Yeah it's really great this year!I looooooove some of the banners/icons people have made for their list. So so cool
so many cool layouts!
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52 games. 1 Year. 2016.
- Thread starter VisceralBowl
- Start date
- Status
so many cool layouts!
Jack Videogames
Member
43:12h. Finished Story and some Rolent and Bose sidequests, all Ruan sidequests, most Zeiss sidequests and all Grancel sidequests. This game was quite the ride: from the beggining, you feel the world and all the NPCs, even the most inconsequential, have been lovingly crafted. You don't even resent the ocassional infodump (I'm now going to explain the history of orbments for no reason...).
Also, the plot starts sprouting ramifications soon enough, and transitions from the typical Dragon Quest-ish "Let's go on an adventure and find dad!" excuse plot to something akin to a G-rated "Game of Thrones" in the span of around 30h. This is a good thing. Pity it ends
in such a gigantic, all-devouring cliffhanger. I know, it's meant to be a two-parter, but I like closure in my games, dammit.
The combat system is flexible and allows for improv and movement, but it makes things a tad easy on the lowest difficulty settings.
Also, even though I seldom mention this sort of thing, I love how every character has a "voice" and they're mostly spot-on - from goofy, energetic Estelle to the dorky, serious Joshua, it's impressive how much you can "hear" those characters considering they share the same textbox. I don't know if it's because of the script, the great characterization or the superb translation, but it's left me impressed.
My favourite, though, are the empty chests' multiple hilarious comments when you re-examine them. Whose idea whas that?
Updated OP
Game 3: Deemo: The Last Recital (Vita) - 10 hours
An enhanced vita port of a rhythm mobile game. This version added a bunch of anime cutscenes which will plays out each time you progress further into the story. Overall, I love this game. The various piano based music is so damn good to listen to.
Surprised how much contents there were in this considering the price. And those 10 hours time were only enough for me to complete the main story. Still haven't touch the post-story contents and free DLC songs as I don't intend to format my vita to use R3 account.
List: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=190947896&postcount=193
An enhanced vita port of a rhythm mobile game. This version added a bunch of anime cutscenes which will plays out each time you progress further into the story. Overall, I love this game. The various piano based music is so damn good to listen to.
Surprised how much contents there were in this considering the price. And those 10 hours time were only enough for me to complete the main story. Still haven't touch the post-story contents and free DLC songs as I don't intend to format my vita to use R3 account.
List: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=190947896&postcount=193
Finished up game 5 now.
Game 5: Dead Space - 7 hours - ★★★★☆
An absolute blast to play and one of my favorite settings ever, Dead Space builds upon its inspirations and lasts just enough time to leave an impression without overstaying its welcome. The variety in weapons made encounters fresh, combined with the light RPG elements of weapon and suit upgrading. The turret sections were bizarre, but not overly annoying. Moving on to Dead Space 2 ASAP.
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original post here
Game 5: Dead Space - 7 hours - ★★★★☆
An absolute blast to play and one of my favorite settings ever, Dead Space builds upon its inspirations and lasts just enough time to leave an impression without overstaying its welcome. The variety in weapons made encounters fresh, combined with the light RPG elements of weapon and suit upgrading. The turret sections were bizarre, but not overly annoying. Moving on to Dead Space 2 ASAP.
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original post here
pots555
Member
Game #5: The Last of Us Remastered
Around 15 hours.
I played it a first time on the PS3 but enjoyed my second time around much more on the PS4. The graphics really blew me away. This is such a beautiful game. The gameplay is almost perfect and I loved the story and characters. It's not perfect but it's close. I hope they make a sequel. Very glad I decided to play it again.
Now playing: Bloodborne, The Talos Principle, Destiny The Taken King and The Crew.
Around 15 hours.
I played it a first time on the PS3 but enjoyed my second time around much more on the PS4. The graphics really blew me away. This is such a beautiful game. The gameplay is almost perfect and I loved the story and characters. It's not perfect but it's close. I hope they make a sequel. Very glad I decided to play it again.
Now playing: Bloodborne, The Talos Principle, Destiny The Taken King and The Crew.
Benzychenz
Member
Game 05: Katamari Damacy
PS2 (via PS3) - ~10 hours - Beaten 03/02/16 - ★★★★
This game was super fun and the soundtrack was fantastic. Really simple gameplay of just rolling around collecting stuff, but you need to strategise a bit about what path to take to reach your goal within the time limit.
I feel it could have used more maps (you visit the same places over and over again in different missions), and more objective variety, but overall I really enjoyed it and have a copy of the sequel ready to play later on.
Next up: Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin (12 bosses down), Life is Strange.
I'm right on track now, but I think I need to hurry up to have a bit of a buffer for the big RPGs coming later in the year (Final Fantasy, Persona, Dragon Quest).
Main post
chrominance
Member
Original post
13. Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak (PC, 2016) - 12:18
Completed the campaign on Normal difficulty.
The original Homeworld's greatest strength has always been its purity of vision: a race of castoffs, consigned to live and die on a desert planet, rediscovering their ancestry and plotting a journey back home. Throughout the game's many missions, two things remained constant: the sense of undertaking a long, arduous pilgrimage, and the constant oppression of having to fight against mysterious forces with dwindling resources. At a time when the real-time strategy genre was all about amassing huge forces faster than your enemies, Homeworld asked you to think of every ship, from the mightiest battlecruiser to the smallest single-person fighter, as precious.
Though the setting is far removed from the interstellar journey of the first Homeworld, Deserts of Kharak evokes very much the same atmosphere. Telling the story of the original expedition that, a century later, would eventually lead to the construction of the Mothership, Deserts of Kharak is all about a long, arduous pilgrimage in the face of fierce opposition on the one hand and limited resources on the other. Like the first Homeworld, Deserts of Kharak feels like a very lonely game; help is sometimes too distant to be of much use, but more often is simply non-existent. You are, for all intents and purposes, on your own for much of the campaign.
So Deserts of Kharak gets a lot of the important atmospherics right. As a game, though, it has a few problems. First and foremost, resources. Maps will often be filled with plenty of resources to see you through the fight, but often the missions end before you can recover them all. Earlier Homeworld games would automatically collect those resources for you; here, you must gather them yourself before triggering specific events. What this means in practice is that mission progress often gets put on hold just so you can build up your resource banks. At its worst, mining can kill the momentum of a mission.
If you're a better person than I, this won't matter very much because you'll just pass on the extra resources and power through the game anyways. Many people report a campaign that was a touch too easy. I, on the other hand, got stuck on several missions. One conceit the game doesn't shy away from in order to up the difficulty is to throw endless waves of enemies at you, which reinforces the feeling of overwhelming odds but also makes it seem like the computer is cheating pretty badly. This can get ridiculous in later levels, as Deserts of Kharak throw multiple cruisers at you. Meanwhile, if your force ever gets wiped out even once, rebuilding can be arduous at best, and impossible at worst.
Unfortunately for me, this is enough to sour my impression of Deserts of Kharak somewhat. It also makes me wonder if my experience with the original Homeworld is coloured less by the difficulty of later stages, and more by that one mission where I stole fifty ion cannon frigates and broke the fleet supply cap. But that's at least as much my problem as it is Deserts of Kharak. Whatever its flaws, it does a great job of building upon the Homeworld legacy, something that seemed unimaginable just a few short years ago.
13. Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak (PC, 2016) - 12:18
Completed the campaign on Normal difficulty.
The original Homeworld's greatest strength has always been its purity of vision: a race of castoffs, consigned to live and die on a desert planet, rediscovering their ancestry and plotting a journey back home. Throughout the game's many missions, two things remained constant: the sense of undertaking a long, arduous pilgrimage, and the constant oppression of having to fight against mysterious forces with dwindling resources. At a time when the real-time strategy genre was all about amassing huge forces faster than your enemies, Homeworld asked you to think of every ship, from the mightiest battlecruiser to the smallest single-person fighter, as precious.
Though the setting is far removed from the interstellar journey of the first Homeworld, Deserts of Kharak evokes very much the same atmosphere. Telling the story of the original expedition that, a century later, would eventually lead to the construction of the Mothership, Deserts of Kharak is all about a long, arduous pilgrimage in the face of fierce opposition on the one hand and limited resources on the other. Like the first Homeworld, Deserts of Kharak feels like a very lonely game; help is sometimes too distant to be of much use, but more often is simply non-existent. You are, for all intents and purposes, on your own for much of the campaign.
So Deserts of Kharak gets a lot of the important atmospherics right. As a game, though, it has a few problems. First and foremost, resources. Maps will often be filled with plenty of resources to see you through the fight, but often the missions end before you can recover them all. Earlier Homeworld games would automatically collect those resources for you; here, you must gather them yourself before triggering specific events. What this means in practice is that mission progress often gets put on hold just so you can build up your resource banks. At its worst, mining can kill the momentum of a mission.
If you're a better person than I, this won't matter very much because you'll just pass on the extra resources and power through the game anyways. Many people report a campaign that was a touch too easy. I, on the other hand, got stuck on several missions. One conceit the game doesn't shy away from in order to up the difficulty is to throw endless waves of enemies at you, which reinforces the feeling of overwhelming odds but also makes it seem like the computer is cheating pretty badly. This can get ridiculous in later levels, as Deserts of Kharak throw multiple cruisers at you. Meanwhile, if your force ever gets wiped out even once, rebuilding can be arduous at best, and impossible at worst.
Unfortunately for me, this is enough to sour my impression of Deserts of Kharak somewhat. It also makes me wonder if my experience with the original Homeworld is coloured less by the difficulty of later stages, and more by that one mission where I stole fifty ion cannon frigates and broke the fleet supply cap. But that's at least as much my problem as it is Deserts of Kharak. Whatever its flaws, it does a great job of building upon the Homeworld legacy, something that seemed unimaginable just a few short years ago.
Realplumpbox85
Member
OT
For 12th game I finished the incredibly short and incredibly mediocre Halo 5. Really not sure what to say about it other than it looked really good and controlled really good. Other than that is was just a meh story that I did not really care to much for. Do not get me wrong as I did have fun playing it but it was just real weak compared to the other ones in the series.
For 12th game I finished the incredibly short and incredibly mediocre Halo 5. Really not sure what to say about it other than it looked really good and controlled really good. Other than that is was just a meh story that I did not really care to much for. Do not get me wrong as I did have fun playing it but it was just real weak compared to the other ones in the series.
OP
Game 10: Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls (Vita) 25/01/16 - 03/02/16 16 Hours
The third game in the series which is like a bridge between the 1st two games. This isn't a visual novel like previous games but a 3rd person shooter, maybe a bit of an experiment to try something different. Because of this, I felt the story was a bit weak and there were pacing issues because they're tried to fit a similar story narrative like the previous games with a lot of stop and pause moments. I just didn't enjoy the game as much as the first two games in the series. There's an anime announced that will be a continuation of the story shared by the 3 games and a new game series named V3 but will be a totally new story and back to the visual novel style of gameplay, which I look forward to.
