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52 Games. 1 Year. 2017.
- Thread starter VisceralBowl
- Start date
- Status
Wonko_C
Member
Each year I've seen this topic but never felt like clicking it and see what the fuss is about, now I'm taking the challenge for the first time, I gotta cull that growing list of Steam and PS4 games somehow, while dealing with the "play forever" games such as Final Fantasy XIV and Street Fighter V.
1. The Lost Mythologies - 30 minutes (cleared 01/01)
Maybe this won't count as it was one level long. It's a student project released for free on Steam, a hack 'n slash game with shiny graphics everywhere and gameplay that tried to be Devil May Cry-ish. Controls and animations-wise is very, very rough, though. It seems they focused more on the character model's-uhm... assets, if you catch my drift. The setting where ancient Chinese aesthetic meets high technology and robots needs to be part of a more fleshed-out game.
2. Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition - 14 hours (cleared 01/04)
I got it during the Steam's Holiday Seal. Beautiful art style, and it's decently challenging for a Metroidvania game. I didn't want to play it at first because the character is too small, but I'm glad I stuck with it. It ends abruptly, though. I was expecting to go to a final level but the game just ended, LOL. It got "teh feelz!" though. I kind of want to get more lore about the world now.
3. Super Cyborg - 9 hours (cleared 01/08)
Wow, they don't make them like this anymore. It's a borderline copyright-theft clone of Contra, taking most of its inspiration from the NES version of Super C, or should I say Probotector 2, since you play as robots? though you unlock a "human" with bandanna and all once you beat the game. I prefer this simpler style of Contra, less focus on bosses and more run 'n gun. I could never get into Hard Corps: Uprising with the airdashes, triple jumps, and upgradeable weapons. If anything I think the game was too tough, even on Easy. I can one-life both Contra and Super C but this one, I spent like 3 hours alone in the second half of the last stage alone.
4. Furi - 5 hours (cleared 01/11)
This game would've gone completely under my radar if not because of PS Plus. A game consisting purely of boss battles always makes me weary, but the gameplay won me over. It's a great mix of bullet hell twin stick shooter with hack 'n slash requiring quick reflexes and pattern memorization. I'm a sucker for stories that are told via cryptic dialogue that builds up for the big reveal, so the walking sections were like cutscenes to me in that regard. Too bad it's single player only. A versus mode with all characters made playable would've been a treat.
5. Sky Force Anniversary - 10 hours (cleared 01/22)
I already finished this on my phone last year but this has stuff like widescreen and coop support, it's much less grindy also and a lot more comfortable with a controller. This time I maxed out my ship.
6.- Metroid: Rogue Dawn - 4 hours approx. (cleared 01/23)
This romhack is incredible. Though I can no longer stomach another playthorugh of NES Metroid due to its controls and no map, but I couldn't put this game down. It's a real transformation into a completely different game. The music is it's only weakness, though.
7.- Resident Evil VII - 11 hours (cleared 01/25)
I didn't expect to play this game so soon, but thanks to Xbox Play anywhere a friend bought it digitally for his Xbox One and as a curious test I could download it to my PC from the Windows Store using his account and it works. Even more surprising is that it runs incredibly well on my old computer that has no business running modern games.
8.- Double Dragon IV - 30 minutes (cleared 01/30)
Hehehehe.
9.- Yakuza Zero - 40 hours (cleared 02/20)
I wasn't expecting to get this game until at least in a few months but I got lucky and won a $100 code over on Twitter so I immediately purchased this game. Spent at least a couple of sleepless nights but it was worth it, main story was great and the battle scenes make you want to tear your shirt off and show your badass tatoo... except I play shirtless most of the time and don't do tatoos.
10.- Odin Sphere Leifthrasir - 65 hours (cleared 02/23)
One of my favorite games from the PS2 era. Normally I'm a gameplay-oriented player, but I just love the story in this game, even if it still played as bad as the PS2 game I would still have bought this game, thankfully this rework is everything I could ask for. If I have a top 10 games of all time, this definetly would be one of them.
11.- Freedom Planet - 20 hours (cleared 03/10)
While I liked the game, I had to kind of force myself through the later stages of it. I like the art style, the 2D gameplay, the story, the music and the adorable characters, yet it feels like it fell short of greatness in a way I don't even know myself. The Freedom Planet 2 demo though, I just can't stop playing it. I'll get sick of the first level surely before the full game comes out. Hurry up, 2018!
12.- Zelda BotW - 65 hours (cleared 04/07)
I wasn't feeling the game at first but once it clicked I couldn't stop playing, yet I didn't feel like exploring every single corner, and even left at least half of the map unexplored, I just ran out of steam after finishing the main story. I'll come back to it one day, maybe.
13.- Nioh - 60 hours (cleared 04/17)
Took me long enough. (The past 4 games on the list made me put this on hold) Normally I don't like "Souls" games, not because of difficulty, but because of the setting: Medieval doesn't do it for me, in a way feudal Japan feels more familiar to me than the dark ages. (Maybe one of my past lives? if there's such a thing.)
14.- Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator - 20 hours (cleared 05/01)
A friend gifted this to me so we could play online, in the meantime I played through Episode Mode with every character then I watched all of Story Mode in a single sitting. It's funny how if you haven't followed this series the characters are just cool-looking random anime crazyness, then you get into the story and they're like completely different than what you think they were about based on the fighting alone. I kinda want to play the older GGs now, starting with the original on PlayStation.
15.- ABZU - 2 hours (cleared 05/04)
I would have finished this in one hour if I weren't constantly distracted by the beautiful scenery, which may be the point of this "game" because there really isn't much game to it. Would have still bought it on a sale even if it wasn't given away on PS Plus.
16.- Transformers Devastation - 10 hours (cleared 05/07)
Though it has repetitive scenery (only two environments spread over 7 chapters) the super smooth combat makes up for it in spades. Really wish Platinum get a decent budget for a sequel.
17.- Tales of Berseria - 40 hours (cleared 05/15)
The last Tales I played before this was Graces f. I don't know how could they make the combat so boring after Graces, Even Hearts R's combat is more fun. The story was its saving grace, though, very dark but not without funny moments. I couldn't not laugh every time Bienfu cried "Bieeeeeeen!" (which sounds like "good" in Spanish)
18.- Castlevania: The Lecarde Chronicles 2 - 10 hours (cleared 05/22)
I'm glad I kept playing this game. Initial impressions weren't very positive, mostly because I couldn't make the controller work well: Movement was mapped to the thumbstick instead of the dpad with no way to change it, trying to add it via joy2key was messy and there was lots of input lag overall with the Xbox 360 controller. Fortunately it worked wonders with my Dualshock 4 via inputmapper. The game itself blew away my initial impressions. Without giving it away, when you think you're about to finish the game, you're in for a big surprise in the classic IGA-vania tradition.
19.- NieR Automata - 60 hours (cleared 06/19)
Finally a Yoko Taro game with good enough gameplay for me to not just abandon it after an hour, though I expected Metal Gear Rising/RPG, it's not fair to compare it to that genre. As an action-RPG, though, it's engaging from start to finish. But the real star is the story, which doesn't get really good until after you complete the first two routes.
20.- Shadow of The Beast 2016 - 20 hours approx. (cleared 07/02)
Probably a name not many know, but I had the fortune of playing the Genesis version on a rental way back in 1992. Like most people who played the game, I went nowhere because of its difficulty and obtusiveness. But the beginning of the game with its alien landscape and music was enough to leave an ever-lasting impression. So I was jumping with joy when a new version was announced. The game itself is a lot different (in a good way), it's more like a rhythm-based 2D God-of-War 'em up, but still retains the unique alien world and music. It's short but very replayable, as you unlock more endings and cool extras like the original Amiga game. this was a fun weekend platinum trophy, and very worth the $8 (mid-year sale!) of admission.
21.- Shadow of The Beast Classic - 1 hour (cleared 07/03)
The included Amiga port of the original in the reboot gave me the perfect excuse to tackle this-uh... beast of a game thanks to the invincibility cheat, even then you can get killed at certain spots and its non-linear nature made it fun to look for the stuff needed to progress.
22.- Gravity Rush 2 - 85 hours (platinumed 07/28)
This right here is my current GOTY. I did everything in this game and I still want to keep playing. The "city in the sky" setting has been done countless of times in media, but no world has captured me like GR2's. I just can tap left on the d-pad to go into first-person and walk around to take in all the detail that goes missing when you just "fly" through, it's a completely different experience. I know they said GR2 is the last one but they should make Gravity Rush VR! even if it looked like the remaster of the first game it would still be beautiful.
23.- Destiny 2 - 8 hours (completed Campaign 09/09)
I was one of those who didn't like the first game because it was too popular. They hyped it as this super massive MMO/FPS hybrid and it ended up being a shooter looter with a few MMO elements. I also didn't have the money to buy the game and play it with my friends (but they got me the game for Xbox 360 and I played it for a month with them but never got hooked on it like my friends. Destiny 2 changed that. I don't even remember too much about D1 but I like how D2's map reminds me a lot of FFXIV which I love, there are sidequests and F.A.T.E.s... and now I'm probably not going to beat 52 games this year because of this game.
24.- Marvel VS Capcom Infinite - 4 hours (Finished Story Mode 09/19)
After SFV: The Shadow Falls and this, I can confirm Capcom does the dullest story modes in fighting games I've ever played. But I don't play fighting games for the story or even arcade modes, and the netcode in this game is great.
25.- Yakuza Kiwami - 60 hours (cleared October)
I kind of liked this game more than Yakuza 0. Even knowing the plot since I played the original. I guess my main source of enjoyment derived from this game was building up the Dragon style. I kept looking for Majima-uh... everywhere so I could fight him and get stronger. My other big addiction were the pocket races, those went largely ignored in Yakuza 0, so I came back to that game and rectified that mistake.
26.- Castlevania: Simon's Destiny - 3 hours (Cleared 11/01)
A reimagining of the very first Castlevania in Doom style, who could have imagined that would work? Very well made fan mod and homage to Castlevania, sure there are rough spots like platforming, but that felt like part of the charm. Having quick saves handy eased a lot of the frustration, as it is a pretty hard game, even on the easiest difficulty.
27.- Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - 40 hours (cleared 11/09)
Finally upgraded my GPU and was able to get into this. I could have played it on PS4 but it was cheaper on Steam. Human Revolution was one of my favorite games of the previous generation and I was afraid this game was going to be very short because of the constant "It felt like it ended in the middle!" comments I heard everywhere. Sure it ended up on a cliffhanger but I felt the main conflict it had enough closure to keep me satisfied. I'll go back to it for new game+ later.
28.- Cuphead - 4 hours (cleared 11/11)
Let me say I kind of hate this exact style of cartoon animation. The whole squiggly, hyperactive, spaghetti arms and legs thing rubs me the wrong way (I was a small kid when I saw one of those classic cartoons and my room was dark, it was a late night and it scared the hell out of me. But I have to give it credit, there is a lot of charm and heart put in this, and lots of homage to classic Genesis action games were a lot of fun, and I'm glad I ended up playing it.
29.- Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition - 4 hours (cleared 11/14)
Too short! Only like 20 levels but the switcheroo platforming thing was both frustrating and addicting at the same time. I might hunt a 3DS and get the sequel.
30.- KickBeat Steam Edition - 9 hours (cleared both story characters 11/15)
Diva-like gameplay with western songs and a martial arts motif. Some songs were too long, not a bad first-time effort from Zen Studios. Now give me a KickBeat table for Pinball FX3.
31.- Raiden IV: Overkill - 1 hours (credit-fed 11/20)
I don't know how this series keeps going, and I don't know how I keep playing them. To me the Raiden games are the definition of mediocre: Not good but not bad either, (at least the earlier installments had decent spritework instead of ugly polygons). I just credit fed this thing and got done with it. and I know I'll do the same with Raiden V when I get to buy it.
32.- Bound - 3 hours (cleared 11/29)
I was really looking forward to a price drop for this game but thankfully they gave it away on PS Plus, and I'm glad they did. I'm just not that much into "barely game" types like Journey or ABZU. I though this was going to be a decently challenging platformer but nope. I just slowly went trudging through it, until I got a PSVR a few days ago and it made the game a lot more fun, if only because VR gives everything a real sense of scale and I love the abstract art-style it has going for it (that was what made me interested in this game in the first place).
Blue Revolver (Unlock everything)
DariusBurst Chronicle Saviours
Redux: Dark Matters
Popful Mail
1. The Lost Mythologies - 30 minutes (cleared 01/01)
Maybe this won't count as it was one level long. It's a student project released for free on Steam, a hack 'n slash game with shiny graphics everywhere and gameplay that tried to be Devil May Cry-ish. Controls and animations-wise is very, very rough, though. It seems they focused more on the character model's-uhm... assets, if you catch my drift. The setting where ancient Chinese aesthetic meets high technology and robots needs to be part of a more fleshed-out game.
2. Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition - 14 hours (cleared 01/04)
I got it during the Steam's Holiday Seal. Beautiful art style, and it's decently challenging for a Metroidvania game. I didn't want to play it at first because the character is too small, but I'm glad I stuck with it. It ends abruptly, though. I was expecting to go to a final level but the game just ended, LOL. It got "teh feelz!" though. I kind of want to get more lore about the world now.
3. Super Cyborg - 9 hours (cleared 01/08)
Wow, they don't make them like this anymore. It's a borderline copyright-theft clone of Contra, taking most of its inspiration from the NES version of Super C, or should I say Probotector 2, since you play as robots? though you unlock a "human" with bandanna and all once you beat the game. I prefer this simpler style of Contra, less focus on bosses and more run 'n gun. I could never get into Hard Corps: Uprising with the airdashes, triple jumps, and upgradeable weapons. If anything I think the game was too tough, even on Easy. I can one-life both Contra and Super C but this one, I spent like 3 hours alone in the second half of the last stage alone.
4. Furi - 5 hours (cleared 01/11)
This game would've gone completely under my radar if not because of PS Plus. A game consisting purely of boss battles always makes me weary, but the gameplay won me over. It's a great mix of bullet hell twin stick shooter with hack 'n slash requiring quick reflexes and pattern memorization. I'm a sucker for stories that are told via cryptic dialogue that builds up for the big reveal, so the walking sections were like cutscenes to me in that regard. Too bad it's single player only. A versus mode with all characters made playable would've been a treat.
5. Sky Force Anniversary - 10 hours (cleared 01/22)
I already finished this on my phone last year but this has stuff like widescreen and coop support, it's much less grindy also and a lot more comfortable with a controller. This time I maxed out my ship.
6.- Metroid: Rogue Dawn - 4 hours approx. (cleared 01/23)
This romhack is incredible. Though I can no longer stomach another playthorugh of NES Metroid due to its controls and no map, but I couldn't put this game down. It's a real transformation into a completely different game. The music is it's only weakness, though.
7.- Resident Evil VII - 11 hours (cleared 01/25)
I didn't expect to play this game so soon, but thanks to Xbox Play anywhere a friend bought it digitally for his Xbox One and as a curious test I could download it to my PC from the Windows Store using his account and it works. Even more surprising is that it runs incredibly well on my old computer that has no business running modern games.
8.- Double Dragon IV - 30 minutes (cleared 01/30)
Hehehehe.
9.- Yakuza Zero - 40 hours (cleared 02/20)
I wasn't expecting to get this game until at least in a few months but I got lucky and won a $100 code over on Twitter so I immediately purchased this game. Spent at least a couple of sleepless nights but it was worth it, main story was great and the battle scenes make you want to tear your shirt off and show your badass tatoo... except I play shirtless most of the time and don't do tatoos.
10.- Odin Sphere Leifthrasir - 65 hours (cleared 02/23)
One of my favorite games from the PS2 era. Normally I'm a gameplay-oriented player, but I just love the story in this game, even if it still played as bad as the PS2 game I would still have bought this game, thankfully this rework is everything I could ask for. If I have a top 10 games of all time, this definetly would be one of them.
11.- Freedom Planet - 20 hours (cleared 03/10)
While I liked the game, I had to kind of force myself through the later stages of it. I like the art style, the 2D gameplay, the story, the music and the adorable characters, yet it feels like it fell short of greatness in a way I don't even know myself. The Freedom Planet 2 demo though, I just can't stop playing it. I'll get sick of the first level surely before the full game comes out. Hurry up, 2018!
12.- Zelda BotW - 65 hours (cleared 04/07)
I wasn't feeling the game at first but once it clicked I couldn't stop playing, yet I didn't feel like exploring every single corner, and even left at least half of the map unexplored, I just ran out of steam after finishing the main story. I'll come back to it one day, maybe.
13.- Nioh - 60 hours (cleared 04/17)
Took me long enough. (The past 4 games on the list made me put this on hold) Normally I don't like "Souls" games, not because of difficulty, but because of the setting: Medieval doesn't do it for me, in a way feudal Japan feels more familiar to me than the dark ages. (Maybe one of my past lives? if there's such a thing.)
14.- Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator - 20 hours (cleared 05/01)
A friend gifted this to me so we could play online, in the meantime I played through Episode Mode with every character then I watched all of Story Mode in a single sitting. It's funny how if you haven't followed this series the characters are just cool-looking random anime crazyness, then you get into the story and they're like completely different than what you think they were about based on the fighting alone. I kinda want to play the older GGs now, starting with the original on PlayStation.
15.- ABZU - 2 hours (cleared 05/04)
I would have finished this in one hour if I weren't constantly distracted by the beautiful scenery, which may be the point of this "game" because there really isn't much game to it. Would have still bought it on a sale even if it wasn't given away on PS Plus.
16.- Transformers Devastation - 10 hours (cleared 05/07)
Though it has repetitive scenery (only two environments spread over 7 chapters) the super smooth combat makes up for it in spades. Really wish Platinum get a decent budget for a sequel.
17.- Tales of Berseria - 40 hours (cleared 05/15)
The last Tales I played before this was Graces f. I don't know how could they make the combat so boring after Graces, Even Hearts R's combat is more fun. The story was its saving grace, though, very dark but not without funny moments. I couldn't not laugh every time Bienfu cried "Bieeeeeeen!" (which sounds like "good" in Spanish)
18.- Castlevania: The Lecarde Chronicles 2 - 10 hours (cleared 05/22)
I'm glad I kept playing this game. Initial impressions weren't very positive, mostly because I couldn't make the controller work well: Movement was mapped to the thumbstick instead of the dpad with no way to change it, trying to add it via joy2key was messy and there was lots of input lag overall with the Xbox 360 controller. Fortunately it worked wonders with my Dualshock 4 via inputmapper. The game itself blew away my initial impressions. Without giving it away, when you think you're about to finish the game, you're in for a big surprise in the classic IGA-vania tradition.
19.- NieR Automata - 60 hours (cleared 06/19)
Finally a Yoko Taro game with good enough gameplay for me to not just abandon it after an hour, though I expected Metal Gear Rising/RPG, it's not fair to compare it to that genre. As an action-RPG, though, it's engaging from start to finish. But the real star is the story, which doesn't get really good until after you complete the first two routes.
20.- Shadow of The Beast 2016 - 20 hours approx. (cleared 07/02)
Probably a name not many know, but I had the fortune of playing the Genesis version on a rental way back in 1992. Like most people who played the game, I went nowhere because of its difficulty and obtusiveness. But the beginning of the game with its alien landscape and music was enough to leave an ever-lasting impression. So I was jumping with joy when a new version was announced. The game itself is a lot different (in a good way), it's more like a rhythm-based 2D God-of-War 'em up, but still retains the unique alien world and music. It's short but very replayable, as you unlock more endings and cool extras like the original Amiga game. this was a fun weekend platinum trophy, and very worth the $8 (mid-year sale!) of admission.
21.- Shadow of The Beast Classic - 1 hour (cleared 07/03)
The included Amiga port of the original in the reboot gave me the perfect excuse to tackle this-uh... beast of a game thanks to the invincibility cheat, even then you can get killed at certain spots and its non-linear nature made it fun to look for the stuff needed to progress.
22.- Gravity Rush 2 - 85 hours (platinumed 07/28)
This right here is my current GOTY. I did everything in this game and I still want to keep playing. The "city in the sky" setting has been done countless of times in media, but no world has captured me like GR2's. I just can tap left on the d-pad to go into first-person and walk around to take in all the detail that goes missing when you just "fly" through, it's a completely different experience. I know they said GR2 is the last one but they should make Gravity Rush VR! even if it looked like the remaster of the first game it would still be beautiful.
23.- Destiny 2 - 8 hours (completed Campaign 09/09)
I was one of those who didn't like the first game because it was too popular. They hyped it as this super massive MMO/FPS hybrid and it ended up being a shooter looter with a few MMO elements. I also didn't have the money to buy the game and play it with my friends (but they got me the game for Xbox 360 and I played it for a month with them but never got hooked on it like my friends. Destiny 2 changed that. I don't even remember too much about D1 but I like how D2's map reminds me a lot of FFXIV which I love, there are sidequests and F.A.T.E.s... and now I'm probably not going to beat 52 games this year because of this game.
24.- Marvel VS Capcom Infinite - 4 hours (Finished Story Mode 09/19)
After SFV: The Shadow Falls and this, I can confirm Capcom does the dullest story modes in fighting games I've ever played. But I don't play fighting games for the story or even arcade modes, and the netcode in this game is great.
25.- Yakuza Kiwami - 60 hours (cleared October)
I kind of liked this game more than Yakuza 0. Even knowing the plot since I played the original. I guess my main source of enjoyment derived from this game was building up the Dragon style. I kept looking for Majima-uh... everywhere so I could fight him and get stronger. My other big addiction were the pocket races, those went largely ignored in Yakuza 0, so I came back to that game and rectified that mistake.
26.- Castlevania: Simon's Destiny - 3 hours (Cleared 11/01)
A reimagining of the very first Castlevania in Doom style, who could have imagined that would work? Very well made fan mod and homage to Castlevania, sure there are rough spots like platforming, but that felt like part of the charm. Having quick saves handy eased a lot of the frustration, as it is a pretty hard game, even on the easiest difficulty.
27.- Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - 40 hours (cleared 11/09)
Finally upgraded my GPU and was able to get into this. I could have played it on PS4 but it was cheaper on Steam. Human Revolution was one of my favorite games of the previous generation and I was afraid this game was going to be very short because of the constant "It felt like it ended in the middle!" comments I heard everywhere. Sure it ended up on a cliffhanger but I felt the main conflict it had enough closure to keep me satisfied. I'll go back to it for new game+ later.
28.- Cuphead - 4 hours (cleared 11/11)
Let me say I kind of hate this exact style of cartoon animation. The whole squiggly, hyperactive, spaghetti arms and legs thing rubs me the wrong way (I was a small kid when I saw one of those classic cartoons and my room was dark, it was a late night and it scared the hell out of me. But I have to give it credit, there is a lot of charm and heart put in this, and lots of homage to classic Genesis action games were a lot of fun, and I'm glad I ended up playing it.
29.- Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition - 4 hours (cleared 11/14)
Too short! Only like 20 levels but the switcheroo platforming thing was both frustrating and addicting at the same time. I might hunt a 3DS and get the sequel.
30.- KickBeat Steam Edition - 9 hours (cleared both story characters 11/15)
Diva-like gameplay with western songs and a martial arts motif. Some songs were too long, not a bad first-time effort from Zen Studios. Now give me a KickBeat table for Pinball FX3.
31.- Raiden IV: Overkill - 1 hours (credit-fed 11/20)
I don't know how this series keeps going, and I don't know how I keep playing them. To me the Raiden games are the definition of mediocre: Not good but not bad either, (at least the earlier installments had decent spritework instead of ugly polygons). I just credit fed this thing and got done with it. and I know I'll do the same with Raiden V when I get to buy it.
32.- Bound - 3 hours (cleared 11/29)
I was really looking forward to a price drop for this game but thankfully they gave it away on PS Plus, and I'm glad they did. I'm just not that much into "barely game" types like Journey or ABZU. I though this was going to be a decently challenging platformer but nope. I just slowly went trudging through it, until I got a PSVR a few days ago and it made the game a lot more fun, if only because VR gives everything a real sense of scale and I love the abstract art-style it has going for it (that was what made me interested in this game in the first place).
Blue Revolver (Unlock everything)
DariusBurst Chronicle Saviours
Redux: Dark Matters
Popful Mail
2016 was probably the year in which I completed more games in my life and I got to around 40 games. Let's see if this year I can obliterate my backlog.
1. inFamous Second Son - January 2nd - ★★★☆☆
2. ABZÛ - January 3rd - ★★☆☆☆
3. Journey - January 3rd - ★★★★☆
4. Day of the Tentacle Remastered - January 4th - No score
5. PaRappa The Rapper 2 - January 5th - ★★★☆☆
6. The Little Acre - January 6th - ★★★★☆
7. Minecraft: Story Mode - January 8th - ★★★★☆
8. Hitman GO: Definitive Edition - January 11th - ★★★★☆
9. Battlefield 1 - January 22nd - ★★★★★
10. Ducati 90th Anniversary - January 26th - ★★☆☆☆
11. Super Mario 3D World - February 6th - ★★★★☆
1. inFamous Second Son - January 2nd - ★★★☆☆
2. ABZÛ - January 3rd - ★★☆☆☆
3. Journey - January 3rd - ★★★★☆
4. Day of the Tentacle Remastered - January 4th - No score
5. PaRappa The Rapper 2 - January 5th - ★★★☆☆
6. The Little Acre - January 6th - ★★★★☆
7. Minecraft: Story Mode - January 8th - ★★★★☆
8. Hitman GO: Definitive Edition - January 11th - ★★★★☆
9. Battlefield 1 - January 22nd - ★★★★★
10. Ducati 90th Anniversary - January 26th - ★★☆☆☆
11. Super Mario 3D World - February 6th - ★★★★☆
jshackles
Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
I've done this the past few years, so I'll give it a go again this year.
Game 1 - Final Fantasy XV - Playstation 4 - Completed Jan 1st, 2017
I started playing this game over Christmas break and it really sucked me in. I loved the "adventure" aspect of the game, and the fact that fast travel wasn't very fast. While some people see that as a way of drawing things out, I saw it as a cool opportunity to really get to know the lay of the land and how the different regions fit together. After spending nearly 40 hours with the game, I can say that I have a pretty good understanding of what life is like on Eos. I have a few achievements to mop up, so I'm sure I'll finish those up before moving on. Great game and a wonderful conclusion. Chapter 13 sucks as bad as people say. I'm actually looking forward to playing this again (New Game+, maybe?) when the game's story is patched.
Game 2 - Dead Rising 4 - Xbox One - Completed Jan 20th, 2017
Despite not being a very good Dead Rising game, I actually liked this one quite a bit for what it was and tried not to focus on what it wasn't. The usual crazy mix of outfits / accessories / goofy weapons was here in spades, and killing a boatload of zombies in creative ways at my own pace was actually pretty entertaining. I haven't played too many Xbox One games, and the PC version launched on the Windows Store (not even Play Anywhere-compatible) rather than Steam, so I decided to give it a shot on the console. I know it gets a lot of hate, but I thought it was a pretty solid experience.
Game 3 - Picross: The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess - Nintendo 3DS - Completed Jan 22nd, 2017
I've recently been getting back into Picross games, and this was a good way to get back into the swing of things. This version has an indicator of when a row/column can be deduced, as well as a "roulette wheel" at the beginning that reveals an entire row and column. Although pretty easy for a picross game, I enjoyed it because it helped me to remember how to play. I'll probably have a few other picross games in my lineup this year, it's a lot of fun and a good way to get my brain warmed up.
Game 4 - Fire Emblem Heroes - Android - Completed Feb 25th, 2017
Well this is the first game I've completed in February, mostly because I've got a lot of other games going on but also because I've taken a bit of a break from gaming to deal with some other things. Either way, I'm happy to have "finished" Fire Emblem Heroes by completing world 9-5 and unlocking all of the game's achievements. The game is OK, but I haven't yet pulled a single 5 star unit (and only 2 four star units) so it was actually pretty difficult to accomplish with mostly 3-star guys. Either way, it's got me hungry for more Fire Emblem sometime soon.
Game 5 - Watch_Dogs2 - Playstation 4 - Completed Feb 25th, 2017
I really enjoyed my time with Watch_Dogs2, much more than the first one. There were a few missions that got really frustration but nothing too far out of the ordinary for this type of game. The final mission glitched out on me near the end and I had to re-do it, which was kind of a pain in the ass but other than that I didn't run into any other technical issues. The story was pretty ho-hum and the idea that hacking works that way is absurd, but the game had style and a few dashes of nerd humor and I think it worked. I'm definitely looking forward to Watch_Dogs3 now.
Game 6 - Oxenfree - PC Steam - Completed Feb 26th, 2017
Horizon: Zero Dawn arrives in a few days and I just finished Watch_Dogs2, so I decided to take on something fairly short today so that I don't get engrossed in an epic game just yet. Oxenfree has been on my "should play soon" list for a few months and after playing it I wish I had played it earlier. The story was great, somewhat spooky, and really interesting. I liked the characters and their situations, and I liked the time travel mechanics. Maybe not the GOTY candidate from last year that a lot of people said it was, but enjoyed it. The only thing I didn't care for much was the fact that the dialog kept skipping ahead at first before I realized what was happening. Once I figured out that you have to wait for everyone to say everything, it was fine though. Overall, pretty great game and recommended.
Game 7 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Nintendo Switch - Completed Mar 11th, 2017
Everyone loves Breath of the Wild and that includes me. A Zelda game hasn't grabbed me like this since A Link to the Past which was previously my favorite Zelda game in the series. I always thought Ocarina of Time was okay but entirely too janky. This game seemed to have blended all the good qualities of all my favorite Zelda games into one while also incorporating open world game mechanics. The result was simply a masterpiece.
Game 8 - Super Bomberman R - Nintendo Switch - Completed Mar 12th, 2017
This game is straight up hot garbage. I only paid $15 for it, and I still feel a bit ripped off. Playing local multiplayer battles (essentially the reason I bought it) is kinda alright, but doesn't give you coins to unlock new characters and stages which can only (apparently) be done by playing the single player campaign. Playing all six chapters of the single player campaign (and watching the awful credits sequence with the creepy anime song) netted me about 2000 points which wasn't even enough to unlock a new multiplayer stage (2500) or a new character (5000) without making multiple playthroughs. Not worth it. Anyone who pays $50 for this game is a fool.
Game 9 - Dragon Quest VIII - Nintendo 3DS - Completed Apr 23rd, 2017
I loved absolutely everything about this version of DQ8. I played the English release but injected the Japanese orchestral audio for the ultimate experience. For the past couple of weeks I've been playing this during my lunch breaks at work about 45 minutes almost every weekday. Overall, I ended up with just about 40 hours to completion, but there was still so much I didn't do. I basically ignored the monster arena (and didn't even get Morrie in my group) as well as mostly abandoning the photo mode about half way through even though I really liked it. I could see myself going back and trying to complete the bonus dungeons and mopping up some of the extra content later, but for now I think I'll find a new handheld RPG to play.
Game 10 - Fairune - Nintendo 3DS - Completed Apr 23rd, 2017
I guess I should have found a longer 3DS RPG game to play haha. I liked Fairune quite a bit, it reminded me a lot of the Wanderers from Ys (the original) given it's puzzle-based gameplay and it's system of bumping into enemies to kill them. I completed the game in 2:24:00 so I didn't exactly win any speed run championships. A lot of that time was spent in the first area just kind of getting a feel for the game and how it worked. I think I could do it in under an hour if I tried again from the beginning. I saw on the eShop that there was also a Fairune 2, I might check that out.
Game 11 - Mass Effect: Andromeda - Playstation 4 - Completed May 1st, 2017
Well, I completed Andromeda finally. The game seemed to drag on forever with it's never-ending onslaught of side missions and bad story points. The final mission was easily the best hour or so that the game had to offer, but almost everything leading up to it was ultimately terrible and felt like a bit of a waste of time. I, of course, ran into numerous bugs and glitches and several crashes along the way. The first patch helped, somewhat, but still had issues. I'm glad it's over and I was glad to have pushed through to the final mission, but this game honestly felt like a bit of a chore for the 40+ hours I put into it.
Game 12 - Layers of Fear - Xbox One - Completed May 18th, 2017
I got this game for free a while back and I heard it was pretty good so I thought I'd fire it up last night after midnight. Holy cow this game can be spooky! I was expecting a few of the jump scares, but the overall disorientation that the game conveys is really well done. About half-way through the game, I had to turn it off but resolved to start it back up again tonight (around 10:30pm) and finish it. I'm glad I completed it, but a few of the sequences at the end were a little annoying (essentially pixel-hunting in a dark room with no flashlight mechanic). For what was essentially a "walking simulator", I quite enjoyed this game although it has almost no reputability as I didn't really care about going back to pick up the missing collectibles.
Game 13 - Dragon Quest Heroes II - Playstation 4 - Completed May 26th, 2017
I wanted to like this game as much or more than the first one, I just couldn't. While I appreciated that the narrative more closely followed that of a traditional ARPG, I often found myself wandering around aimlessly in the game world. I completed the game in about 35 hours, and all of my characters were around level 38-45. My problem was that the game just seemed to keep dragging on and on and on and on, I felt like I was never going to get it finished. Initially I was planning on picking this up for the Switch as well when it released in the US, but now I'm not so sure. Also, the grinding in this game was a bit unreal, and most of the achievements were clearly designed to pad out the game's playtime. I got 27% of the game's achievements, and I doubt I'll jump back in to finish any of them up.
Game 14 - The Walking Dead: A New Frontier - Playstation 4 - Completed May 30th, 2017
Despite having played every Telltale game since Back to the Future, I seemingly never get tired of them. Although I know in my brain that it's simply a QTE choose-your-own-adventure game, I feel like Telltale does a pretty good job of sucking the user into the narrative and making them feel like the choices they make actually matter (when I also know that they don't). I liked this much more than Season 2 of TWD but it still didn't have quite the emotional punch of the first one. The characters this time around were likable (and also easy to hate as the story required) and the premise was really good especially after Season 2 set up the whole "Richmond" thing. The teaser at the end for the next season (3? 4?) actually had me really excited so I'll definitely be looking forward to that when it happens.
