10h-ish. Completed Story Mode with most (not all) Star Coins. I think this is probably one of the best 2D Marios I've played. The stages are long but do not drag for long, and it can get devilishly hard at times.
1. Hyrule Warriors [Wii U] - Played: 105:31 (about 30h in 2015)
Man this game, I loved and hated it at the same time. I absolutely love its core gameplay, the characters, the stages, ... It's just a fun game in one of my most favorite universes. But wow, some game design choices are beyond me: The skulltulla system feels unnatural (to leave battle just to search a skulltulla), the golden materials are far too scarce (After 105 hours I did not yet find one single golden sheik material - how is that even possible?), the progress overall feels too slow and is further amplified by the fact that you have to level up all characters to unlock all weapons and all adventure mode missions. Also, the network Link system doesn't seem to be working all too well (added like 30 gaffers and got helped once while I helped dozens and dozens of other Network-Links myself (yeah those with a friend symbol). And I'm not the only one with that feeling. I'm really not sure how to feel about this game. It's somehow my GotY 2014, on the other hand I think it's just not a very good game.
Finished means: Vanilla: Legend & Adventure mode cleared, all weapons unlocked
2. Kid Icarus: Uprising [3DS] - Played 7:21 (about 3.5h in 2015)
Great story and humor, great characters and very diverse enemies, some fun ideas. But man, the controls. Abysmal, just utterly abysmal. Probably the worst controls I've ever experienced. The controls are so bad that it takes away a huge portion of the fun. Some people say that you will get used to it after some point: That's why I kept playing - And the controls remained abysmal. It just didn't feel good to play. It's sad because the game would be great, but like this I would give it a 2/5 or something like this, should have been a Wii U title. Imho one of the most overhyped games here on neoGAF, I'm sorry.
3. Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons [PC] - Played 3:00
What a journey. What an adventure. What a tragedy. I didn't know what to expect, but this game blew my mind. There are so many places, so many events in this game, so exciting and enjoyable. Played through it within one session, only three hours, but it feels so much longer. I can recommend this game to everybody, gets better with every single minute.
4. Wolfenstein: The New Order [PC] - Played 8:36 (about 2.5h in 2015)
Great game with exciting settings and levels. I found the ending to be a bit underwhelming, but overall a great FPS, one of the best in recent years. It doesn't overstay its welcome, which isn't easy for a FPS (for me), I usually find FPS not that entertaining. This one was able to keep me interested, good job.
5. Kirby Triple Deluxe [3DS] - Played 10:00 (about 3h in 2015)
I love Kirby, its characters and also its music. This game was fun to play, especially with my girlfriend. However, it's a bit too easy, not challenging at all, which makes it a game I had trouble with to play for a prolonged time. The dedede drum dash is great, spent a lot of time in this mode, probably gonna download the eShop standalone somewhen. Overall, a great game for fans of the franchise, other than that I would probably recommend other platformers beforehand.
6. Super Smash Bros Wii U [Wii U] - Played 38:00 (and counting)
Unlocked all Characters and all stages, hence I'd say I "finished" the game. Initially I wanted to also unlock all trophies and custom moves, but it just seems that the RNG is too strong in this one. Honestly, that's a huge negative for me: Custom Moves just don't 'drop' that often - taking into account that there are 8 per character. I was legitimately shocked when I got my first "not-new" Custom move. I thought that would be impossible, well.. Other than that: The single-player content is a bit lacking imho. Smash Tour is super annoying. I like the game, but honestly I think Sakurai is pretty overrated among GAF'ers.
7. P.T. [PS4] - Played 1:40
Not as scary as people make it out to be, but then again I usually don't have issues playing scary games. However, I don't think I'm gonna buy Silent Hills. I just don't see me playing such a game for much longer. It's a nice setting for some hours but I wouldn't want to play a 12hours+ game like this. Let's see how SH turns out to be.
8. Dying Light [PC] - Played 32:00
I once was hyped, but after all the Pre-Order-hassle and all those delays etc. I decided to not buy this game. Well, some friends wanted to buy the game and asked me if I'd like to join in for some coop-sessions. Turned out that the game is incredible fun when played in Co-op. Even solo the game is a lot of fun, although - as mentioned in various threads and reviews - the story is very basic and nothing surprises: The second we met
Rahid, I immediately told my friends that this guy is gonna die pretty soon and everyone agreed, it's just too obvious
All in all it's still an awesome game, I liked it a lot and will probably continue to play it in coop
I was a little disappointed in this. The thing I loved about Bayonetta was that (boss rush aside) it never seemed to run out of ideas. It just said "fuck it", put its foot on the throttle and never let up. This, on the other hand, played it very safe and felt like it was basically a retread of old ground. The gameplay was still exceptional, but it just didn't offer the same experience the original game did, yet still dragged along its worst qualities (unappealing characters, far too many cutscenes). Still can't fail to recommend it, though. It plays like a dream. If you liked Devil May Cry, you will like this
Game 4- Ducktales Remastered (PS3)- Finished in 2.5 hours
This game scratched my nostalgic itch. I could leave it on the main menu forever and just listen to the theme song (I was also glad to hear the original song with lyrics over the end credits, as the main menu just plays the theme song in chiptune). The gameplay was actually very similar to Shovel Knight, in respect to the whole pogo cane attack that Scrooge uses (I know Shovel Knight probably drew inspiration from this game for that mechanic).
The gameplay was very simple, as the game is definitely geared towards kids, although I wasn't playing on Hard so I can't speak to how different that would have made the experience. The graphics looked great; Wayforward definitely put a lot of love into this remaster. I would recommend this game to people who have just finished a very long or difficult game and are looking for something simple and charming to play.
3 - New Super Mario Bros U - 10h-ish
Completed Story Mode with most (not all) Star Coins. I think this is probably one of the best 2D Marios I've played. The stages are long but do not drag for long, and it can get devilishly hard at times.
Updated OP
Game 1: Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth [3DS] — 73h03m (Hard; P3 side; Started in 2014) [Finished: January 20th]
Fantastic game. I didn't have too many expectations going into it as a Persona spin-off RPG that seemed to mostly be about fanservice, but everything about it was top notch. It was my first prolonged experience with an Etrian Odyssey-like game, and I came to enjoy mapping elaborately long dungeons, avoiding F.O.E.s, and the battle system. The music was awesome, as well as the overall presentation, as one would come to expect from a Persona game. The fanservice was great as a P3 and P4 fan, and didn't feel overbearing or too pandering, which is nice. To my surprise, the unique story told in PQ, centered around the new characters Zen and Rei who I came to appreciate, was also quite good. It was 6 years since an original, Persona RPG, and this game shows that P Studio's still capable of making memorable, fun, long ones.
Duration: 9 hours and 23 minutes. Completed at 1:36pm on Wednesday 21/1/15.
#Played for a total of 13 hours and 5 minutes (9 hours and 23 minutes in 2015) and reached the credits.
QUICK REVIEW
When it comes to platforming, Mario has always been king to me. I remember spending hours upon hours playing Super Mario All Stars and Super Mario World in my early years. I remember the first time I switched on my Nintendo 64 and seeing Peach's castle in 3D, seeing Mario jump in every direction, hearing his footsteps on the ground. Even now 2D and 3D Mario titles are system sellers for me. As much as the New Super Mario Bros. series is looked down on, I'd still buy a new one on day one because I simply enjoy them so much.