Currently playing:
Darkest Dungeon (PC) 25/01/16
Card Crawl (Android) 25/01/16
Downwell (Android) 28/01/16
Game 10: Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls (Vita) 25/01/16 - 03/02/16 16 Hours
The third game in the series which is like a bridge between the 1st two games. This isn't a visual novel like previous games but a 3rd person shooter, maybe a bit of an experiment to try something different. Because of this, I felt the story was a bit weak and there were pacing issues because they're tried to fit a similar story narrative like the previous games with a lot of stop and pause moments. I just didn't enjoy the game as much as the first two games in the series. There's an anime announced that will be a continuation of the story shared by the 3 games and a new game series named V3 but will be a totally new story and back to the visual novel style of gameplay, which I look forward to.
Currently playing:
Darkest Dungeon (PC) 25/01/16
Card Crawl (Android) 25/01/16
Downwell (Android) 28/01/16
Glitchesarecool
Member
OP
Game 5: Darksiders - 1h16m
Abandoned
This game doesn't grab me at all. The combat feels really bad and is extremely repetitive, movement feels slow, the story is... Weird? Plus the environments are super boring, at least in the start of the game. Oh and the targeting system (and camera in general) is disgustingly bad. There's nothing really here that I enjoy doing.
Game 5: Darksiders - 1h16m
Abandoned
This game doesn't grab me at all. The combat feels really bad and is extremely repetitive, movement feels slow, the story is... Weird? Plus the environments are super boring, at least in the start of the game. Oh and the targeting system (and camera in general) is disgustingly bad. There's nothing really here that I enjoy doing.
Spieler Eins
Member
original post
Game 10: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PC) - 6 hours (rounded up because of game overs not counting time)
I have started RE3 one or two times but never got that far. And ever since, my image of the game kinda worsened. Some smaller things like it recycling certain maps from RE2 early on and the game not even having its own save theme always pushed the image of it being a sidestory for me, alongside the fact that it actually was supposed to be RE ,,Gaiden" early on. The early parts of the game also kind of felt like a setting from a generic zombie flick, while other RE titles usually stood out by providing locations not necessarily associated with your typical zombie tropes.
So now I finally finished the game, after I have completed every other RE multiple times (except for 6, which I never even touched). And even though it's slightly different than the usual RE fair and while it certainly isn't as great as the big ones (RE2,REmake,...), it's actually a pretty good survival game on its own. Despite not being as deep compared to other games, the level design is still decent and the survival aspect is still prominent enough. Sometimes the difficulty balance felt a bit off for level design though. Either an important key is almost immediately used after finding, or you're stopped by puzzles which are sometimes sadly nothing but annoying trial and error. Since this game already went in a more action-ey direction, I also thought it usually had a few enemies too many in each location.
On the other hand, it introduced important gameplay improvements like quick turn and auto-aim, which would carry over to REmake. Nemesis was always iconic, but his stalking at points can become a little nagging. But he still had several good moments of panic inducement (even if other undefeatable enemies in survival horror are usually handled better). And the last two battles were pretty great, probably among the better final bosses of the series. Fun game overall.
Game 11: 3D Streets of Rage 2 (3DS replay)
Still an audiovisual masterpiece. I was LTTP last year and hooked ever since. Took long enough, but now I can finally beat it on normal without continues.
Game 10: Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PC) - 6 hours (rounded up because of game overs not counting time)
I have started RE3 one or two times but never got that far. And ever since, my image of the game kinda worsened. Some smaller things like it recycling certain maps from RE2 early on and the game not even having its own save theme always pushed the image of it being a sidestory for me, alongside the fact that it actually was supposed to be RE ,,Gaiden" early on. The early parts of the game also kind of felt like a setting from a generic zombie flick, while other RE titles usually stood out by providing locations not necessarily associated with your typical zombie tropes.
So now I finally finished the game, after I have completed every other RE multiple times (except for 6, which I never even touched). And even though it's slightly different than the usual RE fair and while it certainly isn't as great as the big ones (RE2,REmake,...), it's actually a pretty good survival game on its own. Despite not being as deep compared to other games, the level design is still decent and the survival aspect is still prominent enough. Sometimes the difficulty balance felt a bit off for level design though. Either an important key is almost immediately used after finding, or you're stopped by puzzles which are sometimes sadly nothing but annoying trial and error. Since this game already went in a more action-ey direction, I also thought it usually had a few enemies too many in each location.
On the other hand, it introduced important gameplay improvements like quick turn and auto-aim, which would carry over to REmake. Nemesis was always iconic, but his stalking at points can become a little nagging. But he still had several good moments of panic inducement (even if other undefeatable enemies in survival horror are usually handled better). And the last two battles were pretty great, probably among the better final bosses of the series. Fun game overall.
Game 11: 3D Streets of Rage 2 (3DS replay)
Still an audiovisual masterpiece. I was LTTP last year and hooked ever since. Took long enough, but now I can finally beat it on normal without continues.
End of January Update
Game 1: Everybody's Gone to the Rapture (1/2): The first "walking sim" I've ever played and I'm certainly willing to give the genre another go after this. It's the most beautiful PS4 game I've ever played with stunning visual direction and excellent audio direction to boot.
Game 2: Oxenfree (1/17) 4.5 hours: An awesome indie done in the Telltale sort-of-style. Leading up to release for this one I went on one hell of an emotional roller coaster, going from not knowing the game existed to being super stoked for it to exist to finding out it came out in less than two weeks. Then of course playing through the game and seeing all the places it went, the first legitimate GOTY contender of 2016 for me.
Game 3: Xenoblade Chronicles X (1/19) 81.5 hours: The biggest disappointment of 2015 for me. The story and characters were both throwaways, which was especially disappointing after the original Xenoblade did both of those things so well. However, XCX did succeed in creating the most believable and beautiful natural world I've ever seen (I'd say it wasn't a very good video game world though since enemy placement was horrendous to put it kindly) along with successfully iterating on the thoroughly enjoyable combat system of the original Xenoblade.
Game 4: Neverending Nightmares (1/19) 1.1 hours: Not much to say about this one, after hearing about the subject matter it was trying to tackle I wanted to try it since it was on kickstarter and I finally got to play it thanks to a holiday giveaway on here and oh boy is it not good in any way.
Game 5: Affordable Space Adventures (1/25) 3.5 hours: My favorite use of the gamepad so far. A delightful little puzzle game where you take control of a small craft spaceship trying to sneak through sections of hostile alien relics trying to get off the planet you find yourself trapped on.
Game 6: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Remastered (1/28): It was nice to finally get back to Uncharted 2 after nearly 5 years and while it was still very enjoyable it wasn't anywhere near as enjoyable as the first 4 times back on the PS3 but still the quest to replay the series before 4 continues.
That was the month, overall really solid progress with some (mostly) quality stuff. Here's to a great February.
Original Post
Game 1: Everybody's Gone to the Rapture (1/2): The first "walking sim" I've ever played and I'm certainly willing to give the genre another go after this. It's the most beautiful PS4 game I've ever played with stunning visual direction and excellent audio direction to boot.
Game 2: Oxenfree (1/17) 4.5 hours: An awesome indie done in the Telltale sort-of-style. Leading up to release for this one I went on one hell of an emotional roller coaster, going from not knowing the game existed to being super stoked for it to exist to finding out it came out in less than two weeks. Then of course playing through the game and seeing all the places it went, the first legitimate GOTY contender of 2016 for me.
Game 3: Xenoblade Chronicles X (1/19) 81.5 hours: The biggest disappointment of 2015 for me. The story and characters were both throwaways, which was especially disappointing after the original Xenoblade did both of those things so well. However, XCX did succeed in creating the most believable and beautiful natural world I've ever seen (I'd say it wasn't a very good video game world though since enemy placement was horrendous to put it kindly) along with successfully iterating on the thoroughly enjoyable combat system of the original Xenoblade.
Game 4: Neverending Nightmares (1/19) 1.1 hours: Not much to say about this one, after hearing about the subject matter it was trying to tackle I wanted to try it since it was on kickstarter and I finally got to play it thanks to a holiday giveaway on here and oh boy is it not good in any way.
Game 5: Affordable Space Adventures (1/25) 3.5 hours: My favorite use of the gamepad so far. A delightful little puzzle game where you take control of a small craft spaceship trying to sneak through sections of hostile alien relics trying to get off the planet you find yourself trapped on.
Game 6: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Remastered (1/28): It was nice to finally get back to Uncharted 2 after nearly 5 years and while it was still very enjoyable it wasn't anywhere near as enjoyable as the first 4 times back on the PS3 but still the quest to replay the series before 4 continues.
That was the month, overall really solid progress with some (mostly) quality stuff. Here's to a great February.
Original Post
SPOILERS, SPOILERS, & SPOILERS!! ya know, the END GAME type.
First off, can I say FATHERCEPTION...anyone? Jesus Christ, some of those conversations where Father called me father made my head hurt.
I have completed my first playthrough & went with the following ending;
I helped The Institute
Fallout 4 was ok, Ill go as far as saying it was good but I do feel it was overhyped to hell & back. First off, the dialog OMG THE DIALOG! Im still wondering who gave the final OK & said Yea, lets go with that, but here we are. The NPCs themselves we alright, I even liked a few of them. But I could care less about my character, he had the lift/personality of a corpse & I was not interested in a thing he had to say. My next grudge against this game is the crafting system & the fact that you HAVE TO CRAFT SOMETHING in order to progress through the main story. I enjoy RPGs, but VERY RARELY do I dive into crafting as material gathering is usually an issue for me. However, once I figured out how to mark certain materials & learned a bit more about the crafting system, it became a much more pleasant experience.
So now, some good things! Im glad they improved the shooting mechanics. I avoided a melee build this playthrough & focused solely on guns, specifically single shot weapons, so the improvements were welcome. Like other Fallout games, my favorite thing was roaming around the world exploring & IMO, there is more than enough to find/explore in Fallout 4. I enjoyed the atmosphere of post-apocalyptic Boston & the settlements within - the city/settlements consumed me & I spent hours going from building to building with no particular purpose. To me, that is what Fallout is all about exploration of the post-apocalyptic unknown. Yea.. the story sucked, the graphics were passable, and the dialog was atrocious, but looking past those things I found a game that I really enjoyed.
Playtime between 20-30 hours.