Game 15 - Fantasy Life - Nintendo 3DS - Completed May 31st, 2017
Last I played this back in 2015, I said this: "This game was a great blend of Animal Crossing and Final Fantasy. I loved the job class system and the level progression. The story was cute but a bit "kiddie" for my tastes. One of my favorite 3DS games to date." All this is true, but playing it this time (knowing that the story was "kiddie") I found the story to be much more palatable. This is still one of my favorite 3DS games ever. This time I played with the Origin Island DLC which had some good benefits for early-game although they honestly felt like a patch that should have been available to everyone. I especially appreciated the Bliss upgrades that let me carry 500 items at once because I'm a bit of a pack-rat. There is still a ton of stuff to do in-game and I haven't even gotten to the "Origin Island" section yet. I've been playing this on my lunch break for the past few weeks since I beat Dragon Quest VIII so I'll probably keep on playing this one until something else catches my eye.
Game 16 - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Xbox One - Completed June 11th, 2017
It's been a few years since I last played Oblivion, but the game holds up surprisingly well. This time, I decided to play the game using backwards compatibility on the Xbox One which put it more in line with how I originally played the game (on the 360). I love the PC version and all of it's mods, but having controller support was actually more important to me. I completed all of the major questlines as well as the DLC and earned all of the achievements which took about 40 hours. This is still one of my favorite games of all time, absolutely brilliant.
Game 17 - Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers - Nintendo Switch - Completed June 16th, 2017
I picked this game up on a whim for basically free so I thought I'd dig into the story mode for a couple of the characters. While I enjoyed the "choose your own adventure" style of the ending segments, it's still pretty lame. Obviously this game was fueled mostly by nostalgia which explains the $40 price tag for a game that I'll probably only spend a couple of hours with. I checked out a few of the other modes, but I probably won't be diving into them too much. Not terrible, but certainly I would only recommend this game if you're a huge fan of SFII.
Game 18 - Fantasy Life: Origin Island - Nintendo 3DS - Completed June 21st, 2017
I felt like this DLC was meaty enough to warrant it's own entry, as I've played about 25 additional hours of the game since finishing it at the end of last month. As I said before I've been playing this on my lunch breaks at work (and occasionally at night at home) and the game is such a perfect fit for those 45 minute sessions. I reached legendary on my Paladin life and basically stuck with that through all of the Origin Island content due to how tough the monsters were. I completed the story and the subsequent butterfly requests to get Lunares Coins which I was able to trade for... garbage lol. I like the coin system but making the prizes into a no-cost gatcha game was a bit low. I feel like the $8 price tag for this (along with the QOL upgrades it provided during my original playthrough) was a good and perhaps too-low asking price.
Game 19 - The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind - Playstation 4 - Completed June 25th, 2017
I loved my time in Vvardenfell and I've already spent about 40 hours adventuring there. There is still a ton of stuff I would like to do, but I completed the "main quest" line so I more or less consider this "beat". Lovely expansion and well worth the price if nothing else than supporting ESO continued existence of being great.
Game 20 - Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age - Playstation 4 - Completed July 18th, 2017
I honestly don't know what I can write here that will do this game any amount of justice. This game was absolutely incredible and reminded me of exactly everything I love about the Final Fantasy franchise. I actually had never replayed this game before (only having beat it on PS2 the week it released) so getting a newly updated version a decade later seemed like the perfect excuse to jump back in. Even though this is a remaster of an older game, this is probably the most fun game I've played all year. For ultimate nostalgia, I even ordered the Prima physical guide book, which is awesome. Seriously, I can't even begin to describe how much I love this game, I'll probably start a new playthrough on NG+ mode to try to switch up some different Zodiac board combos.
Game 21 - Ever Oasis - Nintendo 3DS - Completed July 21st, 2017
I ended up not liking this game as much as I thought I would. It sounds perfect in theory to combine Zelda with Animal Crossing (using the mobile Zelda developer, no less) but the execution came out pretty clunky and "wrong" to me. There were a lot of systems in the game that, by the end, felt like they were really getting in the way and hindering the experience. I would say that the first 10 or so hours were excellent and exceeded expectations, but like I said as the game went on and things like the city-building aspect got compounded there weren't enough systems in place to maintain everything efficiently. This resulted in the game becoming bogged down with rituals rather than staying fresh. Unfortunate, because I really wanted to like this game. By the time the ending credits finished I actually felt a bit relieved.
Game 22 - Rise of the Tomb Raider - Playstation 4 - Completed July 22nd, 2017
I loved this game when I first played it on PC, but I think I actually enjoyed it more on the PS4 Pro. I played in "high framerate" (60fps) mode the entire game, forgoing the somewhat better looking graphics for the smoother framerate. While there were still a few areas where the framerate would dip out on me, it was a pretty great experience overall. I enjoyed the story and honestly I really don't mind the "new" Lara Croft. I'm definitely looking forward to the third game, which hopefully will get announced soon.
Game 23 - Hidden Folks - PC Steam - Completed July 23rd, 2017
This game was pretty short but I had a lot of fun with it! The idea is that it's an animated "Where's Waldo" clone which was my initial appeal but it turned out to be much more than that. Instead of the traditional hidden object type gameplay, Hidden Folks utilizes different aspects of the world to unlock new areas where things can by hidden. So instead of hiding some things in plain sight, you have to manipulate the environment before they become unhidden. It's difficult to explain which is what makes it a pretty unique experience. My only complaint was that it was pretty short and really only took me a couple of hours to complete, but the price was right during the sale so I'm glad I checked it out.
Game 24 - Assassin's Creed II - Playstation 4 - Completed Aug 13th, 2017
I never played the earlier Assassin's Creed games (my first game was Syndicate) but I'm glad that I decided to go back. I can see why a lot of people consider this game to be one of the best in the series, as it was able to hold my attention for a good 40+ hours despite having dated graphics and somewhat terrible controls. I liked that the game took place over the course of 20 some odd years, and that the real adventure was happening in the modern day. I liked this game enough that I might even start the next game in the Ezio Trilogy even though Assassin's Creed: Origins is dropping in 6 weeks and I'm worried I'll get open-world fatigue.
Game 25 - Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - Playstation 4 - Completed Aug 24th, 2017
Amazing visuals, awesome setpieces, a great story, culturally relevant characters, and women in video games that actually kicked ass. I can honestly say I loved everything about The Lost Legacy. The game was much more streamlined than Uncharted 4 was, and I actually really liked the "open world" chapter that everyone is kinda sorta criticizing. Superb ending, and I like that they brought Sam back into it. A little short, given how expensive it was, but well worth it.
Game 26 - Final Fantasy II - Playstation Portable - Completed Aug 26th, 2017
I've probably started playing this game at a few dozen times, but this is the first time I've actually finished it. This was actually the last of the non-MMO mainline Final Fantasy games that I hadn't beaten before, and I figured there was no better time than the 30 year anniversary of the series. The game mechanics here were absolutely and downright stupid, and the game (even as pretty as it was on PSP) got to be downright dull a lot of the time. When it started to shine though, it picked up a lot and I was actually pretty impressed with the game by the end of the 20 hour experience. Definitely not my favorite Final Fantasy game (perhaps my least favorite?) but still a great game. I'm glad I finally convinced myself to sit down and finish it.
Game 27 - Pictlogica: Final Fantasy - Nintendo 3DS - Completed Sept. 3rd, 2017
While I understand that this version of the game isn't nearly as complicated as the Android / iOS version, I still had a lot of fun with it. My activity log says I played about 235 hours of the game and I suppose that makes sense. I was able to complete all of the picross levels, unlock all of the characters, complete all of the challenges, and level all of the characters up to max. My only complaint would be the wait time between worlds (although somewhat understandable considering it's a F2P game) and the difficulty spike in the last 6 or so worlds where every battle started to feel like EX battles from previous levels. Unfortunately, I doubt this will ever make it stateside, but if it does I would certainly recommend it to fans of Final Fantasy and picross.
Game 28 - Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy - Playstation 4 - Completed Sept. 3rd, 2017
I got this for free by pre-ordering Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and it's been a few years since I've played this game so I thought I might give it a go again. While I still absolutely love this game to pieces (this is probably my 10th playthrough or so) I kept feeling like the Playstation 4 version was a little lacking. This was especially true of the Zoomer segments as my PS4 Pro kept lagging badly during these sections - not enough to be unplayable but enough to certainly be annoying. I finished the game and got the platinum trophy and I still love it.
Game 29 - Assassin's Creed Brotherhood - Playstation 4 - Completed Sept 17th, 2017
After finishing Assassin's Creed II last month, I found myself wanting more - and found it with the next entry into the series. Again I played this as part of the Ezio Trilogy re-release on the Playstation 4. I found the graphics to be a good step up from the last game, and I appreciated all of the new things to do in the world of Rome. As someone who has played a few of the later Assassin's Creed games (Syndicate, Rogue, etc) I appreciated seeing the beginning of some of the things that have now become series staples, such as sending minions on timer missions and memory sync. The story here was pretty good too, and I liked how the game focused on a single hub city rather than several smaller ones. Overall a solid entry in the series, and I might try to tackle Revelations before Origins comes out next month.
Game 30 - Adventures of Mana - Playstation Vita - Completed Sept. 19th, 2017
I played the hell out of Final Fantasy Adventures on the original Gameboy back in the day - I can't even begin to describe how many hundreds of hours I played it and how many times I beat it. Life was simpler then and I didn't have access to a lot of games, so the ones I had I usually played over and over again and this was one of those. So I started playing this last year when it was released but the Android version. The controls were terrible and I just couldn't enjoy the game. I'm glad I gave it a second chance on the Vita because I had an absolute blast with it. I only have a few minor complaints, and most of those honestly stem from frustrations that existed in the GB version (such as enemies hurting you when walking between screen). The trophies were cool and made the boss fights more memorable, but some of the end game trophies were obviously bullshit as I doubt I'll grind an extra 40 levels after beating the game. Overall a solid outing, I'm really looking forward to Secret of Mana's re-release next year.
Part 2 here
Past challenges:
Game 1 - Final Fantasy XV - Playstation 4 - Completed Jan 1st, 2017
I started playing this game over Christmas break and it really sucked me in. I loved the "adventure" aspect of the game, and the fact that fast travel wasn't very fast. While some people see that as a way of drawing things out, I saw it as a cool opportunity to really get to know the lay of the land and how the different regions fit together. After spending nearly 40 hours with the game, I can say that I have a pretty good understanding of what life is like on Eos. I have a few achievements to mop up, so I'm sure I'll finish those up before moving on. Great game and a wonderful conclusion. Chapter 13 sucks as bad as people say. I'm actually looking forward to playing this again (New Game+, maybe?) when the game's story is patched.
Game 2 - Dead Rising 4 - Xbox One - Completed Jan 20th, 2017
Despite not being a very good Dead Rising game, I actually liked this one quite a bit for what it was and tried not to focus on what it wasn't. The usual crazy mix of outfits / accessories / goofy weapons was here in spades, and killing a boatload of zombies in creative ways at my own pace was actually pretty entertaining. I haven't played too many Xbox One games, and the PC version launched on the Windows Store (not even Play Anywhere-compatible) rather than Steam, so I decided to give it a shot on the console. I know it gets a lot of hate, but I thought it was a pretty solid experience.
Game 3 - Picross: The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess - Nintendo 3DS - Completed Jan 22nd, 2017
I've recently been getting back into Picross games, and this was a good way to get back into the swing of things. This version has an indicator of when a row/column can be deduced, as well as a "roulette wheel" at the beginning that reveals an entire row and column. Although pretty easy for a picross game, I enjoyed it because it helped me to remember how to play. I'll probably have a few other picross games in my lineup this year, it's a lot of fun and a good way to get my brain warmed up.
Game 4 - Fire Emblem Heroes - Android - Completed Feb 25th, 2017
Well this is the first game I've completed in February, mostly because I've got a lot of other games going on but also because I've taken a bit of a break from gaming to deal with some other things. Either way, I'm happy to have "finished" Fire Emblem Heroes by completing world 9-5 and unlocking all of the game's achievements. The game is OK, but I haven't yet pulled a single 5 star unit (and only 2 four star units) so it was actually pretty difficult to accomplish with mostly 3-star guys. Either way, it's got me hungry for more Fire Emblem sometime soon.
Game 5 - Watch_Dogs2 - Playstation 4 - Completed Feb 25th, 2017
I really enjoyed my time with Watch_Dogs2, much more than the first one. There were a few missions that got really frustration but nothing too far out of the ordinary for this type of game. The final mission glitched out on me near the end and I had to re-do it, which was kind of a pain in the ass but other than that I didn't run into any other technical issues. The story was pretty ho-hum and the idea that hacking works that way is absurd, but the game had style and a few dashes of nerd humor and I think it worked. I'm definitely looking forward to Watch_Dogs3 now.
Game 6 - Oxenfree - PC Steam - Completed Feb 26th, 2017
Horizon: Zero Dawn arrives in a few days and I just finished Watch_Dogs2, so I decided to take on something fairly short today so that I don't get engrossed in an epic game just yet. Oxenfree has been on my "should play soon" list for a few months and after playing it I wish I had played it earlier. The story was great, somewhat spooky, and really interesting. I liked the characters and their situations, and I liked the time travel mechanics. Maybe not the GOTY candidate from last year that a lot of people said it was, but enjoyed it. The only thing I didn't care for much was the fact that the dialog kept skipping ahead at first before I realized what was happening. Once I figured out that you have to wait for everyone to say everything, it was fine though. Overall, pretty great game and recommended.
Game 7 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Nintendo Switch - Completed Mar 11th, 2017
Everyone loves Breath of the Wild and that includes me. A Zelda game hasn't grabbed me like this since A Link to the Past which was previously my favorite Zelda game in the series. I always thought Ocarina of Time was okay but entirely too janky. This game seemed to have blended all the good qualities of all my favorite Zelda games into one while also incorporating open world game mechanics. The result was simply a masterpiece.
Game 8 - Super Bomberman R - Nintendo Switch - Completed Mar 12th, 2017
This game is straight up hot garbage. I only paid $15 for it, and I still feel a bit ripped off. Playing local multiplayer battles (essentially the reason I bought it) is kinda alright, but doesn't give you coins to unlock new characters and stages which can only (apparently) be done by playing the single player campaign. Playing all six chapters of the single player campaign (and watching the awful credits sequence with the creepy anime song) netted me about 2000 points which wasn't even enough to unlock a new multiplayer stage (2500) or a new character (5000) without making multiple playthroughs. Not worth it. Anyone who pays $50 for this game is a fool.
Game 9 - Dragon Quest VIII - Nintendo 3DS - Completed Apr 23rd, 2017
I loved absolutely everything about this version of DQ8. I played the English release but injected the Japanese orchestral audio for the ultimate experience. For the past couple of weeks I've been playing this during my lunch breaks at work about 45 minutes almost every weekday. Overall, I ended up with just about 40 hours to completion, but there was still so much I didn't do. I basically ignored the monster arena (and didn't even get Morrie in my group) as well as mostly abandoning the photo mode about half way through even though I really liked it. I could see myself going back and trying to complete the bonus dungeons and mopping up some of the extra content later, but for now I think I'll find a new handheld RPG to play.
Game 10 - Fairune - Nintendo 3DS - Completed Apr 23rd, 2017
I guess I should have found a longer 3DS RPG game to play haha. I liked Fairune quite a bit, it reminded me a lot of the Wanderers from Ys (the original) given it's puzzle-based gameplay and it's system of bumping into enemies to kill them. I completed the game in 2:24:00 so I didn't exactly win any speed run championships. A lot of that time was spent in the first area just kind of getting a feel for the game and how it worked. I think I could do it in under an hour if I tried again from the beginning. I saw on the eShop that there was also a Fairune 2, I might check that out.
Game 11 - Mass Effect: Andromeda - Playstation 4 - Completed May 1st, 2017
Well, I completed Andromeda finally. The game seemed to drag on forever with it's never-ending onslaught of side missions and bad story points. The final mission was easily the best hour or so that the game had to offer, but almost everything leading up to it was ultimately terrible and felt like a bit of a waste of time. I, of course, ran into numerous bugs and glitches and several crashes along the way. The first patch helped, somewhat, but still had issues. I'm glad it's over and I was glad to have pushed through to the final mission, but this game honestly felt like a bit of a chore for the 40+ hours I put into it.
Game 12 - Layers of Fear - Xbox One - Completed May 18th, 2017
I got this game for free a while back and I heard it was pretty good so I thought I'd fire it up last night after midnight. Holy cow this game can be spooky! I was expecting a few of the jump scares, but the overall disorientation that the game conveys is really well done. About half-way through the game, I had to turn it off but resolved to start it back up again tonight (around 10:30pm) and finish it. I'm glad I completed it, but a few of the sequences at the end were a little annoying (essentially pixel-hunting in a dark room with no flashlight mechanic). For what was essentially a "walking simulator", I quite enjoyed this game although it has almost no reputability as I didn't really care about going back to pick up the missing collectibles.
Game 13 - Dragon Quest Heroes II - Playstation 4 - Completed May 26th, 2017
I wanted to like this game as much or more than the first one, I just couldn't. While I appreciated that the narrative more closely followed that of a traditional ARPG, I often found myself wandering around aimlessly in the game world. I completed the game in about 35 hours, and all of my characters were around level 38-45. My problem was that the game just seemed to keep dragging on and on and on and on, I felt like I was never going to get it finished. Initially I was planning on picking this up for the Switch as well when it released in the US, but now I'm not so sure. Also, the grinding in this game was a bit unreal, and most of the achievements were clearly designed to pad out the game's playtime. I got 27% of the game's achievements, and I doubt I'll jump back in to finish any of them up.
Game 14 - The Walking Dead: A New Frontier - Playstation 4 - Completed May 30th, 2017
Despite having played every Telltale game since Back to the Future, I seemingly never get tired of them. Although I know in my brain that it's simply a QTE choose-your-own-adventure game, I feel like Telltale does a pretty good job of sucking the user into the narrative and making them feel like the choices they make actually matter (when I also know that they don't). I liked this much more than Season 2 of TWD but it still didn't have quite the emotional punch of the first one. The characters this time around were likable (and also easy to hate as the story required) and the premise was really good especially after Season 2 set up the whole "Richmond" thing. The teaser at the end for the next season (3? 4?) actually had me really excited so I'll definitely be looking forward to that when it happens.
Game 15 - Fantasy Life - Nintendo 3DS - Completed May 31st, 2017
Last I played this back in 2015, I said this: "This game was a great blend of Animal Crossing and Final Fantasy. I loved the job class system and the level progression. The story was cute but a bit "kiddie" for my tastes. One of my favorite 3DS games to date." All this is true, but playing it this time (knowing that the story was "kiddie") I found the story to be much more palatable. This is still one of my favorite 3DS games ever. This time I played with the Origin Island DLC which had some good benefits for early-game although they honestly felt like a patch that should have been available to everyone. I especially appreciated the Bliss upgrades that let me carry 500 items at once because I'm a bit of a pack-rat. There is still a ton of stuff to do in-game and I haven't even gotten to the "Origin Island" section yet. I've been playing this on my lunch break for the past few weeks since I beat Dragon Quest VIII so I'll probably keep on playing this one until something else catches my eye.
Game 16 - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Xbox One - Completed June 11th, 2017
It's been a few years since I last played Oblivion, but the game holds up surprisingly well. This time, I decided to play the game using backwards compatibility on the Xbox One which put it more in line with how I originally played the game (on the 360). I love the PC version and all of it's mods, but having controller support was actually more important to me. I completed all of the major questlines as well as the DLC and earned all of the achievements which took about 40 hours. This is still one of my favorite games of all time, absolutely brilliant.
Game 17 - Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers - Nintendo Switch - Completed June 16th, 2017
I picked this game up on a whim for basically free so I thought I'd dig into the story mode for a couple of the characters. While I enjoyed the "choose your own adventure" style of the ending segments, it's still pretty lame. Obviously this game was fueled mostly by nostalgia which explains the $40 price tag for a game that I'll probably only spend a couple of hours with. I checked out a few of the other modes, but I probably won't be diving into them too much. Not terrible, but certainly I would only recommend this game if you're a huge fan of SFII.
Game 18 - Fantasy Life: Origin Island - Nintendo 3DS - Completed June 21st, 2017
I felt like this DLC was meaty enough to warrant it's own entry, as I've played about 25 additional hours of the game since finishing it at the end of last month. As I said before I've been playing this on my lunch breaks at work (and occasionally at night at home) and the game is such a perfect fit for those 45 minute sessions. I reached legendary on my Paladin life and basically stuck with that through all of the Origin Island content due to how tough the monsters were. I completed the story and the subsequent butterfly requests to get Lunares Coins which I was able to trade for... garbage lol. I like the coin system but making the prizes into a no-cost gatcha game was a bit low. I feel like the $8 price tag for this (along with the QOL upgrades it provided during my original playthrough) was a good and perhaps too-low asking price.
Game 19 - The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind - Playstation 4 - Completed June 25th, 2017
I loved my time in Vvardenfell and I've already spent about 40 hours adventuring there. There is still a ton of stuff I would like to do, but I completed the "main quest" line so I more or less consider this "beat". Lovely expansion and well worth the price if nothing else than supporting ESO continued existence of being great.
Game 20 - Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age - Playstation 4 - Completed July 18th, 2017
I honestly don't know what I can write here that will do this game any amount of justice. This game was absolutely incredible and reminded me of exactly everything I love about the Final Fantasy franchise. I actually had never replayed this game before (only having beat it on PS2 the week it released) so getting a newly updated version a decade later seemed like the perfect excuse to jump back in. Even though this is a remaster of an older game, this is probably the most fun game I've played all year. For ultimate nostalgia, I even ordered the Prima physical guide book, which is awesome. Seriously, I can't even begin to describe how much I love this game, I'll probably start a new playthrough on NG+ mode to try to switch up some different Zodiac board combos.
Game 21 - Ever Oasis - Nintendo 3DS - Completed July 21st, 2017
I ended up not liking this game as much as I thought I would. It sounds perfect in theory to combine Zelda with Animal Crossing (using the mobile Zelda developer, no less) but the execution came out pretty clunky and "wrong" to me. There were a lot of systems in the game that, by the end, felt like they were really getting in the way and hindering the experience. I would say that the first 10 or so hours were excellent and exceeded expectations, but like I said as the game went on and things like the city-building aspect got compounded there weren't enough systems in place to maintain everything efficiently. This resulted in the game becoming bogged down with rituals rather than staying fresh. Unfortunate, because I really wanted to like this game. By the time the ending credits finished I actually felt a bit relieved.
Game 22 - Rise of the Tomb Raider - Playstation 4 - Completed July 22nd, 2017
I loved this game when I first played it on PC, but I think I actually enjoyed it more on the PS4 Pro. I played in "high framerate" (60fps) mode the entire game, forgoing the somewhat better looking graphics for the smoother framerate. While there were still a few areas where the framerate would dip out on me, it was a pretty great experience overall. I enjoyed the story and honestly I really don't mind the "new" Lara Croft. I'm definitely looking forward to the third game, which hopefully will get announced soon.
Game 23 - Hidden Folks - PC Steam - Completed July 23rd, 2017
This game was pretty short but I had a lot of fun with it! The idea is that it's an animated "Where's Waldo" clone which was my initial appeal but it turned out to be much more than that. Instead of the traditional hidden object type gameplay, Hidden Folks utilizes different aspects of the world to unlock new areas where things can by hidden. So instead of hiding some things in plain sight, you have to manipulate the environment before they become unhidden. It's difficult to explain which is what makes it a pretty unique experience. My only complaint was that it was pretty short and really only took me a couple of hours to complete, but the price was right during the sale so I'm glad I checked it out.
Game 24 - Assassin's Creed II - Playstation 4 - Completed Aug 13th, 2017
I never played the earlier Assassin's Creed games (my first game was Syndicate) but I'm glad that I decided to go back. I can see why a lot of people consider this game to be one of the best in the series, as it was able to hold my attention for a good 40+ hours despite having dated graphics and somewhat terrible controls. I liked that the game took place over the course of 20 some odd years, and that the real adventure was happening in the modern day. I liked this game enough that I might even start the next game in the Ezio Trilogy even though Assassin's Creed: Origins is dropping in 6 weeks and I'm worried I'll get open-world fatigue.
Game 25 - Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - Playstation 4 - Completed Aug 24th, 2017
Amazing visuals, awesome setpieces, a great story, culturally relevant characters, and women in video games that actually kicked ass. I can honestly say I loved everything about The Lost Legacy. The game was much more streamlined than Uncharted 4 was, and I actually really liked the "open world" chapter that everyone is kinda sorta criticizing. Superb ending, and I like that they brought Sam back into it. A little short, given how expensive it was, but well worth it.
Game 26 - Final Fantasy II - Playstation Portable - Completed Aug 26th, 2017
I've probably started playing this game at a few dozen times, but this is the first time I've actually finished it. This was actually the last of the non-MMO mainline Final Fantasy games that I hadn't beaten before, and I figured there was no better time than the 30 year anniversary of the series. The game mechanics here were absolutely and downright stupid, and the game (even as pretty as it was on PSP) got to be downright dull a lot of the time. When it started to shine though, it picked up a lot and I was actually pretty impressed with the game by the end of the 20 hour experience. Definitely not my favorite Final Fantasy game (perhaps my least favorite?) but still a great game. I'm glad I finally convinced myself to sit down and finish it.
Game 27 - Pictlogica: Final Fantasy - Nintendo 3DS - Completed Sept. 3rd, 2017
While I understand that this version of the game isn't nearly as complicated as the Android / iOS version, I still had a lot of fun with it. My activity log says I played about 235 hours of the game and I suppose that makes sense. I was able to complete all of the picross levels, unlock all of the characters, complete all of the challenges, and level all of the characters up to max. My only complaint would be the wait time between worlds (although somewhat understandable considering it's a F2P game) and the difficulty spike in the last 6 or so worlds where every battle started to feel like EX battles from previous levels. Unfortunately, I doubt this will ever make it stateside, but if it does I would certainly recommend it to fans of Final Fantasy and picross.
Game 28 - Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy - Playstation 4 - Completed Sept. 3rd, 2017
I got this for free by pre-ordering Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and it's been a few years since I've played this game so I thought I might give it a go again. While I still absolutely love this game to pieces (this is probably my 10th playthrough or so) I kept feeling like the Playstation 4 version was a little lacking. This was especially true of the Zoomer segments as my PS4 Pro kept lagging badly during these sections - not enough to be unplayable but enough to certainly be annoying. I finished the game and got the platinum trophy and I still love it.
Game 29 - Assassin's Creed Brotherhood - Playstation 4 - Completed Sept 17th, 2017
After finishing Assassin's Creed II last month, I found myself wanting more - and found it with the next entry into the series. Again I played this as part of the Ezio Trilogy re-release on the Playstation 4. I found the graphics to be a good step up from the last game, and I appreciated all of the new things to do in the world of Rome. As someone who has played a few of the later Assassin's Creed games (Syndicate, Rogue, etc) I appreciated seeing the beginning of some of the things that have now become series staples, such as sending minions on timer missions and memory sync. The story here was pretty good too, and I liked how the game focused on a single hub city rather than several smaller ones. Overall a solid entry in the series, and I might try to tackle Revelations before Origins comes out next month.
Game 30 - Adventures of Mana - Playstation Vita - Completed Sept. 19th, 2017
I played the hell out of Final Fantasy Adventures on the original Gameboy back in the day - I can't even begin to describe how many hundreds of hours I played it and how many times I beat it. Life was simpler then and I didn't have access to a lot of games, so the ones I had I usually played over and over again and this was one of those. So I started playing this last year when it was released but the Android version. The controls were terrible and I just couldn't enjoy the game. I'm glad I gave it a second chance on the Vita because I had an absolute blast with it. I only have a few minor complaints, and most of those honestly stem from frustrations that existed in the GB version (such as enemies hurting you when walking between screen). The trophies were cool and made the boss fights more memorable, but some of the end game trophies were obviously bullshit as I doubt I'll grind an extra 40 levels after beating the game. Overall a solid outing, I'm really looking forward to Secret of Mana's re-release next year.
Part 2 here
Past challenges:
First time doing this, I most likely won't be able to do it, but no harm in trying, right?
1. The Wolf Among Us - 01/01/17 - 8.9 hours
Definitely the best recent Telltale game for me by far.
Except a few annoying QTEs that lead to an instant death if failed, I haven't got much to complain about.
The story, the graphics, the music are great and there is much more gameplay than in The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones (even though it's still on the light side overall obviously).
Really hoping to see a second season!
1. The Wolf Among Us - 01/01/17 - 8.9 hours
Definitely the best recent Telltale game for me by far.
Except a few annoying QTEs that lead to an instant death if failed, I haven't got much to complain about.
The story, the graphics, the music are great and there is much more gameplay than in The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones (even though it's still on the light side overall obviously).
Really hoping to see a second season!
Alrighty, lets do this shit.
In 2014 I finished 28 games.
In 2015 I finished 25 games
In 2016 I finished 40 games.
Game 01: Invisible, Inc # It's great.
Game 02: Resident Evil Zero Remaster # It's okay.
Game 03: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt # Hell of a game, leaving the DLC for later.
Game 04: Atelier Sophie # It's neat.
Game 05: Atelier Firis # It's not as neat.
Game 06: Type:Rider # Eh.
Game 07: Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake # Neat!
Game 08: Dark Souls III: The Ringed City DLC # The boss fights are great, can't say the same about the rest.
Game 09: SteamWorld Dig # Pretty great.
Game 10: Duck Tales # Woo-o.
Game 11: Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers # No case too big no case too small.
Game 12: Transistor # A bit up its own ass to be honest.
Game 13: TaleSpin # I didn't know it was this bad.
Game 14: Alice: Madness Returns # It's close to being a good game.
Game 15: Ys I # Glory to the bump system.
Game 16: CrossCells # It's not as enjoyable as previous cells games.
Game 17: Hexcells # Still very good.
Game 18: Hexcells Plus # Still very good.
Game 19: Ys II # BUMP.
Game 20: Hexcells Infinite # Still very good.
Game 21: SquareCells # I don't enjoy it as much as Hexcells.
Game 22: Grim Legends: The Forsaken Bride # Those objects were very hidden.
Game 23: Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap # Awesome.
Game 24: Snake Pass # It's delightful, except that the 3 last levels are just mean.
Game 25: Hyper Light Drifter # Pretty good.
Game 26: Deep Space Waifu # Striking commentary.
Game 27: Pictopix # It's okay. Not as good as Paint it Back.
Game 28: Assassin's Creed Unity # It looks gorgeous.
Game 29: Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry # Very good.
Game 30: Doki Doki Literature Club! # It's clever I guess.
Game 31: Assassin's Creed Rogue # Creatively bankrupt.
Game 00: Game title # Comment. (Month 16, 2017)
Game 00: Game title # Comment. (Month 16, 2017)
Game 00: Game title # Comment. (Month 16, 2017)
Game 00: Game title # Comment. (Month 16, 2017)
Game 00: Game title # Comment. (Month 16, 2017)
Retired
The Marvellous Miss Take, it's fun at first but the way they ramp up the difficulty feels real rotten and turns the game from fun to frustrating very fast.
In progress
Assassin's Creed Syndicate, was waiting for the cloth physics fix and that's in now so.
Legend of Kay Anniversary, it hasn't aged as well as I had hoped.
Mark of the Ninja, already played it on 360, now playing on Steam.
Half minute hero, cute, but doesn't feel like the gimmick has legs.
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller, two episodes in.
Deadly Premonition The Director's Cut, on PC. It's hard to go back to it, it's just so broken.
Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery Episode 1
Octodad Dadliest Catch
Games I'd like to tackle soon
Shovel Knight DLC
Read Only Memories
Mystik Belle
The Legend of Heroes Trails in the Sky
Valkyria Chronicles
Super Win the Game
Experience 112, maybe I'll have a better experience now that I have a system capable of running it decently.
The Fall, I hear good things.
Halo Spartan Assault
Great Permutator, I have it installed but I don't even know what it is.
Unhonorable mentions
Nothing here yet.
In 2014 I finished 28 games.
In 2015 I finished 25 games
In 2016 I finished 40 games.
Game 01: Invisible, Inc # It's great.
Game 02: Resident Evil Zero Remaster # It's okay.
Game 03: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt # Hell of a game, leaving the DLC for later.
Game 04: Atelier Sophie # It's neat.
Game 05: Atelier Firis # It's not as neat.
Game 06: Type:Rider # Eh.
Game 07: Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake # Neat!
Game 08: Dark Souls III: The Ringed City DLC # The boss fights are great, can't say the same about the rest.
Game 09: SteamWorld Dig # Pretty great.
Game 10: Duck Tales # Woo-o.
Game 11: Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers # No case too big no case too small.
Game 12: Transistor # A bit up its own ass to be honest.
Game 13: TaleSpin # I didn't know it was this bad.
Game 14: Alice: Madness Returns # It's close to being a good game.
Game 15: Ys I # Glory to the bump system.
Game 16: CrossCells # It's not as enjoyable as previous cells games.
Game 17: Hexcells # Still very good.
Game 18: Hexcells Plus # Still very good.
Game 19: Ys II # BUMP.
Game 20: Hexcells Infinite # Still very good.
Game 21: SquareCells # I don't enjoy it as much as Hexcells.
Game 22: Grim Legends: The Forsaken Bride # Those objects were very hidden.
Game 23: Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap # Awesome.
Game 24: Snake Pass # It's delightful, except that the 3 last levels are just mean.
Game 25: Hyper Light Drifter # Pretty good.
Game 26: Deep Space Waifu # Striking commentary.
Game 27: Pictopix # It's okay. Not as good as Paint it Back.
Game 28: Assassin's Creed Unity # It looks gorgeous.
Game 29: Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry # Very good.
Game 30: Doki Doki Literature Club! # It's clever I guess.
Game 31: Assassin's Creed Rogue # Creatively bankrupt.
Game 00: Game title # Comment. (Month 16, 2017)
Game 00: Game title # Comment. (Month 16, 2017)
Game 00: Game title # Comment. (Month 16, 2017)
Game 00: Game title # Comment. (Month 16, 2017)
Game 00: Game title # Comment. (Month 16, 2017)
Retired
The Marvellous Miss Take, it's fun at first but the way they ramp up the difficulty feels real rotten and turns the game from fun to frustrating very fast.