Donkey Kong Country on the other hand has just never had the same standing in my mind. In fact Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze isn't even a game I personally own but one I borrowed in exchange for Super Mario 3D World. Playing a friends copy of Donkey Kong Country is actually the way I grew up playing Donkey Kong Country. My experience with DKC, DKC2 and DKC3 was playing at a friends house when I was young. My memory of these games is one of a mysterious atmosphere, great graphics, difficult gameplay, animal buddies and mine cart levels. I also had Donkey Kong Land on Game Boy which I don't remember a whole lot about except that I never actually got that far.
In 2010, Retro Studios brought back the Donkey Kong Country series with Returns. This is the first game in the DKC series that I actually bought myself. I enjoyed what I played of this one but there were some questionable decisions and the physics were tough to get used to compared to Mario. When Tropical Freeze was announced I was interested but I didn't feel the urge to play. When it was released I simply didn't think the game would be worth my time.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a game that changes my mind on the DKC series. If and when a sequel is released, I'll pick it up day one. Tropical Freeze game is an extremely challenging platformer that oozes charm. Whether it's level design, art design, music or hidden collectibles, the variety of each level is as strong or stronger as any platformer or perhaps any game I've ever played.
The way the game rewards exploration at the right times is something I really enjoyed. Having areas that you need to take your time with juxtaposed with areas that allow nothing less than pinpoint precision, and having these areas one after another all in one level gave me a great sense of accomplishment when I managed to complete a level having collected everything possible.
The difficulty really makes this game. Learning how to progress through each level and getting further and further towards the next checkpoint each time is very satisfying. I can't say I never got frustrated trying to complete a few levels in particular but overall I didn't feel as though any aspect of the level design was unfair. Speaking of difficulty, I can't forget about those boss fights. The boss fights in Tropcal Freeze are another hugely important aspect of the overall quality of this game. Each boss fight is an extremely well designed platforming challenge. The fact that these challenges are platforming based and not based on a secondary gimmick is what made these fights so memorable. Each fight gave you the same standard set of movement and attack options and yet each one felt distinctly fresh.
The one issue I had was with the controls. Having a seperate roll and ground slap button would have saved me quite a few times as I managed to kill myself quite a few times by accidentally doing one instead of the other.
In the end I loved this game and the challenge it presented. Another fantastic exclusive Wii U game and one that I believe I'll come back to in the future.
Game 3: Saint Row : Gat out of hell - 8 hours - 01/21/15
I'm a big Saint Row fan, so I one sitted this game all evening and it's pretty fun. A load ton of collectables to collect, a lot of new style of missions and flying feel pretty good. If you liked Saint Row 4 I would recommend it to you. 4/5
Game 4 : Pokemon White - 54 hours - 01/23/15
I didnt like that Pokemon too much, I felt that there was too much story elements and I didnt care about them. The pokemons were pretty average too. The ending felt a little flat and I wonder if it will be explained in Pokemon Black 2. 3/5
Game 4 : Pokemon White - 54 hours - 01/23/15
I didnt like that Pokemon too much, I felt that there was too much story elements and I didnt care about them. The pokemons were pretty average too. The ending felt a little flat and I wonder if it will be explained in Pokemon Black 2. 3/5
I'm in. It might be a good idea for me to keep a log of my impressions of everything I play.
I think it's very unlikely that I will manage to make 52 games, especially as I promised myself that I would spend less time playing games overall this year. That said, I've decided to play fewer games through to 100% and just focus on completing them instead. That way I get to experience more games and play some stuff that's been on my shelf for years. So we will see if I beat last years 32 games.
Game 1 0h h1 (PC)
Completed all size puzzles without hints.
Didn't know whether to include stuff like this, but it would be a shame if I omitted games just because they were short.
I'm playing a lot of puzzle games at the moment for whatever reason and just spotted this game randomly on GAF (think it might have been the indie games thread). Simple, clean and clever. I love this sort of stuff. It is easy enough so you never get frustratingly stuck but gets your brain working too.
Game 2 - Mario's Super Picross (Super Famicom)
Completed all puzzles on Mario's side to see the credits.
I recently got my Retron 5 (I love it) which means I can finally start playing my Japanese carts. Weirdly I picked this game first it must be the puzzle game thing again. Not much to say here other than it's Picross so it's amazing. I should really get round to trying the Picross e games soon. I'm still working through the Wario puzzles so I do expect to 100% this one. It's a good game to play while listening to a podcast.
Game 3 - Kirby: Triple Deluxe (3DS)
Beat the final boss to see the credits.
I'd heard mixed things about this one so I was a little worried that it might be hard work to plough through. Turns out that it's a really good, clever, polished platformer. It isn't too tough but it looks great, the animation is also great, there's plenty of secrets to be found, the levels are varied enough to keep the game interesting and there are moments that made genuinely surprised me. You can tell that this game was made for the 3DS only. It makes great use of the 3D (I think this is the first 3DS game I actually used 3D for the whole game) and also makes good use of the motion sensors too.
Game 4 - Hexcells Plus (PC)
Completed all puzzles.
Another puzzle game to add to the list. This game is so clever. I played the first one last year and loved it so snatched the next two during the Steam sale. I'm certainly glad I played them in order because I found this one really tough. Sometimes getting stuck for a long period of time became frustrating but ultimately made finishing a puzzle a real accomplishment. I still have a couple of puzzles left to perfect so plan on doing that soon.
Game 5 - Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat (Gamecube)
Beat the final boss to see the credits.
I'm a big fan of unique gaming experiences and this certainly is that. You would think like the bongos would be awful for controlling a platformer like this but once you get used to them the fluidity of your movement is really satisfying. A very cleverly made game that I would recommend to anyone looking for a game that's unlike anything else. I don't think I will be collecting all the platinum emblems, but I would like to unlock all the remaining levels.
Game 6 - Fire Emblem (Gameboy Advance)
Beat Eliwood's story on normal.
I started this game last year but got fatigue about 3/4 of the way through. It's certainly an epic! The trailer for the new 3DS game prompted me to finally finish it and I'm really glad I did. The cast and setting are great. I loved picking and equipping your troops and then plotting the course of action before wiping out all the enemies on screen. I find it to be a really involving game that requires your full attention and preferably needs you to play chapters in one sitting to remember where you were. At times this could become exhausting, especially when a unit dies and I'm compelled to restart. I also find some aspects of the game to be overly confusing and spent most of my time with the game with my laptop open next to me while I googled the best way to deal with my troops. It's really got me pumped for the next 3DS game but I can't see myself revisiting the game any time soon. Has anyone seriously completed all three stories on hard mode and unlocked all supports?
Game 7 - Super Bomberman 4 (Super Famicom)
Beat story mode.
Another Japan only game that I can now play on my Retron 5. This time I'm also using the console's ability to apply translation patches (not that there's much to read in this game). The game was pretty short but it's more of a multi-player game than a single player game I guess. It's pretty much what I expected. Unfortunately the Louies from previous games are replaced with some new creatures and machines which don't quite have the same character. I'm looking forward to playing some serious multi-player matches - these games are still some of the best party games out there.
Game 8 - Picross e (3DS)
Completed all puzzles.