Monthly update since it's February now. Completed 8 in January:
Game 01: Hook (PC) - 2h20m
#Short little puzzle game of 50 levels in which you manipulate circuits to draw all hooks back in. There's little "tutorial." The first levels are obviously a warm up, and I found myself genuinely bored at first, but as time commenced, it really started to challenge. Unfortunately, that challenge didn't come until I was already 80% up. If you play a lot of games like this, it's a breeze. Even if you don't, you just have to look and see how the bigger picture plays out. It's minimalistic entirely, minimal sound outside of ending FX and the hooks retracting. If you screw up, there's no going back - you restart the level, which can get infuriating at a more complex/full puzzle. This changes at level 40, where you seem to gain "lives." 3, specifically, indicated by small black circles on the far left of your screen. These will probably be necessary. Gets real convoluted from there onward. Difficulty spike is a bit shocking, even. Like I said, though. Just look at it - it's all right there. No guessing to be done.
Game 02: Until Dawn (PS4) - 7h18m
#Horror thriller, near spoof, of your typical cabin in the woods, teenagers gone on vacation flick. You're introduced to 8 characters beyond the opening sequence Mike, Emily, Matt, Chris, Ashley, Sam, Jessica, and Josh; it's up to your decisions to see how many can live until dawn.[u/] My play through had some fortunate, and unfortunate losses, ending with just 4 of the characters. They did a good job of introducing some unlikable characters and making them grow on you as time passes. The immersion is pretty good. The QTE sequences in tough situations definitely keep you on your toes, each with their own timing so you aren't guaranteed a thing. A single slip up in a sequence can mean someone's death. Whether you choose to risk it or go the safe route is something that can leave who you're playing as, or who they're looking for, for dead. This game is more for people who yell at horror movies when kids decide to hide rather than someone looking for a real scare. The Wendigo do a good job of instilling some fear, especially in the "Don't Move" sections where you have to keep your controller still, considering they can only see motion. I personally loved the game, down to my particular ending, though I found the twist to be ruined by a line that came before the reveal. Incredibly screwy turn of events. Collectibles are different, compared to other games I've played, specifically the Native-lore totems that speak to potential future events - guidance, fortune, death, danger, and loss. Use them well to decide what characters do - could be the big difference between a saved character. 8/10, not worth CDN$79.99, glad I picked it up on Black Friday for USD$20 at Best Buy considering the length.
Game 03: Mini Metro (PC) - 6h
#Simplistic strategy game revolving around creating efficient subway systems. Are you a commuter? Do you often find yourself enraged by delays, lack of trains on the line, and terrible design? This game is for you, because you will remember how difficult it is to put this together and reroute for congestion and rush hour. Several cities are implemented, including, but not limited to, Osaka, Berlin, Auckland, Cairo, Montreal, New York, and Hong Kong. Each has their own unique "environment" with different rivers/bodies of water/roads to tunnel over. Even the type of train is considered, only in Osaka I've noticed so far, where the bullet train is an option. You're limited in your amount of lines and trains, extra carriages, and the like, until a new week comes up on the Sunday. It may sound weird, but it's a time sink. At first, I was wondering what the hell was going on, and then I shift+tabbed to see a 6 hour total. Why have I been sitting here for 6 hours? It's addictive. I found myself restarting levels even though I earned enough passengers transported to move on. There are three modes, Normal, which has overcrowding of stations which ends the game, Endless, where overcrowding does not occur, and Extreme, where you cannot replace tracks whatsoever. Once they're laid, they're laid, and you're thoroughly screwed and forced to add another line rather than gain extra carriages for rapidly increasing populations. TL DR; This game is a little fun challenge. It doesn't rely on real "patterns" that I took in. It's all about maximizing for efficiency, rerouting if necessary unless you're in Extreme mode in which case you cannot change set lines, and adding relief in the form of locomotives, carriages, or additional lines in order to effectively transport your population to meet the markers to unlock the next cities.
Game 04: Kami (PC) - 1h43m
#Japanese paper folding themed puzzle game. With 5 sections, and 45 regular puzzles, this game offers a zen experience. It's simplistic, or it appears so. It involves some more backward thinking, single tiles being the difference between a Perfect and Okay, or Okay and Fail as you have an alotted amount of moves to clear the board. The goal is to fold out the paper until you only have one colour. It doesn't matter what colour it is, thankfully. Puzzles can be solved in multiple ways. The premium puzzles are much more difficult, at a glance, if you want the added difficulty. The sfx are only present at the start and end of a puzzle, not through the middle. While the sounds stay true to the theme, I sort of wish they had more of a soundtrack involved with the puzzles, but that's minor complaint. Often music isn't done well in these puzzlers, so it's probably for the better.
Game 05: Game of Thrones: Episode 6 (PC) - 2h0m
#True to the fashion of the rest of the season... eh. Overall, that's how I felt. About the episode, about the game, and that's even with high expectations coming off of a surprisingly well done episode 5 ending. It had the markings of a good succession only to fall short. Perhaps that's just in my choices, though I doubt it. I'm a fan of what it's based on, the novels, the shows, and I understand games take different angles all the time, but this isn't one I can back. Your choices hardly matter here. You can run the game in silence and arrive at the same ending as most. It is what it is. I got it cheap in a Humble Store build your own Telltale bundle in their end of summer sale, but even for about 90% off I'm disappointed. I don't see myself buying Season 2, or at least not on release.
Game 06: Ichi (PC) - 1h42m
#A one button puzzle game, one in which you have to account for multiple things activating/rotating as a result of a tap of the mouse. Whether it be rotation of the red triangle to launch the yellow stream to collect these golden rings, or make translucent (which doesn't affect the route of the yellow) or opaque (potentially blocks) these blue triangles. Then there's the introduction of a teleporter, as well as spikes, which add an additional difficulty to using the least amount of taps to collect all the golden rings in a level. There's 60 total, so that puts me about a third of the way through writing this with only 30~ minutes logged, and you have the option of playing user made levels. I personally found the gameplay to be ridiculously slow, I guess they really wanted you to have the time to think out your moves, but it feels like it's dragging. It has a clean aesthetic, but the music I found to be distracting - it overpowered everything else. I ended up turning it off. Had I not gotten it on sale for less than a buck, I'd be more inclined to complain, but the next it's 90% off it's my suggestion for you all to take a crack at.
Game 07: Hacknet (PC) - 6h09m
#Hacknet. A hacking game. Specifically, a hacking game following the story of Bit, a hacker
who seems infinitely smaller than he ends up being. You start off with simple things, basic UNIX distro commands you'd use to remove files etc (not that most work the way they would in reality). You "hack" into servers. It's a lot of that. You think it'd get boring, but Hacknet offers an immersive enough experience that you're constantly wanting more, especially with the messages between when you're well underway with the main story. Between the ranking in Entropy, and then going up to CSEC, you feel yourself climb, and as you go through you're given more tools to get through more "difficult" systems. If you're in any way computer literate, sure, you'll pick up quickly. As someone who knows this stuff well, it wasn't exactly challenging except in cases where I couldn't tracekill quickly enough (for example the CC Hacksquad mission which thankfully wasn't canon to the story anyway). When traced, with the change in colour of the game and consistent blinking as I went to reassign my IP, I felt as if I genuinely screwed up, ha. The music of the game is outstanding. The final mission is certainly convoluted - it's a lot of going back and forth, but it forces you to use every tool you earned. From the simple rm *, which you fucking should do at all times because those logs can and will bite you in the ass, to the obscure fucking eosdevicescan. 10/10. I suggest it. It would have been my GOTY had I played it in time for SteamGAFs.
Game 08: Gears of War: Judgement (X360) - 10h15m
#I've said it once, I'll say it again. This series should have finished at the second instalment, when Fenix and co. saved
I'll personally never understand how the Locust (Gears 2 spoiler)
. They didn't go make one additional game. They made two, with a third on the way. But I'll retract my statement, this once. 3 certainly depressed me as a game. Judgement was actually a pleasant surprise, however. It's the prequel to Gears, taking place 14 years back, to just a month after Emergence Day - in the start of the Locust conflict. It follows through with the Gears combat I personally love, with new gameplay that's much more quickly paced than the prior 3. The AI is smarter, the formula's been tweaked. I personally enjoyed it, more for the revelations than what it actually is, and the focus on Baird as he's one of my favourite of the eventually called "Delta Squad." More action than immersion, still, it's a Gears title. I'm prepared for the fourth, one day, some day, but at $20 because really I don't see what they can do. With the trilogy, they eliminated the Locusts and Sera. They're finally in a position to rebuild their world. What's left?
Game 01: Hook (PC) - 2h20m
#Short little puzzle game of 50 levels in which you manipulate circuits to draw all hooks back in. There's little "tutorial." The first levels are obviously a warm up, and I found myself genuinely bored at first, but as time commenced, it really started to challenge. Unfortunately, that challenge didn't come until I was already 80% up. If you play a lot of games like this, it's a breeze. Even if you don't, you just have to look and see how the bigger picture plays out. It's minimalistic entirely, minimal sound outside of ending FX and the hooks retracting. If you screw up, there's no going back - you restart the level, which can get infuriating at a more complex/full puzzle. This changes at level 40, where you seem to gain "lives." 3, specifically, indicated by small black circles on the far left of your screen. These will probably be necessary. Gets real convoluted from there onward. Difficulty spike is a bit shocking, even. Like I said, though. Just look at it - it's all right there. No guessing to be done.
Game 02: Until Dawn (PS4) - 7h18m
#Horror thriller, near spoof, of your typical cabin in the woods, teenagers gone on vacation flick. You're introduced to 8 characters beyond the opening sequence Mike, Emily, Matt, Chris, Ashley, Sam, Jessica, and Josh; it's up to your decisions to see how many can live until dawn.[u/] My play through had some fortunate, and unfortunate losses, ending with just 4 of the characters. They did a good job of introducing some unlikable characters and making them grow on you as time passes. The immersion is pretty good. The QTE sequences in tough situations definitely keep you on your toes, each with their own timing so you aren't guaranteed a thing. A single slip up in a sequence can mean someone's death. Whether you choose to risk it or go the safe route is something that can leave who you're playing as, or who they're looking for, for dead. This game is more for people who yell at horror movies when kids decide to hide rather than someone looking for a real scare. The Wendigo do a good job of instilling some fear, especially in the "Don't Move" sections where you have to keep your controller still, considering they can only see motion. I personally loved the game, down to my particular ending, though I found the twist to be ruined by a line that came before the reveal. Incredibly screwy turn of events. Collectibles are different, compared to other games I've played, specifically the Native-lore totems that speak to potential future events - guidance, fortune, death, danger, and loss. Use them well to decide what characters do - could be the big difference between a saved character. 8/10, not worth CDN$79.99, glad I picked it up on Black Friday for USD$20 at Best Buy considering the length.