In progress
Assassin's Creed Syndicate, was waiting for the cloth physics fix and that's in now so.
Legend of Kay Anniversary, it hasn't aged as well as I had hoped.
Mark of the Ninja, already played it on 360, now playing on Steam.
Half minute hero, cute, but doesn't feel like the gimmick has legs.
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller, two episodes in.
Deadly Premonition The Director's Cut, on PC. It's hard to go back to it, it's just so broken.
Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery Episode 1
Octodad Dadliest Catch
Games I'd like to tackle soon
Shovel Knight DLC
Read Only Memories
Mystik Belle
The Legend of Heroes Trails in the Sky
Valkyria Chronicles
Super Win the Game
Experience 112, maybe I'll have a better experience now that I have a system capable of running it decently.
The Fall, I hear good things.
Halo Spartan Assault
Great Permutator, I have it installed but I don't even know what it is.
Unhonorable mentions
Nothing here yet.
Forearm Star
Member
Last year I failed miserably but this year i'm going to really give this a go!
Progress 3/52
Completed games:
January
1. The Last Guardian
Approx play time: 10hrs 0mins
Completed: 01/03/17
2. 7 Days to Die
Approx play time: 20hrs
Completed: 01/11/2017 (Survived 40days)
3. Battlefield 1
Approx play time: 40+hrs (online and offline)
Completed: 01/30/2017
February
4. Knack
Approx play time: 10hrs
Completed: 02/08/2017
5. Street Fighter V
Approx play time: 40+hrs (finally picked up an alt)
Completed: 02/11/2017
Potential back log list:
Knack
The last Guardian
Infamous: second son
Uncharted
Uncharted 2
Uncharted 3
Uncharted 4
Killzone Shadow fall
Bloodbourne
Metal gear solid ground zeros
Metal gear solid 5
Titan fall 2
Hyper Light Drifter
The witness
Gears of War
Gears of war 2
Gears of war 3
Gears of war: Judgment
Gears of war 4
Gran theft auto 5
Sunset Overdrive
Final fantasy 15
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD
Currently Playing:
Gears of war
KillZone: Shadow fall
Nioh
Progress 3/52
Completed games:
January
1. The Last Guardian
Approx play time: 10hrs 0mins
Completed: 01/03/17
2. 7 Days to Die
Approx play time: 20hrs
Completed: 01/11/2017 (Survived 40days)
3. Battlefield 1
Approx play time: 40+hrs (online and offline)
Completed: 01/30/2017
February
4. Knack
Approx play time: 10hrs
Completed: 02/08/2017
5. Street Fighter V
Approx play time: 40+hrs (finally picked up an alt)
Completed: 02/11/2017
Potential back log list:
Infamous: second son
Uncharted
Uncharted 2
Uncharted 3
Uncharted 4
Killzone Shadow fall
Bloodbourne
Metal gear solid ground zeros
Metal gear solid 5
Titan fall 2
Hyper Light Drifter
The witness
Gears of War
Gears of war 2
Gears of war 3
Gears of war: Judgment
Gears of war 4
Gran theft auto 5
Sunset Overdrive
Final fantasy 15
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD
Currently Playing:
Gears of war
KillZone: Shadow fall
Nioh
You're already winning by correctly listing Wolf Among Us as 1 game.
I cast my judging stare at all of you that count it as 5!
Breaking Normal
Member
This is my first year trying to do this. Finished about 20 games in 2016 and that's the most I've ever finished in one year so we'll see how well this goes.
Completed
Game 1- Final Fantasy XV- PlayStation 4- 32 Hours ---------- 6.5/10
I remember when Final Fantasy Versus XIII was first revealed I couldn't control my excitement. I love the Final Fantasy franchise and Final Fantasy X (Yes 10) is one of my favourite games of all time. After waiting over 10 years and a change in name, I was left severely disappointed by Final Fantasy 15. The redeeming qualities of the game for me was the combat. Even though it was fairly simplistic, I loved how it felt, especially the warp strike ability, the tech attacks that allow combo attacks with your party members and how awesome using magic looks and feels. Some of the enemy types are breathtaking with their sheer size and feel intimidating. The dungeons and tombs also had a lot of atmosphere, variety and felt isolated and dreary. It's such a shame then that these awesome features were bogged down in an experience that included a mind-numbingly confusing story, dull and repetitive side quests, an open world that felt empty (even the towns were small and underwhelming compared to the scale of the map) and the load times were atrocious on PlayStation 4.
For me the English voice acting was unbearable, I didn't like any of the party members and Prompto and Ignis were so annoying. For a game focused on the bond of the party members, I never cared for any of the relationships between the characters. The prequel anime was way better in establishing the connections these characters had and the game itself failed to expand on these connections. The upgrade system was overly simplistic and I much preferred the sphere grid in Final Fantasy X. Lastly, the load times were atrocious and at times driving to one place took less time than fast travelling there.
Game 2- Tales from the Borderlands- PlayStation 4- 10 hours ---------- 6.5/10
This was my first every Telltale experience. I've enjoyed the mainline Borderlands series quite a bit so I was really looking forward to playing this. I've heard people praise this game and say that it's probably Telltales second best season behind The Walking Dead: Season 1. I was left underwhelmed by my experience with this game and don't understand the love this game gets. I didn't find the game to be particularly funny and the story itself wasn't very interesting. The animation in this game is not very fluid and the controls leave much to be desired. I don't have any desire to play any of the other Telltale game.
Game 3- Wolfenstein: The New Order- PC- 13 hours ---------- 8/10
I had a few performance issues with this game on PC and I have a fairly powerful graphics card. I'm not going to knock the game for it but it didn't hinder my experience a little bit. The game's beginning half an hour is a bit of a slog and that' well documented but after that the game delivers in spades. The shooting feels great, the story is fantastic and all the characters have a ton of personality. The idea behind Wolfenstein has always been fascinating and Machine Games delivered a great and memorable entry into the franchise. I could have done with a little more enemy and environment variety but I think we'll get that with The New Colossus, which won't be compromised by last gen hardware and is easily one of my most anticipated games for the rest of the year.
Game 4- Limbo- PC- 3 hours ---------- 8/10
I had difficulty with quite a few of the puzzles in Limbo but felt accomplished when I figured them out. They were intuitive and interesting and different feel repetitive. I also love the look of this game. There's a reason this game is one of the most popular indie games of all time. I'm really glad I played it.
Game 5- Valiant Hearts: The Great War- PC- 7 hours ---------- 6/10
Game 6- South Park: The Stick of Truth- PC- 13 hours ---------- 8/10
Game 7- Doom (2016)- PC- 13 hours ---------- 8.5/10
Game 8- Inside- PC- 3 hours ---------- 8/10
Game 9- Hotline Miami- PC- 6 hours ---------- 8.5/10
Game 10- Final Fantasy IX- PC- 30 hours ---------- 8.5/10
Game 11- Horizon: Zero Dawn- PlayStation 4- 55 hours ---------- 9.5/10
Game 12- Persona 5- PlayStation 4- 95 hours ---------- 9.5/10
Game 13- The Banner Saga- PC- 12 hours ---------- 6.5/10
Game 14- Spec Ops: The Line- PC- 6 hours ---------- 7/10
Game 15- SteamWorld Dig- PlayStation 4- 6 hours ---------- 8/10
Game 16- Child of Light- PC- 12 hours ---------- 7/10
Game 17- Uncharted 3- PlayStation 4- 8 hours ---------- 8.5/10
Game 18- Specter of Torment- PlayStation 4- 5 hours ---------- 7/10
Game 19- Shadow Complex- PlayStation 4- 7 hours ---------- 7.5/10
Game 20- Infamous: First Light- PlayStation 4- 4 hours ---------- 6.5/10
Game 21- Portal 2- PC- 10 hours ---------- 7.5/10
Game 22- SteamWorld Heist- PC- 26 hours ----------8.5/10
Game 23- Oxenfree- PC- 5 hours ---------- 6.5/10
Game 24- Valkyria Chronicles- PC- 37 hours ---------- 8/10
Game 25- Titanfall 2- PC- 6 hours ---------- 8.5/10
Game 26- Alan Wake- PC- 10 hours ---------- 8/10
Game 27- Rise of the Tomb Raider- PC-16 hours ---------- 8/10
Game 28- Ori and the Blind Forest- PC- 17 hours ---------- 9/10
Currenty Playing
Game 29- Metro 2033- PlayStation 4
Game 30- DMC- PC
Game 31- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance- PC
On the Horizon
Game 32- The Witcher 3- PlayStation 4
Game 33- Metal Gear Solid V- PlayStation 4
Completed
Game 1- Final Fantasy XV- PlayStation 4- 32 Hours ---------- 6.5/10
I remember when Final Fantasy Versus XIII was first revealed I couldn't control my excitement. I love the Final Fantasy franchise and Final Fantasy X (Yes 10) is one of my favourite games of all time. After waiting over 10 years and a change in name, I was left severely disappointed by Final Fantasy 15. The redeeming qualities of the game for me was the combat. Even though it was fairly simplistic, I loved how it felt, especially the warp strike ability, the tech attacks that allow combo attacks with your party members and how awesome using magic looks and feels. Some of the enemy types are breathtaking with their sheer size and feel intimidating. The dungeons and tombs also had a lot of atmosphere, variety and felt isolated and dreary. It's such a shame then that these awesome features were bogged down in an experience that included a mind-numbingly confusing story, dull and repetitive side quests, an open world that felt empty (even the towns were small and underwhelming compared to the scale of the map) and the load times were atrocious on PlayStation 4.
For me the English voice acting was unbearable, I didn't like any of the party members and Prompto and Ignis were so annoying. For a game focused on the bond of the party members, I never cared for any of the relationships between the characters. The prequel anime was way better in establishing the connections these characters had and the game itself failed to expand on these connections. The upgrade system was overly simplistic and I much preferred the sphere grid in Final Fantasy X. Lastly, the load times were atrocious and at times driving to one place took less time than fast travelling there.
Game 2- Tales from the Borderlands- PlayStation 4- 10 hours ---------- 6.5/10
This was my first every Telltale experience. I've enjoyed the mainline Borderlands series quite a bit so I was really looking forward to playing this. I've heard people praise this game and say that it's probably Telltales second best season behind The Walking Dead: Season 1. I was left underwhelmed by my experience with this game and don't understand the love this game gets. I didn't find the game to be particularly funny and the story itself wasn't very interesting. The animation in this game is not very fluid and the controls leave much to be desired. I don't have any desire to play any of the other Telltale game.
Game 3- Wolfenstein: The New Order- PC- 13 hours ---------- 8/10
I had a few performance issues with this game on PC and I have a fairly powerful graphics card. I'm not going to knock the game for it but it didn't hinder my experience a little bit. The game's beginning half an hour is a bit of a slog and that' well documented but after that the game delivers in spades. The shooting feels great, the story is fantastic and all the characters have a ton of personality. The idea behind Wolfenstein has always been fascinating and Machine Games delivered a great and memorable entry into the franchise. I could have done with a little more enemy and environment variety but I think we'll get that with The New Colossus, which won't be compromised by last gen hardware and is easily one of my most anticipated games for the rest of the year.
Game 4- Limbo- PC- 3 hours ---------- 8/10
I had difficulty with quite a few of the puzzles in Limbo but felt accomplished when I figured them out. They were intuitive and interesting and different feel repetitive. I also love the look of this game. There's a reason this game is one of the most popular indie games of all time. I'm really glad I played it.
Game 5- Valiant Hearts: The Great War- PC- 7 hours ---------- 6/10
Game 6- South Park: The Stick of Truth- PC- 13 hours ---------- 8/10
Game 7- Doom (2016)- PC- 13 hours ---------- 8.5/10
Game 8- Inside- PC- 3 hours ---------- 8/10
Game 9- Hotline Miami- PC- 6 hours ---------- 8.5/10
Game 10- Final Fantasy IX- PC- 30 hours ---------- 8.5/10
Game 11- Horizon: Zero Dawn- PlayStation 4- 55 hours ---------- 9.5/10
Game 12- Persona 5- PlayStation 4- 95 hours ---------- 9.5/10
Game 13- The Banner Saga- PC- 12 hours ---------- 6.5/10
Game 14- Spec Ops: The Line- PC- 6 hours ---------- 7/10
Game 15- SteamWorld Dig- PlayStation 4- 6 hours ---------- 8/10
Game 16- Child of Light- PC- 12 hours ---------- 7/10
Game 17- Uncharted 3- PlayStation 4- 8 hours ---------- 8.5/10
Game 18- Specter of Torment- PlayStation 4- 5 hours ---------- 7/10
Game 19- Shadow Complex- PlayStation 4- 7 hours ---------- 7.5/10
Game 20- Infamous: First Light- PlayStation 4- 4 hours ---------- 6.5/10
Game 21- Portal 2- PC- 10 hours ---------- 7.5/10
Game 22- SteamWorld Heist- PC- 26 hours ----------8.5/10
Game 23- Oxenfree- PC- 5 hours ---------- 6.5/10
Game 24- Valkyria Chronicles- PC- 37 hours ---------- 8/10
Game 25- Titanfall 2- PC- 6 hours ---------- 8.5/10
Game 26- Alan Wake- PC- 10 hours ---------- 8/10
Game 27- Rise of the Tomb Raider- PC-16 hours ---------- 8/10
Game 28- Ori and the Blind Forest- PC- 17 hours ---------- 9/10
Currenty Playing
Game 29- Metro 2033- PlayStation 4
Game 30- DMC- PC
Game 31- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance- PC
On the Horizon
Game 32- The Witcher 3- PlayStation 4
Game 33- Metal Gear Solid V- PlayStation 4
After attempting this last year and crashing and burning hard, I'm gonna give it another shot.
I'm off to a good start today:
1. Inside - Thought this was pretty good and much better than Limbo but still overhyped a bit. I've no clue what was happening in the game and "the moment" didn't knock my socks off.
2. Abzu - Truly fantastic. The visuals and music are top tier and the story was way more interesting than I expected.
I'm off to a good start today:
1. Inside - Thought this was pretty good and much better than Limbo but still overhyped a bit. I've no clue what was happening in the game and "the moment" didn't knock my socks off.
2. Abzu - Truly fantastic. The visuals and music are top tier and the story was way more interesting than I expected.
You're already winning by correctly listing Wolf Among Us as 1 game.
I cast my judging stare at all of you that count it as 5!
I've always agreed with the idea of counting all episodes as a single game if the season is complete, but counting them separately otherwise. Not only is there likely to be forced breaks amounting to weeks/months if you're playing the episodes as they release, but there's also no guarantee that the season even ends that year.
Jack Videogames
Member
2017, here we go!
Currently playing
1 - Pokemon Ultra Moon
2 - Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
3 - Yakuza Kiwami
4 - Xenoblade Chronicles 3D
5 - The Witcher
Completed
My Backloggery!
Currently playing
1 - Pokemon Ultra Moon
2 - Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
3 - Yakuza Kiwami
4 - Xenoblade Chronicles 3D
5 - The Witcher
Completed
My Backloggery!
A Link to the Past
Banned
Yeah, that's how I'm doing it (in theory). I'll be counting New Frontier's episodes individually, but will count Tales from the Borderlands as one entry.
1: Her Story - 3 Hours
Platform: Steam
Great FMV game, with a very talented actress. I didn't like it as much as everyone else, because i figured out the twist pretty early
, but the mechanic is great. I'd like to see a full fledged game, where there are multiple suspects. 7/10
2: Lilly Looking Through - 2 Hours
Platform: Steam
Very cute game, with lovable characters, and fair, but hard puzzles. My second game that I finished with my new Steam Controller, works really well with it. My only problem with the game, that basicly feels like as an ACT 1, without an ACT 2 or 3, and the story just ends. 6/10
Currently Playing:
1: Star Wars: Battlefront - 2 Hours so far
Platform: PS4
Goal: Platinum
I played 2 hours so far, and I'm loving it. People said, it's bad, and I don't really see why.
2: Everybody's Gone To The Rapture
Platform: PS4
Goal: Finish Story
I started this game ages ago. I bought full price, since then it was free on Plus. I want to finish this soon.
3: TitanFall 2
Platform: XBO
Goal: Finish Story, Multiplayer is N/A
I like the story so far, but I don't know how much multiplayer will I want play.
4: Broken Age
Platform: PS4/Vita
Goal: Finish Story
My kind of adventure game, but I usually play it on the go, and recently I don't go anywhere far, so it's on the backburner.
5: Watch Dogs
Platform: PS4
Goal: Finish Story
I want to finish this game. I don't want to buy the second game, before I finish this, and I heard that the second is fun as hell. Story wise, I'm about at 40% precent. I won't platinum this.
Platform: Steam
Great FMV game, with a very talented actress. I didn't like it as much as everyone else, because i figured out the twist pretty early
because, I have a twin aswell
2: Lilly Looking Through - 2 Hours
Platform: Steam
Very cute game, with lovable characters, and fair, but hard puzzles. My second game that I finished with my new Steam Controller, works really well with it. My only problem with the game, that basicly feels like as an ACT 1, without an ACT 2 or 3, and the story just ends. 6/10
Currently Playing:
1: Star Wars: Battlefront - 2 Hours so far
Platform: PS4
Goal: Platinum
I played 2 hours so far, and I'm loving it. People said, it's bad, and I don't really see why.
2: Everybody's Gone To The Rapture
Platform: PS4
Goal: Finish Story
I started this game ages ago. I bought full price, since then it was free on Plus. I want to finish this soon.
3: TitanFall 2
Platform: XBO
Goal: Finish Story, Multiplayer is N/A
I like the story so far, but I don't know how much multiplayer will I want play.
4: Broken Age
Platform: PS4/Vita
Goal: Finish Story
My kind of adventure game, but I usually play it on the go, and recently I don't go anywhere far, so it's on the backburner.
5: Watch Dogs
Platform: PS4
Goal: Finish Story
I want to finish this game. I don't want to buy the second game, before I finish this, and I heard that the second is fun as hell. Story wise, I'm about at 40% precent. I won't platinum this.
Completed this last year and I'm going to try it again this year although I'm planning on playing a lot more RPG's this year so it's going to be hard.
Still working on:
Solo:
Co-op with girlfriend:
Previous Year:
2016 - 52 Games
Still working on:
Solo:
Co-op with girlfriend:
Previous Year:
2016 - 52 Games
2016 post
2016 was a success so let's try again. Reserving this post.
Format:
Game XX. Title (Platform) - Progress - Time - Finish Date(dd/mm) - Score out of 10
Game 01. Rise of the Tomb Raider (PS4) - Main Story finished. All optional Tombs done. - Around 20-30 hours - 02/01 - 7,5/10
Game 02. Trails of Cold Steel II (Vita) - Main Story finished. All side-quests done. - Around 80 hours - 11/01 - 8,5/10
Game 03. Gravity Rush (Vita) - Main Story finished. All challenges done. - Around 20 hours - 20/01 - 8/10
Game 04. Yakuza 0 (PS4) - Main Story finished. Almost all side missions done (98/100). - 80 hours - 21/01 - 9,5/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/814/
Game 05. Brandish The Dark Revenant (PSP) - Main Story finished. - Around 20 hours - 10/02 - 7/10
Game 06. Tales of Berseria (PS4) - Main Story finished. - Around 70 hours - 11/02 - 8,5/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/826/
Game 07. Fire Emblem Heroes (Mobile) - Current Story finished on chapter 9 - Around 10 hours - 13/02 - 6,5/10
Game 08. Nioh (PS4) - Main Story and side missions finished - 51 hours - 22/02 - 9/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/828/
Game 09. For Honor (PS4) - Main Campaign finished on hard and multiplayer matches - Around 10 hours - 28/02 - 8/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/832/
Game 10. Titanfall 2 (PS4) - Main Campaign finished on hard - Around 6 hours - 02/03 - 8/10
Game 11. Nier: Automata (PS4) - Main Story finished. Almost all side-quests done. - Around 40 hours - 15/03 - 10/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/841/
Game 12. Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and The Mysterious Journey (PS4) - Main Story finished. 40% of the world seen. - Around 40 hours - 16/03 - 7,5/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/837/
Game 13. A King's Tale: Final Fantasy XV (PS4) - Main Story finished. - Around 2 hours - 24/03 - 9/10
Game 14. Zelda Breath of the Wild (Wii U) - Main Story finished. - 52 hours - 27/03 - 9/10
Game 15. Persona 5 (PS4) - Main Story finished. - 99 hours - 16/04 - 9,5/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/860/
Game 16. Gravity Rush 2 (PS4) - Main Story finished. All challenges and side quests done. - Around 40 hours - 26/04 - 9/10
+ Raven's DLC - Around 2 hours - 27/04 - 6/10
Game 17. The Silver Case (PS4) - All chapters done. - Around 10-20 hours - 02/05 - 8/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/871/
Game 18. Dark Rose Valkyrie - Main Story Done, normal ending with Amal - Around 55 hours - 12/06 - 8/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/896/
Game 19. Assault Andriod Cactus - Main Campaign Done - Around 10 hours - 18/06 - 9/10
Game 20. Star Wars Racer Revenge (PS2 Classics on PS4) - Main Campaign completed with Luke - Around 4 hours - 20/06 - 6/10
Game 21. Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator 2 (PS4) - Arcade Mode with new characters - Around 4 hours - 22/06 - 9/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/901/
Game 22. Wipeout Omega Collection (PS4) - Platinum got - 25 hours - 28/06 - 9,5/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/907/
Game 23. Valkyria Revolution (PS4) - Main story finished - 40 hours - 06/07 - 6,5/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/911/
Game 24. Deemo (PSV) - Main story finished and Epilogue - Many hours - 30/07 - 8/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/893/
Game 25. Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4) - Main story finished. All bandit camps, corrupted zones and cauldrons done. Many side quests done. - 44 hours - 31/07 - 7,5/10
Game 26. Megaman 7 (PS4) - Main game finished - <10 hours - 03/08 - 6,5/10
Game 27. Megaman 8 (PS4) - Main game finished - <10 hours - 07/08 - 7,5/10
Game 28. Megaman 9 (PS4) - Main game finished - <10 hours - 09/08 - 8,5/10
Game 29. Resident Evil 7 (PS4) - Main story finished - 15 hours - 10/08 - 9/10
Game 30. Megaman 10 (PS4) - Main game finished - <10 hours - 11/08 - 7/10
Game 31. Ys 8 Lacrimosa of Dana (PS4) - Main story finished. All side quests done. 100% map. Hard difficulty - 60 hours - 08/09 - 9,5/10
Game 32. Blue Reflection (PS4) - Main story finished, almost all side quests done, all fragments got. Hard difficulty - 40 hours - 07/10 - 8/10
2016 was a success so let's try again. Reserving this post.
Format:
Game XX. Title (Platform) - Progress - Time - Finish Date(dd/mm) - Score out of 10
Game 01. Rise of the Tomb Raider (PS4) - Main Story finished. All optional Tombs done. - Around 20-30 hours - 02/01 - 7,5/10
Game 02. Trails of Cold Steel II (Vita) - Main Story finished. All side-quests done. - Around 80 hours - 11/01 - 8,5/10
Game 03. Gravity Rush (Vita) - Main Story finished. All challenges done. - Around 20 hours - 20/01 - 8/10
Game 04. Yakuza 0 (PS4) - Main Story finished. Almost all side missions done (98/100). - 80 hours - 21/01 - 9,5/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/814/
Game 05. Brandish The Dark Revenant (PSP) - Main Story finished. - Around 20 hours - 10/02 - 7/10
Game 06. Tales of Berseria (PS4) - Main Story finished. - Around 70 hours - 11/02 - 8,5/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/826/
Game 07. Fire Emblem Heroes (Mobile) - Current Story finished on chapter 9 - Around 10 hours - 13/02 - 6,5/10
Game 08. Nioh (PS4) - Main Story and side missions finished - 51 hours - 22/02 - 9/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/828/
Game 09. For Honor (PS4) - Main Campaign finished on hard and multiplayer matches - Around 10 hours - 28/02 - 8/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/832/
Game 10. Titanfall 2 (PS4) - Main Campaign finished on hard - Around 6 hours - 02/03 - 8/10
Game 11. Nier: Automata (PS4) - Main Story finished. Almost all side-quests done. - Around 40 hours - 15/03 - 10/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/841/
Game 12. Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and The Mysterious Journey (PS4) - Main Story finished. 40% of the world seen. - Around 40 hours - 16/03 - 7,5/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/837/
Game 13. A King's Tale: Final Fantasy XV (PS4) - Main Story finished. - Around 2 hours - 24/03 - 9/10
Game 14. Zelda Breath of the Wild (Wii U) - Main Story finished. - 52 hours - 27/03 - 9/10
Game 15. Persona 5 (PS4) - Main Story finished. - 99 hours - 16/04 - 9,5/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/860/
Game 16. Gravity Rush 2 (PS4) - Main Story finished. All challenges and side quests done. - Around 40 hours - 26/04 - 9/10
+ Raven's DLC - Around 2 hours - 27/04 - 6/10
Game 17. The Silver Case (PS4) - All chapters done. - Around 10-20 hours - 02/05 - 8/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/871/
Game 18. Dark Rose Valkyrie - Main Story Done, normal ending with Amal - Around 55 hours - 12/06 - 8/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/896/
Game 19. Assault Andriod Cactus - Main Campaign Done - Around 10 hours - 18/06 - 9/10
Game 20. Star Wars Racer Revenge (PS2 Classics on PS4) - Main Campaign completed with Luke - Around 4 hours - 20/06 - 6/10
Game 21. Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator 2 (PS4) - Arcade Mode with new characters - Around 4 hours - 22/06 - 9/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/901/
Game 22. Wipeout Omega Collection (PS4) - Platinum got - 25 hours - 28/06 - 9,5/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/907/
Game 23. Valkyria Revolution (PS4) - Main story finished - 40 hours - 06/07 - 6,5/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/911/
Game 24. Deemo (PSV) - Main story finished and Epilogue - Many hours - 30/07 - 8/10
http://www.ps3brasil.com/analise/893/
Game 25. Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4) - Main story finished. All bandit camps, corrupted zones and cauldrons done. Many side quests done. - 44 hours - 31/07 - 7,5/10
Game 26. Megaman 7 (PS4) - Main game finished - <10 hours - 03/08 - 6,5/10
Game 27. Megaman 8 (PS4) - Main game finished - <10 hours - 07/08 - 7,5/10
Game 28. Megaman 9 (PS4) - Main game finished - <10 hours - 09/08 - 8,5/10
Game 29. Resident Evil 7 (PS4) - Main story finished - 15 hours - 10/08 - 9/10
Game 30. Megaman 10 (PS4) - Main game finished - <10 hours - 11/08 - 7/10
Game 31. Ys 8 Lacrimosa of Dana (PS4) - Main story finished. All side quests done. 100% map. Hard difficulty - 60 hours - 08/09 - 9,5/10
Game 32. Blue Reflection (PS4) - Main story finished, almost all side quests done, all fragments got. Hard difficulty - 40 hours - 07/10 - 8/10
Snakethesniper
Member
Started late last year, so let's see what happens if I start from the beginning!
1: XCOM2 - 27 Hours
2: Rage - 7 Hours
3: Hand Of Fate - 7 Hours
4: Oxenfree - 5 Hours
5: Outlast - 6 Hours
6: Resident Evil Revelations 2 - 9 Hours
7: Divinity Original Sin : Enhanced Edition - 66 Hours
8: SUPERHOT - 2 Hours
9: Dark Souls 3 - 26 Hours
10: Naruto Shippuden 3 - 6 Hours
11: Styx Master Of Shadows - 15 Hours
12: The Age Of Decadence - 6 Hours
13: Assassin's Creed Black Flag - 21 Hours
14: The House In Fata Morgana - 29 Hours
15: Nier:Automata - 35 Hours
16: Undertale - 6 Hours
17: Transformers Devastation - 5 Hours
18: Bioshock - 12 Hours
19: Chroma Squad - 14 Hours
20: Hollow Knight - 18 Hours
21: One Finger Death Punch - 7 Hours
22: Atelier Sophie - 30 Hours
23: Bayonetta - 7 Hours
24: Doom - 8 Hours
25: Dying Light - 17 Hours
26: Vanquish - 5 Hours
27: Root Double - 41 Hours
28: Hacknet - 7 Hours
29: Telltale's Batman - 7 Hours
30: The Final Station - 3 Hours
31: Hyper Light Drifter - 5 Hours
32: Danganronpa V3 - 30+ Hours
1: XCOM2 - 27 Hours
2: Rage - 7 Hours
3: Hand Of Fate - 7 Hours
4: Oxenfree - 5 Hours
5: Outlast - 6 Hours
6: Resident Evil Revelations 2 - 9 Hours
7: Divinity Original Sin : Enhanced Edition - 66 Hours
8: SUPERHOT - 2 Hours
9: Dark Souls 3 - 26 Hours
10: Naruto Shippuden 3 - 6 Hours
11: Styx Master Of Shadows - 15 Hours
12: The Age Of Decadence - 6 Hours
13: Assassin's Creed Black Flag - 21 Hours
14: The House In Fata Morgana - 29 Hours
15: Nier:Automata - 35 Hours
16: Undertale - 6 Hours
17: Transformers Devastation - 5 Hours
18: Bioshock - 12 Hours
19: Chroma Squad - 14 Hours
20: Hollow Knight - 18 Hours
21: One Finger Death Punch - 7 Hours
22: Atelier Sophie - 30 Hours
23: Bayonetta - 7 Hours
24: Doom - 8 Hours
25: Dying Light - 17 Hours
26: Vanquish - 5 Hours
27: Root Double - 41 Hours
28: Hacknet - 7 Hours
29: Telltale's Batman - 7 Hours
30: The Final Station - 3 Hours
31: Hyper Light Drifter - 5 Hours
32: Danganronpa V3 - 30+ Hours
Completed: 4/52
1. INSIDE - 5 hours - 1/1/2017 : Woah. Really great game, glad I bought it based on all the recommendations here. Dark. 9/10
2. ABZÛ - 3.5 hours - 3/1/2017 : As someone who loves the ocean and exploration, I really enjoyed this. It looks amazing and the music is awesome and really suits it too. 9/10
3. The Last Guardian - 14 hours - 6/1/2017 : I think any animal lover/pet owner will get emotional after finishing this game. It's a great story and it's hard not to get attached to Trico. I loved it for the most part, however it's let down by some frustrating controls at times. 8.5/10
4. Demon's Souls - 60 hours - 28/01/2017 : I started this save 6 years ago, so I'm pretty stoked to finish it off today. I found it a lot easier than Dark Souls 1-3 and Bloodborne, but I guess that's to be expected. 9.5/10
I should have The Last Guardian done tonight/tomorrow. Off to a good start this year anyway!
1. INSIDE - 5 hours - 1/1/2017 : Woah. Really great game, glad I bought it based on all the recommendations here. Dark. 9/10
2. ABZÛ - 3.5 hours - 3/1/2017 : As someone who loves the ocean and exploration, I really enjoyed this. It looks amazing and the music is awesome and really suits it too. 9/10
3. The Last Guardian - 14 hours - 6/1/2017 : I think any animal lover/pet owner will get emotional after finishing this game. It's a great story and it's hard not to get attached to Trico. I loved it for the most part, however it's let down by some frustrating controls at times. 8.5/10
4. Demon's Souls - 60 hours - 28/01/2017 : I started this save 6 years ago, so I'm pretty stoked to finish it off today. I found it a lot easier than Dark Souls 1-3 and Bloodborne, but I guess that's to be expected. 9.5/10
I should have The Last Guardian done tonight/tomorrow. Off to a good start this year anyway!
IgotElbows
Member
Last year I tried to beat one game a week.
I don't like doing that. I feel too rushed at the end of a week to try finishing a game.
So this year I'm going to try doing 4(+) games a month.
It lets me have a more lenient time spam of beating games. So I can play a long game while also playing a short games without feeling a need to really rush myself.
Still the challenge did help last year. Beat a lot more games in 2016 than I did in 2014 and 2015 combined. lol
Although was only about 20 games I think.
I don't like doing that. I feel too rushed at the end of a week to try finishing a game.
So this year I'm going to try doing 4(+) games a month.
It lets me have a more lenient time spam of beating games. So I can play a long game while also playing a short games without feeling a need to really rush myself.
Still the challenge did help last year. Beat a lot more games in 2016 than I did in 2014 and 2015 combined. lol
Although was only about 20 games I think.
Tizoc
Member
Another game I started in late december but slowly played thru and just finished recently on PC
The usual Telltale jankiness is there but the overall game is great and is a nice take on the Batman mythos. It has some gruesome moments but is overall an entertaining story even though it has some weak points here and there.
Will be interesting to see where they go forward next, though I'd prefer that if Joker is used he isn't very prominent.
The usual Telltale jankiness is there but the overall game is great and is a nice take on the Batman mythos. It has some gruesome moments but is overall an entertaining story even though it has some weak points here and there.
Will be interesting to see where they go forward next, though I'd prefer that if Joker is used he isn't very prominent.
VisceralBowl
Member
That's an interesting way of doing that.Game #3: Dark Souls III
InquisitorAles
Member
Main Post
Game 2: Infamous: Second Son
I technically beat this one for the first time about two weeks ago, but I wanted to wait with my post until after I'd done both karmic runs and gotten the platinum.
Since I got my PS4 last November, I've begun filling up my library. Because I'm a completionist, I'm currently favouring games that are reasonably easy to platinum (out of the games I wanted to get in the first place). After the Nathan Drake Collection, Uncharted 4, and The Order, I've now turned to Infamous: Second Son. I never really managed to get into the Infamous series. I own digital versions of the first two games because they were PS+ games at one point, but they never quite clicked with me. I always thought that movement felt a little clunky, and the game's narrative progression wasn't focused enough. These issues definitely persist here to some extent, but for some reason, I found them far less annoying. Once you get a few powers (and especially once you unlock the neon arsenal), movement becomes much more fluent and satisfying. Still, it's hard to overlook how floaty everything feels, especially coming off the much more focused and controlled Uncharted 4, but it's also understandable given the differences in scope between these two games.