I'm in the early stages of developing my own logic-based puzzle game so keep finding myself drawn to similar games. This is exactly what you would hope for from a Picross game. Polished, simple controls and some cool pixel art serves as a nice reward for completing puzzles. I generally prefer smaller Picross grids, but a small handful of larger ones would have been nice (the biggest are 15x15). This seems to be down to the fact that they have decided to do away with the zoom mode. I know some people disliked the zoom but it never bothered me and I actually would have liked to have had it on the 15x15 puzzles where the grid seem a little too small. I'm glad I was playing this on an XL because this could have really become a problem. A good amount of content for such a low price. I've already picked up Picross e2.
Game 9 - Picross e2 (3DS)
Completed all puzzles.
I'm still playing and enjoying a lot of puzzle games so moved onto this one after having fun with Picross e.
I was looking forward to trying out the Micross for the first time and thought they were a nice alternative to doing a large puzzle despite being more of the same. In fact the entire game is more of the same (in a good way).
I have since started e3 but pacing myself a bit more.
Game 10 - Metroid Prime (Wii)
Beat the final boss to see credits.
I've actually had the retail release of the Metroid Prime Trilogy on my shelf for years, but always found the prospect of starting an entire trilogy of games a bit daunting. When it got re-released on the eShop I got whipped up by the hype and got stuck in.
I found the game to be vomit inducing... literally. I got motion sickness in a way that I haven't had since playing Goldeneye. I googled it and found that I wasn't alone. Once I turned off the HUD lag I was fine but that was about 3 days in to playing it.
I don't play a lot of FPSs nowadays and wasn't sure about how I would feel about it in this game but it was actually used in some really clever ways that felt like it was necessary. I did find myself a bit disorientated at times when pushed up against walls.
It's definitely a brilliant game but I think I prefer 2D Metroids overall.
I think I will take a bit of a rest before I play Prime 2.
Game 11 - Mario Party 10 (Wii U)
Played all boards, unlocked all characters.
I really loved Mario Party 1+2 as a kid and probably played them more than any other N64 game. Unfortunately it's been downhill ever since. Every time there is a new release I hope it's going to be the one that recaptures the magic and every time I'm disappointed.
This game is almost the one. It's nearly brilliant. But it's not, it's bad.
The game is beautiful to look at and it's packed full of unique animations. It has some of the best mini-games in the series - simple yet clever and not too dependant on luck.
Unfortunately, the main meat of the game (the board itself) is painfully boring, slow and linear. your turn generally involves pressing A to roll the dice... that's it. It's like a shit Snakes and Ladders.
I understand the idea behind the car (so that every turn effects you rather than just waiting for your next turn) but there is nothing to see or do on the board so you just wind up waiting for the next mini game (which used to be after everyone has had a go but even that isn't guaranteed any more).
Ah well, maybe next time. I still think a good Mario Party is possible.
Game 12 - Pokemon Shuffle (3DS)
Caught all currently available pokemon.
I wasn't sure if this game was any good, but after putting 81 hours in think I can confirm that I like it.
Gameplay is your typical match 3, borderline brain-dead type thing but is oddly enjoyable. It has some trademark Pokemon aspects which add to addictiveness (catching, choosing the right team, training) but could I feel that they have added more (evolution, music and areas from the main series rather than generic stuff) and I also might have liked pokemon levels to go up to 100 like the main series to give a greater sense of progression.
After 40 or so hours of gameplay I decided that I'd like to throw some money at the game to show support and hope that they continue to support the game (maybe even a android/iOS version), but there is nothing worth spending money on. Nothing more than a temporary power-up. If there was something to buy that might feel like it's adding value to the game (increase your maximum hearts, knock 5 mins off recharge time, permanent exp/coin multipliers, special permanent exp/coin grinding stages) then I'd gladly cough up.
I plan to continue playing as new content is released. Who knows if I'll ever complete the pokedex.
Game 13 - Box Boy! (3DS)
Beat the main levels to see credits.
This is totally my kind of game and I heard good things about it so jumped in.
It's cute and full of character despite the basic visuals. There's a surprising wealth of diversity between levels and worlds that makes progression a joy, like discovering a new toy. I got stuck a couple of times so I didn't find it as easy as some others seemed to, but I never found the game frustrating. Just right for me.
I might go back to working on post-game/collecting crowns if I'm stuck somewhere with my 3ds but I have way too many other games that I want to move on to.
Game 14 Bishi Bashi Special (PS1)
Completed all games and modes with continues.
I remember seeing this game in magazines before it was released and have always been interested in trying it out. I finally got round to buying a copy and have really enjoyed my brief time with it.
It's a compilation of two Japanese titles which are ports of five separate arcade games where you use a simple set of controls to play through a series of mini-games. Three of these arcade games use three coloured buttons as controls while the remaining games use either a steering wheel or dual levers so are better suited to using a dual shock controller. I'd describe it as a sort of precursor to the WarioWare games. It's not quite as fast paced but equally bizarre.
Like a lot of arcade ports there is little replay incentive outside of multiplayer (which is what the game is built around in fairness), in fact there isn't even a save feature.
I definitely would like to try and track down the two other Japan only, retail sequels - one of which uses a dance mat as a controller.
Game 15 Splatoon (Wii U)
Completed story mode and reached online level cap.
When this game was first announced I was only mildly interested, but as more footage was shown and other's hype levels increased, mine did too.
I don't think I could recommend the game to anyone purely for single player. Although it was enjoyable enough and I enjoyed the gimmicks each level was built around, the levels all felt quite similar and there wasn't a lot of depth to it.
Multiplayer, on the other hand, is a dream. I blitzed my way to level 20 in no time. I bought all the weapons, all the gear, and now I'm setting myself new goals just to give me a reason to spend more time with the game. I levelled up every piece of gear but I still haven't had enough. Now I'm buying new slots for all gear to try get them to 3-star rank. This is what I was like with Mario Kart 8.
The gameplay is just so satisfying and enjoyable, the world and characters are memorable (and give me Jet Set Radio vibes). I hope this becomes the newest addition to the group of core Nintendo franchises.
I don't like Callie & Marie though.
Game 16 Super Mario Bros. (NES)
Completed first and second quest without warps.
After the Nintendo World Championships I got so excited for Super Mario Maker that I decided to re-complete, and in some cases, complete for the first time the four featured Mario games. As the release approaches I think I'm unlikely to replay NSMBU, but that's okay, it isn't that long since I completed that one.
So I started from the beginning. I've completed this game numerous times but I've never played through both quests without warps.
What else can I say? Playing this game reminds me of Tetris in its perfect simplicity. It's always a joy and I can't wait until September 11th to give me another reason to play in this world.
Game 17 Hyrule Warriors (Wii U)
Completed campaign levels to see credits.
I wanted to flesh out my Wii U collection a little more and had heard this game was actually pretty decent. I've probably only played about half of the Zelda games so I feel like some of the references might have been lost on me but I still found the game to be pretty enjoyable. It's obvious that the is a lot of content in this game which is great for people who love it but I ultimately found it a little too repetitive to carry on shortly after completing the campaign.
Game 18 Earthbound (Wii U Virtual Console)
Beat the final boss to see credits.
Weirdly, I started this game after stumbling across the trailer for the fan-made Mother 4 game. I actually started it back in April but got a little fatigued by the slightly grindy gameplay (I'm not a big RPG guy despite some of my favourite games being RPGs).
I decided to revisit it on the night I heard about Iwata's death. The Eartbound: Beginnings launch (which I bought straight away to support the series) also pushed me back in to it.