Game 03: Mini Metro (PC) - 6h
#Simplistic strategy game revolving around creating efficient subway systems. Are you a commuter? Do you often find yourself enraged by delays, lack of trains on the line, and terrible design? This game is for you, because you will remember how difficult it is to put this together and reroute for congestion and rush hour. Several cities are implemented, including, but not limited to, Osaka, Berlin, Auckland, Cairo, Montreal, New York, and Hong Kong. Each has their own unique "environment" with different rivers/bodies of water/roads to tunnel over. Even the type of train is considered, only in Osaka I've noticed so far, where the bullet train is an option. You're limited in your amount of lines and trains, extra carriages, and the like, until a new week comes up on the Sunday. It may sound weird, but it's a time sink. At first, I was wondering what the hell was going on, and then I shift+tabbed to see a 6 hour total. Why have I been sitting here for 6 hours? It's addictive. I found myself restarting levels even though I earned enough passengers transported to move on. There are three modes, Normal, which has overcrowding of stations which ends the game, Endless, where overcrowding does not occur, and Extreme, where you cannot replace tracks whatsoever. Once they're laid, they're laid, and you're thoroughly screwed and forced to add another line rather than gain extra carriages for rapidly increasing populations. TL DR; This game is a little fun challenge. It doesn't rely on real "patterns" that I took in. It's all about maximizing for efficiency, rerouting if necessary unless you're in Extreme mode in which case you cannot change set lines, and adding relief in the form of locomotives, carriages, or additional lines in order to effectively transport your population to meet the markers to unlock the next cities.
Game 04: Kami (PC) - 1h43m
#Japanese paper folding themed puzzle game. With 5 sections, and 45 regular puzzles, this game offers a zen experience. It's simplistic, or it appears so. It involves some more backward thinking, single tiles being the difference between a Perfect and Okay, or Okay and Fail as you have an alotted amount of moves to clear the board. The goal is to fold out the paper until you only have one colour. It doesn't matter what colour it is, thankfully. Puzzles can be solved in multiple ways. The premium puzzles are much more difficult, at a glance, if you want the added difficulty. The sfx are only present at the start and end of a puzzle, not through the middle. While the sounds stay true to the theme, I sort of wish they had more of a soundtrack involved with the puzzles, but that's minor complaint. Often music isn't done well in these puzzlers, so it's probably for the better.
Game 05: Game of Thrones: Episode 6 (PC) - 2h0m
#True to the fashion of the rest of the season... eh. Overall, that's how I felt. About the episode, about the game, and that's even with high expectations coming off of a surprisingly well done episode 5 ending. It had the markings of a good succession only to fall short. Perhaps that's just in my choices, though I doubt it. I'm a fan of what it's based on, the novels, the shows, and I understand games take different angles all the time, but this isn't one I can back. Your choices hardly matter here. You can run the game in silence and arrive at the same ending as most. It is what it is. I got it cheap in a Humble Store build your own Telltale bundle in their end of summer sale, but even for about 90% off I'm disappointed. I don't see myself buying Season 2, or at least not on release.
Game 06: Ichi (PC) - 1h42m
#A one button puzzle game, one in which you have to account for multiple things activating/rotating as a result of a tap of the mouse. Whether it be rotation of the red triangle to launch the yellow stream to collect these golden rings, or make translucent (which doesn't affect the route of the yellow) or opaque (potentially blocks) these blue triangles. Then there's the introduction of a teleporter, as well as spikes, which add an additional difficulty to using the least amount of taps to collect all the golden rings in a level. There's 60 total, so that puts me about a third of the way through writing this with only 30~ minutes logged, and you have the option of playing user made levels. I personally found the gameplay to be ridiculously slow, I guess they really wanted you to have the time to think out your moves, but it feels like it's dragging. It has a clean aesthetic, but the music I found to be distracting - it overpowered everything else. I ended up turning it off. Had I not gotten it on sale for less than a buck, I'd be more inclined to complain, but the next it's 90% off it's my suggestion for you all to take a crack at.
Game 07: Hacknet (PC) - 6h09m
#Hacknet. A hacking game. Specifically, a hacking game following the story of Bit, a hacker
and prominent member of a community as you later find, who disappeared for 2 weeks while working on the project HacknetOS for EnTech Security
Game 08: Gears of War: Judgement (X360) - 10h15m
#I've said it once, I'll say it again. This series should have finished at the second instalment, when Fenix and co. saved
Jacinto, the last city, from sinking as a results of the hive underground.
recovered and rebuilt their entire race with one remaining person, but hey, power to them
SupremeLoser
Member
End of January Update
Game 1: Mass Effect 2 (1/25): Completed this as Renegade Shepard (save carried over from Mass Effect 1) and it was a blast. Finished all the DLC for it as well; Arrival was okay, Overlord was great and Lair of the Shadow Broker was pretty good.
Time to complete: 24.5 hours
Game 2: Gears of War: Judgment (1/25) : It's very different from a mission structure standpoint compared to the main Gears titles, but I still really enjoyed this game. The story was a little thin, but the gameplay was great and I loved tackling the Declassified options in each mission which added some modifiers/restrictions to make the combat more challenging. The ending was a little weak though, and the final boss "fight" was terrible.
Time to complete: 5.5 hours
Game 3: Saints Row: Gat out of Hell (1/26) : If you played Saints Row IV, its basically the same gameplay, just with a cooler setting. Flying around Hell with Angel Wings was great and collecting the orbs was as addicting as ever. The story was okay (the musical scene was fantastic) but the 5 alternate 'endings' were all really weak. Still I had fun with my time and it didn't overstay it's welcome.
Time to complete: 3 hours
Game 4: Transistor (1/28): I bought this game full price on release and never got around to playing it until now. Everything about this game was handled so well; the music, the visuals, the voice acting, and especially the battle system. It was a blast to play, and I wanted to start up New Game + as soon as I finished the story because I wanted to play around with the combat some more and explore the world. However, since the backlog won't wait, I had to move on but I will probably come back to this for a replay in the future.
Time to complete: 3.5 hours
Overall, I'm pretty happy with my January completions, but I know I'm losing to my wife who beat more games last month. Maybe I can catch up in February.
Game 1: Mass Effect 2 (1/25): Completed this as Renegade Shepard (save carried over from Mass Effect 1) and it was a blast. Finished all the DLC for it as well; Arrival was okay, Overlord was great and Lair of the Shadow Broker was pretty good.
Time to complete: 24.5 hours
Game 2: Gears of War: Judgment (1/25) : It's very different from a mission structure standpoint compared to the main Gears titles, but I still really enjoyed this game. The story was a little thin, but the gameplay was great and I loved tackling the Declassified options in each mission which added some modifiers/restrictions to make the combat more challenging. The ending was a little weak though, and the final boss "fight" was terrible.
Time to complete: 5.5 hours
Game 3: Saints Row: Gat out of Hell (1/26) : If you played Saints Row IV, its basically the same gameplay, just with a cooler setting. Flying around Hell with Angel Wings was great and collecting the orbs was as addicting as ever. The story was okay (the musical scene was fantastic) but the 5 alternate 'endings' were all really weak. Still I had fun with my time and it didn't overstay it's welcome.
Time to complete: 3 hours
Game 4: Transistor (1/28): I bought this game full price on release and never got around to playing it until now. Everything about this game was handled so well; the music, the visuals, the voice acting, and especially the battle system. It was a blast to play, and I wanted to start up New Game + as soon as I finished the story because I wanted to play around with the combat some more and explore the world. However, since the backlog won't wait, I had to move on but I will probably come back to this for a replay in the future.
Time to complete: 3.5 hours
Overall, I'm pretty happy with my January completions, but I know I'm losing to my wife who beat more games last month. Maybe I can catch up in February.
So I've decided to do this this year (along with 50 movies, 50 books, and hopefully losing 50 lbs). Unfortunately, I'm moving to a new place this month, which meant last month was full of packing and this month is full of actually moving. My year REALLY is starting in march, tbh. I have, however, been using my free time to crack as many games as possible, but I started off with mostly short games with one exception.
End of January:
1. Her Story - 4 Hours
It was alright, worth the price of admission for a neat story. I do like how it made me come up with my own (incorrect) story based on the search terms I used - something unique i've never seen before. After digging more I found the correct story but I was able to feed myself an incorrect narrative by choosing my search terms differently than what was needed to find the true story. Very neat how I found the answers I *wanted* to find though not necessarily the real answers because I didn't get the full story. Never had that experience before.
2. Batman Arkham Knight - Not sure, but probably more than 30 hours
Managed to finish this with all the riddler trophies. Unsure why it got all the hate, I loved it. My second favorite arkham game after asylum. I guess I don't care all that much about the story and really just love the combat/exploration/puzzle mechanics. I thought the car was fun, too.
3. Undertale - 8 hours
Liked it a lot, despite being a heavy 'only as good as the ending' kind of game. I've grown to appreciate the characters and dialog more as time passes, but blasting through it during the blizzard I really only felt the impact once I got the pacifist ending. Really charming world though - one I see myself replaying down the line.
4. Contrast - Not sure - maybe 8 hours?
Got a PS4 to play arkham knight, renewed my PS+ sub and found this game on there. Engine quality (not gameplay) reminded me of octodad but the game was nowhere as charming as octodad. Platforming controls were mediocre but some of the puzzles were neat - albeit repetitious. Never really got too difficult but i had a good time. Glad it was 'free.'
48 to go!
End of January:
1. Her Story - 4 Hours
It was alright, worth the price of admission for a neat story. I do like how it made me come up with my own (incorrect) story based on the search terms I used - something unique i've never seen before. After digging more I found the correct story but I was able to feed myself an incorrect narrative by choosing my search terms differently than what was needed to find the true story. Very neat how I found the answers I *wanted* to find though not necessarily the real answers because I didn't get the full story. Never had that experience before.
2. Batman Arkham Knight - Not sure, but probably more than 30 hours
Managed to finish this with all the riddler trophies. Unsure why it got all the hate, I loved it. My second favorite arkham game after asylum. I guess I don't care all that much about the story and really just love the combat/exploration/puzzle mechanics. I thought the car was fun, too.
3. Undertale - 8 hours
Liked it a lot, despite being a heavy 'only as good as the ending' kind of game. I've grown to appreciate the characters and dialog more as time passes, but blasting through it during the blizzard I really only felt the impact once I got the pacifist ending. Really charming world though - one I see myself replaying down the line.
4. Contrast - Not sure - maybe 8 hours?
Got a PS4 to play arkham knight, renewed my PS+ sub and found this game on there. Engine quality (not gameplay) reminded me of octodad but the game was nowhere as charming as octodad. Platforming controls were mediocre but some of the puzzles were neat - albeit repetitious. Never really got too difficult but i had a good time. Glad it was 'free.'
48 to go!
Midn1ght
Member
Update :
Game #2 : Grow Home
Rating: 8/10 - Platform: PS4 - Developer: Ubisoft Reflections
I Loved Grow Home, the controls might trow you off in the beginning but when you're getting use to it and starts to acquire more abilities, this game is really fun to play. It looks beautiful, the music fits perfectly the world you're into and going higher and higher is just really fun to do. Beautiful and surprising experience.