To be completely honest, I'm not entirely sure why this game uses Seattle as an open hub. None of the side objectives feel all that satisfying, and they become a grind after clearing out the first few zones. While traversal is fast and stylish, it never really becomes more than a means to reach your next objective. Outside of these various activities, there's little going on in the game world to keep you interested, and it overall feels more like a static backdrop for the missions to take place in. This becomes apparent through things like the lack of a dynamic day / night cycle (which could have been tied to the availability of certain power sources), and the lack of things like mini-games. After you beat the story and reduce DUP control to zero, it even becomes hard to find enemies to fight. The only continued events are randomised encounters that can be used to move your karma in one direction or the other, but these are little more than a drop in the bucket next to the boosts you get through main missions.
With all that in mind, it's hard not to think of the world and its content merely as padding to extend the game's duration, especially considering how relatively short the main story is (you could probably comfortably beat the game in 5-6 hours). I found the story in general to be fairly weak. The game's narrative and tone are set up by the premise of military rule and a deep distrust and fear of conduits, but these topics are never explored beyond the surface level. In the same way, the main characters receive relatively little development. You barely get to see Augustine, and Fetch and Eugene are more or less dropped after you've finished their karma missions. The only character dynamic that is dealt with a bit more is the relationship between Delsin and Reggie, but even that is mostly framed in terms of their roles as conduit / police officer. I kinda wish you could interact with these various characters outside of the main missions, or that there were instances in which two or more of them interact in a more meaningful way.
This is all further reinforced by the relative lack of impact your decisions have. Ultimately, your karma level and decisions determine three things: the way people on the street react to you, what abilities you can unlock, and which of a pair of missions you get to choose at certain points. Other than you having to adapt your playstyle very lightly, none of these have any major effects. The ending you get changes depending on whether you go for a good or bad route, but since you're locked out of one path relatively early on, there is again a distinct lack of flexibility, and consequently, moments in which your decisions properly affect the outcome of the game are few and far between. As far as morality systems go, it's probably one of the weaker ones I've seen.
At the same time, I don't want to sound too critical. While all the elements I've mentioned so far can serve to create a deeper, more meaningful experience, they're ultimately secondary to the game's main component - it's combat system. At first glance, the many different powers and abilities can seem rather intimidating, but in action, it's a lot less complicated than that, since you basically always have a melee attack, a ranged attack, a heavy ranged attack that uses ammunition, an ability for crowd control, a dodge, and an ultimate that needs to be charged. There are variations in effect and strength between the four power types (smoke, neon, video, concrete), but they all largely function the same, so which power you use to fight is often more a question of what sources are nearby than which one is more tactically advantageous. It might have helped here if the different power sources had more distinct playstyles. In fact, for me, choosing a power source mostly came down to how I wanted to move about, because neon is a lot more useful for climbing and movement on the ground, while smoke is better for aerial travel. Still, regardless of what power source you use at any given point, the results are usually quite visually stimulating, and circling around and picking off enemies is always a lot of fun.
On a related note, the game looks absolutely stunning, and the PS4's advantages over its predecessor become quite apparent in the heavy use of particle effects for the various abilities you have, which wouldn't have nearly as much impact if they weren't rendered so dynamically. In many ways, Second Son feels like an early PS4 tech demo. It showcases many of the graphical upgrades that are possible with the newer hardware, and it makes heavy use of some of the more gimmicky control elements, including the DS4's touch pad, microphone, light bar, and gyro (though not always with great results). I'll also say that I'm glad to have had improved performance due to the Pro patch - I vaguely remember the base version to have had some performance issues, whereas I only experienced one or two noticeable drops during my two runs.
Overall, I quite liked the experience on display here. While I wish game objectives were a little more focused than 'do random things to decrease enemy control of the city', I at least appreciate that Sucker Punch didn't go overboard with the side content (which many other games fail to do these days). It has its fair share of flaws, but at its core, Infamous: Second Son is a really enjoyable game, to the point where I didn't even mind going for 100% completion twice (despite the fact that I only would have needed to complete the main story on my second run for the remaining trophies). I'm pretty sure I'll try to get First Light, and I'll pay attention for future announcements, as well, so I suppose the game definitely succeeded in finally getting me into the franchise.
Game 2: Infamous: Second Son
I technically beat this one for the first time about two weeks ago, but I wanted to wait with my post until after I'd done both karmic runs and gotten the platinum.
Since I got my PS4 last November, I've begun filling up my library. Because I'm a completionist, I'm currently favouring games that are reasonably easy to platinum (out of the games I wanted to get in the first place). After the Nathan Drake Collection, Uncharted 4, and The Order, I've now turned to Infamous: Second Son. I never really managed to get into the Infamous series. I own digital versions of the first two games because they were PS+ games at one point, but they never quite clicked with me. I always thought that movement felt a little clunky, and the game's narrative progression wasn't focused enough. These issues definitely persist here to some extent, but for some reason, I found them far less annoying. Once you get a few powers (and especially once you unlock the neon arsenal), movement becomes much more fluent and satisfying. Still, it's hard to overlook how floaty everything feels, especially coming off the much more focused and controlled Uncharted 4, but it's also understandable given the differences in scope between these two games.
To be completely honest, I'm not entirely sure why this game uses Seattle as an open hub. None of the side objectives feel all that satisfying, and they become a grind after clearing out the first few zones. While traversal is fast and stylish, it never really becomes more than a means to reach your next objective. Outside of these various activities, there's little going on in the game world to keep you interested, and it overall feels more like a static backdrop for the missions to take place in. This becomes apparent through things like the lack of a dynamic day / night cycle (which could have been tied to the availability of certain power sources), and the lack of things like mini-games. After you beat the story and reduce DUP control to zero, it even becomes hard to find enemies to fight. The only continued events are randomised encounters that can be used to move your karma in one direction or the other, but these are little more than a drop in the bucket next to the boosts you get through main missions.
With all that in mind, it's hard not to think of the world and its content merely as padding to extend the game's duration, especially considering how relatively short the main story is (you could probably comfortably beat the game in 5-6 hours). I found the story in general to be fairly weak. The game's narrative and tone are set up by the premise of military rule and a deep distrust and fear of conduits, but these topics are never explored beyond the surface level. In the same way, the main characters receive relatively little development. You barely get to see Augustine, and Fetch and Eugene are more or less dropped after you've finished their karma missions. The only character dynamic that is dealt with a bit more is the relationship between Delsin and Reggie, but even that is mostly framed in terms of their roles as conduit / police officer. I kinda wish you could interact with these various characters outside of the main missions, or that there were instances in which two or more of them interact in a more meaningful way.
This is all further reinforced by the relative lack of impact your decisions have. Ultimately, your karma level and decisions determine three things: the way people on the street react to you, what abilities you can unlock, and which of a pair of missions you get to choose at certain points. Other than you having to adapt your playstyle very lightly, none of these have any major effects. The ending you get changes depending on whether you go for a good or bad route, but since you're locked out of one path relatively early on, there is again a distinct lack of flexibility, and consequently, moments in which your decisions properly affect the outcome of the game are few and far between. As far as morality systems go, it's probably one of the weaker ones I've seen.
At the same time, I don't want to sound too critical. While all the elements I've mentioned so far can serve to create a deeper, more meaningful experience, they're ultimately secondary to the game's main component - it's combat system. At first glance, the many different powers and abilities can seem rather intimidating, but in action, it's a lot less complicated than that, since you basically always have a melee attack, a ranged attack, a heavy ranged attack that uses ammunition, an ability for crowd control, a dodge, and an ultimate that needs to be charged. There are variations in effect and strength between the four power types (smoke, neon, video, concrete), but they all largely function the same, so which power you use to fight is often more a question of what sources are nearby than which one is more tactically advantageous. It might have helped here if the different power sources had more distinct playstyles. In fact, for me, choosing a power source mostly came down to how I wanted to move about, because neon is a lot more useful for climbing and movement on the ground, while smoke is better for aerial travel. Still, regardless of what power source you use at any given point, the results are usually quite visually stimulating, and circling around and picking off enemies is always a lot of fun.
On a related note, the game looks absolutely stunning, and the PS4's advantages over its predecessor become quite apparent in the heavy use of particle effects for the various abilities you have, which wouldn't have nearly as much impact if they weren't rendered so dynamically. In many ways, Second Son feels like an early PS4 tech demo. It showcases many of the graphical upgrades that are possible with the newer hardware, and it makes heavy use of some of the more gimmicky control elements, including the DS4's touch pad, microphone, light bar, and gyro (though not always with great results). I'll also say that I'm glad to have had improved performance due to the Pro patch - I vaguely remember the base version to have had some performance issues, whereas I only experienced one or two noticeable drops during my two runs.
Overall, I quite liked the experience on display here. While I wish game objectives were a little more focused than 'do random things to decrease enemy control of the city', I at least appreciate that Sucker Punch didn't go overboard with the side content (which many other games fail to do these days). It has its fair share of flaws, but at its core, Infamous: Second Son is a really enjoyable game, to the point where I didn't even mind going for 100% completion twice (despite the fact that I only would have needed to complete the main story on my second run for the remaining trophies). I'm pretty sure I'll try to get First Light, and I'll pay attention for future announcements, as well, so I suppose the game definitely succeeded in finally getting me into the franchise.
JimmyRustler
Gold Member
Do only games count I haven't finished yet? What about replays? Say I finish RE4 twice this year, does that count as 1, 2 or not at all (since I have already finished it before multiple times)?
Unlike other challenges (that I dislike) there is no rule that says it must be a game you never played
Personally I only count a game up to a maximum of 2 times. A beaten game counts once, and then can be counted again if I complete it (100 % completion) if there was a significant time difference (like a year) and it needed a proper playthrough or more to be completed. If I complete it immediately by just playing it once, two times in a row or over a shorter period, it only counts once.
I have never in my life gone back to play a game I marked as completed so I have no idea how I would do then.
I think it's fine to count it again even if you had all cheevos and stuff already, but if you play it through 3 times in a year and start counting every single replay people will probably call you a cheater
Kirye
Member
Finally gonna do this challenge right. It's my goal to beat a good portion of my backlog. Also gonna reach 400 games completed this year!
1. Oxenfree
Didn't think I'd enjoy the game that much but it's a really cool sci fi game. Definitely enjoyed the personality of the characters.
2. Assault Android Cactus
Short and sweet game. Gameplay is crazy fun, bosses are pretty enjoyable.
1. Oxenfree
Didn't think I'd enjoy the game that much but it's a really cool sci fi game. Definitely enjoyed the personality of the characters.
2. Assault Android Cactus
Short and sweet game. Gameplay is crazy fun, bosses are pretty enjoyable.
rottendevice
Member
Master Post
2-6. The Walking Dead: Season 1: Episodes 1-5
This is a cool game. It's hard to really talk about without going into spoiler territory. I'll just describe what the game is like to play. I played it on Xbox 360 and it's an adventure game, but not in the traditional sense. You often look around the world with the right analog stick, and you can select things with the face buttons. During dialog, you can choose what to say with all four face buttons. On occasion, you can walk around with the left analog stick. But generally speaking you're not walking around much. This is a story (dialog) driven game with some action sequences. The game forces you to make tough decisions that affect how the rest of the game plays out. The action sequences weren't all that fun. The graphics aren't the best cel-shaded graphics for it's generation of consoles, but the art style does make The Walking Dead nice to look at. Music I thought was especially bad. You keep hearing the same audio clips being looped throughout the section you're in. Not fun. Also, there's a fair amount of "stuttering" going on on the Xbox 360 360 where a scene keeps pausing as it loads. All in all the game is flawed, but characters and dialog keep it going, and both are well done.
3/5
2-6. The Walking Dead: Season 1: Episodes 1-5
This is a cool game. It's hard to really talk about without going into spoiler territory. I'll just describe what the game is like to play. I played it on Xbox 360 and it's an adventure game, but not in the traditional sense. You often look around the world with the right analog stick, and you can select things with the face buttons. During dialog, you can choose what to say with all four face buttons. On occasion, you can walk around with the left analog stick. But generally speaking you're not walking around much. This is a story (dialog) driven game with some action sequences. The game forces you to make tough decisions that affect how the rest of the game plays out. The action sequences weren't all that fun. The graphics aren't the best cel-shaded graphics for it's generation of consoles, but the art style does make The Walking Dead nice to look at. Music I thought was especially bad. You keep hearing the same audio clips being looped throughout the section you're in. Not fun. Also, there's a fair amount of "stuttering" going on on the Xbox 360 360 where a scene keeps pausing as it loads. All in all the game is flawed, but characters and dialog keep it going, and both are well done.
3/5
Game 1-Criminal Girls 2 Party Favors-Vita-Beaten on January 2nd
-I really enjoyed the grind in this game. I usually hate grinding but this game makes it very easy to do so. Fun little game that took about 25 hours. 8/10
Game 2-Shantae Half Genie Hero-Vita-Beaten on January 6th
-This was the perfect game after the long grind of my previous game. Very light-hearted and fun! Perfect on the Vita! 8/10
Game 3-Alone With You-Vita-Beaten on January 14th
-While this adventure game wasn't great, it was very relaxing to play which is what made me enjoy it overall. 7/10
Game 4-Call of Duty Infinite Warfare-PS4-Beaten on January 15th
-I might be in the minority that only play the story mode in Call of Duty games and have to say that I never tire of them. They are like a summer blockbuster. I really liked the on ground parts of his game but didn't really like the flying portions. Still waiting for a return to WWII. 8/10
Game 5-Severed- Vita-Beaten on January 17th
-I really enjoyed this game outside of a few difficulty spikes here or there. Great atmosphere and great touch controls which I usually hate. 9/10
Game 6-Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7-Vita-Beaten on January 19th
-This was the weakest game I have played in a long time. This game was before Lego characters talked so all it is is a disjointed story with very weird grunts/sounds from the characters. I really like the Harry Potter universe but this game is just bad. At least I got it super cheap from a PSN sale. 4/10
Game 7-Neverending Nightmares-Vita-Beaten on January 21
-I really enjoyed this little (2 hours long)horror game. It had great atmosphere and sound especially with headphones on. The title explains the game perfectly as you keep repeating the same nightmare over and over again with slight differences everytime you die. The story is slight but interesting as well. 7/10
Game 8-Trails of Cold Steel 2-Vita-Beaten on February 17
-Over the last 13 months, I have beaten all four of the recent Trails games and have loved every single one of them. This one took me 50 hours which is why this is he first game I have beaten in almost a month. If you like RPG's this is one of the best. 10/10
-I really enjoyed the grind in this game. I usually hate grinding but this game makes it very easy to do so. Fun little game that took about 25 hours. 8/10
Game 2-Shantae Half Genie Hero-Vita-Beaten on January 6th
-This was the perfect game after the long grind of my previous game. Very light-hearted and fun! Perfect on the Vita! 8/10
Game 3-Alone With You-Vita-Beaten on January 14th
-While this adventure game wasn't great, it was very relaxing to play which is what made me enjoy it overall. 7/10
Game 4-Call of Duty Infinite Warfare-PS4-Beaten on January 15th
-I might be in the minority that only play the story mode in Call of Duty games and have to say that I never tire of them. They are like a summer blockbuster. I really liked the on ground parts of his game but didn't really like the flying portions. Still waiting for a return to WWII. 8/10
Game 5-Severed- Vita-Beaten on January 17th
-I really enjoyed this game outside of a few difficulty spikes here or there. Great atmosphere and great touch controls which I usually hate. 9/10
Game 6-Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7-Vita-Beaten on January 19th
-This was the weakest game I have played in a long time. This game was before Lego characters talked so all it is is a disjointed story with very weird grunts/sounds from the characters. I really like the Harry Potter universe but this game is just bad. At least I got it super cheap from a PSN sale. 4/10
Game 7-Neverending Nightmares-Vita-Beaten on January 21
-I really enjoyed this little (2 hours long)horror game. It had great atmosphere and sound especially with headphones on. The title explains the game perfectly as you keep repeating the same nightmare over and over again with slight differences everytime you die. The story is slight but interesting as well. 7/10
Game 8-Trails of Cold Steel 2-Vita-Beaten on February 17
-Over the last 13 months, I have beaten all four of the recent Trails games and have loved every single one of them. This one took me 50 hours which is why this is he first game I have beaten in almost a month. If you like RPG's this is one of the best. 10/10
Here we go!
JANUARY
Game 1: Prince of Persia - 2/5 - 14:18 hours (02/01/2017)
Completed the story, didn't bother getting all 1001 orbs (I'm sitting at 751). The game was a nice relaxing ride, but it gets repetitive very quick. On the technical side of things the cel-shading makes it so that the game holds up to this very day and the musics are very atmospheric and apt for the setting. If we talk about gameplay though, the obstacles and climbable elements are only a dozen different kinds, the enemies are in varied sizes, but pretty much all samey mechanics-wise, the mid-bosses have a little more personality, but nothing memorable. It's basically open-world Prince of Persia, offering you to choose your own way, but making so that every route is basically the same, as the structure of the game gets soon very predictable: get new power, free the four fountains, fight boss, escape boss room, repeat until final confrontation. The fighting is spectacular, but it's basically a bunch of stringed commands alternated with QTEs; speaking of which, the new powers you acquire through the game are a huge let down, being just glorified QTEs themselves. The plot isn't anything special but you do build a cool relationship with Elika throughout the game: she is constantly there for you, you can talk with her and she helps you fight. The ending is pretty abrupt, but also somewhat unexpected.
Game 2: Assault Android Cactus - 3/5 - 3:36 hours (04/01/2017)
Completed the story, tried boss rush and infinity drive, unlocked a bunch of codex entries, artworks and game mods. A psychedelic and frenzied twin stick shooter with a quirky cast of characters. The music has a nice and fitting techno beat, nothing exceptional, but it gets cooler when you unlock the option to have it change rhythm according to how you're performing. The graphics are extremely colourful and solid, as is the framerate: when countless cyber-enemies are on screen and everyone's shooting everywhere, the screen becomes a feast for the eyes. The gameplay is pretty repetitive, but keeps you on the edge thanks to the battery system, which also makes dying harder if you play well: this way the flow and pace of the game are almost never interrupted. The story is a nice addition to contextualize the game, but nothing deeper; though, the character design and variety of playable androids deserve praise. A little known gem.
Game 3: Her Story [with friend] - 4/5 - 5:00 hours (06/01/2017)
Completed her story, then proceeded to get all videos. A wonderfully recounted tale, presented in a pretty innovative format, not only for a game, but for any kind of medium. Having to slowly piece things together, with limited tools at your disposal besides intuition and cleverness, and constantly reworking and reorganising what you think to know about the story is a really one of a kind experience: you actually feel like some sort of detective. The acting is spot on, the search feature and the script work together seamlessly, it's clear the devs put a lot of thought in what and how they were writing: you never feel at a dead-end until you "finish" the main game, always having a bunch of new words to search. The story itself has all the elements needed to keep you waiting for more: death, secrets, mystery, weirdness and love. I've been caught off-guard more than once, and I definitely had many "wow" moments while learning about the main characters, especially early on. The main theme is reflected in all parts of the game and the graphical presentation is aptly coherent with the situation we're put in. The ending leaves some stuff to the interpretation, and I really like that in all sorts of media.
Game 4: Pony Island - 3/5 - 4:24 hours (08/01/2017)
Completed the game and got all tickets, saw the trure ending. A clever meta-game, with arcade and puzzle elements. I loved almost everything about it, from the minimalist but crazy presentation, to the sort of easy but nicely made hacking mini-games, from the accursed and evil atmosphere, to the haunting plot about salvation and damnation. The meta elements are a constant: you are playing a steam game, about a man playing an arcade, Pony Island, which is just a facade for an evil game trying to consume your soul. All these four layers are always present and sometimes they mesh so well that you don't know which layer you're standing in anymore; i.e. think of the man showing a "real" ticket waving his hand in front of the arcade screen, a ticket that you just got by entering fake Pony Island's options through evil Pony Island, while the Steam achievement flashes on your monitor. The only "problem" with the game are some the arcade jump and shoot sessions, which at times stretch for too long and are too punishing, even though they are nothing impossible to conquer with a bit of patience.
Game 5: Not A Hero - 2/5 - 9:30 hours (12/01/2017)
Completed the campaign at the max level, with all objectives and secret doors. The game's a hard action shooter, very focused on its base mechanics. That's one of the main problems: there's not much new to see after the first few levels, and since it's pretty though, you don't feel the urge to see what's next after a while, mostly feeling discouraged. The game pretty much remains the same all along, with very minor tweaks here and there, some of which just end up aggravating the player even more (one hit kill samurai, and ninja): the levels are all samey, the objectives also similar and, again, keep making things too difficult (time limits, no hit clauses, etc.) instead of funnier, the playable characters have several notable differences, but so few of them are actually viable if you want to be good at the game. The story is generic and boring, the cut scenes needlessly verbose and lacking any humour (I skipped a good chunk of them, thing which I basically never do in any game ever), the guy you work for is unsufferable; seems like the game tries to be smart and different with its setting and tone, but pretty much fails, ending up just being nonsensical. Problems aside, when all is said and done, while frustrating, the action in the game does work and feel stylish and cool. Hoped for more.
Game 6: Atum - 1/5 - 10 minutes (16/01/2017)
Completed the first "cycle". More than a game Atum's an artsy experiment, one that uses the interactivity of gaming to make a point about philosophical concepts.The game surely manages to do so, locking you in an endless cycle of interactions between you and yourself, a neverending loop that always brings you back to the starting point: perfect gaming representation of a "Klein Bottle" or of a "Möbius Strip". The gameplay is quite basic and lacking though, like most of the presentation: it's a means to an end, that the developer tries to spruce up with some nicely made interactive 4th wall breaking, so to lessen its dullness. Game's free and short though, I advise to try it.
Game 7: Tessallation - 2/5 - 45 minutes (16/01/2017)
Completed the game, tried the playground mode. A freeware based on a single, albeit interesting, mechanic: rewinding time to create a series of copies of yourself, each used to perform a different action, so as to reach the end of every puzzle room. In fact, it may very well be one of the few games which can be said to employ single player coop, together with Braid and Cursor*10. The peculiar gameplay mechanic is explored in a bunch of different ways, however one can't help but think that in the end the result is quite shallow: you could build many sizable games on this concept alone. The execution also leaves a lot to be desired: the graphics are stylized but still technically unimpressive, plus there are some bugs that hinder the normal progress.
FEBRUARY
Game 8: Elliot Quest - 5/5 - 31:00 hours (02/02/2017)
Completed the game, got the neutral ending, did all the optional bosses and dungeons, collected all items. What a blast to the past! Not unlike Shove Knight before, this indie is a love letter to 8-bit games, both in presentation and content; while Shovel Knight harkens back to action platformers, this little gem does so towards action adventure games. The gameplay offers no explanations whatsoever, aside from some basic commands: you play and learn through your ability and your mistakes. The way the save system works is harsh but fair, you get used to it pretty quickly and it manages to strike a good balance between "having to redo long parts" and "feeling the stakes". When moving Elliot around you feel in control from the get go, but it's only after a few hours, when you get the double jump, that the game truly opens up, both in exploration and combat possibilities. The graphics feature warm, deep colours, the sprites have a distinct and charming look; the game is surprisingly big and long, with heaps of secrets and stuff to collect: every location is beautiful and unique and you never feel bored by the exploration. The sense of adventure and mistery is strong and pushes you to finish the game. Too bad the ending feels rushed and is definitely the low point of the whole game, together with the morality system, which is unneeded and shallow.
Game 9: Lumino City - 2/5 - 5:48 hours (05/02/2017)
Reached the ending. A quirky, puzzle-oriented adventure game, very straightforward, with each area self-contained: perfect for beginners. The selling point of the title is the cardboard setting, which was hand-made, filmed and digitized; this means that everything is in scale and has a coherent placement, so much that you can actually see your route and progress around the city in the panoramic title screen. The plot is barebones and after the initial incident that puts things into motion, doesn't really come into play again until the end. The charm of the game comes from navigating the weird environments, meeting the crazy characters and solving the, albeit mostly easy, puzzles. It's short and to the point, but sometimes frustrating due to the lack of control: you can see it was built for smartphones, as the movement options are very limited and the game oft unresponsive to your clicks.
Game 10: Batman: Arkham Asylum - Game of the Year Edition - 5/5 - 23:00 hours (14/02/2017)
Beaten the game and got back to get all collectibles, finished half the challenges. What a game! Even after all these years this game holds up so damn well. It's also still surprising how it suddenly reached such quality heights after decades of bad to average licensed games as easy cash ins coming from the industry. The intro works wonders to immerse you in the world, then, when you get out from Intensive Treatment and come out to the open area, you're stoked by how ambitious the game is... and it keeps one-upping itself, adding more and more places, enemies, riddles and items as you go on. The level design is on point, with metroidvania elements, the combat can be frustrating but it's a new approach and is cool to watch: when things go your way you really feel like the Batman, too bad for the camera messing things up at times. There's a little bit of everything sprinkled in there, stealth, fighting, action, puzzles, adventure, which makes the package feel complete and hard to put in a set category: just like the big games of yore, this one feels like it's inspired by past works but creates its own rules, the end result being something unique and never seen before. Boss fights are all very different and unpredictable, aside from the final one, which was far too easy and kind of a let down. The writing and voice over is nice, especially Hamill's stellar performance as the joker, the world feels alive and Arkham is context heavy: not one stone positioning is left unexplained: you can actually see the cells of most famous inmates and find what they've left behind in the asylum's halls. I can only wonder what it was like to play such a stunning game when it came out ten years ago.
MARCH
Game 11: Snipperclips: Cut It Out, Together! [with friend] - 3/5 - more than 5:00 hours (14/03/2017)
Done all the puzzles in co-op, tried the competitive modes. The game shows much promise but ends up way too short for its own good. The cut and spin mechanics are nice and work well to create countless possible forms, however the game has what I'd call the "Scribblenauts syndrome": once you've found two or three good forms you'll stuck to those and still be able to complete 90% of the puzzles with little hassle. The graphical style and faces of the protagonists are cute and funny, the objectives of the puzzles varied, the charm strong but there's just too little stuff to do, you can finish everything in just a few hours and the puzzles offer no replay value. A good time-waster, but I hope they improve on it and add way more content in the inevitable sequel.
Game 12: Blaster Master Zero - 3/5 - 8:08 hours (19/03/2017)
Completed 100%, haven't tackled the extra mode. This game is an excellent re-imagining of the original Blaster Master, but that's part of what limits it. I'm sure Blaster Master had to be amazing back in the day, in fact it's still a very competent mix of metroid's non-linear structure (albeit not as intricated) and shoot 'em ups; however there have been countless more compelling games in the genre since NES days. Still, the dual-style of gameplay, when you're piloting Sophia and when the pilot's out on his own, adds some needed variety in the game, as do the numerous bosses awaiting at the end of almost all caves. Speaking of the caves, the downgradable blaster, which loses power with each hit you take, is interesting, but not so much its various levels: you can annihilate everything with the max level, and if you lack that you're always going to fall back on the same two or three options. The HD rumble was weird, not sure if I like it yet, very noisy. All in all it was a good timewaster, but I won't remember it fondly.
APRIL
Game 13: Evoland II - 4/5 - 25:45 hours (09/04/2017)
100% the game with every achievement. As a sequel, Evoland II blows the first entry out of the water in terms of scope: while the first one was a nice action adventure Zelda-like, with sprinkles of other genres, this is a full-blown action RPG with a whole card mini-game in it. The game features a time-traveling gimmick and a varying structure: the first half is totally linear and definitely the less interesting one, on the opposite, during the second part the game opens up, world map and all that jazz, letting you choose among many quests. The game is ambitious, the plot sorta clichè but still interesting, there are surprises at each corner thanks to many genre switch-ups, but the length of the adventure does a disservice to the experience, making it go a little stale by the end. The game could've been much better if it adhered more to a personal style, forgoing the countless and tiring pop and game references, which are literally everywhere, and lessening the number of mini-games and genre changes. Still a pretty long and engrossing game.
Game 14: Inside - 5/5 - 6:06 hours (13/04/2017)
Got to the end of the story and found all secret rooms. A huge step up in tone and graphics from Limbo, even though the themes and the way of conveying them are similar. The animations of the boy are top notch, the world sucks you in immediately and never lets you go (I actually had to finish it in one sitting, couldn't stop), the progression in gameplay is nicely paired with a progression in the understanding of the world around you. The OST is unique, thanks to the fact it's been filtered through a human skull (!!), and definitely appropriate for this kind of misterious and low-profile adventure, where you must constantly hide. The game has many layers of interpretation and meaning, from the most face-value ones to deeper themes, and it loves to play with your expectations since the very beginning, as you think
. Personally my own favourite interpretation is that the game is
.
Game 15: Shovel Knight - Specter of Torment - 4/5 - 7:23 hours (17/04/2017)
Got the credits and all the collectibles, finished a few challenges. Best campaign so far in Shovel Knight from a narrative standpoint, I really felt invested in Specter Knight's story by the end of the game. The game also manages to be a breath of fresh air after the first two campaigns, because it changes the basic structure, from retreading the same overworld, to a more Megaman-like stage choice, while also being a prequel and featuring vastly different levels from those of the first two parts. The gameplay is also my favourite take so far in the series: while Shovel Knight's controls are tight but unforgiving and Plague Knight's are kind of sloppy and less immediate to learn, Specter Knight controls like a charm, and it strikes the perfect balance between being challenging and frustrating. Moreover I appreciate that the levels are a tad shorter and toned down the collectathon that was Plague of Shadows.
Game 16: Shovel Knight - Plague of Shadows - 3/5 - 11:20 hours (17/04/2017)
Reached the ending, got all collectibles. The game is a good follow-up to the original; it's lovely how it tries to reuse what it can, while changing the way you experience it: a true exercise in style from the developer. However I feel as the game retreads too much the same ground, while offering too little new to hold your attention for the whole length of the campaign. The fact that Plague Knight is a much more complicated character than Shovel Knight gameplay-wise doesn't help: you constantly have to mess around in the menus, pausing the action, and still you never feel completely in control of the little guy; even after hours of trial and error, you almost never quite get the results you really want from the alchemical combination. Still the basis for a good game are totally there.
Game 17: Snake Pass - 3/5 - more than 10:00 hours (21/04/2017)
Completed the campaign. The initial impact was bad: the controls are hard to master and the game doesn't do a good enough job explaining how the "grip" ability works; however once I got the "grip" down the game opened up for me, the frustration went out of the window and I breezed through the levels getting all the collectibles in one go. That is until the last level, which features a huge difficulty spike all of a sudden: the way the wind works is simply unfair to you, and for the first time since I mastered the controls I felt the urge to thow the Switch out of the window. The difficulty is also mostly due to the camera-work, which isn't perfect throughout the game, but mostly bearable, until you reach the last world, when every obstacle begins to move around and the camera just keep getting stuck and in the way of what you're trying to do. Speaking of the end-game, it was utterly disappointing: the last world has one less level than the rest, so you don't even realize you're playing the last level until you see the ending sequence. The ending itself was upsetting, during the whole adventure, the game keeps building up to the "big baddy", responsible for what's happening; now I guessed there would be no classic "final boss" in such a game, but still I expected some kind of confrontation, yet nothing: the whole thing resolves in a comic and frankly stupid way. All the levels have the same objectives till the end, so you don't feel any real progression during the campaign, or accomplishment when finishing the game: you get a bunch of skins and the ability to see where the remaining collectibles are (too bad you most likely 100% all the levels, because doing them in more than one go is a pain, due to having to get the three gems every time). The basic idea is genius, but they haven't developed it in enough meaningful ways: they could have done much more with it.
Game 18: The Cave [replay with friend] - 2/5 - 5:30 hours (23/04/2017)
Finished the game a second time with one old and two new characters. On a second playthough the game shows his weak side: you have to redo all the common parts and also redo some specific parts, if you choose a character you already picked (which you'll have to do on your second or third time playing, because they're seven and you got to pick three at a time). The puzzles aren't particularly difficult, but they sometimes work in weird ways (e.g. the recorder), contradicting what you've learnt up to that point. There's also quite a lot backtracking involved and the characters don't exactly move quick. The ending is a huge let-down, the characters aren't developed in game, but just with the static pictures (their memories) you find around. Disappointing, moreso the second time playing through.
Game 19: SteamWorld Heist - 4/5 - 25:00 hours (23/04/2017)
Got max reputation and completed the campaign, missing quite a few hats. The game starts slow and without many strategic options, it also takes a while to really take off, since the first part lasts way too much, becoming pretty monotone, recycling enemies and settings constantly. Another annoying obstacle to one's enjoyment of the adventure is the inventory box system: you can only keep so many items and weapons at once, and you have to sell the rest for money, until you slowly find the means to upgrade the inventory itself; that, paired with the steady arrival of new recruits to your team, makes it so you always feel you don't have enough choice of equipment for your crew. The story is serviceable, the characters are unique both in personality and skills, so that you'll want to use them all and the soundtrack is top notch (thanks to Steam Powered Giraffe); but what really shines is the tactical gameplay: it works flawlessly and you can't stop playing, wishing for one more level after the other.
JANUARY
Game 1: Prince of Persia - 2/5 - 14:18 hours (02/01/2017)
Completed the story, didn't bother getting all 1001 orbs (I'm sitting at 751). The game was a nice relaxing ride, but it gets repetitive very quick. On the technical side of things the cel-shading makes it so that the game holds up to this very day and the musics are very atmospheric and apt for the setting. If we talk about gameplay though, the obstacles and climbable elements are only a dozen different kinds, the enemies are in varied sizes, but pretty much all samey mechanics-wise, the mid-bosses have a little more personality, but nothing memorable. It's basically open-world Prince of Persia, offering you to choose your own way, but making so that every route is basically the same, as the structure of the game gets soon very predictable: get new power, free the four fountains, fight boss, escape boss room, repeat until final confrontation. The fighting is spectacular, but it's basically a bunch of stringed commands alternated with QTEs; speaking of which, the new powers you acquire through the game are a huge let down, being just glorified QTEs themselves. The plot isn't anything special but you do build a cool relationship with Elika throughout the game: she is constantly there for you, you can talk with her and she helps you fight. The ending is pretty abrupt, but also somewhat unexpected.