Overall, I definitely enjoyed the game. It's certainly full of charm and I can understand why it's some people's favourite game ever but it just isn't mine. I'm glad I played though it with a guide. I have little patience for games where I don't know what I'm doing next and I felt like I was looking up what different items/moves did every 5 minutes and even that wasn't enough to stop me from throwing away the Rabbit's Foot, which I later found out is one of the best items in the game. You're just forever over-encumbered in this game!
I will get to Beginnings next.
Game 19 Final Fantasy VII (PC)
Beat the final boss to see credits.
Despite this being one of my top 3 favourite games ever, I probably haven't played in about 10 years. I bought it on Steam ages ago during a sale with the aim of playing it through again and getting all of the achievements (I had done almost all of the achievements on the original). Of course the remake got me hyped and I jumped in.
I don't care what people say, This game is still amazing. I paid a bit more attention to localisation this time round because I know people always give the game a hard time about that but there was nothing in there that was going to ruin the game for me. That said, it's really difficult to know how much of my love for this game is just nostalgia.
I love everything about this game and that's why the remake can only disappoint. Whether the game stays the same or changes, someone's going to be upset. From the slim information we have on the game, it's becoming more apparent that it's going to be me.
I know it's unrealistic, but I basically want the same game with a graphical overhaul and no fixed camera so I can see Midgar from all angles.
I eventually got all achievements despite the last few being really grindy.
By the way it's Aeris not Aerith, and Cloud and Tifa totally fucked.
Game 20 Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
Beat the final boss to see credits.
Another game featured in Super Mario Maker and one I've actually never completed. On my first play though I found this a lot harder than SMB 1 and I started enjoying it more when I started using maps (not to mention those bullshit 'fly to a random spot at the top of the level' levels). Once I worked out all the extra life gimmicks, it seemed much easier and more enjoyable.
There's an incredible diversity of levels in this game that I feel has only recently been matched in platformers by games like Tropical Freeze and 3D World.
I went through the game again to make sure that I completed every single level and I have now moved on to World.
I never managed to finish the original, so this game was one of the priorities on my backlog and I've finally done it. What a great remake. It remains completely faithful to the original, while providing a great 3D graphics overhaul and some smart modernisation (difficulty levels). Plus, the completely new DLC levels are a blast to play, providing an even greater challenge than the main game.
Game #4 - Valiant Hearts: The Great War
What a cool, touching little puzzle game. The writing was great, managing to balance the cartoony aspects of the game with the somber setting of WW1. And most of the puzzles are simple but still interesting enough to keep your attention. My only problem was that a couple of the puzzles didn't really work that well, more due to the physics in the game than anything else. Plus I wasn't a fan of the healing QTEs.
Easily the best Ubisoft game I've played in years. I'm not sure this needs a sequel but I'd love to see another small game from the dev team.
10h-ish. Completed Story Mode with 77% of the game "seen". This game grew on me. At first I was like "OK, another "gimmick platformer"" but I eventually grew fond of the oh-so-charming style. Wish it was a bit longer.
Beautiful, poignant little game. I'm no history buff, so my knowledge of the first world war was limited at best. I was engrossed in all the facts and information the game presented, and suitably harrowed by it all. The gameplay was unimpressive but inoffensive adventure fare that demanded little more than working out the order to do things, but the rest of the package was so flawlessly presented that I couldn't help but keep playing. That score, man. Holy fuck. If you liked Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, you will like this.
Game 1: Assassins Creed Unity Started: January 6, 2015 Finished: Januray 20, 2015 Playtime: Around 20 Hours Opininion:
Highly dissapointed. While the graphical Level of this AC Game is extremely impressive, i found this game to be the most boring one (next to AC 3)...The Story, the motives, the atmosphere. This is not the franchise i used the love. After this game im finished with the series for now.
Game #4: The Walking Dead: Season Two (PC) - 8 Hours
Hey, no connection problems this time around! While it was a pretty good game on it's own, I feel like this wasn't as great as Season 1. I had to get readjusted with the controls due to the game no longer using the mouse wheel to choose your actions.
Season Two does a great job with delivering a strong into and ending, but it was the second half of the game that wore me out fast. Basically, the second half of season two becomes "Kenny and his boat" all over again with Wellington, Ohio being the boat. I decided to shoot Kenny at the end so I don't have to deal with his shenanigans if season three ever becomes a thing. The different endings this time around was a nice addition, gives the game a bit more replay value (but not much)
Game #5: Symphony (PC) - 11 Hours
I really wanted to like Symphony. It started out as a great music based shump game, but later turned into frustration during the last legs of the game. Like Beat Hazard, the game takes your music and uses it to generate enemy patterns. After finishing a song, you unlock a random weapon or item pick up that you can add to your ship. During the easier difficulties the game runs fine and you are having a great time. I noticed that during the two hardest difficulty, the game becomes really unstable. I had constant crashing, controls not working properly sometimes (and usually causes my ship to blow up), and random pausing. It doesn't help that it gets really hard to see anything when there are so many things going on in the screen. Anyways, I kept my perseverance and finally finished it. This will probably be one of the first games to be uninstalled if I ever need more room on my HDD.
Glad I was able to finish my goal of 5 games this month.
01: The Unfinished Swan
★★☆☆☆
Not a fan. I got a little into chapter 3 and just was too bored. The story OK, but I didn't wanna have to sit through the game longer to hear it end. The design, world, mechanics, etc are all unique and interesting. The puzzles though were just very easy to solve, more just really tedious. Weird because I thought I'd like this game but I guess not, it just got kind of really tedious to do the puzzles rather than tricky and fun. If the story does get better then I'll look into finishing this up, but for now I'd rather not and just move on. I got a little more than half way I believe.
Game Beaten #9 Suikoden II (PS1) - 33 Hours
(Started 1/5 / Finished 1/21)
I was honestly concerned this game wouldn't be too good. Suikoden 1 was good but extremely unpolished and I hated the battle system. This game was so much better. The characters felt fleshed out, the game never felt unfinished, and even the horrible war battles had become so much better. Luca Blight is one of the most terrifying villains in an RPG I've ever seen, and the battle to defeat him defines epic. I like the way the story turned out, and I'm 2/2 on collecting all the stars of destiny (yay).
Bit behind as I had been marathoning Naruto Shippuden so just played this one to kind of catch up. I did like To The Moon so I knew I would like this, haha. I donno what else to say. Posting these after I write about them on my blog so.. Just here for the record keeping!
Game 1: Metal Gear Solid
Playtime: 9 1/2 Hours (04/01/15)
First time playing through a whole MGS game, had a lot of fun playing a few hours of 3 and 4 before but never had the chance to play them fully. The camera and controls were a bit jarring at first and never really got them down until the end, although regardless it was a ton of fun.
Game 2: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Playtime: 12 Hours (07/01/15)
Started it as soon as the original's credits stopped rolling. Played it via the PS3 HD Collection, if it makes much of a difference. A huge step up from the original, although still had minor issues with pressing up against walls, I just assumed it was my own incompetence though. At first I thought the plot was going to stay with a relatively serious tone but vamp quickly dismissed that notion and boy was I glad.
Game 3: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Playtime: 17 Hours (09/01/15)
Back to the first MGS game I ever played and despite my low play time, I knew that it was my favourite of them all. Everything in MGS 3 is just greater: the stalking system, hunting, the boss fights, characters and story. My only regret is that I skipped The End kind of by accident. I didn't think Kojima would actually let me kill him like that. So I plan to replay soon and beat him the proper way. The only thing I didn't like about 3 is the same thing I hated with 1, the turret section at the end, they just never seem to feel right in the series.