Main Post
Game #2 : Grow Home
Rating: 8/10 - Platform: PS4 - Developer: Ubisoft Reflections
I Loved Grow Home, the controls might trow you off in the beginning but when you're getting use to it and starts to acquire more abilities, this game is really fun to play. It looks beautiful, the music fits perfectly the world you're into and going higher and higher is just really fun to do. Beautiful and surprising experience.
Main Post
Glitchesarecool
Member
Game 7: Rhythm Heaven - 8h
Completed
Man this game is so good. The concept is so simple--do actions in time with the music and cues--and yet every mini-game feels fresh and unique. The art style and interesting design choice of holding the DS sideways makes it super appealing. It's great brain training for keeping beat, and the rhythm toys they give you are great little distractions as well.
Completed
Man this game is so good. The concept is so simple--do actions in time with the music and cues--and yet every mini-game feels fresh and unique. The art style and interesting design choice of holding the DS sideways makes it super appealing. It's great brain training for keeping beat, and the rhythm toys they give you are great little distractions as well.
Jack Videogames
Member
61:00h. Finished main Story siding with Railroad, maxed affinity with Piper, Curie, Cait and Nick.
Unmarked SPOILERS galore. If I were to mark them I would simply link a blacksquare.png and it wouldn't be much of a post.
I wanted to love Fallout 4. It would have not been hard. I'm an unrepentant Fallout fanboy. I was hooked from the first minute. I liked Boston, even though I found it somewhat cluttered - I liked the new gunplay, the new Power Armors, the NPCs, the factions, everything. I enjoyed going from nobody to nightmare, following the Freedom Trail, finding the BoS and getting to know Maxson. I even liked helping those fucking settlements. I found the latter quests really engaging (Battle of Bunker Hill got me good- BoS came by surprise even though I decided not to warn them, which resulted on the most heated firefight in the game)
Also, as a father, the MC's main motivation rang close to home. Would you do anytthing to rescue your kidnapped son? Would you love him even if for some bizarre reason he was now a supervilliain 40 years older than you? I even felt really bad at the prospect of ruining Shaun's dream because it was the right thing to do, and I felt sorta giddy at the prospect of the MC's "adopting" Synth!Shaun.
Then everything came to a close and instead of the comforting, modular "What happens now" ending all Fallout fans know and love, I got 15-seconds of "War never changes"-style non-commital platitudes. After that, Desdemona simply said what amounted to "Ok rookie, no time to sleep, there are more radiant quests waiting for you!". What!?
An ending is like the dessert on a menu. It can make or break a game. After all the time invested, after all the love poured in the game, I now feel sorta betrayed.
Updated OP
Sioul
Member
January Update:
Original post
Game 1 (Jan. 1): Dragons Dogma: Dark Arisen (Xbox 360) - ★★★★☆
NG+ run, this time I skipped most of the side quests but completed all the postgame. Ending spoiler:
Game 2 (Jan. 4): Kameo (Xbox 360 BC) - ★★★☆☆
First time playing this game and it really did not aged well but it is a fun game with some good gameplay mechanics. I need to try the co-op modes and the time trials.
Game 3 (Jan. 5): Her Story (PC) - ★★★★☆
I played this without knowing what to expect. It was a good surprise, nice presentation and really an unique experience.
Game 4 (Jan. 8): Bioshock (Xbox 360) - ★★★★★
I decided to finally remove Bioshock Infinite from my backlog but first I wanted to re-experience the first games. It was as good as I remembered, Rapture is a fantastic setting and I love to explore it and discover more about the city.
Game 5 (Jan. 12): Bioshock 2 (Xbox 360) - ★★★★★
I love this game, I find that the story was better on the first one but the gameplay is really good. The multiplayer mode is fun but it is empty, bad time to try it.
Game 6 (Jan. 20): Plants vs. Zombies (Xbox 360) - ★★★☆☆
All stages completed. Fun game to pass time. Not much to say about it.
Game 7 (Jan. 22): Bioshock Infinite (Xbox 360) ★★★★★
Finally I played this game, loved it. The gameplay feels familiar but different. The story is really interesting and Columbia is beautiful and strange.
Now playing: Destiny, Hand of Fate, Borderlands 2
Also I want to play this month: Deus Ex: HR, Ryse and AC4: Freedom Cry
Original post
Game 1 (Jan. 1): Dragons Dogma: Dark Arisen (Xbox 360) - ★★★★☆
NG+ run, this time I skipped most of the side quests but completed all the postgame. Ending spoiler:
I fought against the Seneschal again and found that this time he was a random player and his pawn, really cool after the speech about the endless cycle
Game 2 (Jan. 4): Kameo (Xbox 360 BC) - ★★★☆☆
First time playing this game and it really did not aged well but it is a fun game with some good gameplay mechanics. I need to try the co-op modes and the time trials.
Game 3 (Jan. 5): Her Story (PC) - ★★★★☆
I played this without knowing what to expect. It was a good surprise, nice presentation and really an unique experience.
Game 4 (Jan. 8): Bioshock (Xbox 360) - ★★★★★
I decided to finally remove Bioshock Infinite from my backlog but first I wanted to re-experience the first games. It was as good as I remembered, Rapture is a fantastic setting and I love to explore it and discover more about the city.
Game 5 (Jan. 12): Bioshock 2 (Xbox 360) - ★★★★★
I love this game, I find that the story was better on the first one but the gameplay is really good. The multiplayer mode is fun but it is empty, bad time to try it.
Game 6 (Jan. 20): Plants vs. Zombies (Xbox 360) - ★★★☆☆
All stages completed. Fun game to pass time. Not much to say about it.
Game 7 (Jan. 22): Bioshock Infinite (Xbox 360) ★★★★★
Finally I played this game, loved it. The gameplay feels familiar but different. The story is really interesting and Columbia is beautiful and strange.
Now playing: Destiny, Hand of Fate, Borderlands 2
Also I want to play this month: Deus Ex: HR, Ryse and AC4: Freedom Cry
tav7623
Member
Original Post
5. Dead or Alive 5: Last Round (Finished "story mode" 2/4/16, playtime 5+ hrs) - one of my favorite gaming genre's has always been the fighting genre (and for some odd reason I like it when they include a "story" mode even though they turn out to be crap) and of the "big" fighting game series out there Dead or Alive is one of the few series (next to Virtua Fighter & Soul Caliber) that I haven't played too much of in the past (I played a little of DoA 2 Hardcore on the PS2 and a demo of 3 prior to the launch of the original Xbox) so I figured I'd give the series another go with DoA 5: Last Round. Overall I didn't care too much for this game, which to me felt like a very poorly done imitation of Tekken with a dash of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (simplified button schemes) thrown in for good measure and the way the game "tells" it's "story" left me even more confused than I already was coming in. ★★
5. Dead or Alive 5: Last Round (Finished "story mode" 2/4/16, playtime 5+ hrs) - one of my favorite gaming genre's has always been the fighting genre (and for some odd reason I like it when they include a "story" mode even though they turn out to be crap) and of the "big" fighting game series out there Dead or Alive is one of the few series (next to Virtua Fighter & Soul Caliber) that I haven't played too much of in the past (I played a little of DoA 2 Hardcore on the PS2 and a demo of 3 prior to the launch of the original Xbox) so I figured I'd give the series another go with DoA 5: Last Round. Overall I didn't care too much for this game, which to me felt like a very poorly done imitation of Tekken with a dash of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (simplified button schemes) thrown in for good measure and the way the game "tells" it's "story" left me even more confused than I already was coming in. ★★
Shadowcreep
Member
Game 6: Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (DS) - 26 Hours
Fire emblem is one of my favorite gaming franchises despite not having played more than half of games released. I decided I would just try to play through as many of them as possible this year leading up to me playing Fire Emblem Fates sometime later this year, starting with the remake of the first Fire Emblem game. The game is missing quite a few features that the later fire emblem games have included like support convos and the way to entering the gaiden chapters is basically to kill all of your units which is strange so i missed out on all but the last gaiden chapter which I only entered due to reading a trick to enter it and still keep everyone alive and keep my Falchion. The story is also a little simple and the absence of support conversations means that most of my units didn't actually have any characterization outside of the dialogue they have when recruited and a sentence or two at the end saying what happened after the war. Despite these misgivings I found the game quite enjoyable and a little simple even, the game throws reinforcements at you more than any other fire emblem game I've played, but they also give you an abundance of special weapons that make the game fairly easy. The chameleon unit type is my favorite unit type in this game since it is one I haven't seen in any other Fire Emblem game before.
OP
Fire emblem is one of my favorite gaming franchises despite not having played more than half of games released. I decided I would just try to play through as many of them as possible this year leading up to me playing Fire Emblem Fates sometime later this year, starting with the remake of the first Fire Emblem game. The game is missing quite a few features that the later fire emblem games have included like support convos and the way to entering the gaiden chapters is basically to kill all of your units which is strange so i missed out on all but the last gaiden chapter which I only entered due to reading a trick to enter it and still keep everyone alive and keep my Falchion. The story is also a little simple and the absence of support conversations means that most of my units didn't actually have any characterization outside of the dialogue they have when recruited and a sentence or two at the end saying what happened after the war. Despite these misgivings I found the game quite enjoyable and a little simple even, the game throws reinforcements at you more than any other fire emblem game I've played, but they also give you an abundance of special weapons that make the game fairly easy. The chameleon unit type is my favorite unit type in this game since it is one I haven't seen in any other Fire Emblem game before.
OP
GametimeUK
Member
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mxpL2EIDbQ&feature=gp-n-y&google_comment_id=z13zel5zdzjof3lj404cd1bpukihxx1jpak
My first video update (episode 1) on my road to 52 games. I feel my video's will get better with decent lighting and as I get practice talking to a camera. A summary of the first 9 games I have finished so far.
Also, how can I change the link to say something like "52 games 1 year, ep1) instead of the actual Youtube link?
My first video update (episode 1) on my road to 52 games. I feel my video's will get better with decent lighting and as I get practice talking to a camera. A summary of the first 9 games I have finished so far.
Also, how can I change the link to say something like "52 games 1 year, ep1) instead of the actual Youtube link?
aGuyInaBearSuit
Member
Game #9 was The Witness. Utterly incredible, one of the best puzzle games ever and an early contender for game of the year. Full review.
OP
OP
Game 6: Axiom Verge - February 5th
Pretty crazy that this game was made by one guy. Really good Metroid clone, among the best I've played. A few little problems but nothing that really impacted my enjoyment. Tempted to go for 100% but will probably leave that for another time.
Original post
Pretty crazy that this game was made by one guy. Really good Metroid clone, among the best I've played. A few little problems but nothing that really impacted my enjoyment. Tempted to go for 100% but will probably leave that for another time.