Game 2: Assault Android Cactus - 3/5 - 3:36 hours (04/01/2017)
Completed the story, tried boss rush and infinity drive, unlocked a bunch of codex entries, artworks and game mods. A psychedelic and frenzied twin stick shooter with a quirky cast of characters. The music has a nice and fitting techno beat, nothing exceptional, but it gets cooler when you unlock the option to have it change rhythm according to how you're performing. The graphics are extremely colourful and solid, as is the framerate: when countless cyber-enemies are on screen and everyone's shooting everywhere, the screen becomes a feast for the eyes. The gameplay is pretty repetitive, but keeps you on the edge thanks to the battery system, which also makes dying harder if you play well: this way the flow and pace of the game are almost never interrupted. The story is a nice addition to contextualize the game, but nothing deeper; though, the character design and variety of playable androids deserve praise. A little known gem.
Game 3: Her Story [with friend] - 4/5 - 5:00 hours (06/01/2017)
Completed her story, then proceeded to get all videos. A wonderfully recounted tale, presented in a pretty innovative format, not only for a game, but for any kind of medium. Having to slowly piece things together, with limited tools at your disposal besides intuition and cleverness, and constantly reworking and reorganising what you think to know about the story is a really one of a kind experience: you actually feel like some sort of detective. The acting is spot on, the search feature and the script work together seamlessly, it's clear the devs put a lot of thought in what and how they were writing: you never feel at a dead-end until you "finish" the main game, always having a bunch of new words to search. The story itself has all the elements needed to keep you waiting for more: death, secrets, mystery, weirdness and love. I've been caught off-guard more than once, and I definitely had many "wow" moments while learning about the main characters, especially early on. The main theme is reflected in all parts of the game and the graphical presentation is aptly coherent with the situation we're put in. The ending leaves some stuff to the interpretation, and I really like that in all sorts of media.
Game 4: Pony Island - 3/5 - 4:24 hours (08/01/2017)
Completed the game and got all tickets, saw the trure ending. A clever meta-game, with arcade and puzzle elements. I loved almost everything about it, from the minimalist but crazy presentation, to the sort of easy but nicely made hacking mini-games, from the accursed and evil atmosphere, to the haunting plot about salvation and damnation. The meta elements are a constant: you are playing a steam game, about a man playing an arcade, Pony Island, which is just a facade for an evil game trying to consume your soul. All these four layers are always present and sometimes they mesh so well that you don't know which layer you're standing in anymore; i.e. think of the man showing a "real" ticket waving his hand in front of the arcade screen, a ticket that you just got by entering fake Pony Island's options through evil Pony Island, while the Steam achievement flashes on your monitor. The only "problem" with the game are some the arcade jump and shoot sessions, which at times stretch for too long and are too punishing, even though they are nothing impossible to conquer with a bit of patience.
Game 5: Not A Hero - 2/5 - 9:30 hours (12/01/2017)
Completed the campaign at the max level, with all objectives and secret doors. The game's a hard action shooter, very focused on its base mechanics. That's one of the main problems: there's not much new to see after the first few levels, and since it's pretty though, you don't feel the urge to see what's next after a while, mostly feeling discouraged. The game pretty much remains the same all along, with very minor tweaks here and there, some of which just end up aggravating the player even more (one hit kill samurai, and ninja): the levels are all samey, the objectives also similar and, again, keep making things too difficult (time limits, no hit clauses, etc.) instead of funnier, the playable characters have several notable differences, but so few of them are actually viable if you want to be good at the game. The story is generic and boring, the cut scenes needlessly verbose and lacking any humour (I skipped a good chunk of them, thing which I basically never do in any game ever), the guy you work for is unsufferable; seems like the game tries to be smart and different with its setting and tone, but pretty much fails, ending up just being nonsensical. Problems aside, when all is said and done, while frustrating, the action in the game does work and feel stylish and cool. Hoped for more.
Game 6: Atum - 1/5 - 10 minutes (16/01/2017)
Completed the first "cycle". More than a game Atum's an artsy experiment, one that uses the interactivity of gaming to make a point about philosophical concepts.The game surely manages to do so, locking you in an endless cycle of interactions between you and yourself, a neverending loop that always brings you back to the starting point: perfect gaming representation of a "Klein Bottle" or of a "Möbius Strip". The gameplay is quite basic and lacking though, like most of the presentation: it's a means to an end, that the developer tries to spruce up with some nicely made interactive 4th wall breaking, so to lessen its dullness. Game's free and short though, I advise to try it.
Game 7: Tessallation - 2/5 - 45 minutes (16/01/2017)
Completed the game, tried the playground mode. A freeware based on a single, albeit interesting, mechanic: rewinding time to create a series of copies of yourself, each used to perform a different action, so as to reach the end of every puzzle room. In fact, it may very well be one of the few games which can be said to employ single player coop, together with Braid and Cursor*10. The peculiar gameplay mechanic is explored in a bunch of different ways, however one can't help but think that in the end the result is quite shallow: you could build many sizable games on this concept alone. The execution also leaves a lot to be desired: the graphics are stylized but still technically unimpressive, plus there are some bugs that hinder the normal progress.
FEBRUARY
Game 8: Elliot Quest - 5/5 - 31:00 hours (02/02/2017)
Completed the game, got the neutral ending, did all the optional bosses and dungeons, collected all items. What a blast to the past! Not unlike Shove Knight before, this indie is a love letter to 8-bit games, both in presentation and content; while Shovel Knight harkens back to action platformers, this little gem does so towards action adventure games. The gameplay offers no explanations whatsoever, aside from some basic commands: you play and learn through your ability and your mistakes. The way the save system works is harsh but fair, you get used to it pretty quickly and it manages to strike a good balance between "having to redo long parts" and "feeling the stakes". When moving Elliot around you feel in control from the get go, but it's only after a few hours, when you get the double jump, that the game truly opens up, both in exploration and combat possibilities. The graphics feature warm, deep colours, the sprites have a distinct and charming look; the game is surprisingly big and long, with heaps of secrets and stuff to collect: every location is beautiful and unique and you never feel bored by the exploration. The sense of adventure and mistery is strong and pushes you to finish the game. Too bad the ending feels rushed and is definitely the low point of the whole game, together with the morality system, which is unneeded and shallow.
Game 9: Lumino City - 2/5 - 5:48 hours (05/02/2017)
Reached the ending. A quirky, puzzle-oriented adventure game, very straightforward, with each area self-contained: perfect for beginners. The selling point of the title is the cardboard setting, which was hand-made, filmed and digitized; this means that everything is in scale and has a coherent placement, so much that you can actually see your route and progress around the city in the panoramic title screen. The plot is barebones and after the initial incident that puts things into motion, doesn't really come into play again until the end. The charm of the game comes from navigating the weird environments, meeting the crazy characters and solving the, albeit mostly easy, puzzles. It's short and to the point, but sometimes frustrating due to the lack of control: you can see it was built for smartphones, as the movement options are very limited and the game oft unresponsive to your clicks.
Game 10: Batman: Arkham Asylum - Game of the Year Edition - 5/5 - 23:00 hours (14/02/2017)
Beaten the game and got back to get all collectibles, finished half the challenges. What a game! Even after all these years this game holds up so damn well. It's also still surprising how it suddenly reached such quality heights after decades of bad to average licensed games as easy cash ins coming from the industry. The intro works wonders to immerse you in the world, then, when you get out from Intensive Treatment and come out to the open area, you're stoked by how ambitious the game is... and it keeps one-upping itself, adding more and more places, enemies, riddles and items as you go on. The level design is on point, with metroidvania elements, the combat can be frustrating but it's a new approach and is cool to watch: when things go your way you really feel like the Batman, too bad for the camera messing things up at times. There's a little bit of everything sprinkled in there, stealth, fighting, action, puzzles, adventure, which makes the package feel complete and hard to put in a set category: just like the big games of yore, this one feels like it's inspired by past works but creates its own rules, the end result being something unique and never seen before. Boss fights are all very different and unpredictable, aside from the final one, which was far too easy and kind of a let down. The writing and voice over is nice, especially Hamill's stellar performance as the joker, the world feels alive and Arkham is context heavy: not one stone positioning is left unexplained: you can actually see the cells of most famous inmates and find what they've left behind in the asylum's halls. I can only wonder what it was like to play such a stunning game when it came out ten years ago.
MARCH
Game 11: Snipperclips: Cut It Out, Together! [with friend] - 3/5 - more than 5:00 hours (14/03/2017)
Done all the puzzles in co-op, tried the competitive modes. The game shows much promise but ends up way too short for its own good. The cut and spin mechanics are nice and work well to create countless possible forms, however the game has what I'd call the "Scribblenauts syndrome": once you've found two or three good forms you'll stuck to those and still be able to complete 90% of the puzzles with little hassle. The graphical style and faces of the protagonists are cute and funny, the objectives of the puzzles varied, the charm strong but there's just too little stuff to do, you can finish everything in just a few hours and the puzzles offer no replay value. A good time-waster, but I hope they improve on it and add way more content in the inevitable sequel.
Game 12: Blaster Master Zero - 3/5 - 8:08 hours (19/03/2017)
Completed 100%, haven't tackled the extra mode. This game is an excellent re-imagining of the original Blaster Master, but that's part of what limits it. I'm sure Blaster Master had to be amazing back in the day, in fact it's still a very competent mix of metroid's non-linear structure (albeit not as intricated) and shoot 'em ups; however there have been countless more compelling games in the genre since NES days. Still, the dual-style of gameplay, when you're piloting Sophia and when the pilot's out on his own, adds some needed variety in the game, as do the numerous bosses awaiting at the end of almost all caves. Speaking of the caves, the downgradable blaster, which loses power with each hit you take, is interesting, but not so much its various levels: you can annihilate everything with the max level, and if you lack that you're always going to fall back on the same two or three options. The HD rumble was weird, not sure if I like it yet, very noisy. All in all it was a good timewaster, but I won't remember it fondly.
APRIL
Game 13: Evoland II - 4/5 - 25:45 hours (09/04/2017)
100% the game with every achievement. As a sequel, Evoland II blows the first entry out of the water in terms of scope: while the first one was a nice action adventure Zelda-like, with sprinkles of other genres, this is a full-blown action RPG with a whole card mini-game in it. The game features a time-traveling gimmick and a varying structure: the first half is totally linear and definitely the less interesting one, on the opposite, during the second part the game opens up, world map and all that jazz, letting you choose among many quests. The game is ambitious, the plot sorta clichè but still interesting, there are surprises at each corner thanks to many genre switch-ups, but the length of the adventure does a disservice to the experience, making it go a little stale by the end. The game could've been much better if it adhered more to a personal style, forgoing the countless and tiring pop and game references, which are literally everywhere, and lessening the number of mini-games and genre changes. Still a pretty long and engrossing game.
Game 14: Inside - 5/5 - 6:06 hours (13/04/2017)
Got to the end of the story and found all secret rooms. A huge step up in tone and graphics from Limbo, even though the themes and the way of conveying them are similar. The animations of the boy are top notch, the world sucks you in immediately and never lets you go (I actually had to finish it in one sitting, couldn't stop), the progression in gameplay is nicely paired with a progression in the understanding of the world around you. The OST is unique, thanks to the fact it's been filtered through a human skull (!!), and definitely appropriate for this kind of misterious and low-profile adventure, where you must constantly hide. The game has many layers of interpretation and meaning, from the most face-value ones to deeper themes, and it loves to play with your expectations since the very beginning, as you think
you have to flee from somewhere, while you're actually trying to get in
an allegory of birth, as opposed to Limbo being an allegory of death, with the sperm (boy) who tries to reach the ovule (inner chamber) to then become a fetus (the amalgamation of bodies) and get out of the womb (light of the day outside)
Game 15: Shovel Knight - Specter of Torment - 4/5 - 7:23 hours (17/04/2017)
Got the credits and all the collectibles, finished a few challenges. Best campaign so far in Shovel Knight from a narrative standpoint, I really felt invested in Specter Knight's story by the end of the game. The game also manages to be a breath of fresh air after the first two campaigns, because it changes the basic structure, from retreading the same overworld, to a more Megaman-like stage choice, while also being a prequel and featuring vastly different levels from those of the first two parts. The gameplay is also my favourite take so far in the series: while Shovel Knight's controls are tight but unforgiving and Plague Knight's are kind of sloppy and less immediate to learn, Specter Knight controls like a charm, and it strikes the perfect balance between being challenging and frustrating. Moreover I appreciate that the levels are a tad shorter and toned down the collectathon that was Plague of Shadows.
Game 16: Shovel Knight - Plague of Shadows - 3/5 - 11:20 hours (17/04/2017)
Reached the ending, got all collectibles. The game is a good follow-up to the original; it's lovely how it tries to reuse what it can, while changing the way you experience it: a true exercise in style from the developer. However I feel as the game retreads too much the same ground, while offering too little new to hold your attention for the whole length of the campaign. The fact that Plague Knight is a much more complicated character than Shovel Knight gameplay-wise doesn't help: you constantly have to mess around in the menus, pausing the action, and still you never feel completely in control of the little guy; even after hours of trial and error, you almost never quite get the results you really want from the alchemical combination. Still the basis for a good game are totally there.
Game 17: Snake Pass - 3/5 - more than 10:00 hours (21/04/2017)
Completed the campaign. The initial impact was bad: the controls are hard to master and the game doesn't do a good enough job explaining how the "grip" ability works; however once I got the "grip" down the game opened up for me, the frustration went out of the window and I breezed through the levels getting all the collectibles in one go. That is until the last level, which features a huge difficulty spike all of a sudden: the way the wind works is simply unfair to you, and for the first time since I mastered the controls I felt the urge to thow the Switch out of the window. The difficulty is also mostly due to the camera-work, which isn't perfect throughout the game, but mostly bearable, until you reach the last world, when every obstacle begins to move around and the camera just keep getting stuck and in the way of what you're trying to do. Speaking of the end-game, it was utterly disappointing: the last world has one less level than the rest, so you don't even realize you're playing the last level until you see the ending sequence. The ending itself was upsetting, during the whole adventure, the game keeps building up to the "big baddy", responsible for what's happening; now I guessed there would be no classic "final boss" in such a game, but still I expected some kind of confrontation, yet nothing: the whole thing resolves in a comic and frankly stupid way. All the levels have the same objectives till the end, so you don't feel any real progression during the campaign, or accomplishment when finishing the game: you get a bunch of skins and the ability to see where the remaining collectibles are (too bad you most likely 100% all the levels, because doing them in more than one go is a pain, due to having to get the three gems every time). The basic idea is genius, but they haven't developed it in enough meaningful ways: they could have done much more with it.
Game 18: The Cave [replay with friend] - 2/5 - 5:30 hours (23/04/2017)
Finished the game a second time with one old and two new characters. On a second playthough the game shows his weak side: you have to redo all the common parts and also redo some specific parts, if you choose a character you already picked (which you'll have to do on your second or third time playing, because they're seven and you got to pick three at a time). The puzzles aren't particularly difficult, but they sometimes work in weird ways (e.g. the recorder), contradicting what you've learnt up to that point. There's also quite a lot backtracking involved and the characters don't exactly move quick. The ending is a huge let-down, the characters aren't developed in game, but just with the static pictures (their memories) you find around. Disappointing, moreso the second time playing through.
Game 19: SteamWorld Heist - 4/5 - 25:00 hours (23/04/2017)
Got max reputation and completed the campaign, missing quite a few hats. The game starts slow and without many strategic options, it also takes a while to really take off, since the first part lasts way too much, becoming pretty monotone, recycling enemies and settings constantly. Another annoying obstacle to one's enjoyment of the adventure is the inventory box system: you can only keep so many items and weapons at once, and you have to sell the rest for money, until you slowly find the means to upgrade the inventory itself; that, paired with the steady arrival of new recruits to your team, makes it so you always feel you don't have enough choice of equipment for your crew. The story is serviceable, the characters are unique both in personality and skills, so that you'll want to use them all and the soundtrack is top notch (thanks to Steam Powered Giraffe); but what really shines is the tactical gameplay: it works flawlessly and you can't stop playing, wishing for one more level after the other.
Game 20: Pirate Pop Plus - 1/5 - 4:06 hours (25/04/2017)
There's actually no ending, but I've invested enough time in it to call it a day; reached level 7, bought all but some faceplates and screens from the in-game shop. It's a different take on the classic Pang, featuring random changes of gravity and the novelty of changing the parts of the virtual handheld used to visualize the game. It's not a bad game, problem is that it's very barebones: the whole game is one screen only, no different stages, no different modes, the characters are basically all the same, no intro, no ending. There's a serious drought of content and the only thingsa you can earn in the game, besides the characters, are cosmetic parts that don't change the gameplay at all. In conclusion the game's simply lacking.
Game 21: Fast RMX - 3/5 - more than 15:00 hours (27/04/2017)
Got 1st ranks on all Subsonic and a few Supersonic cups, conquered Hero mode on Subsonic, beat a bunch of time trials. The first takeaway is that on the big screen the game's amazing to look at, especially at higher speeds, Storm Coast in particular being a sight to behold. The commands are responsive and tight, also thanks to the customization options; the gameplay requires good reflexes more than anything, as there's pretty much no deeper strategy involved: there are no weapons, no tricks, no drifts like in Mario Kart, you just have to get on those boosts and don't crash. The only strategic choice, which is much appreciated and adds a bit of variety to the game, is the need to switch between colours to use boosts and jumps without being slowed down. The game when all is said and done is very enjoyable, but lacks variety or something truly unique, like F-Zero's cutscenes and lore, while instead featuring an incredibly pernicious rubber-banding, which makes truly a hard trial to win the last few cups of every speed class.
Game 22: Jotun - 2/5 - 4:48 hours (28/04/2017)
Reached the ending and very briefly touched on Valhalla mode, found all apples, statues and points of interest. Went in blind expecting a boss rush mode, got an action game with a few puzzles, some battles, lots of walking and just 6 bosses. The game is very pleasing aesthetically, with hand-drawn backgrounds and characters which feature fantastic animations; however after the first hour or so you already got down the structure of the game, that is, from a certain point of view, very repetitive: 5 worlds, each 2 levels featuring a secret apple, 2 divine statues and the rune, which is the main objective. The monotony is mildly alleviated by the levels being pretty unique in what you actually have to do in them, though it's mostly exploring and solving very boring puzzles. The fights with the giants themselves are pretty nice, but sometimes frustrating due to the difficulty and due to the very lackluster combat options. Beautiful but not that fun.
Game 23: Year Walk - 2/5 - 2:12 hours (30/04/2017)
Got both endings. The game is short and to the point, it doesn't offer much of a challenge but some points are rather obtuse because you're never really briefed on what you can and can't do control-wise. The atmosphere is there though, and so is the general creepiness of the theme and of the game itself. The whole secret ending is at times creepy and at times comical... I don't quite understand what tone the writers were going for. A simple but enjoyable game to try once and that's it, I can't see myself ever playing it again.
MAY
Game 24: A Bird Story - 1/5 - 1:13 hours (01/05/2017)
I cried because I'm an emotional dumbass, but the game is really cynical in the way it presents its story. It tries to make you care with cheap tricks, without putting in a real effort: the characters have no depth, the plot is basic and the sequences contrived, as if they were going for some fancy magical realism effect, having you go through weird mash-ups of nature and cityscapes. Actually, it's more like having you watch the character go around, because the game offers almost no interaction and nothing you'll do will ever alter the way the story progresses: the player input is literally unnecessary. Since the writing in To the Moon was pretty bad, this time around they solved the issue by featuring no dialog at all: the characters only "talk" through their actions and through speech bubbles with images inside. This is a story that could have been told through many different mediums, and certainly gaming wasn't the more apt.
Game 25: SUPERHOT - 4/5 - 4:30 hours (03/05/2017)
Finished story mode, put some time in the challenges and other side stuff. The main mechanic has never been seen in such a game, and works wonders, the devsmanaged to introduce things slowly, so that the, albeit short, game never feels stale. The meta narrative approach has been kind of overused at this point, but it does its job still, also you don't necessarily have to meddle with it if you don't want, especially since the levels offer high replayability and you can try different approaches thanks to the numerous challenges. SUPERHOT is the most innovative shooter I've played in years!
Game 26: Ronin - 3/5 - 7:00 hours (04/05/2017)
Completed the game with all skill points. I love the premise of the game: a turn-based stealth-action game, not something you see everyday; however this is one of the most passive aggressive games I've ever seen. The game goes great lengths to intentionally annoy you, going as far as saying "hint: the hints cannot be deactivated"... that's funny? No it's not devs, as is not fun to make the game nigh impossible to beat if you invest your skill points unwisely; fortunately that wasn't my case, but I've heard many struggling with that. The game is hard, sometimes borderline unfair, it doesn't do a good job explaining what you can and can't do, a fact that reflects in how the turn-based combat gets needlessly complex: why can't you move but only jump? Why can't you strangle like out of combat? Why can't you get up from ledges? So many differences between the stealth and combat phase are never explained, as is never explained the behaviour of civilians, how enemies reload weapons, what's a lockdown and how does it work, trhe whole part about pausing out of combat , and so on. That's too bad because the art and premise of the game are good, however you can feel the devs half-assed many parts of the game, like the menus, which are completely unresponsive when using a controller, yet very basic and boring, or the story, which is basically a very brief Kill Bill-like afterthought, that they expand upon with a DLC comic. The game needed less edge and more love, still it's enjoyable if you're up to the challenge.
Game 27: Power Hover - 3/5 - 4:18 hours (04/05/2017)
Reached the credits, got all batteries, tried the challenges, haven't perfected the boss stages though. The minimalistic graphics manage not to be monotone or boring, to the opposite of what usually happens, thanks to an art direction which is always on point and varied. The music fits the atmosphere and aesthetic quite nicely. The gameplay is basic but addicting, mainly due to the well balanced difficulty, which never makes the game frustrating to play, also thanks to the rewind and life mechanics, that are well working additions. The controls, which are minimalistic too, can sometimes be not up to par though, mainly when you get on and off rails, and when you loop inside or outside pipes: the way the direction you input changes halfway throws me off every single time.
Game 28: Abzu - 4/5 - 5:36 hours (06/05/2017)
Got to the ending, with all achievements unlocked. This is a very relaxing game, one that doesn't make you feel anxiety, but constant marvel for the underwater world. It's a simple game, with very little to do, but there're lots of little details you can find to pierce the lore together or just to have fun in the ocean, ad just when you finally feel the structure is getting repetitive, the game throws a curveball at you and subverts your expectations for the final three chapters. The graphics are a fantastic artistic showcase of what you can do without going all out in the technical department and the soundtrack features exceptional moody tunes. The ending leaves basically everything up to interpretation, but that's the whole point of the game: to have an immersive sensory experience and get what you want out of it.
Game 29: Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist - 2/5 - 3:18 hours (06/05/2017)
100% the game with all achievements. It's basically a little more interactive The Stanley Parable: the humour is the same, the quirkiness of the setting is the same, but there are collectibles along the way to find, even though they're completely optional. It's an interesting meta take on the relationship between user-experience and developer intent in a game, repurposed as a very self-aware stage play. The game is nice and to the point on the first playthrough, but has some replay-value as well, giving you new stuff to do on the following playthroughs, like searching for hidden stuff or listening to weird, fun, in-game recordings. A curious free experiment.
Game 30: Metrico+ - 3/5 - 4:12 hours (10/05/2017)
Finished the main mode, found all collectibles, tried one time trial. Such a weird product: a puzzle platformer that gets inspiration from infographs. The presentation is very cut and clean, the sound department forgettable, the gameplay very confusing at first. However after one initial bad start you get to slowly understand the rules governing this minimalistic world, and you begin to have fun experimenting to find the appropriate solutions, which aren't all that hard once you get into it, aside from a few ending puzzles. The game does a good job to make you understand things without explaining much, and also manages to keep the player's attention by introducing a new main mechanic with each new level. The story is non-existant and the few cutscenes and ending mean little without a context that was never built around the main character. Still a competent pastime.
Game 31: Murdered: Soul Suspect - 4/5 - 11:42 hours (14/05/2017)
Got through the story, got 222/242 collectibles, don't intend to get the rest because one investigation scene got bugged and I can't get a clue, which is a shame, because I really wanted to 100% this one. This is a rough gem, unjustly panned by critics: a PS3-era game with the more conservative and linear structure of PS2 games, which is perfectly fine by me. The story is competent enough to make you care about the ending and the characters are all pretty nice, you can easily get in their shoes; the ending isn't obvious at all, in fact the game tries to deceive you twice, and I was honestly surprised by the last few twists, because I thought I had everything figured out since the beginning. The world is filled with collectibles that add to the lore and backstory of the game and characters, offering a nice reward so that it doesn't feel like a chore to find them: it's genuinely fun. The investigative gameplay is quite shallow, but still passable; however sometimes you get penalized unfairly for your decisions, as the game is very vague about some clues and questions. I liked the ghost part of it all a lot, and the first half of the game in particular is a blast. I recommend it despite the mediocre critic reviews.
Game 32: Psychonauts [replay with friend] - 5/5 - 28:00 hours (16/05/2017)
Completed everything in the game, achievements included. The game's a slow burner, the first level is arguably the less inventive and more boring of the bunch, especially since it's platform-heavy, something in which Psychonauts doesn't shine: the controls aren,'t the most precise ever. After that though, you get quickly engrossed into the whimsical plotline, absurd characters and relaxing camp life, that brings you back to childhood summers. The humour is great, on par with some of Schafer's best works, and there's plenty of it: every time you finish a level there are new convos to be had, new scenes to be seen, new character interaction to be witnessed. The levels themselves are crazy, they manage to keep the basis of the game's gameplay while expanding on it with their unique twist: obstacle course, pinball/racing, shooter, rampage, adventure and so on. Exploring the levels, and the hub in particular, to find the many collectibles is fun, especially thanks to the rank system that rewards you for your efforts with actual gameplay improvements, but they definitely went overboard with the figments. This game holds up, it's a fantastic entry in the 3D action plattformer genre with a great sense of humour.
Game 33: Rive - 3/5 - 4:24 hours (21/05/2017)
Finished the campaign, tried the challenges. First of all the main character is the most unsufferable sod I've ever played, he never shuts up, he's constantly not funny, spouting pop references, boastful and tries to get the world record for fourth wall breaking in a game: it's ironic that the devs put an annoying robot as the foil of the player, yet the main character is even more annoying. Put that blemish aside, the game's got a nice rhythm: you never stop for too long and the shooting never gets boring because it has an amazing feedback and the gameplay keeps changing. The enemies and environments are too much on the samey side though and there's really little reason for the mission based structure in the interconnected locales of the ship, as you are forced to go straight where the game wants anyway, it could have just been a long corridor and nothing would be lost; I appreciate the context provided though. Just don't have the same character in the next game please, or at least have him be quiet.
Game 34: Contradiction: The All-Video Murder Mystery Adventure [with friend] - 4/5 - 13:00 hours (30/05/2017)
Found the culprit! The case presents many interesting threads, developed with care, and the characters are all pretty unique and well characterized (Jenks is amazing), brought to the screen with good, over the top acting. The filming is appropriate and the locales chosen are all beautiful and cozy. The story has a few loose threads in the end, but it's clear the devs are trying to get out a sequel where they'll explain what's missing. The gameplay itself revolves mainly around the titular contradictions, while the exploration and use of items is kept to a minimum and is very simple, as far as the investigative parts go, though, everything works flawlessly and you never feel cheated by the game (aside from the place you have to use the torchlight in: that was bullshit). A nice throwback to the FMV games of yore, with an innovative indie after-taste.
JUNE
Game 35: Mega Man Legends - 5/5 - 13:59 hours (03/06/2017)
Finished the adventure, got all buster parts, special weapons, special items, done all sidequests. This game's such an incredible time capsule: the voice over, the excellent facial animations, the elaborate cut-scenes and the use of cell-shading graphics, while nothing special now, were majestically ahead of their times in 1997 (!!). The game's actually still heaps of fun now, it holds up beautifully: no quest markers, rather short but full of content and certainly not streamlined or straightforward, features a huge interconnected system of dungeons that you access from several above ground entrances, a rudimentary morality system that has you get darker if you do bad things and lighter with good deeds, an arsenal of different weapons that you have to rebuild finding their pieces around and that you can upgrade, a charming cast of characters, a persistent world that you can affect with your decisions and last buy not least mastodontic bosses. A game that has rightly reached cult status.
Game 36: Bayonetta [replay] - 4/5 - 10:?? hours (15/06/2017)
Simply finished the game once more, skipping most of cut-scenes. I re-played the game on the Wi U, while my first playthrough was on PS3, so I definitely felt the improvement in framerate and loading times. The combat, which is a mix of character action (DMC in particular, for obvious reasons) and versus fighting games, feels very deep and rewarding if you master it, however it can sometimes be a little too much all at once, especially due to the many weapons and their combinations. The art direction of the game is insane and the enemy are great design-wise, while a little confusing to read (and in that they feel alien-like as angels should feel), the constant excalations and climaxes are breathtaking and don't leave a momement of boredom, actually sometimes you wish the game was a little less exhausting and more evenly paced. What I definitely and without a doubt dislike about the game are the sudden death QTEs and how they affect the rating you get at the end of the level tremendously in comparison to their actual worth: they are as cheap as they get, often popping up during a cutscene, while you're completely focused on what's happening on screen and don't expect to be forced to intervene. The story is nice but nothing exceptional and surely a tad confusing for the first half. Anyway, the game is as good as I remembered and I must say that the graphics also hold up.
Game 37: Star Fox Guard [with friend] - 3/5 - ??:?? hours (20/06/2017)
Framed the culprit of the attacks and saw the credits, but haven't finished all the extra missions yet. Let's start exactly from that, the way to unlock the extra missions is maddeninig: the game forces you to accumulate minerals to level up and gain access to them, however even after having completed the campaign, having replayed several missions and having fought online I'm still at level 37, meaning that I still have 13 missions! It's preposterous to lock part of the meat of the game behind such requirements, a way to lengthen the playtime artificially which has the opposite effect on me: making me want to stop playing. That aside the game is very fun in little doses, the enemy variety is unexpectedly huge (wish I could say the same about the maps) and the security cam mechanic works flawlessly, highlighting for once the Wii U gamepad features. The missions don't offer much diversity though, even if the extra ones try to shake things off, the main objective always being to destroy all the combat class bots before they hit the base; the bosses are cool but there are only three of them. The online stuff doesn't really offer much, unless you simply like seeing the numbers that identify your rank go up: there are no leaderboards or such as usual per Nintendo. Innovative and unique tower defense that falls short on replayability and has an unlock system that seems to have been thought up for a FTP game.
Game 38: Windosill - 2/5 - 25 minutes (24/06/2017)
Got to the end. You can see this was a mobile game: it's all about that tactile interaction with the weird items and environments, however the impact is a little lost while using a mouse on the computer. More than a game, it's a quirky pastime.
Game 39: klocki - 3/5 - 50 minutes (24/06/2017)
Completed all the puzzles. The game does a good job of slowly but steadily introducing new mechanics till the end, mixing the gameplay constantly. However the vast majority of the puzzles don't involve much of a challenge nor are too original and the game's very short.
JULY
Game 40: Missing Translation - 2/5 - 1:18 hour (04/07/2017)
Finished and got all achievemets. Short freeware puzzle adventure, not really that much content there: three themed series of 25 puzzles each, plus one optional lore-related task. It's a serviceable game to pass an hour without thinking too much, there's a hidden language in the game, but it's not really used for anything but one thing.
Game 41: Metroid: Other M - 3/5 - 13:49 hours (09/07/2017)
100% the game. It's clear the devs wanted to take the cinematic AAA route, problem is the story is unimaginative (it's Alien) and full of holes (who the fuck was the traitor?!), the scripted dialogues are terrible and the dub mediocre: it lacks every single element that would make an AAA cinematic game stand out. Speaking about gameplay, everything's too linear, the first person/third person switch is too cumbersome and not fun, the need of waggling for a task requiring precision such as dodging is bad design, the map is confusing as hell, using only featureless blocks to show rooms and it's different from the mini-map (!!!): a huge step down from the Prime orographic one. That said not everything's bad: the more action oriented gameplay works and searching for hidden stuff is still very fun, also due to the linearity of the quest, the backtracking is kept to a minimum (but they killed speed runs and sequence breaking, which the series is known for), the bosses are fun and in good quantity and the post-game content is also a plus. Presentation is competent but not as inspired as the Prime environments, also there are far too many unskippable cutscenes, oft one after the other. From a lore standpoint this game is basically the assassination of the character of Samus: what was a strong-willed woman, working alone to fight back against unspoken horrors is transformed into a whiny and scared baby, willing to upstand the dumbest of orders (Samus now that our friend has almost been killed you can use the grapple beam, even though you passed in front of several grapple points up to now that I didn't allow you to traverse). Of course painting a deeper character through dialogues and self-reflections should be incentivized: that character however was the opposite of the Samus Aran we'd grown to love, it'd been better if they created a new one and gave her those features. Team Ninja bit off more than they could chew, they tried to make Metroid into something that is not to appease western AAA tastes, and in doing so they strayed too far from the road: this is a good game, just not a good Metroid one.
There's actually no ending, but I've invested enough time in it to call it a day; reached level 7, bought all but some faceplates and screens from the in-game shop. It's a different take on the classic Pang, featuring random changes of gravity and the novelty of changing the parts of the virtual handheld used to visualize the game. It's not a bad game, problem is that it's very barebones: the whole game is one screen only, no different stages, no different modes, the characters are basically all the same, no intro, no ending. There's a serious drought of content and the only thingsa you can earn in the game, besides the characters, are cosmetic parts that don't change the gameplay at all. In conclusion the game's simply lacking.
Game 21: Fast RMX - 3/5 - more than 15:00 hours (27/04/2017)
Got 1st ranks on all Subsonic and a few Supersonic cups, conquered Hero mode on Subsonic, beat a bunch of time trials. The first takeaway is that on the big screen the game's amazing to look at, especially at higher speeds, Storm Coast in particular being a sight to behold. The commands are responsive and tight, also thanks to the customization options; the gameplay requires good reflexes more than anything, as there's pretty much no deeper strategy involved: there are no weapons, no tricks, no drifts like in Mario Kart, you just have to get on those boosts and don't crash. The only strategic choice, which is much appreciated and adds a bit of variety to the game, is the need to switch between colours to use boosts and jumps without being slowed down. The game when all is said and done is very enjoyable, but lacks variety or something truly unique, like F-Zero's cutscenes and lore, while instead featuring an incredibly pernicious rubber-banding, which makes truly a hard trial to win the last few cups of every speed class.
