is no online mode.
"Weeeeeeeeeeee! and CDs.," 12/2/2006

It Is On... This List

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz (Wii)

Release date:      11/19/2006
Date played:       12/26/2006
Hours played:      4.75
Completion status: Mostly?
Achievements:      NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date:  11/19/2006
Acquired from:     Target
Price:             $45.00 (List $49.99)

I do not remember anything about Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, except it is a good party game. I played a decent amount. I remember loving the Gamecube game.
"Weeeeeeeeeeee! and CDs.," 12/2/2006

This Is A Tech Demo!? Really!?

Wii Sports (Wii)

Release date:      11/19/2006
Date played:       12/26/2006
Hours played:      22.50
Completion status: Complete
Achievements:      NA
Screenshots taken: NA
Acquisition date:  11/19/2006
Acquired from:     Target
Price:             $0.00

Wii Sports might be a tech demo, but it is the best tech demo I have ever played. I am glad I bought four controllers. It is so much fun playing with friends. After school, my friends and I would go to my house and play this for an hour or two. Bolwing seems accurate, golf is great, tennis is fun - but deadly - with four people, boxing is a great workout, and baseball sucks. Nintendo was smart including this game with the Wii.
"Weeeeeeeeeeee! and CDs.," 12/2/2006

2006 Summary

Games played:       10
Total hours:        99.25*
Oldest game played: Warcraft: Orcs & Humans (PC) - 11/23/1994
Newest game played: Red Steel (Wii), 
                    Wii Sports (Wii), 
                    Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz (Wii) - 11/19/2006
Most hours played:  Wii Sports (Wii) - 22.50
Total spent:        $204.95**
Game of the year:   Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)

*Mario Kart DS (DS), Warcraft: Orcs & Humans (PC), and Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (PC) are not included in total hours.
**Burnout Legends (PSP), Warcraft: Orcs & Humans (PC), and Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (PC) are not included in total cost.

I bought a Nintendo Wii. This is the first console I have ever bought on launch day. I also spent $455 on the console, three more controllers, one more nun chuck, and three games. I saved $166 because of I applied for a Target card, and I used my employee discount. The controls are great, and I look forward to seeing how developers will use them. I also bought a Nintendo DS, and have been enjoying the touchscreen on it. It is such a great idea.

I played a solid number of games. I had a lot of fun with them. I wanted to get into the world of Warcraft (but not the MMO), so I played the two older games before reading the books. I am enjoying the universe. I also wanted to get into the Castlevania games. Mainly, I had a lot of fun with my Wii and DS. I missed a lot of games that came out this year.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. I played a little bit, but got sidetracked. Check out "Games of 2007" and "Games of 2017" for my thoughts.

Call of Duty 3. I bought this, because I wanted a first person shooter on the Wii. I played it for a little bit, but I am not a big WW2 shooter fan. This game did not change my mind.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I did not care about Elder Scrolls games. I played this in 2011 after Fallout 3, and fell in love with the series.

Dead Rising. This looked like a fun XBox 360 game. I watched a friend play it, and I was tempted to buy a 360 just for it.

Gears of War. This is another fun looking game on the XBox 360. I did not play it until a few years later, and I wrote about it in "Games of 2011."

Bully. I love the Grand Theft Auto series, so this game caught my eye. I never did get a chance to play it.

Need for Speed: Carbon. I wanted a racing game for the Wii, and almost bought this one. I thought the controller would be cool for it. Never did pull the trigger on this game.

Okami. I played this version of the game at a friend's house. I loved it. When it was announced for the Wii, I waited for it to be released. It made "Games of 2008."

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. I never did play any of the GTA Stories games, although I should play this one. I love Vice City. My PSP could have used some games.

Prey. This game caught my eye, and tempted me to get a 360. I never did play it, even after I got a 360.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. I loved Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow and ended up buying this one. However, never did play it.

Metroid Prime Hunters. A first person shooter on the DS sounded interesting. Never did play it. I am not a big Metroid fan.

Resistance: Fall of Man. I did not get a Playstation 3 until later. I was actually against the Playstation 3 when it was first released. I ended up playing this game in 2008, and fell in love with the series.

Thank you for reading this remaster. My memory is foggy at this point, so a few games did not get the attention they deserved. I spent a lot of time digging for stats and looking through old posts. I came up pretty empty handed, but I put in a lot of effort. There is a good list of game in here somewhere. Check some of them out. I hope you can find a fun one out of the bunch.

- Royfuss