Original post
A Link to the Past
Banned
Main post
Game #13: Super C (NES) - ★★★★★★★★★★
Fantastic game. I've been playing it on my 3DS on-and-off for over a year, and finally got to the point where I can do up to stage 6 on one life. I had a lot of free time today, so I was playing it, and finally managed to get through to stage 8. I did unfortunately have to use continues, but I ultimately found myself beating the last few bosses, of which the boss of stage 6 (pictured) and stage 8 were really a couple of pushovers! Like, seriously anticlimactic. Super C wasn't too bad on the bullshit front - there were times where it felt like you didn't have time to react to shit coming at you, but most of the time it gave you decent opportunity to dictate how you approached enemies and obstacles. Plus, it gives you such great feelings when you're doing unreal maneuvers through enemies and their bullets without getting hit, all the while turning, jumping, and shooting in all of the right directions. It's nice to finally beat a game this year that I could comfortably rate five stars, haha.
Game #13: Super C (NES) - ★★★★★★★★★★
Fantastic game. I've been playing it on my 3DS on-and-off for over a year, and finally got to the point where I can do up to stage 6 on one life. I had a lot of free time today, so I was playing it, and finally managed to get through to stage 8. I did unfortunately have to use continues, but I ultimately found myself beating the last few bosses, of which the boss of stage 6 (pictured) and stage 8 were really a couple of pushovers! Like, seriously anticlimactic. Super C wasn't too bad on the bullshit front - there were times where it felt like you didn't have time to react to shit coming at you, but most of the time it gave you decent opportunity to dictate how you approached enemies and obstacles. Plus, it gives you such great feelings when you're doing unreal maneuvers through enemies and their bullets without getting hit, all the while turning, jumping, and shooting in all of the right directions. It's nice to finally beat a game this year that I could comfortably rate five stars, haha.
lazyproblems
Member
Game 10. Gone Home (PC); Playtime: 3 hours & 20 minutes; beat the game; completed on 2/5/2016
Gone Home was an absolutely beautiful game. Fullbright Company deserves every bit of praise theyve received for this game. The stories that you discover are touching, joyful, and even heartbreaking. They did a fantastic job creating a place for you to explore and piece everything together. This one will stick with me for a while. If I had played this in 2013, this probably wouldve been a strong contender for my GOTY. I'm now looking forward to Tacoma, Fullbrights upcoming game.
Original Post
Wildschwein
Member
Game #09 - Monument Valley
Time Played: 6-7 bathroom trips
I think I may have been disappointed with this one once or twice for every moment I was impressed. Its super pretty and pretty dang clever, but its a lot more pretty than it is clever. The puzzles are less puzzles and more of a "spot the button" kind of deal. It felt like a good experience, and definitely, definitely worth the $0 I spent, but I don't think I walked away feeling too satisfied.
Time Played: 6-7 bathroom trips
I think I may have been disappointed with this one once or twice for every moment I was impressed. Its super pretty and pretty dang clever, but its a lot more pretty than it is clever. The puzzles are less puzzles and more of a "spot the button" kind of deal. It felt like a good experience, and definitely, definitely worth the $0 I spent, but I don't think I walked away feeling too satisfied.
Game #07 - Lifeline: Silent Night [Android] (1 day, finished in February 5)
The original Lifeline was a fresh experience, where I took care of Taylor while she roamed a distant moon completely alone, watching out for her health and choosing safe paths for her to follow. It had a serviceable writing and outcomes that were inconsistent with the choices made, but I accepted them as it was an experimental project. When I heard there was a sequel to Taylor's story I hoped they would fix those issues and make a more fleshed-out game, but I was wrong.
The game continues right when the first ended, as Taylor is on her way home on board of the White Star. Suddenly another ship closes in on her, the lights go out and the story begins. The problem with this one is that it has basically the same plot; you know what's going to happen at every possible danger. The ending is cheap and a
.
To make things different, they introduced characters for Taylor to interact with, but they showed up for 2 minutes so I couldn't even care about what happened to them. They also put a map of the ship for you to see where Taylor is at every point but it's so basic you don't feel the need to look at it.
3 Minute Games had a great chance to explore and improve on this type of game but failed by doing more of the same.
Game #08 - The Witness [PC] (39 hours, finished in February 5)
At the time of this writing I just did every puzzle in The Witness. We all have very different opinions on it, and for me is one of the best, if not the best puzzle game I've ever played. Constantly I shook my head in disbelief of how stunning were some of its moments, areas and puzzles. This kind of game is always walking between enjoyment and frustration; luckily I never felt frustrated. It challenges you at every time to think in ways you're not used to think in games, yet I always left a game session feeling like I was the smartest person in the world (especially after the very last sequence of puzzles). I'm extremely happy that a game like this can exist today.
Original Post
The original Lifeline was a fresh experience, where I took care of Taylor while she roamed a distant moon completely alone, watching out for her health and choosing safe paths for her to follow. It had a serviceable writing and outcomes that were inconsistent with the choices made, but I accepted them as it was an experimental project. When I heard there was a sequel to Taylor's story I hoped they would fix those issues and make a more fleshed-out game, but I was wrong.
The game continues right when the first ended, as Taylor is on her way home on board of the White Star. Suddenly another ship closes in on her, the lights go out and the story begins. The problem with this one is that it has basically the same plot; you know what's going to happen at every possible danger. The ending is cheap and a
deus ex machina like the first one
To make things different, they introduced characters for Taylor to interact with, but they showed up for 2 minutes so I couldn't even care about what happened to them. They also put a map of the ship for you to see where Taylor is at every point but it's so basic you don't feel the need to look at it.
3 Minute Games had a great chance to explore and improve on this type of game but failed by doing more of the same.
Game #08 - The Witness [PC] (39 hours, finished in February 5)
At the time of this writing I just did every puzzle in The Witness. We all have very different opinions on it, and for me is one of the best, if not the best puzzle game I've ever played. Constantly I shook my head in disbelief of how stunning were some of its moments, areas and puzzles. This kind of game is always walking between enjoyment and frustration; luckily I never felt frustrated. It challenges you at every time to think in ways you're not used to think in games, yet I always left a game session feeling like I was the smartest person in the world (especially after the very last sequence of puzzles). I'm extremely happy that a game like this can exist today.
Original Post
Main Post
Game 12: Bioshock
The 2K sale on steam last week gave me a prime excuse to get digital versions of Bioshock 1 and 2 (I already had Infinite on steam, but only physical / GFWL versions of the other two). It's been some time since I last played these two (in fact, I believe I only finished each once after their respective releases).
I still had a rough sense of the backstory and what goes on during the game, but much of it did feel quite fresh after such a long time. One problem I had on my first playthrough about ten years ago was missing out on a considerable number of audio diaries, causing me to miss out on some of the finer points of the lore. That issue I was able to solve this time around.
At the same time, I had a vague impression of the game dragging on a bit in the middle, and this new session has not changed much about that. In a way, I feel like the world building is top notch, but the moment-to-moment of the story is not interesting enough to really keep you invested, and you can only kill so many splicers before you begin trying to avoid them, and the hacking minigame also becomes more annoying than entertaining after a while. I also feel like the hard caps on money, ammunition, etc. really kill much of my incentive to explore (since I can't even pick up half of what I find). Ultimately, this all eventually leads to me just wanting to get to the end, and find the remaining audio diaries.
The biggest issue here, I feel, is that so much focus was spent on Rapture and its history that the game almost entirely depends on them en lieu of a more developed storyline (not to mention that I take some issue with the way the
twists are handled) and relatable characters. After all, the game goes to the trouble of pulling you into the triangular thread between Tenenbaum, Ryan and Atlas, but you only ever get to know them through stories that are told or ideals that they hold, as opposed to experiencing them in the flesh in some way or another. Say what you will about Infinite's gameplay, but at least Elizabeth's character makes me care a bit more about what's happening on-screen.
I could probably go on, but most of that would probably devolve into rant territory (if it hasn't already), and I certainly don't want to give the impression that I didn't still enjoy playing the game (I'm confident I'll replay the other two before the end of this month). Suffice to say, I'm glad I gave it another go, if only to finally get the full picture, and for what I paid for it, I would have been a complete idiot not to get it.
Game 12: Bioshock
The 2K sale on steam last week gave me a prime excuse to get digital versions of Bioshock 1 and 2 (I already had Infinite on steam, but only physical / GFWL versions of the other two). It's been some time since I last played these two (in fact, I believe I only finished each once after their respective releases).
I still had a rough sense of the backstory and what goes on during the game, but much of it did feel quite fresh after such a long time. One problem I had on my first playthrough about ten years ago was missing out on a considerable number of audio diaries, causing me to miss out on some of the finer points of the lore. That issue I was able to solve this time around.
At the same time, I had a vague impression of the game dragging on a bit in the middle, and this new session has not changed much about that. In a way, I feel like the world building is top notch, but the moment-to-moment of the story is not interesting enough to really keep you invested, and you can only kill so many splicers before you begin trying to avoid them, and the hacking minigame also becomes more annoying than entertaining after a while. I also feel like the hard caps on money, ammunition, etc. really kill much of my incentive to explore (since I can't even pick up half of what I find). Ultimately, this all eventually leads to me just wanting to get to the end, and find the remaining audio diaries.
The biggest issue here, I feel, is that so much focus was spent on Rapture and its history that the game almost entirely depends on them en lieu of a more developed storyline (not to mention that I take some issue with the way the
Atlas / Fontaine and slave Jack
I could probably go on, but most of that would probably devolve into rant territory (if it hasn't already), and I certainly don't want to give the impression that I didn't still enjoy playing the game (I'm confident I'll replay the other two before the end of this month). Suffice to say, I'm glad I gave it another go, if only to finally get the full picture, and for what I paid for it, I would have been a complete idiot not to get it.
A Link to the Past
Banned
Main post
Game #14: KAMI (PC) - ★★★★★★★★☆☆
KAMI is a fun little puzzle game (which I was inspired to beat by another poster). I would say that I'm "good" at this game, but not "great." It's deceptively simple, and I'd say that I got half of the puzzles as perfect, but it definitely was not a walk in the park. The objective is to change the colour of a puzzle to be one single solid color by clicking on coloured areas with different colours (for instance, turning red to orange). I would strongly recommend it however for people looking for a nice, small puzzle game.
Game #14: KAMI (PC) - ★★★★★★★★☆☆
KAMI is a fun little puzzle game (which I was inspired to beat by another poster). I would say that I'm "good" at this game, but not "great." It's deceptively simple, and I'd say that I got half of the puzzles as perfect, but it definitely was not a walk in the park. The objective is to change the colour of a puzzle to be one single solid color by clicking on coloured areas with different colours (for instance, turning red to orange). I would strongly recommend it however for people looking for a nice, small puzzle game.
Original Post.
Second Update.
January Roundup.