Game 22: Jotun - 2/5 - 4:48 hours (28/04/2017)
Reached the ending and very briefly touched on Valhalla mode, found all apples, statues and points of interest. Went in blind expecting a boss rush mode, got an action game with a few puzzles, some battles, lots of walking and just 6 bosses. The game is very pleasing aesthetically, with hand-drawn backgrounds and characters which feature fantastic animations; however after the first hour or so you already got down the structure of the game, that is, from a certain point of view, very repetitive: 5 worlds, each 2 levels featuring a secret apple, 2 divine statues and the rune, which is the main objective. The monotony is mildly alleviated by the levels being pretty unique in what you actually have to do in them, though it's mostly exploring and solving very boring puzzles. The fights with the giants themselves are pretty nice, but sometimes frustrating due to the difficulty and due to the very lackluster combat options. Beautiful but not that fun.
Game 23: Year Walk - 2/5 - 2:12 hours (30/04/2017)
Got both endings. The game is short and to the point, it doesn't offer much of a challenge but some points are rather obtuse because you're never really briefed on what you can and can't do control-wise. The atmosphere is there though, and so is the general creepiness of the theme and of the game itself. The whole secret ending is at times creepy and at times comical... I don't quite understand what tone the writers were going for. A simple but enjoyable game to try once and that's it, I can't see myself ever playing it again.
MAY
Game 24: A Bird Story - 1/5 - 1:13 hours (01/05/2017)
I cried because I'm an emotional dumbass, but the game is really cynical in the way it presents its story. It tries to make you care with cheap tricks, without putting in a real effort: the characters have no depth, the plot is basic and the sequences contrived, as if they were going for some fancy magical realism effect, having you go through weird mash-ups of nature and cityscapes. Actually, it's more like having you watch the character go around, because the game offers almost no interaction and nothing you'll do will ever alter the way the story progresses: the player input is literally unnecessary. Since the writing in To the Moon was pretty bad, this time around they solved the issue by featuring no dialog at all: the characters only "talk" through their actions and through speech bubbles with images inside. This is a story that could have been told through many different mediums, and certainly gaming wasn't the more apt.
Game 25: SUPERHOT - 4/5 - 4:30 hours (03/05/2017)
Finished story mode, put some time in the challenges and other side stuff. The main mechanic has never been seen in such a game, and works wonders, the devsmanaged to introduce things slowly, so that the, albeit short, game never feels stale. The meta narrative approach has been kind of overused at this point, but it does its job still, also you don't necessarily have to meddle with it if you don't want, especially since the levels offer high replayability and you can try different approaches thanks to the numerous challenges. SUPERHOT is the most innovative shooter I've played in years!
Game 26: Ronin - 3/5 - 7:00 hours (04/05/2017)
Completed the game with all skill points. I love the premise of the game: a turn-based stealth-action game, not something you see everyday; however this is one of the most passive aggressive games I've ever seen. The game goes great lengths to intentionally annoy you, going as far as saying "hint: the hints cannot be deactivated"... that's funny? No it's not devs, as is not fun to make the game nigh impossible to beat if you invest your skill points unwisely; fortunately that wasn't my case, but I've heard many struggling with that. The game is hard, sometimes borderline unfair, it doesn't do a good job explaining what you can and can't do, a fact that reflects in how the turn-based combat gets needlessly complex: why can't you move but only jump? Why can't you strangle like out of combat? Why can't you get up from ledges? So many differences between the stealth and combat phase are never explained, as is never explained the behaviour of civilians, how enemies reload weapons, what's a lockdown and how does it work, trhe whole part about pausing out of combat , and so on. That's too bad because the art and premise of the game are good, however you can feel the devs half-assed many parts of the game, like the menus, which are completely unresponsive when using a controller, yet very basic and boring, or the story, which is basically a very brief Kill Bill-like afterthought, that they expand upon with a DLC comic. The game needed less edge and more love, still it's enjoyable if you're up to the challenge.
Game 27: Power Hover - 3/5 - 4:18 hours (04/05/2017)
Reached the credits, got all batteries, tried the challenges, haven't perfected the boss stages though. The minimalistic graphics manage not to be monotone or boring, to the opposite of what usually happens, thanks to an art direction which is always on point and varied. The music fits the atmosphere and aesthetic quite nicely. The gameplay is basic but addicting, mainly due to the well balanced difficulty, which never makes the game frustrating to play, also thanks to the rewind and life mechanics, that are well working additions. The controls, which are minimalistic too, can sometimes be not up to par though, mainly when you get on and off rails, and when you loop inside or outside pipes: the way the direction you input changes halfway throws me off every single time.
Game 28: Abzu - 4/5 - 5:36 hours (06/05/2017)
Got to the ending, with all achievements unlocked. This is a very relaxing game, one that doesn't make you feel anxiety, but constant marvel for the underwater world. It's a simple game, with very little to do, but there're lots of little details you can find to pierce the lore together or just to have fun in the ocean, ad just when you finally feel the structure is getting repetitive, the game throws a curveball at you and subverts your expectations for the final three chapters. The graphics are a fantastic artistic showcase of what you can do without going all out in the technical department and the soundtrack features exceptional moody tunes. The ending leaves basically everything up to interpretation, but that's the whole point of the game: to have an immersive sensory experience and get what you want out of it.
Game 29: Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist - 2/5 - 3:18 hours (06/05/2017)
100% the game with all achievements. It's basically a little more interactive The Stanley Parable: the humour is the same, the quirkiness of the setting is the same, but there are collectibles along the way to find, even though they're completely optional. It's an interesting meta take on the relationship between user-experience and developer intent in a game, repurposed as a very self-aware stage play. The game is nice and to the point on the first playthrough, but has some replay-value as well, giving you new stuff to do on the following playthroughs, like searching for hidden stuff or listening to weird, fun, in-game recordings. A curious free experiment.
Game 30: Metrico+ - 3/5 - 4:12 hours (10/05/2017)
Finished the main mode, found all collectibles, tried one time trial. Such a weird product: a puzzle platformer that gets inspiration from infographs. The presentation is very cut and clean, the sound department forgettable, the gameplay very confusing at first. However after one initial bad start you get to slowly understand the rules governing this minimalistic world, and you begin to have fun experimenting to find the appropriate solutions, which aren't all that hard once you get into it, aside from a few ending puzzles. The game does a good job to make you understand things without explaining much, and also manages to keep the player's attention by introducing a new main mechanic with each new level. The story is non-existant and the few cutscenes and ending mean little without a context that was never built around the main character. Still a competent pastime.
Game 31: Murdered: Soul Suspect - 4/5 - 11:42 hours (14/05/2017)
Got through the story, got 222/242 collectibles, don't intend to get the rest because one investigation scene got bugged and I can't get a clue, which is a shame, because I really wanted to 100% this one. This is a rough gem, unjustly panned by critics: a PS3-era game with the more conservative and linear structure of PS2 games, which is perfectly fine by me. The story is competent enough to make you care about the ending and the characters are all pretty nice, you can easily get in their shoes; the ending isn't obvious at all, in fact the game tries to deceive you twice, and I was honestly surprised by the last few twists, because I thought I had everything figured out since the beginning. The world is filled with collectibles that add to the lore and backstory of the game and characters, offering a nice reward so that it doesn't feel like a chore to find them: it's genuinely fun. The investigative gameplay is quite shallow, but still passable; however sometimes you get penalized unfairly for your decisions, as the game is very vague about some clues and questions. I liked the ghost part of it all a lot, and the first half of the game in particular is a blast. I recommend it despite the mediocre critic reviews.
Game 32: Psychonauts [replay with friend] - 5/5 - 28:00 hours (16/05/2017)
Completed everything in the game, achievements included. The game's a slow burner, the first level is arguably the less inventive and more boring of the bunch, especially since it's platform-heavy, something in which Psychonauts doesn't shine: the controls aren,'t the most precise ever. After that though, you get quickly engrossed into the whimsical plotline, absurd characters and relaxing camp life, that brings you back to childhood summers. The humour is great, on par with some of Schafer's best works, and there's plenty of it: every time you finish a level there are new convos to be had, new scenes to be seen, new character interaction to be witnessed. The levels themselves are crazy, they manage to keep the basis of the game's gameplay while expanding on it with their unique twist: obstacle course, pinball/racing, shooter, rampage, adventure and so on. Exploring the levels, and the hub in particular, to find the many collectibles is fun, especially thanks to the rank system that rewards you for your efforts with actual gameplay improvements, but they definitely went overboard with the figments. This game holds up, it's a fantastic entry in the 3D action plattformer genre with a great sense of humour.
Game 33: Rive - 3/5 - 4:24 hours (21/05/2017)
Finished the campaign, tried the challenges. First of all the main character is the most unsufferable sod I've ever played, he never shuts up, he's constantly not funny, spouting pop references, boastful and tries to get the world record for fourth wall breaking in a game: it's ironic that the devs put an annoying robot as the foil of the player, yet the main character is even more annoying. Put that blemish aside, the game's got a nice rhythm: you never stop for too long and the shooting never gets boring because it has an amazing feedback and the gameplay keeps changing. The enemies and environments are too much on the samey side though and there's really little reason for the mission based structure in the interconnected locales of the ship, as you are forced to go straight where the game wants anyway, it could have just been a long corridor and nothing would be lost; I appreciate the context provided though. Just don't have the same character in the next game please, or at least have him be quiet.
Game 34: Contradiction: The All-Video Murder Mystery Adventure [with friend] - 4/5 - 13:00 hours (30/05/2017)
Found the culprit! The case presents many interesting threads, developed with care, and the characters are all pretty unique and well characterized (Jenks is amazing), brought to the screen with good, over the top acting. The filming is appropriate and the locales chosen are all beautiful and cozy. The story has a few loose threads in the end, but it's clear the devs are trying to get out a sequel where they'll explain what's missing. The gameplay itself revolves mainly around the titular contradictions, while the exploration and use of items is kept to a minimum and is very simple, as far as the investigative parts go, though, everything works flawlessly and you never feel cheated by the game (aside from the place you have to use the torchlight in: that was bullshit). A nice throwback to the FMV games of yore, with an innovative indie after-taste.
JUNE
Game 35: Mega Man Legends - 5/5 - 13:59 hours (03/06/2017)
Finished the adventure, got all buster parts, special weapons, special items, done all sidequests. This game's such an incredible time capsule: the voice over, the excellent facial animations, the elaborate cut-scenes and the use of cell-shading graphics, while nothing special now, were majestically ahead of their times in 1997 (!!). The game's actually still heaps of fun now, it holds up beautifully: no quest markers, rather short but full of content and certainly not streamlined or straightforward, features a huge interconnected system of dungeons that you access from several above ground entrances, a rudimentary morality system that has you get darker if you do bad things and lighter with good deeds, an arsenal of different weapons that you have to rebuild finding their pieces around and that you can upgrade, a charming cast of characters, a persistent world that you can affect with your decisions and last buy not least mastodontic bosses. A game that has rightly reached cult status.
Game 36: Bayonetta [replay] - 4/5 - 10:?? hours (15/06/2017)
Simply finished the game once more, skipping most of cut-scenes. I re-played the game on the Wi U, while my first playthrough was on PS3, so I definitely felt the improvement in framerate and loading times. The combat, which is a mix of character action (DMC in particular, for obvious reasons) and versus fighting games, feels very deep and rewarding if you master it, however it can sometimes be a little too much all at once, especially due to the many weapons and their combinations. The art direction of the game is insane and the enemy are great design-wise, while a little confusing to read (and in that they feel alien-like as angels should feel), the constant excalations and climaxes are breathtaking and don't leave a momement of boredom, actually sometimes you wish the game was a little less exhausting and more evenly paced. What I definitely and without a doubt dislike about the game are the sudden death QTEs and how they affect the rating you get at the end of the level tremendously in comparison to their actual worth: they are as cheap as they get, often popping up during a cutscene, while you're completely focused on what's happening on screen and don't expect to be forced to intervene. The story is nice but nothing exceptional and surely a tad confusing for the first half. Anyway, the game is as good as I remembered and I must say that the graphics also hold up.
Game 37: Star Fox Guard [with friend] - 3/5 - ??:?? hours (20/06/2017)
Framed the culprit of the attacks and saw the credits, but haven't finished all the extra missions yet. Let's start exactly from that, the way to unlock the extra missions is maddeninig: the game forces you to accumulate minerals to level up and gain access to them, however even after having completed the campaign, having replayed several missions and having fought online I'm still at level 37, meaning that I still have 13 missions! It's preposterous to lock part of the meat of the game behind such requirements, a way to lengthen the playtime artificially which has the opposite effect on me: making me want to stop playing. That aside the game is very fun in little doses, the enemy variety is unexpectedly huge (wish I could say the same about the maps) and the security cam mechanic works flawlessly, highlighting for once the Wii U gamepad features. The missions don't offer much diversity though, even if the extra ones try to shake things off, the main objective always being to destroy all the combat class bots before they hit the base; the bosses are cool but there are only three of them. The online stuff doesn't really offer much, unless you simply like seeing the numbers that identify your rank go up: there are no leaderboards or such as usual per Nintendo. Innovative and unique tower defense that falls short on replayability and has an unlock system that seems to have been thought up for a FTP game.
Game 38: Windosill - 2/5 - 25 minutes (24/06/2017)
Got to the end. You can see this was a mobile game: it's all about that tactile interaction with the weird items and environments, however the impact is a little lost while using a mouse on the computer. More than a game, it's a quirky pastime.
Game 39: klocki - 3/5 - 50 minutes (24/06/2017)
Completed all the puzzles. The game does a good job of slowly but steadily introducing new mechanics till the end, mixing the gameplay constantly. However the vast majority of the puzzles don't involve much of a challenge nor are too original and the game's very short.
JULY
Game 40: Missing Translation - 2/5 - 1:18 hour (04/07/2017)
Finished and got all achievemets. Short freeware puzzle adventure, not really that much content there: three themed series of 25 puzzles each, plus one optional lore-related task. It's a serviceable game to pass an hour without thinking too much, there's a hidden language in the game, but it's not really used for anything but one thing.
Game 41: Metroid: Other M - 3/5 - 13:49 hours (09/07/2017)
100% the game. It's clear the devs wanted to take the cinematic AAA route, problem is the story is unimaginative (it's Alien) and full of holes (who the fuck was the traitor?!), the scripted dialogues are terrible and the dub mediocre: it lacks every single element that would make an AAA cinematic game stand out. Speaking about gameplay, everything's too linear, the first person/third person switch is too cumbersome and not fun, the need of waggling for a task requiring precision such as dodging is bad design, the map is confusing as hell, using only featureless blocks to show rooms and it's different from the mini-map (!!!): a huge step down from the Prime orographic one. That said not everything's bad: the more action oriented gameplay works and searching for hidden stuff is still very fun, also due to the linearity of the quest, the backtracking is kept to a minimum (but they killed speed runs and sequence breaking, which the series is known for), the bosses are fun and in good quantity and the post-game content is also a plus. Presentation is competent but not as inspired as the Prime environments, also there are far too many unskippable cutscenes, oft one after the other. From a lore standpoint this game is basically the assassination of the character of Samus: what was a strong-willed woman, working alone to fight back against unspoken horrors is transformed into a whiny and scared baby, willing to upstand the dumbest of orders (Samus now that our friend has almost been killed you can use the grapple beam, even though you passed in front of several grapple points up to now that I didn't allow you to traverse). Of course painting a deeper character through dialogues and self-reflections should be incentivized: that character however was the opposite of the Samus Aran we'd grown to love, it'd been better if they created a new one and gave her those features. Team Ninja bit off more than they could chew, they tried to make Metroid into something that is not to appease western AAA tastes, and in doing so they strayed too far from the road: this is a good game, just not a good Metroid one.
BigBoss007
Member
This is my first attempt to do this! Let's play a bunch of videogames!
1. Evil Cogs: beautiful Limbo-wannabe about light and darkness (completed in 4 hours).
2. The Witcher 3: I've been playing since 2015 (500 hours or so; still "?" marks to complete).
3. 12 is better than 6: a sort of Hotline Miami clon set in the Wild West (played for 2 hours).
4. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots: I'm replaying it for, perhaps, the 7th time; it's amazing (played for 2 hours).
5. Tekken Tag Tournament 2: I always play with my brother; he's pretty good (played for 2 hours).
6. Mass Effect 2: EA gave it for free, so I'm replaying and warming up for Andromeda; what an incredible game! (completed in 26 hours).
7. Far Cry: Primal: I'm playing on Survivor and Permanent Death, and the game is a hell of a fight for my life (played for 5 hours and 20 minutes).
8. Watch_Dogs 2: a better game than the first, but not still a mediocre game (completed in 25 hours).
9. Rainbow Six: Siege: I gave it a shot thanks to the Free Weekend in Uplay; it's mediocre and ugly, but pretty funny (played for 4 hours).
10. Battlefield 1: I finished the story mode and, man, what a dull game: six micro-campaigns and there is only one worth playing (completed in seven hours).
11. Let It Die: I tried it out and didn't like it (played for two hours).
12. The Order 1886: what a boring game and a dull plot and characters (completed in ten hours).
13. Uncharted 4: I tried out the new Survival Mode and played a few online matches (played for three hours).
14. Bloodborne: I've just started the game again with a new character because my main is really OP at level 250 (played for eight hours).
15. Lords of the Fallen: well, I don't know what I was expected, but this game is so easy compared to Dark Souls; and not just that: the level design, enemies, characters, lore... Everything except visuals is way worse than Dark Souls (completed in twelve hours).
16. Mad Max: I've put a few hours in the game; so far so good, except because I can't stand the mutant mechanic. I give up; level design is crap: you need to play secondary missions to progress in the main plot. This is stupid (played for twelve hours).
17. The Last Guardian: well, I don't understand why anybody said how bad the controls and camera are in this game. I can't stand them. I'm giving up (played for five hours).
18. HITMAN: I've just finished the game; well, the whole game is like Blood Money on steroids (completed in twenty hours).
19. Mass Effect Andromeda: prologue finished. I don't know whether to continue or not (played for five hours).
20. Bayonetta: I've just finished it for the first time; man, what a crazy game (completed in eleven hours).
21. Dishonored 2: I've finished the demo and I think it's time to buy this game (played for six hours).
1. Evil Cogs: beautiful Limbo-wannabe about light and darkness (completed in 4 hours).
2. The Witcher 3: I've been playing since 2015 (500 hours or so; still "?" marks to complete).
3. 12 is better than 6: a sort of Hotline Miami clon set in the Wild West (played for 2 hours).
4. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots: I'm replaying it for, perhaps, the 7th time; it's amazing (played for 2 hours).
5. Tekken Tag Tournament 2: I always play with my brother; he's pretty good (played for 2 hours).
6. Mass Effect 2: EA gave it for free, so I'm replaying and warming up for Andromeda; what an incredible game! (completed in 26 hours).
7. Far Cry: Primal: I'm playing on Survivor and Permanent Death, and the game is a hell of a fight for my life (played for 5 hours and 20 minutes).
8. Watch_Dogs 2: a better game than the first, but not still a mediocre game (completed in 25 hours).
9. Rainbow Six: Siege: I gave it a shot thanks to the Free Weekend in Uplay; it's mediocre and ugly, but pretty funny (played for 4 hours).
10. Battlefield 1: I finished the story mode and, man, what a dull game: six micro-campaigns and there is only one worth playing (completed in seven hours).
11. Let It Die: I tried it out and didn't like it (played for two hours).
12. The Order 1886: what a boring game and a dull plot and characters (completed in ten hours).
13. Uncharted 4: I tried out the new Survival Mode and played a few online matches (played for three hours).
14. Bloodborne: I've just started the game again with a new character because my main is really OP at level 250 (played for eight hours).
15. Lords of the Fallen: well, I don't know what I was expected, but this game is so easy compared to Dark Souls; and not just that: the level design, enemies, characters, lore... Everything except visuals is way worse than Dark Souls (completed in twelve hours).
16. Mad Max: I've put a few hours in the game; so far so good, except because I can't stand the mutant mechanic. I give up; level design is crap: you need to play secondary missions to progress in the main plot. This is stupid (played for twelve hours).
17. The Last Guardian: well, I don't understand why anybody said how bad the controls and camera are in this game. I can't stand them. I'm giving up (played for five hours).
18. HITMAN: I've just finished the game; well, the whole game is like Blood Money on steroids (completed in twenty hours).
19. Mass Effect Andromeda: prologue finished. I don't know whether to continue or not (played for five hours).
20. Bayonetta: I've just finished it for the first time; man, what a crazy game (completed in eleven hours).
21. Dishonored 2: I've finished the demo and I think it's time to buy this game (played for six hours).
Game 42: For Frog The Bell Tolls - 2/5 - around 07:00 hours (22/07/2017)
Finished the game. It's a very straightforward experience masked under the hood of a Zelda-like game: the reality is that the game will constantly point you in the direction you have to go and exploration is very limited; still there're secret items scattered around, but again, you'll need to pick them up anyway if you want to proceed and beat the final boss. The story is charmingly simple, nothing is overthought in it, so the game is a rather pleasurable ride, sorta like reading a children's book. Combat is non-existent, once you impact upon an enemy a short brawl cut-scene starts and everything is automatic: victory is pre-determined by some stats that you can upgrade during the game, by finding the aforementioned items. The game is mostly a light adventure until you enter the few dungeons, when it becomes a rather tricky puzzle platformer; the later castle parts are especially difficult, what had been an easy ride transforms into a super challenging platformer with few checkpoints, many possible routes, plenty of deadly pitfalls and traps: a difficulty spike that's hardly justified. The frog and snake transformations you acquire progressing through the game seldom feel rewarding and are mostly a nuisance due to having to constantly switch from a form to another. The adventure is only barely worth it due to the crazy end-boss, interesting scenario and cute world you walk in.
Game 43: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - 5/5 - 14:51 hours (22/07/2017)
Reached 200.6% exploration, level 50 Alucard, got best ending. The gameplay is fantastic and responsive, after the initial uneasiness due to the slow pace of the walking, you get accustomed to the game's rhythm and gain lots of traversal options that make the environments really fun to explore. The castle itself is full of peculiar zones with exquisite pre-rendered backgrounds and sprites, sprinkled with some 3D effects that really pop out, making their sporadic apparition really feel magical. The enemy variety is bonkers, the bosses are in great number, the equipment options are incredible; the castle features heaps of hidden rooms and breakable nooks and crannies containing secret items. There are several NPCs in the game with voiced lines and, while the quality of the dub isn't the best, the script never feels silly and is translated with an adequate tone in English; the story links to the other games in the series while mantaining its own personality and being able to stand alone; the multiple endings that you have to uncover yourself by doing certain things are an awesome bonus. Moreover this is the game that keeps on giving: I would've been fine with just the standard castle, but you get a whole other one on top of that (eheh), filled with as many new enemies, traps, items, weapons and memorable bosses! A colossal overhaul of the classic Castlevania formula that offers so much to the player and stands the test of time gracefully.
AUGUST
Game 44: The Unfinished Swan - 3/5 - around 04:00 hours (03/08/2017)
Completed the story, got all achievements. The premise is great, but I'm not sure the devs managed to accomplish enough with it: seems like you could do so much more variations on the theme and keep the game going longer while still staying fresh. In fact each chapter introduces a main variation on the painting theme, but I found the later parts quite weak and hardly connected to the initial "blank canvas" pitch as far as gameplay goes; the first chapter is what I'd liked the whole game to be about. The story is fairytale-like with a way too mysterious and allegoric tone for my liking, I think such a simple game would've been served better by a more to the point story: a simple fable. The unlockables are pretty boring and useless and you have no reason to replay the very short campaign; a few challenges revolving around the number of paintballs you could use to clear a chapter would have done wonders for the game's replay-value. The few puzzles are really easy. Another case of great potential in mechanics kinda wasted on a good game with a very limited scope.
Game 45: Hohokum - 4/5 - more than 07:02 hours (05/08/2017)
Found all the flying serpents and eyes. The art direction and imagination this game has are hard to pass by, it's light hearted and invites you to go where you want and learn your way through various interactions with the goofy world around you. The beings that populate the game, just like the environments, seem to be ripped straight from a Cartoon Network show, the simple act of flying around is lovely, feels good, and always makes you feel in control. The worlds you visit are hit and miss, with some very elaborate ones and others very briefly put together, but all offer different activities and objects to interact with. One blemish is that the undertaking of finding all the collectibles doesn't really reward you with much. In the end though, this is a majestically whimsical game.
Game 46: Overcooked [with friend] - 4/5 - 12:18 hours (13/08/2017)
Got the 3 stars rating on all levels, destroyed the Beast. It's been a while since I've played such a great and fresh co-op game, and I've just played in 2 player mode, I can only wonder how crazy it gets with 4 people. Content and story are the weak points of the game: the plot is nonsensical in a not so funny way, there's a huge hard cut after you beat the final boss with not even a congratulation screen or a brief cut-scene: besides the main cooking gameplay there's really nothing else to look forward in the game. Having said that, the gameplay itself is simple but super addictive: you feel rewarded by properly communicating and coordinating with your partner, yet it's rage inducing when you screw up; the stages feel almost all new thanks to the various mechanics employed that spice up the action, and are all perfectly tailored for the muliplayer experience. The versus mode offers some crazy replayability with a group of friends. This game's like a drug and you won't feel the time flying by while playing it.
Game 47: Rain - 2/5 - around 04:00 hours (14/08/2017)
Reached the credits but didn't bother going back to get the memories, in fact, let's start from that: the game purposefully adds collectibles only after you finish the game, so that you're forced to play it again if you want them. That's really poor design, they did it only to artificially lengthen your playtime and it makes it an hassle to get them. Having them on your first playthrough would have instead broke away from the monotony and dullness of it all: you run from enemies, you scale some generic urban landscape and you solve extremely basic puzzles that wouldn't stump a ten years old and offer no satisfaction. The game's art direction isn't that bad, the constant rain and beautiful piano music do create a nice atmosphere, but it may very well end up getting on your nerves after roaming the same dark places under the rain for hours. The biggest problem of the game is that it literally doesn't really try to do anything new aside from the, admittedly underused, rain gimmick (everything the game does could have been done without it): it's as if the last 15 years hadn't passed and this was a fresh new PS2 game.
Game 48: Stikbold! [with friend] - 3/5 - 03:12 hours (16/08/2017)
Completed the campaign, but haven't cleared all challenges (will go back to them though). The base gameplay works like a charm and makes you feel in control of your actions at all times, hitting someone with a powered shot, or catching a shot mid-air gives you a great sensation, even after having played for a long time. The campaign is very weird from a storyline point of view, but I appreciate all the care that has gone into making you feel part of a coherent world and having a complete story arc, unlike what I lamented was sorely missing in Overcooked. The campaign is also very short and to the point, while featuring continuous varitians on the basic dodgeball premise: each stage is heavily different from the others and there are many bosses. Besides the main game, there are some side activities and mini games worth trying to break the monotony. One thing I didn't appreciate is that the game skimps on teaching you some basic moves, that you have to basically learn yourself through trial and error and by trying to win the side challeges in each stage. A game with some crazy humour, an even more crazy plot and some great action.
Game 49: Rime - 5/5 - around 9:00 hours (18/08/2017)
I "let it go", but I'll be back to get all collectibles and trophies for sure. I was hooked ever since the first reveal trailer, but I started the quest skeptically due to its supposedly troublesome development; the way played on my fears in a surprisingly effective way: as soon as I entered the tower I thought the game was basically done, but it turns out I wasn't even halfway in and there was another huge island to explore! I was amazed at the scope of the exploration: the islands were believable places that felt lived in, with an internal coherence. So I was bummed out when I realized that the other two parts of the game were far less open and featured way less exploration; but that isn't to say I didn't appreciate the different takes of those zones. In fact each part of the game has a striking visual style, invoke different emotions in the player and has a different focus: exploration, stealth, puzzle solving and climbing. The graphics and sound design are excellent, too bad for the framerate issues plaguing some points of the adventure; the song playing through is otherworldly in its beauty. The game lets you walk at your own pace and doesn't hold your hand: you can freely explore and then if you feel inclined you can follow the bread crumbs the devs quietly left, as to continue on the beaten path. The plot is incredibly solid and not pretentious at all, unlike many other similar games; in the end everything is explained and resolved quite nicely in one of the most powerful endings I've ever witnessed in a video game. Even though the game never strays too much from typical puzzles of questionable difficulty and doesn't offer anything you can't find in other games gameplay-wise, the final moments of the game and the emotional impact they had on me is what will stuck with me for the longest time. A poetic adventure, brought to the screen artfully.
Game 50: Pink Heaven - 1/5 - 53 minutes (20/08/2017)
Beat hard mode. The buttons you usually press to jump and to shoot are inverted, the fact the game locks you into position when shooting can be useful but is cumbersome and counter-intuitive, the game is either super easy on your first playthrough or super hard on your second playthrough, an NPC comes out to say that the story is non-existent in hard mode... but the same could be said about the standard mode. The game is extremely short and the difficulty in the second playthrough is ramped up artificially, especially since the character controls very badly: why does she slips so much when landing? It's like if she were on ice constantly. Free but still disappointing, a chore to play.
Game 51: King's Quest: Chapter 1 - A Knight to Remember - 3/5 - around 6 hours (23/08/2017)
Became a knight of the crown. Never played the original series (well, I did play KQVII but that's far removed from what's being told here) so it's a pretty fresh experience for me. Graham is a lovable protagonist, funny without ending up as too sarcastic (Guybrush) or annoying (Rufus), one can really empathize with him. The supporting cast of characters is mostly on point and fascinating, even if one-dimensional, the plot is a simple but well-told fairytale lacking any major twists, but the way the narration is chronologically woven is intererstingly unconventional. The graphics are mostly harmonious, but sometimes jarring, as the cartoonish characters, items and effects tend to contrast with the more realistic and generic textures; the sound department is fine, as is the voiceover. From a gameplay perspective I appreciated the (kinda shallow) puzzles, not so much the action elements and I absolutely loathed the QTEs, that in 2017 should really have no more place in action games, let alone in adventures like this. The ending is satisfying in itself, there's no real huge cliffhanger to prompt you to spend on the other chapters and I admire that, even though over the course of the game you make choices that should have consequences in the subsequent iterations, and that intrigues me.
Game 52: Gravity Rush Remastered - 3/5 - around 15:00 hours (26/08/2017)
Got my second Platinum Trophy. There's something magical about this game that I can't quite grasp: the city is open but pretty barren in terms of what you can do, the sky is filled with fog preventing you to see too far, the graphics aren't that impressive, besides the on point art direction, the plot isn't that hot either for a good part of it, the challenges are all pretty similar and the DLC doesn't offer that much in termsof new content. So why did I adore this game beyond its shortcomings? I guess it's the charming soundtrack, the main character, Kat, being so down to Earth (pun intended), likeable and real, the gravity mechanics working as intended and the slow and steady progression throughout the game. The plot itself offer some nice twists and goes into very interesting places... until everything suddenly ends; the campaign definitely seem truncated when things were starting rolling for real, leaving lots and lots of story threads hanging. It's a great "podcast game", can't wait to play the sequel.
Game 53: Game of Thrones - Episode 1: Iron From Ice - 2/5 - around 02:00 hours (27/08/2017)
Made my choices and completed the episode. I appreciated the decision to introduce you and make you play as a new house, relying on famous existing GoT characters only for NPCs interactions and for creating a sort of side story interwoven with the main plot of the TV show and books. Although the story feels a lot like a retread of House Stark and their misadventures: the lord and the firstborn are killed (Ned and Robb), a daughter is in King's Landing (Sansa), the lady of the House is strong-willed (Catelyn), there are two young boys (Bran & Rickon), one son ends up in Essos (Arya) and there's someone who's not quite part of the family yet very loyal to it and gets sent to the Wall (Jon). The choices seemed quite important but I haven't witnessed their repercussions yet, the graphics try to ape impressionist paintings but are quite mediocre and sometimes jarring, especially the characters' models and the robotic animations. Not sure I care about finding out what happens next.
SEPTEMBER
Game 54: Tales from the Borderlands - Episode 1: Zer0 Sum - 3/5 - around 02:00 hours (10/09/2017)
Reached the end and watch the next episode teaser. The game being told from an original perspective, without putting too much weight on the existing lore really eased my entry into the franchise. The cast of characters are lovably despicable, and the plot being a con story gone wrong was exciting. From a technical standpoint, the game features admirable cell-shaded graphics and some good sound design, especially in the last chapter. It definitely interested me more than other Telltale properties I've played so far, the story moved at a cool pace and presented many unresolved hooks that make me willing of playing the full season. It's a different take on Borderlands with less infantile humour.
Game 55: My Nintendo Picross - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - 3/5 - 24:49 hours (11/09/2017)
Finished all standard, mega and micross puzzles. It's picross with a Zelda coat of paint, nothing mind-blowing, but the many quality of life tricks the game adds, help staying focused on the core of the game; the mega puzzles add much needed variety, while the micross puzzles are a novelty that wears off quickly. A super addicting game, great to play while listening to something.
Game 56: A King's Tale: Final Fantasy XV - 2/5 - around 1:00 hour (12/09/2017)
Got to the end of the campaign, tried the challenges. The fighting is varied enough by itself, and the game brings in more mechanics, moves and enemies with consistency throughout the whole story mode, but the action ends up repetitive anyway. The story is clearly ancillary, as highlighted by the hilariously bad and juvenile writing, justified by the game being a fictitious retelling of events that maybe never truely played out. The dream battle challenges are a cool addition too tackle if you want to get more out of the game. The vintage presentation features amazing pixel art paired with apt modern effects and a subpar environmental design. A surprisingly competent beat 'em up that doesn't take itself too seriously.
Game 57: Samorost 3 - 2/5 - 06:06 hours (15/09/2017)
Finished the adventure, got all sound spirits (and hence all achievements). The hand drawn (?) backgrounds, animals and characters are amazing, as is the musical tone of the journey, with its beautiful violins and flutes. The fact that the developers tried a non-verbal approach with the game is a commendable feat, but shows how important clear communication is: things aren't ever really obvious in this game. The design of the puzzles is a mess, the game fails to cue you in on what you can or can't do, on what goal it expects you to reach and even on what the ultimate motivation for the quest is! In fact more often than not the game feels impenetrable and seems to punish the player with unnecessary backtracking, unskippable traversal scenes, and forcing you to re-do puzzles to move from place to place. Even the hint system is needlessly obtuse, having you do a boring puzzle each time you want to see the solution to a problem, solutions that most times aren't clear themselves! It's a shame that such a charming and atmospheric game is hampered by absurd design choices.