Game 4: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Playtime: 17 1/2 Hours (12/01/15)
Okay so I went a bit crazy with MGS in January. There isn't much to say about 4, it was a lot of fun, mechanics felt solid but it wasn't quite 3. Also while at the end I kinda liked him, they used Akiba way too much for the running Johnny joke, yeah I get that he kinda had plot significance but still, they could have toned it down a bit.
Game 5: Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Playtime: (24/01/15)
Finally done with Peace Walker, sort of. I still have the Zadornof missions to do and to see the second ending but for the purposes of the 52 challenge, it's done and boy did it take a while. I'm not sure what it is about this game, because for all intense and purposes it is good, it just wasn't that fun.
Next up is Ground Zeroes and Rising and then I'm finally done with the MGS spree.
1.Legend of Zelda:A Link Between Worlds (Playtime:15:32) Completed (1/26/2015)
Honestly a great and accessible LoZ game to get into, I have tried the previous installments but to no interest of finishing it, but this certainly did grab my attention of wanting to finish it. There are certainly solid game mechanics maintained in this remake despite hardcore fans not liking it. The world is also beautiful at best with its lush and colourful greens. It certainly lacks of difficulty,though i have yet to try Hero mode at the moment
2. Ni No Kuni (Playtime:41:32) Completed (6/2/2015)
A simple real time strategy JRPG, nothing too special to note for this game besides that Studio Ghibli artstyle. Soundtracks and story are one of the few things that nailed this game for me. it seems like everyone kind of overrate this JRPG, because it plays like any normal real time strategy JRPG , combat wasn't exactly moving or overwhelming in anyway. Still disappointed your familiars doesn't become something badass in the end, well i can't expect much. It is Level-5 developing the game after all, Overall a good JRPG, but not the best
3.E.X Troopers (Playtime:17:32) Completed (10/2/2015)
A neat spin off to the original Lost Planet. With its awesome transition of a manga style shooter and its vibrant world. It is certainly eye-pleasing to look at. The only downside is how repetitive the gameplay is, with constant reuse of enemy models and very few enemy types but the combat doesn't really get old as it feels fun having to slide through areas with you jetpacks while shooting. Certainly one of the more accessible japanese titles as nearly most of the menus are already translated with english
Currently Playing
Kirby's Epic Yarn
Oboro Muramasa(Plus DLC)
Drakengard 3
Completed the campaign and got all the medals. The game manages to channel the spirit and world of the Halo main series quite well, however the plot is lackluster to say the least, narrated through still text for the most part, with just a bunch of CG scenes here and there; I really couldn't get into it, skimmed through most of the text, barely reading it, the focus on war tactics and on the strategic decisions of the UNSC made it kind of boring, as that's a long way removed from the usual Halo plot. The actual shooting feels nice, the combat borrows heavily from standard Halo, transferring the usual tropes of the series inside the twin stick shooter genre almost flawlessly; the missions begin to repeat themselves a little too much after a while, and I'd have preferred more "traveling" missions and less timed stuff or escort stuff, however all in all there's a good variety, besides the game's not too long, so it doesn't get boring.
I haven't played the original Resident Evil in many years and have never really played the Director's Cut version. I picked up a copy of the Dual Shock version years ago, hated the new soundtrack and quickly sold it off (got a proper black label copy with the RE2 demo now). I played the hell out of the original version in 1996 so I did a quick run through as Jill on Standard mode for old times sake. Having more recently played through the remake, it really stands out how much they added to that version. A lot of the areas are so much smaller in the original. After that I played through the Advanced mode with Chris and holy crap was that a much more difficult experience. There are tons more Hunters and I finished the game with a dozen or so magnum rounds and no shotgun shells. Not much compared to the small arsenal I had amassed with Jill. I saw that I unlocked an infinite magnum and couldn't resist one more run through popping heads to unlock the infinite rocket launcher with Chris. The remake is definitely a better game but I still love the original all these years later and the advanced mode changed enough that it kept me on my toes.
Currently playing: Resident Evil 2 (Playstation) - 1/21/15
First Wii game I've ever completed and I've had one since christmas of the year it was launched. Its good, the story is garbage, the gameplay is good and works really well with Wii Motion Plus. The door opening loading screens got a tad annoying as they became increasingly obvious, also the level design was a bit lacking and felt like a lot of backtracking. The varying mobs were quite interesting forcing you to use different moves which were pretty satisfying with the motion controls. Bosses were okay, not particularly hard or interesting. The last boss was a joke, perhaps the easiest though which pissed me off and then it was just over. Worth a playthrough, but nothing more for me.
★★★
Nice work HG! I still have to do the golden flagpoles. FWIW I think 3DW is significantly better than 3DL, although I really did enjoy my time with this game. I'll also mention that the postgame content, when you do get back to it, is pretty extensive and terrific, well worth your time
Thanks I'll definitely give the postgame content a try. Always up for a challenge.
Looks like the next game I'll complete is Lego Batman 3. Currently playing on the 3DS. After watching a few of those DC animated movies as well as The Flash and Arrow on CW, I wanted to give this game a try and so far, I'm having a blast!
Really needed some story missions to break up the monotony of doing diversions the whole time. The cutscenes were nicely done; shame there weren't more of them.
Thanks I'll definitely give the postgame content a try. Always up for a challenge.
Looks like the next game I'll complete is Lego Batman 3. Currently playing on the 3DS. After watching a few of those DC animated movies as well as The Flash and Arrow on CW, I wanted to give this game a try and so far, I'm having a blast!
Its good, the story is garbage, the gameplay is good and works really well with Wii Motion Plus.The last boss was a joke, perhaps the easiest though which pissed me off and then it was just over.
Game 5: The 39 Steps - 4.5 hours
# Played on MAC. I would have enjoyed just reading the book instead. Not recommended. The achievements were even bugged.
Game #4- Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
Rating: ★★★★ - Platform: PS4 - Beaten: January 22nd - Time: 19:09
When people have asked me in-person what I think about my time with Shadow of Mordor, I've found the best way to describe my opinion as "It's a terrible Lord of the Rings game, but it's bar none the best Assassin's Creed game ever made". Shadow of Mordor should make me really angry- its frequent and blatant disregard for the lore and the mythos it's been constructed around is appalling, and it fits the franchise thematically about as poorly as one could make it, and I maintain that it would have been much better served as a new IP instead of latching itself to one of the most important pieces of modern fiction, but at the same time, it's hard to care about the window dressings enough to get mad at it, both because Monolith seems to care so little about its own plot, and because the underlying mechanics are so well crafted. It feels like its taken the AC/Batman style combat and naturally progressed it far better than either of those two have in their own series. All three combat styles are viable and fun, and the powers are a blast, while it does a good job of keeping Talion from becoming so overpowered that the Warchiefs and Captains become trivial even as far as the endgame. The Nemesis System is what truly makes this game something special, and it's a system that desperately needs to be in more games- what I assumed going in was going to be a gimmick mechanic that doesn't quite live up to where I would want it to be, ended up delivering on the promises of its potential in every regard. I actually can't wait to see the future of this series, even if it's in spite of it's story.