Completed:
3. Until Dawn - PS4 (1/3/2016) Beat it once, working on the platinum.
4. Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls - PS4 (1/7/2016) Coop run completed with the wife. Will continue to play adventure mode.
5. The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt - PC (Playtime: 103 hours, 1/9/2016) Completed the campaign, loved it, GOTY 2015. Will buy and play the DLC once I get more games off my backlog.
6. Laura Croft Go - Android (1/9/2015) I hate most mobile games but this was a good one.
7. Game of Thrones Episode 2 - PS4 (1/9/2016) This game is a bummer, I'm finding it hard to want to play.
8. Monument Valley - Android (1/16/2016) Laura Croft was good, this was fucking great, best mobile game I've ever played. Played through the main levels then immediately bought the dlc and then played through the free dlc.
9. The Room - Android (1/23/2016) I had massive performance issues when I bought this game right after I got my S6 Edge but they must have patched it since then and I finally got to play through this over the course of about 3 play sessions. Another great mobile game that's made to be played on a touch screen. I started The Room 2 immediately after completing the epilogue of the first game.
10. Game of Thrones Episode 3 - PS4 (1/23/2016) Best episode so far but that's not saying much. At least I'm wanting to play the next.
11. Guitar Hero Live - PS4 (1/24/2016) Feels like a step up from last gen's music games unlike Rock band 4 but I enjoy both. I have Rock Band for fun local mp and drums on expert and I have Guitar Hero Live for solo guitar. Love the new guitar with the six buttons, it's a mind fuck when you're used to the old style. I got an "Awesome" rating on all the sets in live mode so I guess I beat the main part of the game. Will continue to play GT TV for the foreseeable future and try to get some of the grindy achievements.
12. The Room 2 - Android (2/2/2016) First game of February. Another game off my mobile backlog. I am really enjoying the Room series so far will be playing Room 3 next.
Currently Playing:
1. Need for Speed - Xbox One: Picked it up on the EA sale on Xbox Live and I'm digging it so far, getting some Midnight Club vibes in a good way. Looks pretty, still getting used to the arcadey handling cars.
2. The Witness - PS4: This game is incredible. It makes you feel like a genius one moment and then a moron the next. I think I'm getting close to "beating" the game but it feels like there's still so many more puzzles out there I have yet to even find.
Second Update.
January Roundup.
Completed:
3. Until Dawn - PS4 (1/3/2016) Beat it once, working on the platinum.
4. Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls - PS4 (1/7/2016) Coop run completed with the wife. Will continue to play adventure mode.
5. The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt - PC (Playtime: 103 hours, 1/9/2016) Completed the campaign, loved it, GOTY 2015. Will buy and play the DLC once I get more games off my backlog.
6. Laura Croft Go - Android (1/9/2015) I hate most mobile games but this was a good one.
7. Game of Thrones Episode 2 - PS4 (1/9/2016) This game is a bummer, I'm finding it hard to want to play.
8. Monument Valley - Android (1/16/2016) Laura Croft was good, this was fucking great, best mobile game I've ever played. Played through the main levels then immediately bought the dlc and then played through the free dlc.
9. The Room - Android (1/23/2016) I had massive performance issues when I bought this game right after I got my S6 Edge but they must have patched it since then and I finally got to play through this over the course of about 3 play sessions. Another great mobile game that's made to be played on a touch screen. I started The Room 2 immediately after completing the epilogue of the first game.
10. Game of Thrones Episode 3 - PS4 (1/23/2016) Best episode so far but that's not saying much. At least I'm wanting to play the next.
11. Guitar Hero Live - PS4 (1/24/2016) Feels like a step up from last gen's music games unlike Rock band 4 but I enjoy both. I have Rock Band for fun local mp and drums on expert and I have Guitar Hero Live for solo guitar. Love the new guitar with the six buttons, it's a mind fuck when you're used to the old style. I got an "Awesome" rating on all the sets in live mode so I guess I beat the main part of the game. Will continue to play GT TV for the foreseeable future and try to get some of the grindy achievements.
12. The Room 2 - Android (2/2/2016) First game of February. Another game off my mobile backlog. I am really enjoying the Room series so far will be playing Room 3 next.
Currently Playing:
1. Need for Speed - Xbox One: Picked it up on the EA sale on Xbox Live and I'm digging it so far, getting some Midnight Club vibes in a good way. Looks pretty, still getting used to the arcadey handling cars.
2. The Witness - PS4: This game is incredible. It makes you feel like a genius one moment and then a moron the next. I think I'm getting close to "beating" the game but it feels like there's still so many more puzzles out there I have yet to even find.
Chauncy Talon
Member
Man, I haven't been keeping up with my progress. I'm just completed Marvel Ultimate Alliance on the 360. Took me 8 years. I beat the sequel before I beat the first game. It was pretty cool. I'm now struggling on what to play next. It's between finally beating Mike Tyson Punch Out (World Circuit), Battalion Wars (8 missions in), or starting Saturday Morning RPG.
NoFaceNico
Member
Original Post
Game 5: Please Don't Touch Anything (PC) 20 minutes
I bought this game along with some others during the winter Steam sale and could only get one ending. It was so frustrating and while I refunded other games that didn't agree with me, for some reason I couldn't let this one go. I put my pride aside and looked up some tips on YouTube and figured out how to unlock the crazier endings and I love it! It's really more of a one-n-done game after you figure out how to get the other stuff and see it. But it's still enjoyable nonetheless.
Game 6: 140 (PC) 97 minutes
This game has a beautiful minimalist design. It's sort of hard to describe, it's like a platforming rhythm game if that makes any sense. Usually I'm terrible at rhythm games because I have no rhythm and I'm tone deaf, but aside from some frustrating parts this was still an enjoyable experience. I was so surprised to find out it has boss battles. It has all the best emotions you feel when playing any other traditional game whether it's puzzling, relaxing, exciting, frustrating, rewarding, etc... You get all of those emotions and that's what makes this such a good game. I would recommend it to anyone, especially since it's on sale so regularly.
Game 5: Please Don't Touch Anything (PC) 20 minutes
I bought this game along with some others during the winter Steam sale and could only get one ending. It was so frustrating and while I refunded other games that didn't agree with me, for some reason I couldn't let this one go. I put my pride aside and looked up some tips on YouTube and figured out how to unlock the crazier endings and I love it! It's really more of a one-n-done game after you figure out how to get the other stuff and see it. But it's still enjoyable nonetheless.
Game 6: 140 (PC) 97 minutes
This game has a beautiful minimalist design. It's sort of hard to describe, it's like a platforming rhythm game if that makes any sense. Usually I'm terrible at rhythm games because I have no rhythm and I'm tone deaf, but aside from some frustrating parts this was still an enjoyable experience. I was so surprised to find out it has boss battles. It has all the best emotions you feel when playing any other traditional game whether it's puzzling, relaxing, exciting, frustrating, rewarding, etc... You get all of those emotions and that's what makes this such a good game. I would recommend it to anyone, especially since it's on sale so regularly.
MehsterChief
Member
Game 13: Infamous 2
Very mediocre. Core gameplay wasn't very exciting, controls were subpar and the story was horrible and there wasn't even an option to skip the nonsense cutscenes. Expected more. Meh. I liked the setting though. More games should be set in New Orleans or fictional versions of it.
OP
Very mediocre. Core gameplay wasn't very exciting, controls were subpar and the story was horrible and there wasn't even an option to skip the nonsense cutscenes. Expected more. Meh. I liked the setting though. More games should be set in New Orleans or fictional versions of it.
OP
A Link to the Past
Banned
Main post
Game #15: Hook (PC) - ★★★★★★★★★☆
I'm going to assume that Hook is on the cheap right now for Steam, so you should definitely check it out (not sure whether it's US-only or not!). Hook is a low-key indie puzzle game, very minimalistic, but it gets really clever and feels pretty meaty for what it is and for what I paid. Basically, you gotta click on the solid, large black discs to "bring in" the line segments, and as you progress from one level to the next, the challenges become greater and greater, with some lines needing to be cleared before others. My only problem is that it could have been a little longer, and the challenge didn't truly start to ramp up until a little too late in the game. On the other hand, they introduce the concept of having multiple chances to do a level before the level resets at the exact right point. A less savvy developer probably wouldn't have had the foresight to implement such a balance!
Game #15: Hook (PC) - ★★★★★★★★★☆
I'm going to assume that Hook is on the cheap right now for Steam, so you should definitely check it out (not sure whether it's US-only or not!). Hook is a low-key indie puzzle game, very minimalistic, but it gets really clever and feels pretty meaty for what it is and for what I paid. Basically, you gotta click on the solid, large black discs to "bring in" the line segments, and as you progress from one level to the next, the challenges become greater and greater, with some lines needing to be cleared before others. My only problem is that it could have been a little longer, and the challenge didn't truly start to ramp up until a little too late in the game. On the other hand, they introduce the concept of having multiple chances to do a level before the level resets at the exact right point. A less savvy developer probably wouldn't have had the foresight to implement such a balance!
hersheyfan
Member
Link to OP
Game 16: Psychonauts (PC)
Finished 2/6/2016
Time to complete: 12 hours as per Steam
I decided to finally sit down and play through the entirety of Psychonauts, in view of the sequel getting funded. I had this on PS2, but noped out before finishing because the low framerate was giving me nausea - no such issues on the PC version, of course.
I literally just beat the last boss 5 minutes ago... and wow, this game just blew me away! Bitingly sharp humor, and some extremely imaginative level design... I know everybody loves hyping up
, but there's a lot more to Psychonauts than that. I personally loved the shit out of the
level, and the
is an enduring memory that will stick with me whenever discussions about this game come up. Such precision platforming from a company not traditionally associated with the genre!
Can not WAIT for Psychonauts 2. Hnnnngh.
Game 16: Psychonauts (PC)
Finished 2/6/2016
Time to complete: 12 hours as per Steam
I decided to finally sit down and play through the entirety of Psychonauts, in view of the sequel getting funded. I had this on PS2, but noped out before finishing because the low framerate was giving me nausea - no such issues on the PC version, of course.
I literally just beat the last boss 5 minutes ago... and wow, this game just blew me away! Bitingly sharp humor, and some extremely imaginative level design... I know everybody loves hyping up
The Milkman Conspiracy
stage play
section from Meat Circus above
Can not WAIT for Psychonauts 2. Hnnnngh.