Game 58: Knack II [with friend] - 3/5 - 19:49 hours (19/09/2017)
Got the Platinum and saved humanity. This is a very predictable game, from the super generic art style, to the gameplay that doesn't try to do anything new, passing through the incredibly boring plot with its terrible writing and waste of space characters. Yet, it's a very enjoyable game in co-op, at least until the new stuff keeps coming (which is basically the whole campaign, as the game keeps throwing at you new enemies, powers, secrets and environments up till the very end), and there's lots of playtime to be had: in fact the adventure may be even a tad too long and the last few chapters stretched thin in comparison to the beginning. What the game does right is the sense of scale and size it invokes, especially when Knacks gets very big and fights or (traverses inside) titanic monsters, same can be said about the environments which lack a proper style but make up for it with huge diversity and vastness. The gameplay features God of War light fighting, with some platforming sections thrown in to spice things up; when everything comes together and you've got most of the powers, the combat can shine and offers many approach and strategic options. The plot and Pixar-like characters are easily the worst part of the game, with so many bad lines, stupid scenes, annoying characters and some of the biggest garbage villains ever seen; the fact you commit a mass genocide for half the game without the blink of an eye (or any actual good reason) will forever remain as a testament of the stupidity of it all. Also the final boss is super stupid and completely underwhelming. All in all it's a solid bt mindless co-op adventure you can laugh at with a friend.
Game 59: Tricky Towers - 4/5 - 19:18 hours (20/09/2017)
Completed all the trials, played online versus and local co-op. This is one addictive game and the premise is simple: it's Tetris with physics. Sounds simple enough, but the physics and the fact you actually move the tetraminos half a square per press seriously fucks with your mind, resulting in hilarious errors. The various modes are all really nice and the multiplayer is exciting, also thanks to the crazy and numerous power ups, both defensive and offensive. It's a really basic idea but the game enslaves you to play more and more each time.
Game 60: Soul Axiom - 4/5 - 24:00 hours (22/09/2017)
Got all three endings and all achievements. Quite the mysterious game, you're thown right into the middle of who knows where and you slowly work your way throught puzzles and explorations until you reach the main hub. Once there the game takes a more structured tone, but still offering great choice in the order you wish to do things and great variety in the levels themselves you enter in: each one radically different in theme and mechanics. The different powers offer interesting albeit usually simple puzzles, and again, a great variety of them; the audio is very evocative, with chants and slow music; the graphics aren't anything particularly beautiful geometry-wise, but the environments and lighting are oft used wisely, as to give a nice final result. The atmosphere permeating the adventure is at times scary and in other moments simply dream-like; the plot is willingly obscure for a long time, until you manage to begin to piece things together, but when you do, the endings feel rewarding and offer nice closure to the journey. A rough puzzle adventure with an imperscrutable atmosphere and some nice variety of good-looking environments.
Finished the game. It's a very straightforward experience masked under the hood of a Zelda-like game: the reality is that the game will constantly point you in the direction you have to go and exploration is very limited; still there're secret items scattered around, but again, you'll need to pick them up anyway if you want to proceed and beat the final boss. The story is charmingly simple, nothing is overthought in it, so the game is a rather pleasurable ride, sorta like reading a children's book. Combat is non-existent, once you impact upon an enemy a short brawl cut-scene starts and everything is automatic: victory is pre-determined by some stats that you can upgrade during the game, by finding the aforementioned items. The game is mostly a light adventure until you enter the few dungeons, when it becomes a rather tricky puzzle platformer; the later castle parts are especially difficult, what had been an easy ride transforms into a super challenging platformer with few checkpoints, many possible routes, plenty of deadly pitfalls and traps: a difficulty spike that's hardly justified. The frog and snake transformations you acquire progressing through the game seldom feel rewarding and are mostly a nuisance due to having to constantly switch from a form to another. The adventure is only barely worth it due to the crazy end-boss, interesting scenario and cute world you walk in.
Game 43: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - 5/5 - 14:51 hours (22/07/2017)
Reached 200.6% exploration, level 50 Alucard, got best ending. The gameplay is fantastic and responsive, after the initial uneasiness due to the slow pace of the walking, you get accustomed to the game's rhythm and gain lots of traversal options that make the environments really fun to explore. The castle itself is full of peculiar zones with exquisite pre-rendered backgrounds and sprites, sprinkled with some 3D effects that really pop out, making their sporadic apparition really feel magical. The enemy variety is bonkers, the bosses are in great number, the equipment options are incredible; the castle features heaps of hidden rooms and breakable nooks and crannies containing secret items. There are several NPCs in the game with voiced lines and, while the quality of the dub isn't the best, the script never feels silly and is translated with an adequate tone in English; the story links to the other games in the series while mantaining its own personality and being able to stand alone; the multiple endings that you have to uncover yourself by doing certain things are an awesome bonus. Moreover this is the game that keeps on giving: I would've been fine with just the standard castle, but you get a whole other one on top of that (eheh), filled with as many new enemies, traps, items, weapons and memorable bosses! A colossal overhaul of the classic Castlevania formula that offers so much to the player and stands the test of time gracefully.
AUGUST
Game 44: The Unfinished Swan - 3/5 - around 04:00 hours (03/08/2017)
Completed the story, got all achievements. The premise is great, but I'm not sure the devs managed to accomplish enough with it: seems like you could do so much more variations on the theme and keep the game going longer while still staying fresh. In fact each chapter introduces a main variation on the painting theme, but I found the later parts quite weak and hardly connected to the initial "blank canvas" pitch as far as gameplay goes; the first chapter is what I'd liked the whole game to be about. The story is fairytale-like with a way too mysterious and allegoric tone for my liking, I think such a simple game would've been served better by a more to the point story: a simple fable. The unlockables are pretty boring and useless and you have no reason to replay the very short campaign; a few challenges revolving around the number of paintballs you could use to clear a chapter would have done wonders for the game's replay-value. The few puzzles are really easy. Another case of great potential in mechanics kinda wasted on a good game with a very limited scope.
Game 45: Hohokum - 4/5 - more than 07:02 hours (05/08/2017)
Found all the flying serpents and eyes. The art direction and imagination this game has are hard to pass by, it's light hearted and invites you to go where you want and learn your way through various interactions with the goofy world around you. The beings that populate the game, just like the environments, seem to be ripped straight from a Cartoon Network show, the simple act of flying around is lovely, feels good, and always makes you feel in control. The worlds you visit are hit and miss, with some very elaborate ones and others very briefly put together, but all offer different activities and objects to interact with. One blemish is that the undertaking of finding all the collectibles doesn't really reward you with much. In the end though, this is a majestically whimsical game.
Game 46: Overcooked [with friend] - 4/5 - 12:18 hours (13/08/2017)
Got the 3 stars rating on all levels, destroyed the Beast. It's been a while since I've played such a great and fresh co-op game, and I've just played in 2 player mode, I can only wonder how crazy it gets with 4 people. Content and story are the weak points of the game: the plot is nonsensical in a not so funny way, there's a huge hard cut after you beat the final boss with not even a congratulation screen or a brief cut-scene: besides the main cooking gameplay there's really nothing else to look forward in the game. Having said that, the gameplay itself is simple but super addictive: you feel rewarded by properly communicating and coordinating with your partner, yet it's rage inducing when you screw up; the stages feel almost all new thanks to the various mechanics employed that spice up the action, and are all perfectly tailored for the muliplayer experience. The versus mode offers some crazy replayability with a group of friends. This game's like a drug and you won't feel the time flying by while playing it.
Game 47: Rain - 2/5 - around 04:00 hours (14/08/2017)
Reached the credits but didn't bother going back to get the memories, in fact, let's start from that: the game purposefully adds collectibles only after you finish the game, so that you're forced to play it again if you want them. That's really poor design, they did it only to artificially lengthen your playtime and it makes it an hassle to get them. Having them on your first playthrough would have instead broke away from the monotony and dullness of it all: you run from enemies, you scale some generic urban landscape and you solve extremely basic puzzles that wouldn't stump a ten years old and offer no satisfaction. The game's art direction isn't that bad, the constant rain and beautiful piano music do create a nice atmosphere, but it may very well end up getting on your nerves after roaming the same dark places under the rain for hours. The biggest problem of the game is that it literally doesn't really try to do anything new aside from the, admittedly underused, rain gimmick (everything the game does could have been done without it): it's as if the last 15 years hadn't passed and this was a fresh new PS2 game.
Game 48: Stikbold! [with friend] - 3/5 - 03:12 hours (16/08/2017)
Completed the campaign, but haven't cleared all challenges (will go back to them though). The base gameplay works like a charm and makes you feel in control of your actions at all times, hitting someone with a powered shot, or catching a shot mid-air gives you a great sensation, even after having played for a long time. The campaign is very weird from a storyline point of view, but I appreciate all the care that has gone into making you feel part of a coherent world and having a complete story arc, unlike what I lamented was sorely missing in Overcooked. The campaign is also very short and to the point, while featuring continuous varitians on the basic dodgeball premise: each stage is heavily different from the others and there are many bosses. Besides the main game, there are some side activities and mini games worth trying to break the monotony. One thing I didn't appreciate is that the game skimps on teaching you some basic moves, that you have to basically learn yourself through trial and error and by trying to win the side challeges in each stage. A game with some crazy humour, an even more crazy plot and some great action.
Game 49: Rime - 5/5 - around 9:00 hours (18/08/2017)
I "let it go", but I'll be back to get all collectibles and trophies for sure. I was hooked ever since the first reveal trailer, but I started the quest skeptically due to its supposedly troublesome development; the way played on my fears in a surprisingly effective way: as soon as I entered the tower I thought the game was basically done, but it turns out I wasn't even halfway in and there was another huge island to explore! I was amazed at the scope of the exploration: the islands were believable places that felt lived in, with an internal coherence. So I was bummed out when I realized that the other two parts of the game were far less open and featured way less exploration; but that isn't to say I didn't appreciate the different takes of those zones. In fact each part of the game has a striking visual style, invoke different emotions in the player and has a different focus: exploration, stealth, puzzle solving and climbing. The graphics and sound design are excellent, too bad for the framerate issues plaguing some points of the adventure; the song playing through is otherworldly in its beauty. The game lets you walk at your own pace and doesn't hold your hand: you can freely explore and then if you feel inclined you can follow the bread crumbs the devs quietly left, as to continue on the beaten path. The plot is incredibly solid and not pretentious at all, unlike many other similar games; in the end everything is explained and resolved quite nicely in one of the most powerful endings I've ever witnessed in a video game. Even though the game never strays too much from typical puzzles of questionable difficulty and doesn't offer anything you can't find in other games gameplay-wise, the final moments of the game and the emotional impact they had on me is what will stuck with me for the longest time. A poetic adventure, brought to the screen artfully.
Game 50: Pink Heaven - 1/5 - 53 minutes (20/08/2017)
Beat hard mode. The buttons you usually press to jump and to shoot are inverted, the fact the game locks you into position when shooting can be useful but is cumbersome and counter-intuitive, the game is either super easy on your first playthrough or super hard on your second playthrough, an NPC comes out to say that the story is non-existent in hard mode... but the same could be said about the standard mode. The game is extremely short and the difficulty in the second playthrough is ramped up artificially, especially since the character controls very badly: why does she slips so much when landing? It's like if she were on ice constantly. Free but still disappointing, a chore to play.
Game 51: King's Quest: Chapter 1 - A Knight to Remember - 3/5 - around 6 hours (23/08/2017)
Became a knight of the crown. Never played the original series (well, I did play KQVII but that's far removed from what's being told here) so it's a pretty fresh experience for me. Graham is a lovable protagonist, funny without ending up as too sarcastic (Guybrush) or annoying (Rufus), one can really empathize with him. The supporting cast of characters is mostly on point and fascinating, even if one-dimensional, the plot is a simple but well-told fairytale lacking any major twists, but the way the narration is chronologically woven is intererstingly unconventional. The graphics are mostly harmonious, but sometimes jarring, as the cartoonish characters, items and effects tend to contrast with the more realistic and generic textures; the sound department is fine, as is the voiceover. From a gameplay perspective I appreciated the (kinda shallow) puzzles, not so much the action elements and I absolutely loathed the QTEs, that in 2017 should really have no more place in action games, let alone in adventures like this. The ending is satisfying in itself, there's no real huge cliffhanger to prompt you to spend on the other chapters and I admire that, even though over the course of the game you make choices that should have consequences in the subsequent iterations, and that intrigues me.
Game 52: Gravity Rush Remastered - 3/5 - around 15:00 hours (26/08/2017)
Got my second Platinum Trophy. There's something magical about this game that I can't quite grasp: the city is open but pretty barren in terms of what you can do, the sky is filled with fog preventing you to see too far, the graphics aren't that impressive, besides the on point art direction, the plot isn't that hot either for a good part of it, the challenges are all pretty similar and the DLC doesn't offer that much in termsof new content. So why did I adore this game beyond its shortcomings? I guess it's the charming soundtrack, the main character, Kat, being so down to Earth (pun intended), likeable and real, the gravity mechanics working as intended and the slow and steady progression throughout the game. The plot itself offer some nice twists and goes into very interesting places... until everything suddenly ends; the campaign definitely seem truncated when things were starting rolling for real, leaving lots and lots of story threads hanging. It's a great "podcast game", can't wait to play the sequel.
Game 53: Game of Thrones - Episode 1: Iron From Ice - 2/5 - around 02:00 hours (27/08/2017)
Made my choices and completed the episode. I appreciated the decision to introduce you and make you play as a new house, relying on famous existing GoT characters only for NPCs interactions and for creating a sort of side story interwoven with the main plot of the TV show and books. Although the story feels a lot like a retread of House Stark and their misadventures: the lord and the firstborn are killed (Ned and Robb), a daughter is in King's Landing (Sansa), the lady of the House is strong-willed (Catelyn), there are two young boys (Bran & Rickon), one son ends up in Essos (Arya) and there's someone who's not quite part of the family yet very loyal to it and gets sent to the Wall (Jon). The choices seemed quite important but I haven't witnessed their repercussions yet, the graphics try to ape impressionist paintings but are quite mediocre and sometimes jarring, especially the characters' models and the robotic animations. Not sure I care about finding out what happens next.
SEPTEMBER
Game 54: Tales from the Borderlands - Episode 1: Zer0 Sum - 3/5 - around 02:00 hours (10/09/2017)
Reached the end and watch the next episode teaser. The game being told from an original perspective, without putting too much weight on the existing lore really eased my entry into the franchise. The cast of characters are lovably despicable, and the plot being a con story gone wrong was exciting. From a technical standpoint, the game features admirable cell-shaded graphics and some good sound design, especially in the last chapter. It definitely interested me more than other Telltale properties I've played so far, the story moved at a cool pace and presented many unresolved hooks that make me willing of playing the full season. It's a different take on Borderlands with less infantile humour.
Game 55: My Nintendo Picross - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - 3/5 - 24:49 hours (11/09/2017)
Finished all standard, mega and micross puzzles. It's picross with a Zelda coat of paint, nothing mind-blowing, but the many quality of life tricks the game adds, help staying focused on the core of the game; the mega puzzles add much needed variety, while the micross puzzles are a novelty that wears off quickly. A super addicting game, great to play while listening to something.
Game 56: A King's Tale: Final Fantasy XV - 2/5 - around 1:00 hour (12/09/2017)
Got to the end of the campaign, tried the challenges. The fighting is varied enough by itself, and the game brings in more mechanics, moves and enemies with consistency throughout the whole story mode, but the action ends up repetitive anyway. The story is clearly ancillary, as highlighted by the hilariously bad and juvenile writing, justified by the game being a fictitious retelling of events that maybe never truely played out. The dream battle challenges are a cool addition too tackle if you want to get more out of the game. The vintage presentation features amazing pixel art paired with apt modern effects and a subpar environmental design. A surprisingly competent beat 'em up that doesn't take itself too seriously.
Game 57: Samorost 3 - 2/5 - 06:06 hours (15/09/2017)
Finished the adventure, got all sound spirits (and hence all achievements). The hand drawn (?) backgrounds, animals and characters are amazing, as is the musical tone of the journey, with its beautiful violins and flutes. The fact that the developers tried a non-verbal approach with the game is a commendable feat, but shows how important clear communication is: things aren't ever really obvious in this game. The design of the puzzles is a mess, the game fails to cue you in on what you can or can't do, on what goal it expects you to reach and even on what the ultimate motivation for the quest is! In fact more often than not the game feels impenetrable and seems to punish the player with unnecessary backtracking, unskippable traversal scenes, and forcing you to re-do puzzles to move from place to place. Even the hint system is needlessly obtuse, having you do a boring puzzle each time you want to see the solution to a problem, solutions that most times aren't clear themselves! It's a shame that such a charming and atmospheric game is hampered by absurd design choices.
Game 58: Knack II [with friend] - 3/5 - 19:49 hours (19/09/2017)
Got the Platinum and saved humanity. This is a very predictable game, from the super generic art style, to the gameplay that doesn't try to do anything new, passing through the incredibly boring plot with its terrible writing and waste of space characters. Yet, it's a very enjoyable game in co-op, at least until the new stuff keeps coming (which is basically the whole campaign, as the game keeps throwing at you new enemies, powers, secrets and environments up till the very end), and there's lots of playtime to be had: in fact the adventure may be even a tad too long and the last few chapters stretched thin in comparison to the beginning. What the game does right is the sense of scale and size it invokes, especially when Knacks gets very big and fights or (traverses inside) titanic monsters, same can be said about the environments which lack a proper style but make up for it with huge diversity and vastness. The gameplay features God of War light fighting, with some platforming sections thrown in to spice things up; when everything comes together and you've got most of the powers, the combat can shine and offers many approach and strategic options. The plot and Pixar-like characters are easily the worst part of the game, with so many bad lines, stupid scenes, annoying characters and some of the biggest garbage villains ever seen; the fact you commit a mass genocide for half the game without the blink of an eye (or any actual good reason) will forever remain as a testament of the stupidity of it all. Also the final boss is super stupid and completely underwhelming. All in all it's a solid bt mindless co-op adventure you can laugh at with a friend.
Game 59: Tricky Towers - 4/5 - 19:18 hours (20/09/2017)
Completed all the trials, played online versus and local co-op. This is one addictive game and the premise is simple: it's Tetris with physics. Sounds simple enough, but the physics and the fact you actually move the tetraminos half a square per press seriously fucks with your mind, resulting in hilarious errors. The various modes are all really nice and the multiplayer is exciting, also thanks to the crazy and numerous power ups, both defensive and offensive. It's a really basic idea but the game enslaves you to play more and more each time.
Game 60: Soul Axiom - 4/5 - 24:00 hours (22/09/2017)
Got all three endings and all achievements. Quite the mysterious game, you're thown right into the middle of who knows where and you slowly work your way throught puzzles and explorations until you reach the main hub. Once there the game takes a more structured tone, but still offering great choice in the order you wish to do things and great variety in the levels themselves you enter in: each one radically different in theme and mechanics. The different powers offer interesting albeit usually simple puzzles, and again, a great variety of them; the audio is very evocative, with chants and slow music; the graphics aren't anything particularly beautiful geometry-wise, but the environments and lighting are oft used wisely, as to give a nice final result. The atmosphere permeating the adventure is at times scary and in other moments simply dream-like; the plot is willingly obscure for a long time, until you manage to begin to piece things together, but when you do, the endings feel rewarding and offer nice closure to the journey. A rough puzzle adventure with an imperscrutable atmosphere and some nice variety of good-looking environments.
Hustler
Member
Claiming my spot. I've never taken part in this before and I've never kept track of how many games I've completed in a year.
Completed Games:
Game #1: The Stanley Parable - 1 Hour, Completed on January 1, 2017
Platform: Steam
Bought the game during the Winter Sale. For $3, the game was very engaging and I liked how the game tried to change your perspective on life and what is important. I wish it was a tad longer. 9/10
Game #2: Inside - 5 Hours, Completed January 1, 2017
Platform: PS4
Bought during the Holiday Sale. Loved the art direction and simple controls. The puzzles were thoughtful but were never a major roadblock to the overall progression. 9/10
Game #3: Doom - 10 Hours, Completed January 2, 2017 (Have to guess on hours...i leave games open too often)
Platform: Steam
Just wow, I haven't played a FPS like this in quite some time. The fluid movement, pacing, weapons, everything just feels right. The levels are well designed and varied just enough. I did find myself having to put the game down for a bit and get back to it, I think this is due level length can be a bit long at times. 10/10
Game # 4 - Talos Principle ~12 hours, Completed on January 7, 2017
Platform: PS4
This is the first puzzle game I have played like this quite some time. I really enjoyed the level design and puzzles. No puzzle was too hard to figure out, you just had to spend more time trying to understand the mechanics. My goal is to go back and 100% the game some day. Bought this during the winter sale for $10, worth every penny. 9/10
Game # 5 - Thomas was Alone ~6 hours, Completed on January 7, 2017
Platform: PS4
I see the charm in the game through the narration, color scheme and story, I found the puzzles to be too simple over time and finishing the game became a chore. 7/10
Game #6 - Super Mario Run ~4 hours Completed on January 12th, 2017
Platform: IOS
I'm impressed how much I actually enjoyed the game and how well the mechanics works on a phone. For the amount of content and replay ability $10 is pretty cheap. One negative, I wish you could see your global rank since I have no Nintendo friends. 9/10.
Game #7 - Papers Please ~3 hours completed on January 15th 2017
Platform: Steam
Loved the bleakness of working in a booth in Russia and the randomness to the game. I've completed the game 3 times and will try to get more endings later on. 10/10
Game #8 - Rocket League 14 hours (this year) as of January 15th, 2017
Platform: Steam
Play this game for about an hour after the kids go to bed. All-time favorite multiplayer game and I've been playing since it was released on PS+. I've since migrated to PC, I'm a sucker for more FPS. 10/10.
Game #9: Limbo - 3 Hours, Completed January 23, 2017
Platform: PS4
Couldn't sleep last night and had to restart my save on FFXV...so I decided to start a whole new game. I had played Limbo on the Xbox and didn't think much of it. The game is okay for what it is, I wish the ending was much better and left you guessing like Inside. 7/10
Game #10 SFV - ongoing
Platform: PC
Love the SF series, i got back into it with SFIV and SFV has not dissappointed. I am having to get used to Season 2....seems as though my main, Ken, is much slower this time around. This game will last the entire current console generation. The few negatives I have are the netcode has been terrible lately, reporting of matches falls through, disconnects, the stats....omg where are the stats. I cant even see a simple overall win/loss ratio, ugh. 9/10 for smooth gameplay and replayability, -1 for all the other shit I've had to deal with from Day 1.
Game #11: Hearthstone ongoing
Platform: PC and mobile
I haven't played this game in over a year....I'm struggling to get back into it, but the new cards look much improved. Problem with being a F2P player is it takes me so long to get all of the new cards. I have yet to make it through the Solo Adventure and only halfway through the previous one as well. It's a fun time killer while on the go.It's easy to spot the people who buy packs. 8/10
Game #12: Spec Ops: THe Line - 8 Hours, Completed on January 27, 2017
Platform: Steam
I've owned this game for....at least 3 years but just never got around to playing it. Replaying the beginning I understand why I stopped playing it after the opening levels. For the first few hours, the game is bland and very generic. Sand...military...shoot the bad guys. Once you trudge past all that crap, the game forces you to make immoral choices. You simply cannot make good decisions in this game without something bad happening.
Going from clean cut soldiers to tired, dirty, scruffy and beaten down soldiers is very visible in many ways by the end of the game. The story progression is top notch and the character development is mind blowing. About halfway through you realize this is not your typical military shooter and the onion layers begin to come off, revealing the dark truth of what really is going on in Dubai. This game will stick with me for quite some time and I will replay it at some point. Just a great game that deserves more praise. 10/10
Game #13: Shove Knight - 4 Hours, Completed on January 29, 2017
Platform: Vita
Just bought a Vita after not having one for a few years. Jumped on a deal at work for $60 which included 2 games and a 4GB memory card. I have a long backlog of games on the vita, so this'll be interesting with the limited space I have until I get another memory card.
This one is a replay since I have no saves for any of my vita games. Shovel Knight is a great game from the old school mechanics to the megaman type bosses. Can't wait to get into the DLC and my new game plus. 10/10
Game #14: Final Fantasy XV - 50.5 Hours, Completed on February 4, 2017
Platform: PS4
I put in about 35 hours before i came across a game breaking bug, I could no longer attack/run/jump. Tried rebooting a few times and calling customer service and using their "fixes". Unfortunately for me, all of my autosaves were tainted and my manual ones as well. The only way to fix the problem was to start an entirely new game.
Since my entire family was sick for nearly a month, I used a lot of the downtime to play again. Even though I had gone through so much of the game already, I still enjoyed every moment. Yes there are times when the combat and the camera are fighting each other and I wish there wasn't so much empty space on the map. However, the game oozes with personality and the banter between the main guys is entertaining. I look forward to seeing what they do with the expansions and I still have a lot left to do. i.e. clear the rest of the dungeons, level everyone up and skill levels, etc. I'll shelve it for the time being and get back to it in a few months. 9.5/10
Game #15: Knack - 12 Hours?, Completed on February 9, 2017
Platform: PS4
I'll be honest, I was waiting for this game to appear on a PS+ freebie list.....but the game popped up on the latest flash sale for $5 and I couldn't pass it up.
I don't know what to make of this game....it's visually appealing, yet the story is so far out of left field and the combat is very basic. Granted even though the combat is basic, the longer you play, the more you end up dying for silly reasons. Towards the end of the game....I really wanted the game to end, everything became monotonous.
I was expecting a simple end game boss battle, but the difficulty ramped up pretty fast. Caught me off guard and I had to readjust, but the game itself was entertaining for $5. I would have never paid $60 for this game. I'm curious to see how they improve the game with Knack 2. 6/10
Game #16: Bioshock Remastered - 10 Hours?, Completed on February 12, 2017
Platform: PS4
Technically this is a replay, I played the original game on PC when the game first released. This game had always been one of my favorites, mainly because of the atmosphere, story telling and graphics for it's day. Seriously the best water effects at that time.
Fast Forward to the remaster, the game did not disappoint. I hadn't played Bioshock in over a decade, so I was reintroduced to a lot of the story elements I had forgotten. I had it built up in my head the golf club scene was the final point in the game. The combat is still great and the game never overstayed its welcome. For reference, I saved all of the little sisters so I will need to do another play through to get the other ending. 8.5/10
Note: I am taking off some points for the Remastered version. During the later levels, the game crashed at least 3 times and I lost good chunks of progress. Advice, manually save often.
Game #17 SUPER HOT - 3 hours, Completed on April 29th, 2017
Platform: Steam
This game was surprisingly fun. I knew the shooting mechanics would be good, but there were some unexpected twists.
I wish the game was a tad longer and new gameplay elements were introduced. Still, great game. 9/10
Game #18 Zelda; Breath of the Wild - "Completed" on April 30th, 2017
Platform: Wii U
Over 100 hours....
shrines down and half of the memories checked off. This.....game....is....epic. I absolutely love this game, every hour I had with this game was a joy to play and the exploration was top notch. I was growing tired of the open level design of games...but this just takes level design to a whole knew level. I can't wait to see what they do with the next games, plenty of room for improvement and gameplay tweaks they can implement. I really hope the DLC is as good as the mainline story.
Although I want to jump back in and find the last bit of shrines and memories, I'll let this one rest for awhile. Seriously haven't had this much fun with a game since I was a kid. 10/10
Game #19: Owlboy - 10 Hours, Completed on June 3, 2017
Platform: Steam
Love the aesthetic, music, atmosphere of the game. Reminds me of the great 2d games back in the day. I do wish there was a tad more variety and better use of the store rather than mostly health upgrades/minor power increases. But that is just a minor gripe. I enjoyed the game 9/10
Game #20: Abzu - 3-4 Hours, Completed on May 20, 2017
Platform: PS4
Journey was much better, more inspiring. I still enjoyed my time with ABZU, however the game became very repetitive even in the short time spent with it. 7/10
Game #21: Overwatch - 30 Hours, Ongoing
Platform: PC
I was very hesitant to play Overwatch, I was not a big fan of TF2. However this one really clicked with me. I love the diversity of characters and skill sets. Each character has a very unique style and look, not to mention all of the alternate skins. I recently reached level 35 and started some competitive play. I wish I had started this game Day 1 since I feel I am at such a disadvantage vs other players. Even playing Quick Play games, you can tell the skill difference between people at my level and players with 2+ bronze stars by their name.
If anyone is on the fence with Overwatch, I definitely recommend getting it. I feel there is a play style for almost any type of gamer. Blizzard's art style in the game is top notch, love the quality of their games! 10/10
Game #22: Word with Friends - ~10 Hours, Ongoing
Platform: iOS
Recently started playing Word with Friends again with Family and Friends. Always have at least 10 games going at the same time. It was nice to take a year long break from this game.
Game #23 - Clash Royale - 8 hours, ongoing
Platform: iOS
Another Mobile game I took a long break from. I was playing in a GAF clan, went on vacation and was kicked for inactivity even with a prior notice. So...that killed it for me. Got the urge to play again with all the updates and how much easier it is to get cards. The game is as fun as I remember, wonder how long it will take me to get burned out.
Game #24 - Golf Clash - 7 Hours, Ongoing
Platform: iOS
Fun Golf game to kill time with friends and compete globally.
Game #25 - Kamiko - 3 hours
Platform: NSW
For #5, you really can't go wrong with this game. 100% all 3 characters and would definitely play more if there was dlc. This game reminds me of a very basic zelda and the art style of Hyper Drifter Light.
9/10
Game #26 - Stories Untold - 2 hours
Platform: Steam
I liked the different take on story telling, combining text adventure with physical interactions. A few moments were frustrating and I think the game had a lot of potential but didn't pan out.
5/10
Game #27 - Ori and the Blind Forest DE - 12 hours
Platform: Steam
I enjoyed the platforming, art style, music and atmosphere. This is a game done right, unlocking new abilities along the way and the ability to easily backtrack to use your new abilities to gain access to new areas. My only gripe is the story, I may write up a LTTP because of how upsetting the whole story is when you think about it.
10/10
Current Games
PS4 - Friday the 13th
PS4 Mighty No 9
PS4 - The Last Guardian
PS4 - Little Big Plant 3
PS4 - Dark Souls 3
Steam - Darksiders 2
Current Multiplayer Games
PS4 - Star Wars Battlefront
New Games to Play
PS4 - Assassins Creed Syndicate
PS4 - Witcher 3
PS4 - Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 4
Games to Finish
Steam - Darksiders 1 Remasters
Steam - Mad Max
Steam - Bulletstorm
Steam - Shadow Warrior
Steam - Metro 2033
Steam - Fallout 4
PS4 - Gone Home
PS4 - Life is Strange
PS3 - Okami HD
PS3 - Kingdom Hearts 1.5HD
Games to Replay
PS4 - Uncharted Collection
PS4 - Uncharted 4
Completed Games:
Game #1: The Stanley Parable - 1 Hour, Completed on January 1, 2017
Platform: Steam
Bought the game during the Winter Sale. For $3, the game was very engaging and I liked how the game tried to change your perspective on life and what is important. I wish it was a tad longer. 9/10
Game #2: Inside - 5 Hours, Completed January 1, 2017
Platform: PS4
Bought during the Holiday Sale. Loved the art direction and simple controls. The puzzles were thoughtful but were never a major roadblock to the overall progression. 9/10
Game #3: Doom - 10 Hours, Completed January 2, 2017 (Have to guess on hours...i leave games open too often)
Platform: Steam
Just wow, I haven't played a FPS like this in quite some time. The fluid movement, pacing, weapons, everything just feels right. The levels are well designed and varied just enough. I did find myself having to put the game down for a bit and get back to it, I think this is due level length can be a bit long at times. 10/10
Game # 4 - Talos Principle ~12 hours, Completed on January 7, 2017
Platform: PS4
This is the first puzzle game I have played like this quite some time. I really enjoyed the level design and puzzles. No puzzle was too hard to figure out, you just had to spend more time trying to understand the mechanics. My goal is to go back and 100% the game some day. Bought this during the winter sale for $10, worth every penny. 9/10
Game # 5 - Thomas was Alone ~6 hours, Completed on January 7, 2017
Platform: PS4
I see the charm in the game through the narration, color scheme and story, I found the puzzles to be too simple over time and finishing the game became a chore. 7/10
Game #6 - Super Mario Run ~4 hours Completed on January 12th, 2017
Platform: IOS
I'm impressed how much I actually enjoyed the game and how well the mechanics works on a phone. For the amount of content and replay ability $10 is pretty cheap. One negative, I wish you could see your global rank since I have no Nintendo friends. 9/10.
Game #7 - Papers Please ~3 hours completed on January 15th 2017
Platform: Steam
Loved the bleakness of working in a booth in Russia and the randomness to the game. I've completed the game 3 times and will try to get more endings later on. 10/10
Game #8 - Rocket League 14 hours (this year) as of January 15th, 2017
Platform: Steam
Play this game for about an hour after the kids go to bed. All-time favorite multiplayer game and I've been playing since it was released on PS+. I've since migrated to PC, I'm a sucker for more FPS. 10/10.
Game #9: Limbo - 3 Hours, Completed January 23, 2017
Platform: PS4
Couldn't sleep last night and had to restart my save on FFXV...so I decided to start a whole new game. I had played Limbo on the Xbox and didn't think much of it. The game is okay for what it is, I wish the ending was much better and left you guessing like Inside. 7/10
Game #10 SFV - ongoing
Platform: PC
Love the SF series, i got back into it with SFIV and SFV has not dissappointed. I am having to get used to Season 2....seems as though my main, Ken, is much slower this time around. This game will last the entire current console generation. The few negatives I have are the netcode has been terrible lately, reporting of matches falls through, disconnects, the stats....omg where are the stats. I cant even see a simple overall win/loss ratio, ugh. 9/10 for smooth gameplay and replayability, -1 for all the other shit I've had to deal with from Day 1.