It was building up at least, but the last boss fight was mere seconds of spamming some good moves, I was just trying that out in the thought I'd have to at least learn it a bit so tried outputting some quick damage, but it just ended, and with a what? 5 second cutscene after and then 'the end'.
Oh well, still worth the playthrough and I'm sure the budget was pretty low
9. Sword and Poker Adventures (iOS) Abandoned this piece of shit when I reached world 3, January 22nd. Maybe 5-10 hours?
Having been a big fan of Sword and Poker I was surprised to see this stealthy release by Konami.
Sadly the game is a big turd. And destroys everything that was good with the previous games.
Freemium (pay to win) to the extreme. Don't let this soil your hardware.
10. The Walking Dead 400 days (PC) 2 hrs, January 19th & 23rd.
Really liking this bitesize-adventure. Would love to see more of these episodes. Some of the stories seem so short I hardly knew it started. Maybe a bit longer and they would be almost perfect.
Finished games 3 and 4! Goal was to finish 4 this month, so yay for that! Gonna try and get one more done before January ends.
Game #3- Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (PSVita) | 1/15/2015 [54 hours] Platinum
Another one down! I enjoyed everything about the game until it came down to the extra grind for the rest of the trophies. I finished the story itself last year, and had to force myself to pick it up again to finish grinding for the equipment in the Monomi game and to play through school mode 3 more times. I really wish they'd let you complete more endings in one school mode play through. I mean, yeah you can get like 5, which isn't terrible, but that still means 3-4 playthroughs since the cast is so large. Despite that, I enjoyed all the endings and can't wait for the eventual DR3!
Game #4- HuniePop (PC) | 1/23/2015 [8 hours]
What can I say, I'm a girl who enjoys waifu games. My boyfriend showed me this one, which intrigued me since it was a combination of waifus and puzzle game (and I enjoy puzzle games). It ALSO seemed to have really terrible dialogue that made me laugh, so I figured why not give it a shot. It was, uh... interesting, to say the least. The puzzles themselves were pretty fun and actually required planning and strategy, which I enjoyed. Everything else was hit or miss. There were some interesting characters (which, unfortunately, you don't get to learn that much about), some annoying ones, and some down right awful ones. There was a lot of problematic stuff in the present giving thing as well, which kinda took away from my overall enjoyment of the game. I guess, in the end, I enjoyed the puzzles and had a few laughs at the games expense, so it wasn't a total loss.
Mine is... eh. Since last time I've started 5 games and finished one. That's bad. But at least I think I'm gonna be done with one more of them soonish!
01-21-15 - Game 8: Hexcells Infinite - 6 hours (main) + 3 hours (infinite mode)
The main game took me one hour less than it took me to complete Plus. Overall I liked this much more than Plus and I don't really know why. It was so much smoother for me. Maybe I was just in a better mood for it or something. Finished the 60 random puzzles too in one sitting. I still see hexagons...
Yeah I know but its still alot better to play a native Vita game. No sleep mode for PS4 is just bad for me, havng to reload all the game logos and loading screens up each time when I only play for 15-30 minutes at a time several times throughout the day. I know PS4 was supposed to get a sleep mode via update (Save & Resume) but who knows if that'll ever happen. I think that even with my preferences I will end up getting Persona 5 day one.
I think I'll do this in terms of Persona games now that I'm in the franchise: 100% Persona 4: Golden > If I have the time do a playthrough of Persona 3: Portable before Persona 5. Dunno if I'll 100% Persona 3 tho since it seems like it'd be hard to keep track of whats left without trophies > Persona 5 > Persona 4: Dancing All Night > 2016: P3P if not done > Persona Q > Then if I don't have room to hook up my tv to play those Arena games by then I'll slap myself.
Bit off topic, but does anyone think there will be a Vita versions of P3 or the Arena games? I suppose not on the Arena games since fighting games usually stick to consoles but there does seem to be room for improvements on P3 since both PSP and PS2 versions are missing things from each other. Dunno if I should wait or not since I like using the trophies in P4G as a progress bar for 100%. i don't really care that much but if theres a chance, I'll wait a bit.
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Not really much more to report since my last update. Now at 49 hours in Persona 4: Golden and kinda feel like I'm getting burned out a bit but its amazing I went 49 hours without feeling that lol. Still playing atleast 2 hours a day so not all that burnt out.
Besides a little bit more progress an A Link to the Past and Bit.trip Runner 2 I haven't really done much...except get sucked back in Smash 3DS's online so that'll halt my progress in addition to P4G lol. And got Neptunia Rebirth 1 much early from amazon. Won't start it until after P4G. Will probably take a break from P4G after I "beat" it to focus on other games then come back in a couple months.
Finished:
1.Dragon Age 3,about 60 hours playtime
Many great ideas,but the game went for quantity of quality.
Most of the side quest are boring and the main story is underwhelming.
2.The War of Mine,about 15 hours playtime
Excellent side scrolling survival game with an interesting take on moral choice.
Not much replay value,because I have seen most of the game already.
3.Dead Space (Started ages ago)
Finally finished it.
Loving this game.Gameplay is pretty much what I want from a survival horror game.
Story was alright.Only downside are the boss monsters.
4.Hand of Fate (Started 2014)
The rougelike-deckbuilding game with arkham-like combat system.
I played it while it was still in early access and only had the final boss left.
Really enjoyed this game,but it got really hard really fast.
5.Outland
A metroidvania Platformer with the phase-swift mechanic from Ikaruga.
The level design and controlls are great,boss are good,too,but can be really hard.
6.The Banner Saga
8.Alien: Isolation:
The game starts of really strong,but after chapter 10 the game really lost me.
The next few levels after that aren't scary and as the result very boring.While it does get better later on, I really didn't care anymore.
9.One Finger Death Punch (2nd playthrough):
It was still a blast to play on master,but near the end the game really tested my refleces to there limits.
10.Hotline Miami 2
12. Rayman Legends:
It was every bit as good as a sequel to Rayman Origins should be.
With the excepting on the bonus world,all the levels are fanastic.
13. Kirby: Power Paintbrush
While I really like the game at the start,after a while the game gets really hard and frusrating.
It doesn't help that getting heath upgrades is a pain in the ass.
14. Bloodborne
My game of the year so far.It probably has the best level design in the souls series and some of the best boss battles,too.
While I have some minor problems with the game ,it's still absolutly worth playing.
15. Titan Souls
It's decent.The game is nothing,but a series of boss fights.The bosses are good for the most part, but some of them require you to be very fast and precise at the same time.
That often translates into trail and error,which isn't fun at all.
16. Valkyria Chronicles
17. Bloodborne (New game+)
18. The Witcher 3
19. Joe Danger 2
20. Her Story
21. Dark Souls 2
22. Dark Souls 2 DLC's
23.Kid Icarus: Uprising
24. Lords of the Fallen
25. Skylanders Spyro's Adventure
26. Hearthstone : Blackrock Mountain
27. Ironcast
28. The Lost Vikings
Currently playing:
29. Punch Out!! (Wii) :Title Defense Mode
30. Abyss Odyssey
31. Final Fantasy Type-0 HD
32. Folklore
33. Skylanders Giants
On hold:
7.Darkest Dungeon
Waiting for more content.
11.Life is Strange.
Also waiting for more content.
The dating mecahnics are non-existance, there's a "dating progresion" which is basically they as a way to motivate the player to reach the the "nigh scenes" but there was no actual dating mechanics to speak off.