Archive Post
Game 6 - The Witness[PC] ★★★★
I gotta say, first of all, I really love the puzzles in The Witness. It somehow managed to present 500 of these line grid puzzles without ever feeling old. It would introduce new rules wordlessly, in a way that challenges the player to learn to understand, rather than simply listen, and would constantly put neat twists on these rules to keep it feeling fresh. The island is densely designed and inviting to explore, and the way in which the hidden puzzles are designed is just amazing. However, while the puzzles were certainly fun, the ultimate goal always felt like it was understanding what the game was really about, which it didn't make enough of an effort to communicate. It was closed off to the point of incomprehension, and by the time you make it to the end, it doesn't feel satisfying. It feels like you've been tricked. I intended to clear every puzzle in it, but I had to stop at one particular challenge that required me to solve a long series of randomly generated puzzles within a highly restrictive time limit. I made it to (presumably) the very last one, when my time ran out and I had to go all the way back and start again. I haven't made it close to as far in 30 more attempts because the difficulty of those puzzles are totally random and I've been unlucky with the draw. I can't be bothered, and now I don't know if I'll ever be back.
Game 6 - The Witness[PC] ★★★★
I gotta say, first of all, I really love the puzzles in The Witness. It somehow managed to present 500 of these line grid puzzles without ever feeling old. It would introduce new rules wordlessly, in a way that challenges the player to learn to understand, rather than simply listen, and would constantly put neat twists on these rules to keep it feeling fresh. The island is densely designed and inviting to explore, and the way in which the hidden puzzles are designed is just amazing. However, while the puzzles were certainly fun, the ultimate goal always felt like it was understanding what the game was really about, which it didn't make enough of an effort to communicate. It was closed off to the point of incomprehension, and by the time you make it to the end, it doesn't feel satisfying. It feels like you've been tricked. I intended to clear every puzzle in it, but I had to stop at one particular challenge that required me to solve a long series of randomly generated puzzles within a highly restrictive time limit. I made it to (presumably) the very last one, when my time ran out and I had to go all the way back and start again. I haven't made it close to as far in 30 more attempts because the difficulty of those puzzles are totally random and I've been unlucky with the draw. I can't be bothered, and now I don't know if I'll ever be back.
#7 - Picross e - 3DS, 21 hours
Completion Goal: Complete all puzzles (around 150)
My first experience with the picross puzzle was actually the newly released free to play POKéMON Picross on the 3DS. I'm a huge fan of both sudokos and mine sweeper, so POKéMON Picross entered an instant love relationship with me. I did however have to break up with POKéMON Picross rather soon, because its free to play elements was a nuisance and when I could not finish puzzles I started on, I gave up on the game. In search for better versions of Picross games, I searched through app store on both iOS and Android. I played some F2P versions on both systems - and while the F2P aspect was much better (commercials, maybe level packs), I could not stand the touch controls - Especially not after playing POKéMON Picross where the controls actually works wonderful, both with stylus and buttons only. In my search for Picross games I could play on the go, I eventually found not only one, not two, but whole six games on the nintendo eShop, each having at least 150 puzzles to solve. As if that was not enough, these games were developed by Jupiter Corporation, the same guys who developed POKéMON Picross. And each title only costs $5.99 or your regional equivalent. Amazing!
I eventually end up buying only the first title, to see if these versions are great. And they are. If you've played POKéMON Picross, these games much alike, just without the F2P limitation and the POKéMON abilities. There is still help to be found on most of the puzzles, where you can choose to reveal one coloum and row at the start of the game, and/or highlighting rows/coloums that you can place a block or a x in. The first entry only contains normal picross levels, whereas the later titles should have other variations (Mega Picross, Mini Picross, etc.). If I eventually end up playing them, I will add them to this post.
I can just say, if you enjoy POKéMON Picross or Picross in general, I would wholeheartedly recommend this game.
Main Post
The Witness everywhere.
Think I'm gonna have to check the last two you posted out
Give Mini Metro a look if you haven't before, really sleek puzzle game you might like. It's in my main post.
Edit: They were both dirt cheap in the sale so I bought em
Game 4: Shank (PC) - 2 hours 40 minutes
Stopped playing this years ago due to kb/m control hurting my hands. Using a controller just now, man it feels sooo much better. The story is pretty much cookie cutter old school revenge, but I love the presentation so much --- the cartoon style, the violence, the music, this game nailed most of it. I also love that even though there were plenty of unlockable skins in the game, the achievements only requires you to play through the game on Hard. I hope the developer will revisit this franchise again.
List: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=190947896&postcount=193
Stopped playing this years ago due to kb/m control hurting my hands. Using a controller just now, man it feels sooo much better. The story is pretty much cookie cutter old school revenge, but I love the presentation so much --- the cartoon style, the violence, the music, this game nailed most of it. I also love that even though there were plenty of unlockable skins in the game, the achievements only requires you to play through the game on Hard. I hope the developer will revisit this franchise again.
List: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=190947896&postcount=193
Shadowcreep
Member
Game 7: The Witness (PC) ~ 30 Hours
While I did not fully complete it to the degree of some others in this thread, I did get to an ending and cleared most of the "zones" so I'm going to count it. This game I can see becoming one of my favorite games this year, the feeling you get playing this game is something I rarely get in video games. This is also one of like 3 or 4 games that basically required me to bust out a pen and paper and all kinds of other outside tools like photoshop and screenshots to complete last time I had to that was playing La Mulana and Fez. I still feel like I am going to put a lot more time in this game throughout the coming months, but with so many other games I want to get through right now it will be a game I pop in and play on the weekends or something.
OP
While I did not fully complete it to the degree of some others in this thread, I did get to an ending and cleared most of the "zones" so I'm going to count it. This game I can see becoming one of my favorite games this year, the feeling you get playing this game is something I rarely get in video games. This is also one of like 3 or 4 games that basically required me to bust out a pen and paper and all kinds of other outside tools like photoshop and screenshots to complete last time I had to that was playing La Mulana and Fez. I still feel like I am going to put a lot more time in this game throughout the coming months, but with so many other games I want to get through right now it will be a game I pop in and play on the weekends or something.
OP
chrominance
Member
Original post
14. ilomilo (360, 2010) - 6:04
Completed all chapters in main game (First Adventure).
ilomilo is an adorable bite-sized puzzle game that seems best suited for children. Its stuffed-animal aesthetic and off-kilter toy instrument orchestra means the game is always fun to watch and listen to, but the puzzles themselves aren't always as engaging. It's probably unfair of me to have finished this game so soon after The Witness, because it's hard not to compare the elegance of that game's puzzles versus ilomilo, which often has you backtracking through its plush cubic levels to trade cube tools back and forth between the two titular characters. Loosey-goosey controls don't help matters, especially as the game uses the number of steps you take as its metric for leaderboard success.
Taken on its own merits, though, ilomilo is an endearing enough game, even if it's not all that gripping in the end. Despite its relatively short length, I couldn't find it within me to complete all the levels, not even the normal ones (though I came close). But younger ones might find the game offers just the right amount of challenge, and the presentation is certainly charming.
14. ilomilo (360, 2010) - 6:04
Completed all chapters in main game (First Adventure).
ilomilo is an adorable bite-sized puzzle game that seems best suited for children. Its stuffed-animal aesthetic and off-kilter toy instrument orchestra means the game is always fun to watch and listen to, but the puzzles themselves aren't always as engaging. It's probably unfair of me to have finished this game so soon after The Witness, because it's hard not to compare the elegance of that game's puzzles versus ilomilo, which often has you backtracking through its plush cubic levels to trade cube tools back and forth between the two titular characters. Loosey-goosey controls don't help matters, especially as the game uses the number of steps you take as its metric for leaderboard success.
Taken on its own merits, though, ilomilo is an endearing enough game, even if it's not all that gripping in the end. Despite its relatively short length, I couldn't find it within me to complete all the levels, not even the normal ones (though I came close). But younger ones might find the game offers just the right amount of challenge, and the presentation is certainly charming.
Game 7: Contrast - February 7th
Kind of started this since I knew it was fairly short and I ended up really enjoying it. There are some control problems and it could've used some more checkpoints given that it can be easy to get stuck in geometry, but this was a genuinely pleasant surprise.
Original post
Kind of started this since I knew it was fairly short and I ended up really enjoying it. There are some control problems and it could've used some more checkpoints given that it can be easy to get stuck in geometry, but this was a genuinely pleasant surprise.
Original post
chrominance
Member
Original post
15. Empire TV Tycoon (PC, 2015) - 5:15
Won an arcade campaign on Normal. Final score 36051.
I'm a sucker for unique simulator and tycoon games, and Empire TV Tycoon is up there. As the name suggests, you run your own television station. At its most basic, the game is about programming each day's schedule: buy films and TV shows (or make them yourself, later on in the game), place them into slots based on the expected audience groups for that slot, and then promote your shows through a variety of different campaigns. Big ratings gains your station Fame, and selling ads against your programming makes you money so you can do it all again tomorrow.
There are random events every so often to spice things up--you can enter your own productions into awards shows, for example, which earns you prestige and money. You can send reporters to cover big news events and run the live package on your station. Movie and TV production comes with its own pitfalls as well. As you rise in prominence, you gain access to larger audiences and better content to show. But otherwise, the game remains largely the same: pick and schedule shows, promote them, and sell ads.
I was surprised at how easy it is to dump a few hours into a game without really realizing. It's not quite the "one more turn" of Civilization, but the flow of a normal programming day gives you plenty to do, and it's easy to get caught up in watching the audience numbers to see if you should sign that ad contract or to figure out whether children really do love fantasy movies as much as you think they might. I don't know if it'll have much staying power once you've played a few games, but the devs seem to be working on content updates for at least the first part of the year, and as it stands I already feel like I've gotten my money's worth.
15. Empire TV Tycoon (PC, 2015) - 5:15
Won an arcade campaign on Normal. Final score 36051.
I'm a sucker for unique simulator and tycoon games, and Empire TV Tycoon is up there. As the name suggests, you run your own television station. At its most basic, the game is about programming each day's schedule: buy films and TV shows (or make them yourself, later on in the game), place them into slots based on the expected audience groups for that slot, and then promote your shows through a variety of different campaigns. Big ratings gains your station Fame, and selling ads against your programming makes you money so you can do it all again tomorrow.
There are random events every so often to spice things up--you can enter your own productions into awards shows, for example, which earns you prestige and money. You can send reporters to cover big news events and run the live package on your station. Movie and TV production comes with its own pitfalls as well. As you rise in prominence, you gain access to larger audiences and better content to show. But otherwise, the game remains largely the same: pick and schedule shows, promote them, and sell ads.
I was surprised at how easy it is to dump a few hours into a game without really realizing. It's not quite the "one more turn" of Civilization, but the flow of a normal programming day gives you plenty to do, and it's easy to get caught up in watching the audience numbers to see if you should sign that ad contract or to figure out whether children really do love fantasy movies as much as you think they might. I don't know if it'll have much staying power once you've played a few games, but the devs seem to be working on content updates for at least the first part of the year, and as it stands I already feel like I've gotten my money's worth.
Chauncy Talon
Member
Number 4 for me. I just beat Street Fighter 2 on 7 (hard difficulty) for the 25th anniversary of the game release. Top 3 characters in the game is Blanka, Vega (Claw), and M.Bison (Dictator).
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