Game #11: Hearthstone ongoing
Platform: PC and mobile
I haven't played this game in over a year....I'm struggling to get back into it, but the new cards look much improved. Problem with being a F2P player is it takes me so long to get all of the new cards. I have yet to make it through the Solo Adventure and only halfway through the previous one as well. It's a fun time killer while on the go.It's easy to spot the people who buy packs. 8/10
Game #12: Spec Ops: THe Line - 8 Hours, Completed on January 27, 2017
Platform: Steam
I've owned this game for....at least 3 years but just never got around to playing it. Replaying the beginning I understand why I stopped playing it after the opening levels. For the first few hours, the game is bland and very generic. Sand...military...shoot the bad guys. Once you trudge past all that crap, the game forces you to make immoral choices. You simply cannot make good decisions in this game without something bad happening.
Going from clean cut soldiers to tired, dirty, scruffy and beaten down soldiers is very visible in many ways by the end of the game. The story progression is top notch and the character development is mind blowing. About halfway through you realize this is not your typical military shooter and the onion layers begin to come off, revealing the dark truth of what really is going on in Dubai. This game will stick with me for quite some time and I will replay it at some point. Just a great game that deserves more praise. 10/10
Game #13: Shove Knight - 4 Hours, Completed on January 29, 2017
Platform: Vita
Just bought a Vita after not having one for a few years. Jumped on a deal at work for $60 which included 2 games and a 4GB memory card. I have a long backlog of games on the vita, so this'll be interesting with the limited space I have until I get another memory card.
This one is a replay since I have no saves for any of my vita games. Shovel Knight is a great game from the old school mechanics to the megaman type bosses. Can't wait to get into the DLC and my new game plus. 10/10
Game #14: Final Fantasy XV - 50.5 Hours, Completed on February 4, 2017
Platform: PS4
I put in about 35 hours before i came across a game breaking bug, I could no longer attack/run/jump. Tried rebooting a few times and calling customer service and using their "fixes". Unfortunately for me, all of my autosaves were tainted and my manual ones as well. The only way to fix the problem was to start an entirely new game.
Since my entire family was sick for nearly a month, I used a lot of the downtime to play again. Even though I had gone through so much of the game already, I still enjoyed every moment. Yes there are times when the combat and the camera are fighting each other and I wish there wasn't so much empty space on the map. However, the game oozes with personality and the banter between the main guys is entertaining. I look forward to seeing what they do with the expansions and I still have a lot left to do. i.e. clear the rest of the dungeons, level everyone up and skill levels, etc. I'll shelve it for the time being and get back to it in a few months. 9.5/10
I really want to know more of Prompto's background and what happened to him. Seriously...a robot designed to infiltrate the Kingdom? No wonder he felt as though he never fit in.
Game #15: Knack - 12 Hours?, Completed on February 9, 2017
Platform: PS4
I'll be honest, I was waiting for this game to appear on a PS+ freebie list.....but the game popped up on the latest flash sale for $5 and I couldn't pass it up.
I don't know what to make of this game....it's visually appealing, yet the story is so far out of left field and the combat is very basic. Granted even though the combat is basic, the longer you play, the more you end up dying for silly reasons. Towards the end of the game....I really wanted the game to end, everything became monotonous.
I was expecting a simple end game boss battle, but the difficulty ramped up pretty fast. Caught me off guard and I had to readjust, but the game itself was entertaining for $5. I would have never paid $60 for this game. I'm curious to see how they improve the game with Knack 2. 6/10
Game #16: Bioshock Remastered - 10 Hours?, Completed on February 12, 2017
Platform: PS4
Technically this is a replay, I played the original game on PC when the game first released. This game had always been one of my favorites, mainly because of the atmosphere, story telling and graphics for it's day. Seriously the best water effects at that time.
Fast Forward to the remaster, the game did not disappoint. I hadn't played Bioshock in over a decade, so I was reintroduced to a lot of the story elements I had forgotten. I had it built up in my head the golf club scene was the final point in the game. The combat is still great and the game never overstayed its welcome. For reference, I saved all of the little sisters so I will need to do another play through to get the other ending. 8.5/10
Note: I am taking off some points for the Remastered version. During the later levels, the game crashed at least 3 times and I lost good chunks of progress. Advice, manually save often.
Game #17 SUPER HOT - 3 hours, Completed on April 29th, 2017
Platform: Steam
This game was surprisingly fun. I knew the shooting mechanics would be good, but there were some unexpected twists.
Who knew you would end up blowing your own brain out by the end of it all? I mean...WOW
Game #18 Zelda; Breath of the Wild - "Completed" on April 30th, 2017
Platform: Wii U
Over 100 hours....
95
Although I want to jump back in and find the last bit of shrines and memories, I'll let this one rest for awhile. Seriously haven't had this much fun with a game since I was a kid. 10/10
Game #19: Owlboy - 10 Hours, Completed on June 3, 2017
Platform: Steam
Love the aesthetic, music, atmosphere of the game. Reminds me of the great 2d games back in the day. I do wish there was a tad more variety and better use of the store rather than mostly health upgrades/minor power increases. But that is just a minor gripe. I enjoyed the game 9/10
Game #20: Abzu - 3-4 Hours, Completed on May 20, 2017
Platform: PS4
Journey was much better, more inspiring. I still enjoyed my time with ABZU, however the game became very repetitive even in the short time spent with it. 7/10
Game #21: Overwatch - 30 Hours, Ongoing
Platform: PC
I was very hesitant to play Overwatch, I was not a big fan of TF2. However this one really clicked with me. I love the diversity of characters and skill sets. Each character has a very unique style and look, not to mention all of the alternate skins. I recently reached level 35 and started some competitive play. I wish I had started this game Day 1 since I feel I am at such a disadvantage vs other players. Even playing Quick Play games, you can tell the skill difference between people at my level and players with 2+ bronze stars by their name.
If anyone is on the fence with Overwatch, I definitely recommend getting it. I feel there is a play style for almost any type of gamer. Blizzard's art style in the game is top notch, love the quality of their games! 10/10
Game #22: Word with Friends - ~10 Hours, Ongoing
Platform: iOS
Recently started playing Word with Friends again with Family and Friends. Always have at least 10 games going at the same time. It was nice to take a year long break from this game.
Game #23 - Clash Royale - 8 hours, ongoing
Platform: iOS
Another Mobile game I took a long break from. I was playing in a GAF clan, went on vacation and was kicked for inactivity even with a prior notice. So...that killed it for me. Got the urge to play again with all the updates and how much easier it is to get cards. The game is as fun as I remember, wonder how long it will take me to get burned out.
Game #24 - Golf Clash - 7 Hours, Ongoing
Platform: iOS
Fun Golf game to kill time with friends and compete globally.
Game #25 - Kamiko - 3 hours
Platform: NSW
For #5, you really can't go wrong with this game. 100% all 3 characters and would definitely play more if there was dlc. This game reminds me of a very basic zelda and the art style of Hyper Drifter Light.
9/10
Game #26 - Stories Untold - 2 hours
Platform: Steam
I liked the different take on story telling, combining text adventure with physical interactions. A few moments were frustrating and I think the game had a lot of potential but didn't pan out.
5/10
Game #27 - Ori and the Blind Forest DE - 12 hours
Platform: Steam
I enjoyed the platforming, art style, music and atmosphere. This is a game done right, unlocking new abilities along the way and the ability to easily backtrack to use your new abilities to gain access to new areas. My only gripe is the story, I may write up a LTTP because of how upsetting the whole story is when you think about it.
10/10
Current Games
PS4 - Friday the 13th
PS4 Mighty No 9
PS4 - The Last Guardian
PS4 - Little Big Plant 3
PS4 - Dark Souls 3
Steam - Darksiders 2
Current Multiplayer Games
PS4 - Star Wars Battlefront
New Games to Play
PS4 - Assassins Creed Syndicate
PS4 - Witcher 3
PS4 - Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 4
Games to Finish
Steam - Darksiders 1 Remasters
Steam - Mad Max
Steam - Bulletstorm
Steam - Shadow Warrior
Steam - Metro 2033
Steam - Fallout 4
PS4 - Gone Home
PS4 - Life is Strange
PS3 - Okami HD
PS3 - Kingdom Hearts 1.5HD
Games to Replay
PS4 - Uncharted Collection
PS4 - Uncharted 4
Game #3: Dark Souls III
This is a rad way of posting your thoughts. Makes it look more fancy. Suits a game like Dark Souls very well too!
This will be my master post I suppose. I have quite a few games to finish and here I am replaying Borderlands 2. My goal is 15 games for the year so we'll see how close I can get.
1. Borderlands 2 - It's not the first time I've finished it... or the second. I've finished this game I don't know how many times but I put the time in so I'm counting it. One of my favorite games of all time but man are the early story missions a drag.
2. DOOM (2016) - Much longer than I expected. It started to drag a bit with the long waves of enemies but I still enjoyed my time.
1. Borderlands 2 - It's not the first time I've finished it... or the second. I've finished this game I don't know how many times but I put the time in so I'm counting it. One of my favorite games of all time but man are the early story missions a drag.
2. DOOM (2016) - Much longer than I expected. It started to drag a bit with the long waves of enemies but I still enjoyed my time.
herminihildo
Member
First time trying this one out.
1. Yakuza 0 (PS4) - 48 hours, 10/10
Finally gave the series a shot. Man, this an amazing series. The main story is gripping. The side quests are hilarious and entertaining. Boss battles are epic. Gameplay is great. Heat moves at times made me flinch but I keep doing it again and again. A lot of the mini games are fun and doesn't feel tacked on. It's amazing that Sega didn't censored the game. Those awkward moments are hilarious.
But I have to say the characters are amazing. The entire cast and believable and their motivations are understandable. Both Kiryu and Majima are exceptional in this game. Their different fighting styles match with their personality and are enjoyable to mix and match. Their character development is well written that it was very difficult for me to put down the controller and call it a day especially in later chapters.
With that said, there are still things that probably needs improvement, like the graphics. Some items lack details for a PS4 game. Invisible walls can be frustrating and detracting to the experience especially when I forget that some of the outer sidewalks are unpassable. Buying a property can be difficult as there is no way to tell which one is for sale without going to each building. Fights can end up being repetitive as encounters are very frequent. Despite all that, the overall presentation is good I can forgive the game for its faults.
Yakuza 0 is such an amazing experience. I fell in love with it, and I fell hard. I am certainly day 1 on Kiwami. Now, I have to figure out how to play 2~5 before 6 comes out.
2. Azkend 2 (PSV) - 5 hours, 4/10
So this game is divided into 2 sections: one is match-3 and the other is hidden object. There are some good mechanics in the match-3 section but its not enough to keep you engaged. One good this is that the campaign is short. Power-ups can be a hit or miss. I just glossed over the story when I realized it really is just going from point A to point B. I like some of the artwork until the hidden object section kicks in that can be frustrating at times.
It's not something I would recommend even for someone who plays match-3 games. There are more games of this type that are far more engaging with this one. I was hoping the story would at least be something entertaining. Though it is a stable game. It's still meh.
---
Damn. Just one game so far. I'm waaay behind schedule. Horizon is coming up this week.
1. Yakuza 0 (PS4) - 48 hours, 10/10
Finally gave the series a shot. Man, this an amazing series. The main story is gripping. The side quests are hilarious and entertaining. Boss battles are epic. Gameplay is great. Heat moves at times made me flinch but I keep doing it again and again. A lot of the mini games are fun and doesn't feel tacked on. It's amazing that Sega didn't censored the game. Those awkward moments are hilarious.
But I have to say the characters are amazing. The entire cast and believable and their motivations are understandable. Both Kiryu and Majima are exceptional in this game. Their different fighting styles match with their personality and are enjoyable to mix and match. Their character development is well written that it was very difficult for me to put down the controller and call it a day especially in later chapters.
With that said, there are still things that probably needs improvement, like the graphics. Some items lack details for a PS4 game. Invisible walls can be frustrating and detracting to the experience especially when I forget that some of the outer sidewalks are unpassable. Buying a property can be difficult as there is no way to tell which one is for sale without going to each building. Fights can end up being repetitive as encounters are very frequent. Despite all that, the overall presentation is good I can forgive the game for its faults.
Yakuza 0 is such an amazing experience. I fell in love with it, and I fell hard. I am certainly day 1 on Kiwami. Now, I have to figure out how to play 2~5 before 6 comes out.
2. Azkend 2 (PSV) - 5 hours, 4/10
So this game is divided into 2 sections: one is match-3 and the other is hidden object. There are some good mechanics in the match-3 section but its not enough to keep you engaged. One good this is that the campaign is short. Power-ups can be a hit or miss. I just glossed over the story when I realized it really is just going from point A to point B. I like some of the artwork until the hidden object section kicks in that can be frustrating at times.
It's not something I would recommend even for someone who plays match-3 games. There are more games of this type that are far more engaging with this one. I was hoping the story would at least be something entertaining. Though it is a stable game. It's still meh.
---
Damn. Just one game so far. I'm waaay behind schedule. Horizon is coming up this week.
Completed/Currently Playing:
Game #1
Madden 17 --- PS4 --- ?? Hours --- ??/??/17 --- Meh/10
I'm Counting it because I have spent a shit ton of time on it and have won several superbowls with several different franchises, I'd say that's as close to beating a sports game as one could get.
Game #2
NHL 17 --- PS4 --- ?? Hours --- ??/??/17 --- Meh/10
I'm counting it because I have spent a shit ton of time on it and have won several Stanley Cups with several different franchises, I'd say that's as close to beating a sports game as one could get.
Game #3
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II --- PS Vita --- 68 Hours --- 01/04/17 --- 9.5/10
I platinumed the first Cold Steel on August 16th and the second came out on September 6th. At the time, there's no way I would have believed it would take me into 2017 before I completed Cold Steel 2 and yet here I am. However, that is by no means an insult to this game, I just burned myself out on Trails playing Sky FC, Sky SC, and both Cold Steels back to back to back (with 2 playthroughs of the first Cold Steel). This game was certainly more eventful than the original with several twists and turns that I adored. The wait for Cold Steel 3 is going to feel like an eternity, but it seems like it'll be well worth the wait.
Game #4
Viking Squad --- PS4 --- ~8 hours --- 01/06/17 --- 8/10
Fun and relatively short 3 player co-op game (local or online) that I played with some very close friends. Would absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a fun co-op game!
Game #5
Gauntlet: Slayer Edition --- PS4 --- 6-8 hours --- 01/07/17 --- 7/10
Also a fun co-op game, but I had a few more issues with this game than Viking Squad. The graphical style is not particularly colorful and is largely uninspiring, combat was fun but perhaps too simplistic at times, and while the game is obviously heavily inspired by Diablo it takes out perhaps my favorite part of those games which is the loot/gear you collect and continually upgrade. Gauntlet's only loot is gold which can be used to buy a very limited selection of gear that makes only slight adjustments to how your character fights and is largely cosmetic. Still a game I would recommend to people who are looking for a co-op game and enjoy the Diablo series, but it doesn't come anywhere near it's inspirations quality level.
Game #6
Final Fantasy XV --- PS4 --- 30.5 hours --- 01/08/17 --- 8/10
Unrealized Potential. Those are going to be the two words I will (likely) forever use to describe Final Fantasy XV. The game is still quite good in my opinion, despite some glaring issues, but it is abundantly clear that this game could have used more development time and could have truly become something special. Quite frankly, I'm impressed with what Tabata was able to do despite none of the characters or the general storyline being his own. This game could end up counting twice this year depending on how significant the updates it gets end up being and whether I decide it's worth going back to for those (hopefully significant) story updates. The missing story is really what drags it down for me. Also, the Chapter 13 hate is slightly hyperbolic, it definitely wasn't good but I have played way worse as well.
Game #7
Watch Dogs 2 --- PS4 --- ~24 Hours --- 01/11/17 --- 8.5/10
What a great game. I did play the original when it released and found it to be almost entirely average with a few unique ideas that weren't properly executed. However, I never expected Ubisoft Montreal to make such a massive leap in quality in just one game. While not perfect, the representation of San Francisco is wonderful and mostly accurate. The game takes itself way less seriously and encourages a lot more of just having fun, which is great because that's exactly what I want from these types of games. Regardless of your opinion on the first game, I would highly recommend anyone to give this game a shot when/if given the chance.
Game #8
Inside --- PS4 --- ~4 Hours --- 01/21/17 --- 9/10
As a big fan of Playdead's Limbo (One of the first games to make me believe in the potential of Indie games), I'm not entirely sure why I waited this long to play Inside. I bought it shortly after launch but I've never really been in the mood to play it until now I guess. Totally worth the wait and the minimal amount of time I had to invest in it. Very high quality platformer, more interesting visually than Limbo, but an equally strange storyline. The ending was odd and a tad anticlimactic in my opinion, but didn't drag the experience down too much for me. Would definitely recommend it to anyone interested.
Game #9
Yakuza 0 --- PS4 --- 48 Hours --- 02/15/17 --- 9.5/10
Man. I am honestly ashamed I've missed this series for so long. Absolutely amazing game. The sheer amount of side content in this game is staggering and the main story was riveting from beginning to end for me. Admittedly, many of the the minigames could have used more thought/polish in their design as there are several that are straight up terrible but there are at least as many fantastic minigames and countless hilarious and unique substories. Fair warning though: Do not even consider playing this game unless you already enjoy a lot of Japanese games and are interested in Japanese culture.
Game #10
Virginia --- PS4 --- 2 Hours --- 02/15/17 --- 7/10
Hmmmm. Honestly not sure what to say about this one. Or even what I think of it really... It had some really interesting moments, but also some moments where I just completely lost interest and only stuck around because I knew the game was incredibly short. Unfortunately, the ending is one of the things I was not a fan which really drags the overall experience down. All that said, I think this is one that I will contemplate for a while and will eventually make my current opinion of the game moot anyways. We shall see.
Game #11
Resident Evil VII --- PSVR --- 11 Hours --- 02/18/17 --- 8/10
Going to be honest here, the only previous (mainline) Resident Evil game I've beaten is 5, which I honestly enjoyed playing with a friend. I had hoped 6 would provide at least an entertaining co-op experience, but I found it to be lesser in every way and never finished it as a result. So far, taking turns playing the game with a friend, I definitely enjoyed RE7. There are a few issues I have with the VR Mode, but by and large it is a fantastic experience and offers more immersion than any VR game I've tried so far. My main issues with the game now that it's over and I've had time to think about it are the fact that the shotgun makes the game easy mode and the final boss was just... majorly underwhelming.
Game #12
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild --- Switch --- "Played for 40 Hours or More" --- 04/08/2017 --- 10/10
I've tried many Zelda game's over the years, but I've never managed to actually beat any of them because they just didn't click with me for one reason or another. But, wow. This was a 10/10 through and through. Stunning art direction, wonderful soundtrack that was thoughtfully utilized, absolutely enormous world full of interesting sites, stunning amount of player freedom, etc. I could go on, but I'll stop there. Yeah, by the end the shrines/tower thing was getting fairly repetitive, but I was still regularly surprised with how creative the devs got with the puzzles. We will be seeing a lot of devs attempting to mimic this game over the coming years, of that I have no doubt.
Game #13
Yakuza 4 --- PS3 --- 19.5 Hours --- 04/112/17 --- 9/10
Loved Yakuza 4 just as much as Yakuza 0, despite missing context from having not played the first 3 games (yet). Cannot recommend this series enough to anyone with a passing interest and look forward to Kiwami on August 29th!
Game #14
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe --- Switch --- 8 Hours --- 05/18/17 --- 8/10
Not much to say honestly. Improves on the original in a lot of ways, namely battle mode, and is an excellent game overall.
Game #15
The Walking Dead: The New Frontier --- PS4 --- 6.5 Hours --- 06/08/17 --- 7.5/10
While it is by no means bad, this season left a lot to be desired in a bunch of ways imo. For one, Telltale's noticeably shortening the average episode length from the standard 2 hours they had pre-Batman. I noticed several of Batman's were shorter, but none of TWD S3's episodes even came close to hitting the 2 hour mark for me which is incredibly disappointing imo. Plus, the standard telltale gripes. As, much as I love (most of) their games, the decisions you make really don't impact much of anything significant. Still, I had fun with it and don't regret the time or purchase.
Game #16
Persona 5 --- PS4 --- 82 Hours --- 06/15/17 --- 9.5/10
Exactly what I wanted as a follow-up to Persona 4 Golden which is still my favorite game of all time (well, tied with The Last of Us). Certainly had some issues with the game like Morgana constantly forcing me to sleep for no apparent reason and some other stuff but they are minor gripes compared to the many QoL improvements that were included in this game. Also incredibly glad I didn't have to grind for the Hardcore Futaba Fan trophy (Or wahtever they called it this time).
Game #17
Arms --- Switch --- 10 Hours --- 07/02/17 --- 8/10
Pretty fun for a first entry in a new fighting franchsise, but as expected with fighting games, I am absolutely terrible at it. Look forward to seeing how it changes over the next year or so.
Game #18
Splatoon 2 --- Switch --- 20 Hours --- 07/29/17 --- 9/10
Man, I am sad I missed the first one on Wii U but so happy I have the chance to get in on the ground floor of this one. While I am counting this one as complete, I am far from done playing this game. SO easy to pick up and play just a match or two.
Game #19
Superhot VR --- PS4 --- 5 Hours --- 07/30/17 --- 10/10
This game is the current killer app for PSVR in my eyes. Myself, and everyone I've seen try it, has been absolutely blown away by the experience. Makes one very, very excited fot the future of VR gaming.
Game #20
Pyre --- PS4 --- 14 Hours --- 07/31/17 --- 9/10
Supergiant Games just keeps on keeping on with the absolutely EXCELLENT games. 3/3. Props guys.
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Currently Working On:
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Looking Forward to In August:
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Game #1
Madden 17 --- PS4 --- ?? Hours --- ??/??/17 --- Meh/10
I'm Counting it because I have spent a shit ton of time on it and have won several superbowls with several different franchises, I'd say that's as close to beating a sports game as one could get.
Game #2
NHL 17 --- PS4 --- ?? Hours --- ??/??/17 --- Meh/10
I'm counting it because I have spent a shit ton of time on it and have won several Stanley Cups with several different franchises, I'd say that's as close to beating a sports game as one could get.
Game #3
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II --- PS Vita --- 68 Hours --- 01/04/17 --- 9.5/10
I platinumed the first Cold Steel on August 16th and the second came out on September 6th. At the time, there's no way I would have believed it would take me into 2017 before I completed Cold Steel 2 and yet here I am. However, that is by no means an insult to this game, I just burned myself out on Trails playing Sky FC, Sky SC, and both Cold Steels back to back to back (with 2 playthroughs of the first Cold Steel). This game was certainly more eventful than the original with several twists and turns that I adored. The wait for Cold Steel 3 is going to feel like an eternity, but it seems like it'll be well worth the wait.
Game #4
Viking Squad --- PS4 --- ~8 hours --- 01/06/17 --- 8/10
Fun and relatively short 3 player co-op game (local or online) that I played with some very close friends. Would absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a fun co-op game!
Game #5
Gauntlet: Slayer Edition --- PS4 --- 6-8 hours --- 01/07/17 --- 7/10
Also a fun co-op game, but I had a few more issues with this game than Viking Squad. The graphical style is not particularly colorful and is largely uninspiring, combat was fun but perhaps too simplistic at times, and while the game is obviously heavily inspired by Diablo it takes out perhaps my favorite part of those games which is the loot/gear you collect and continually upgrade. Gauntlet's only loot is gold which can be used to buy a very limited selection of gear that makes only slight adjustments to how your character fights and is largely cosmetic. Still a game I would recommend to people who are looking for a co-op game and enjoy the Diablo series, but it doesn't come anywhere near it's inspirations quality level.
Game #6
Final Fantasy XV --- PS4 --- 30.5 hours --- 01/08/17 --- 8/10
Unrealized Potential. Those are going to be the two words I will (likely) forever use to describe Final Fantasy XV. The game is still quite good in my opinion, despite some glaring issues, but it is abundantly clear that this game could have used more development time and could have truly become something special. Quite frankly, I'm impressed with what Tabata was able to do despite none of the characters or the general storyline being his own. This game could end up counting twice this year depending on how significant the updates it gets end up being and whether I decide it's worth going back to for those (hopefully significant) story updates. The missing story is really what drags it down for me. Also, the Chapter 13 hate is slightly hyperbolic, it definitely wasn't good but I have played way worse as well.
Game #7
Watch Dogs 2 --- PS4 --- ~24 Hours --- 01/11/17 --- 8.5/10
What a great game. I did play the original when it released and found it to be almost entirely average with a few unique ideas that weren't properly executed. However, I never expected Ubisoft Montreal to make such a massive leap in quality in just one game. While not perfect, the representation of San Francisco is wonderful and mostly accurate. The game takes itself way less seriously and encourages a lot more of just having fun, which is great because that's exactly what I want from these types of games. Regardless of your opinion on the first game, I would highly recommend anyone to give this game a shot when/if given the chance.
Game #8
Inside --- PS4 --- ~4 Hours --- 01/21/17 --- 9/10
As a big fan of Playdead's Limbo (One of the first games to make me believe in the potential of Indie games), I'm not entirely sure why I waited this long to play Inside. I bought it shortly after launch but I've never really been in the mood to play it until now I guess. Totally worth the wait and the minimal amount of time I had to invest in it. Very high quality platformer, more interesting visually than Limbo, but an equally strange storyline. The ending was odd and a tad anticlimactic in my opinion, but didn't drag the experience down too much for me. Would definitely recommend it to anyone interested.
Game #9
Yakuza 0 --- PS4 --- 48 Hours --- 02/15/17 --- 9.5/10
Man. I am honestly ashamed I've missed this series for so long. Absolutely amazing game. The sheer amount of side content in this game is staggering and the main story was riveting from beginning to end for me. Admittedly, many of the the minigames could have used more thought/polish in their design as there are several that are straight up terrible but there are at least as many fantastic minigames and countless hilarious and unique substories. Fair warning though: Do not even consider playing this game unless you already enjoy a lot of Japanese games and are interested in Japanese culture.
Game #10
Virginia --- PS4 --- 2 Hours --- 02/15/17 --- 7/10
Hmmmm. Honestly not sure what to say about this one. Or even what I think of it really... It had some really interesting moments, but also some moments where I just completely lost interest and only stuck around because I knew the game was incredibly short. Unfortunately, the ending is one of the things I was not a fan which really drags the overall experience down. All that said, I think this is one that I will contemplate for a while and will eventually make my current opinion of the game moot anyways. We shall see.
Game #11
Resident Evil VII --- PSVR --- 11 Hours --- 02/18/17 --- 8/10
Going to be honest here, the only previous (mainline) Resident Evil game I've beaten is 5, which I honestly enjoyed playing with a friend. I had hoped 6 would provide at least an entertaining co-op experience, but I found it to be lesser in every way and never finished it as a result. So far, taking turns playing the game with a friend, I definitely enjoyed RE7. There are a few issues I have with the VR Mode, but by and large it is a fantastic experience and offers more immersion than any VR game I've tried so far. My main issues with the game now that it's over and I've had time to think about it are the fact that the shotgun makes the game easy mode and the final boss was just... majorly underwhelming.
Game #12
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild --- Switch --- "Played for 40 Hours or More" --- 04/08/2017 --- 10/10
I've tried many Zelda game's over the years, but I've never managed to actually beat any of them because they just didn't click with me for one reason or another. But, wow. This was a 10/10 through and through. Stunning art direction, wonderful soundtrack that was thoughtfully utilized, absolutely enormous world full of interesting sites, stunning amount of player freedom, etc. I could go on, but I'll stop there. Yeah, by the end the shrines/tower thing was getting fairly repetitive, but I was still regularly surprised with how creative the devs got with the puzzles. We will be seeing a lot of devs attempting to mimic this game over the coming years, of that I have no doubt.
Game #13
Yakuza 4 --- PS3 --- 19.5 Hours --- 04/112/17 --- 9/10
Loved Yakuza 4 just as much as Yakuza 0, despite missing context from having not played the first 3 games (yet). Cannot recommend this series enough to anyone with a passing interest and look forward to Kiwami on August 29th!
Game #14
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe --- Switch --- 8 Hours --- 05/18/17 --- 8/10
Not much to say honestly. Improves on the original in a lot of ways, namely battle mode, and is an excellent game overall.
Game #15
The Walking Dead: The New Frontier --- PS4 --- 6.5 Hours --- 06/08/17 --- 7.5/10
While it is by no means bad, this season left a lot to be desired in a bunch of ways imo. For one, Telltale's noticeably shortening the average episode length from the standard 2 hours they had pre-Batman. I noticed several of Batman's were shorter, but none of TWD S3's episodes even came close to hitting the 2 hour mark for me which is incredibly disappointing imo. Plus, the standard telltale gripes. As, much as I love (most of) their games, the decisions you make really don't impact much of anything significant. Still, I had fun with it and don't regret the time or purchase.
Game #16
Persona 5 --- PS4 --- 82 Hours --- 06/15/17 --- 9.5/10
Exactly what I wanted as a follow-up to Persona 4 Golden which is still my favorite game of all time (well, tied with The Last of Us). Certainly had some issues with the game like Morgana constantly forcing me to sleep for no apparent reason and some other stuff but they are minor gripes compared to the many QoL improvements that were included in this game. Also incredibly glad I didn't have to grind for the Hardcore Futaba Fan trophy (Or wahtever they called it this time).
Game #17
Arms --- Switch --- 10 Hours --- 07/02/17 --- 8/10
Pretty fun for a first entry in a new fighting franchsise, but as expected with fighting games, I am absolutely terrible at it. Look forward to seeing how it changes over the next year or so.
Game #18
Splatoon 2 --- Switch --- 20 Hours --- 07/29/17 --- 9/10
Man, I am sad I missed the first one on Wii U but so happy I have the chance to get in on the ground floor of this one. While I am counting this one as complete, I am far from done playing this game. SO easy to pick up and play just a match or two.
Game #19
Superhot VR --- PS4 --- 5 Hours --- 07/30/17 --- 10/10
This game is the current killer app for PSVR in my eyes. Myself, and everyone I've seen try it, has been absolutely blown away by the experience. Makes one very, very excited fot the future of VR gaming.
Game #20
Pyre --- PS4 --- 14 Hours --- 07/31/17 --- 9/10
Supergiant Games just keeps on keeping on with the absolutely EXCELLENT games. 3/3. Props guys.
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Currently Working On:
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Looking Forward to In August:
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momshotdad
Member
Alright I'm in. I just finished Kirby Planet Robobot (Jan 2nd) so I'll keep rolling with the backlog.
Chauncy Talon
Member
Another year and this time I will complete this task.
Complete:
Chip N' Dale: Rescue Rangers (NES)
In Progress:
Double Dragon (NES) (Jan 1-)
Rocky (SMS) (Jan 1-)
Captain America and the Avengers (NES) (Jan
Illusion of Gaia (SNES) (
#datSTROKElife
Complete:
Chip N' Dale: Rescue Rangers (NES)
In Progress:
Double Dragon (NES) (Jan 1-)
Rocky (SMS) (Jan 1-)
Captain America and the Avengers (NES) (Jan
Illusion of Gaia (SNES) (
#datSTROKElife
Yeah I consider games like that as one game for me, seems kinda cheesy to count em for 5 but different strokes, for different folksYou're already winning by correctly listing Wolf Among Us as 1 game.
I cast my judging stare at all of you that count it as 5!
Blindy's Quest for 52+ Games:
1) Psychonauts(PS4) 12/26-1/2
So I took down my 1st game of 2017, Psychonauts!
If there was a game that for 14 of the 15 hours was absolutely fantastic without any kind of flaw, this would be it. However, the final hour or so of this game dragged it down so much to the point that I wanted it to end and was frustrating to see the game continue to throw thing after thing at you. The last world lets be honest here folks is absolute crapola on a stick.
Why would I say this? Two big things that hurt what was otherwise an absolutely fantastic and awesome platformer.
1) The camera rotating on its own is frustrating. Yeah PS2 platformers did this notoriously but that doesn't mean it isn't harmful to the game. Especially with portions of the game needing tight platforming to get where you have to go. There were parts that I was fighting in a tug of war with the camera in an effort to position it where I can see and there were numerous occasions where I went through a rail on my perspective. The railing was pretty lousy as well, the game came out after Ratchet and Clank so natural the comparison of the two would be coming in and the latter blows the former out of the water in this category due to the perspective problem that a player would endure.
2) There were specific platforms in this game that disallowed you to do a double jump off a roped section and this often led to cheap deaths/retries, especially by the end. You have to use the float ability and hope for the best and hope your character can latch on.....which this game often falls victim as the 2nd big problem. No auto grabbing is frustrating as there are given portions when trying to climb up somewhere and you think by getting so close to the area that your character would automatically grab the ledge but Razputin would essentially not. Very inconsistent in this regard where it sometimes you grab it when within the vicinity, sometimes the game will not give it to you.
But besides these two gripes, the game is clever, quirky, full of imagination, full of fun and when the game gets it all right, this game is just so much fun. Sucks the final hour full of frustration and rage put a bad taste in my mouth on this game because besides that last world, I enjoyed all of the character engagements in this game and thought some of the worlds were fantastic. The game feels like a reoccurring Saturday Morning Cartoon and not enough games hit on home in this regard so I really do appreciate what this game does.
If the 2nd game fixes on some of the problems the 1st may have had, we will have ourselves a breath of fresh air at a time where there are not enough quality platformers coming out.
Final Verdict:
Yay or Nay. I overall enjoyed my 14 or so hours with this game and I got over 30% completion with the trophies and the trophies aren't too ridiculous to get so there's replayability to be had. The aforementioned flaws could be contributed to being a 10+ year old game I suppose but overall these flaws should not scare anyone from playing this. A must play for any platform fan, the game kind of reminds me of Banjo Kazooie from a quirky humor standpoint but this game does not always fall into the collect-a-thon which is a very good thing.
Next Game: The Darkness(PS3)
orthodoxy1095
Banned
Up to you. I always replay 80 Days once a year, and I always count it. Up to you.
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