This goes hand to hand with the lack of dialogue, what little the game had was great (in an amusing way), but outside of the very start the game lacks dialogue or scenes. There's not even an "end story" for each girl outside of the sex scene.
Maybe unexpectadly, but the puzzle mechancis are really what keeps the game going, the dating does help to give the player a goal and keep moving forwards, but if the puzzle sections weren't enjoyable there would be no point for that.
And for all the discussion regarding the game sexual content, I felt it was pretty hamfisted in the game, they just throw a few images at the player at the end of a puzzle with no real context.
I'm not one to mind sexual content in a game, but I can't help but feel that there was no thought in how to integrate it the game mechanics, or even bother to write context for it. It was kind of just there.
All in all, if they ever get around making a sequel, I hope they spend more time creating a proper dating system with story arcs for each characters, instead of relying on the shock of featuring sex scenes and the solid puzzle mode.
Essencially, and thanks to a friend for sumarizing my post above into the following, HuniePop is a solid puzzle game that uses a cheap gimmick to motivate its players to move onward rather than actually exploring what could actually be done with the subject material.
I'll take part, but I'm doing things a bit differently to what the threads' header is. I'll never complete 52 games in one year - neither the time or inclination - though I do want to play through my games more thoroughly and have a record of it. To that end, since getting my PS4 for Christmas, I've created a PSN account on which I intend to Platinum every game I boot on it, to only keep it to "high quality" games (as much as I can tell before trying them, anyway). Will likely use the opportunity to play some PS2 re-releases. To that end...
#1 Wolfenstein: The New Order
Played from 4/1/2015 to 12/1/2015 (Platinum, 3.6% of players)
An old school shooter. Lots of enemies, lots of weapons, big mechs, Nazis, a tough-as-nails badass hero. The pacing would not be out of place in a console FPS from circa 2000 - long levels, meaning sometimes you're barely hanging on and have to fall back for health packs, big bosses and mass assaults towards the end, slow, tense stealth sections. I particularly liked the "general" mechanic, whereby if you could sneakily take out specific enemies, who could be located by their radio's signals, you would not face reinforcements in a firefight - good way to rewards stealth. Some moments were exhilarating - during the later levels especially - but there were a few bad checkpoints and one rather nasty glitch at the start of chapter 14 which annoyed me until I figured it out (when restarting from checkpoint, not level, all health/armour pickups disappear).
Surprisingly well written scenes and letters - albeit without maintaining a consistency of tone to make it as memorable as it might have been. Deserves respect for being the rare video game which havs the same relaxed and frank attitude towards sex as it has towards violence.
#2 Resogun
Played from 29/12/14 to 14/1/2015 (Platinum, 3.0% of players)
Housemarque's best. Shows off the value of 1080p, 60fps gaming, and as such is an excellent early exclusive game for the PS4. There's a lot going on in this twin-stick shooter, but with concentration and practice I got up to speed in a few hours, never feeling the game was anything but fair - I went from dying repeatedly on Acis to breezing through Decima and Mefitis on Experienced. Once you appreciate the risk/reward trade-offs around using Overdrive, Bombs and saving humans you begin to understand that as well as requiring micro skills the game also rewards good resource management.
Some fairly tough trophies demanded a degree of mastery. The combo multiplier one and the 1CC challenge - beat all five levels on Experienced without using continue - in particular need the player to get good and be able to deal with pressure. Felt great when I got them.
Only criticism I have to make of it is the complete lack of explanation to the player what the requirements for saving humans are - they're quite important for unlocking Bombs and extra lifes, as well as trophies.
#3 Final Fantasy X HD (not yet Platinum'd, 1.8% of players)
14/1/2015 - ongoing
I have a very long history with this game, and with such experience, I'm almost done Platting it - only sphere gride maxing, the Dark Aeons and Penance remain in my way. I think it's one of the all time great RPGs, but I can't deny it shows its age - the animations can be clunky, there's no scene skip, some of the voice acting is poor (most of it is either fine or excellent, though). Its battle system is an example of masterful design - simple, accessible but allows for great mastery on the player's behalf. Few games give a better sense of "super-powering" your characters than seeing their damage ramp up from middling 4-digits to 99999 due to walking them over and remaking the Sphere Grid.
Beautiful music, setting and scenery, of course.
Games I intend to add to this account and Platinum before the year is out: The Last of Us Remastered, Oddworld: New 'N' Tasty, Kingdom Hearts HD, Bloodborne, MGS2 HD, MGS3 HD, Uncharted 2, DMC3 HD. Some new releases.
Game 61: Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin Platyime: 91:00 (100%
) Start/Finish August 27th, 2015 - September 14th, 2015
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-- Game 62: Tales of Xillia 2 Playtime: 30:41 Start/Finish: August 9th, 2015 - September 17th, 2015
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-- Game 63: Bloodborne Playtime: 32:52 (100%
) Start/Finish: September 19th, 2015 - September 28th, 2015
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-- Game 64: The Guided Fate Paradox Playtime: 32:00 Start/Finish: April 28th, 2015 - October 3rd, 2015
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- Game 65: Ys: Memories of Celceta Playtime: 24:32 Start/Finish: September 28th, 2015 - October 11th, 2015
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-- Game 66: Senran Kagura: Bon Appetit! Playtime: 8:41 Start/Finish: April 28th, 2015 - October 17th, 2015
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-- Game 67: Tree of Savior Playtime: 252:00 Start/Finish: October 27th, 2015 - November 26th, 2015
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-- Game 68: Star Wars: Battlefront Playtime: 55:23 Start/Finish: November 17th, 2015 - December 3rd, 2015
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Game #7. Golden Sun (GBA VC)
- Time played: 25:06 hours.
- Completion reached: Cleared the main story. I missed the Crossbone Isle sidequest so didn't get all Djinn...
A classic RPG from Camelot (developers of Mario Golf!). This game follows the old jRPG formula of SNES RPGs like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI: turn based battles, fantasy setting, magic (called Psynergy in this game). However, the game adds some twists to the formula that make it feel interesting and different.
The first twist, and the bigger one in my opinion, is the use of Psynergy (magic) on the overworld. In Golden Sun, there are Psynergy abilites that work on the overworld. So, for example, the "Move" Psynergy lets you move stuff (duh). There are quite a bit Psynergy abilities that work on the overworld (not all do), which gives this game a unique feel. Because of this, the game is a lot more puzzle focused than other RPGs, which is very cool in my opinion! A stand-out part of the game to me was
Colosso
, since it involved a very creative use of the game mechanics.
The other twist is the Djinn system. Djinn are a bit similar to Espers in Final Fantasy VI, since they are magical creatures that grant you abilities. You can "equip" your characters with different Djinn to make them learn new spells and alter their stats. Djinn have different elements so you have to be careful when equipping them since not every combination works. Djinn also let you use Summons in battle.
Overall, the game is really good. I could barely stop playing after I started, since the pacing is very good. There is barely any filler, the challenge level is good and the characters and settings are fun. Only thing that left me a sour feel was the ending, since the experience is clearly not complete without playing the sequel.
I'd totally recommend this game to anyone that likes jRPG games, even though I'd suggest waiting for the sequel to come out if you're playing on Virtual Console...
It's hard to say- I think, overall, I preferred the atmosphere and characters of 1 more (queen Kirigiri <3), but 2 is a better game gameplay wise and the cases are crazier. lol
Game #4 You Have To Win The Game. All achievements earned, normal mode and Extra Spice mode completed to 100%. Played as a cat.
A free game (available here for download and here for Steam) that is a loving tribute to the platformers and "open world" of the ZX Spectrum/Commodore 64/NEC computer days, where the world was divided between different screens that formed the whole of a world much like VVVVVV was, rather than the scrolling with the character that came with Pitfall and Super Mario Bros. Make no mistake while this is a tribute and love letter to many a classic game in level lay out, early 80s tube computer box outline, and art style for it's game world, it is very much a game for modern design and ease of getting into.
A game where you have plenty of opportunities to learn exactly what to do due to natural and clear explanation of what to do in what is shown and required (touch an enemy and die, longer pit requires to hold the jump longer, etc), and true to it's roots it never gets too confusing in what to do or where to go unless you yourself have lost your way. It rewards mastering the jumps and wall jumps (a power up), it gives the chance for pixel perfect jumping when desired in it's normal mode, nothing is impossible to reach once you know how and can (power ups, 2 of them), and there is never a situation where one can get stuck.
As it is old school it can prove challenging to those who require a clear cut map, as none is provided and instead has one memorising the world and it's lay out until you have a good idea where to go next. As death is never a issue in it's normal mode, with Super Meat Boy like instant-respawn and an infinite number, however one is never punished for exploring and through time you learn the routes to take until they become second nature. Take as many tries as needed, never respawn too far from doing it again or leaving to try something else, it's open to you with the normal mode. As it is screen to screen, a static image as only you and enemies and some objects move in it, you learn what each one looks like with a way to remember them by a quote at the bottom to make each one stand out beyond just it's unique lay out.
Never more than a game about collecting all the money bags in the world and platforming save for one end game puzzle, which you are told how to solve by clues written on the wall, your only worry is your own skill at platforming. You jump, you wall jump eventually, you slide down, you move. The enemies are things that move from left to right or shoot small bullets in a set pattern, nothing to worry about because they never do anything different and thus you can take your time until you master them. Then, quickly speed past them and that may just be the best tactic to get through a specific screen.
As a platformer fan, as someone who loves to explore a game world, and one who enjoys creative designs with limitations on what is actually shown at any given time, I find this to just to be a spectacular and amazing game that does so many things right and is a pure example of a platformer. A game where my first play through was filled with numerous deaths, gave me the greatest sense of satisfaction in earning an achievement (Steam) when I beat the game by never dying, proving that I had mastered the game and knew exactly what to do.
Yet it doesn't even end there. For it offers a Master Quest style challenge, named Extra Spicy Mode, which completely changes up the lay out of every screen, the order in which you travel the world, the challenge offered, and you collect power ups in reverse making it that much more of a different experience. A wonderful thing to go through after I had just "mastered the game and knew exactly what to do". One section required me to do a pixel perfect landing on what normally is death for example, another learning not to jump to keep yourself alive as normal on a vertical positioned platform, and it made me work through it and improve my skill that much more without ever being unfair.
There are issues that can prevent many people from finishing it because it is challenging and it can be easy for some to lose track of where they are or going, it won't be for all fans of platformers who want the Super Mario Bros influenced style of always moving right and holding down speed and jumping only, and there is no action/attacking some crave. Yet it is still one of the best examples of this type of platforming, a loving homage to a style very rarely seen today, and of course it's free so there is no loss in trying.
Game 6: New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS) - Hours Played: 11:06 - Completed 100% Jan 23rd
I can't really say no to a portable Mario platformer. I kinda had my expectations low because of people saying it was rushed and by-the-numbers, but in retrospect I shouldn't have done so; this is probably one of the best handheld 2d Mario platformers to date. Yeah a lot of stuff (i.e. music) are recycled from previous NSMB installments but I didn't care as long as the core gameplay was pure Mario. The various coin-related additions were welcome (especially the overpowered Gold Flower) and the secret / post-game extra worlds were nice (they make World 9 in NSMB Wii pale in comparison). I didn't really have any trouble collecting all the Star / Moon Coins or finding all the hidden exits. In fact the only level where I felt like I was actually challenged was the very last one in Star World. But I'm not gonna complain, Mario games have mostly been easy since the NES. It's a short and fun game to 100%, that's all. 8/10
Now currently playing a mixture of Donkey Kong Country Returns 3DS, Final Fantasy I, Breath of Fire 3 and a bunch of vita stuff in pitiful attempts at improving my finish list before the new semester starts.
Game #7: Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker: 13.5 hours
The most apt way to describe this game is "adorable". So much love has gone into the presentation here and it's just a joy to play (until the last few levels). Even though the game is structured such that you have to play each level twice for 100% I never minded, and I found myself trying to guess the hidden objectives (and often succeeding). While the levels don't flow together in any sort of coherent way each level is unique and many of them are quite memorable.
I do this write-up, and scratch this game off my backlog with one caveat. I couldn't finish the final bonus level. I tried for 2 hours and I'm just sick of it, maybe I'll come back to it one day.
Game 5: Saints Row the Third (PC) - 25 hours
I don't really know how they managed to make game so frustrating when player is practically invincible even without the upgrades you can buy. There are some really cool missions but unfortunately for every good mission there are at least three bad ones so I don't know why I kept playing.
Game 6: Final Fantasy XIII (PC) - 58 hours
While story and characters are rather bad in this game, I really love the battle system and enjoyed most of my time playing. Soundtrack is also phenomenal and while level design is mostly corridors after corridors, at least those corridors are really beautiful.
Playtime: 12 hours & 21 minutes Rating: 9.5/10 Start date: January 22nd, 2015 End date: January 24th, 2015
This is the 3rd time I've tried to get into Mass Effect, its always been a game that really interests me but it just never clicked but this time it really did. I fucking loved this game, I had no idea I would enjoy it so much. The story was phenomenal and the combat really started to grow on me. The only bad things I have to say about it is that the FPS on PS3 is pretty damn poor but I highly doubt its like that on PC but I've committed to playing the series on PS3 now and the auto saves were so bad, it was hardly a feature, there were a lot of times where I lost around 30-40 minutes progress because I forgot to save due to not being used to manual saving any more. I didn't enjoy the combat at first mainly because of the Matriarch Benezia fight which I found very frustrating but once I got past that it was pretty good from there on. I'm going to go start the download for Mass Effect 2. I can't wait to start it.
Earthbound
This game man... this game is great in every aspect possible. The difficulty is perfect, the settings very varied and oozes charm and creativity at every corner.
Next game in my list:
Bayonetta (Wii U): I'll finally get to play this game! Just recently found out that the composer for this game is the same who composed the music for Megaman X5-8 and Ace Attorney; that made me even more excited!
Summoner's War: I'll stay 3DS-less for a while so Mobile is the only thing I have left for when I'm away from home. This game is fun and I guess the campaign counts
It's hard to say- I think, overall, I preferred the atmosphere and characters of 1 more (queen Kirigiri <3), but 2 is a better game gameplay wise and the cases are crazier. lol
Game 13: Gravity Rush Playtime: 9:40 Started: January 21st, 2015 Completed: January 24th, 2015
// I knew people kept saying this game was good but it blew out my expectations. Still can't believe a Vita game can look so good and have a huge world alongside it. Though for such a huge world, I didn't expect the game to be so short. The story(?) made no sense whatsoever.. The combat was frustrating, as I spent most of my time just trying to land a gravity kick. But the game still ended up being fun in the end.
