Game 11: Lifeline - ??? hours - March 27th, 2016
On paper, Lifeline sounds like a pretty awful and unremarkable idea. A game where I can only play every few hours or so, and then only in pretty short bursts? Who hasn't seen that before in the mobile space. But actually, the game is pretty great! I've seen many people boil down the idea to "texting an astronaut," and that's really exactly what you do. The breaks in gameplay, rather than being enforced by a punishing timer trying to encourage you to pay IAPs, are natural and organic. The astronaut, Taylor, that you're talking to might have to do something like sleep, eat, explore, etc. And because of that, the game actually manages to turn those gameplay breaks into part of the experience. You'll find yourself worrying about Taylor, wondering if something has happened to him. That is why, by the way, I have my time for completion in question marks, as the game takes about three days to play (if you don't kill Taylor), but obviously you're not playing continuously for those three days! And that's really what's the coolest thing about the game to me. It's a game that really makes use of the way we use our mobile devices, and makes something special out of it. In that regard, the game (knowingly or unknowingly) hearkens back to a PS2 era game by Sony, also called Lifeline, which used a microphone as the input device.
I have to admit that the "CYOA" aspect of the game can seem a bit weak at times as it basically forces you to go to certain places. It's also a pretty stoic experience. It's you and Taylor, and that's about it. From what I've seen of the sequel though, it seems like they've added some nice new twists, and I'm excited to give it a try. Should I play Lifeline? Absolutely. It's just the cost of some spare change that you could scrounge from your couch!
24. Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest (3DS, 2016) - 51:21 Completed the campaign on Normal/Classic. No deaths.
Conquest and Birthright are funhouse mirror images of each other, each one seeming like a twisted version of the other. In many ways, Birthright feels like the more canonical path of the two (though I'm sure Revelation will be the One True Path). This is at least partially because I played it first, I'm sure, but certain story beats make a lot more sense in Birthright than Conquest. Even characters in the Conquest path seem surprised when your character has to make the decision that splits the game in two, and elects to remain with their adopted family of darkness.
But at the same time, clearly effort has been put into Conquest's presentation. There are more cutscenes, both of the pre-animated and in-engine kinds, with more elaborate cinematography in the latter to boot. It's in these moments that Birthright, not Conquest, feels like the narrative afterthought. Unfortunately, all of it is in service to a story that often feels like it's patched up with contrivances to make the plot work. Conquest also could have benefited from further distance from the essential story beats of Birthright. Some map reuse is to be expected, since Fates isn't quite a single game but not quite a series of games either, but though the Nohr and Hoshido routes seem like they should be very different, there are too many echos for that to be the case. Intelligent Systems obviously made that choice to juxtapose situations in one path with its opposite, but it feels less like insightful revelation and more like expedient recycling.
Okay, but forget all that: the real promise of Conquest is in its gameplay, and it definitely doesn't disappoint. Birthright offers an escape valve at all times by allowing players to grind endlessly for money and experience; Conquest takes all of that away, forcing you to play smart to make it through its gauntlet. As someone who tends to grind when faced with challenge, Conquest was positively frightening. In a few crucial levels, Conquest earns its reputation and then some. That said, you do have options if you feel underleveled; you just have to work for it.
The approach I took with Conquest was radically different from Birthright, a game I played through with a focus on experimentation. I partnered people up based on whims and didn't bother getting very many children or worrying about how the Offspring Seal mechanic worked. In Conquest, all of that went out the window. I assigned marriages very early in the game, did every single paralogue available to me, and tried to push some of the best children as late in the game as possible to maximize their starting levels. I cut marginal or useless characters ruthlessly instead of trying to grow my B-team through challenges like in Birthright. I promoted Elise early because I felt like I had to. I still have tons of browser tabs open with character assessments and pairing suggestions, all in an attempt to squeeze as much use out of every experience point as possible.
I probably overdid it. Some of the levels people labeled as especially difficult just... weren't. And honestly, I'm okay with that; it means I did my job. Conquest in general made me tense throughout its running time, so I think I got the intended effect without having to suffer through too much pain (except in the early game, oh god chapters 10 and 11). And now that it's done, and I made it through endgame without losing a single unit (!!!), I can finally say the most difficult chapter of Fire Emblem Fates is behind me. On to Revelation!
Game #2- InFamous: Second Son2/5/2016 [PS4]
A very solid and fun game. Some interesting new powers debuted, which while not as unique as they probably could have been (to distance them from Cole's electricity moveset), were plenty fun to mess with. The characters were enjoyable, and I enjoyed your Conduit sidekicks more than those in inFamous 2. Sidequests were better set up to avoid burnout, though it's still entirely possible if you try to do them all at once. >.<; The little bonus of different jackets for Delsin was a nice touch.
Game #3- Hexcells2/8/2016 [Steam]
Very relaxing.
[IMGhttp://i.imgur.com/vzfdLKT.png[/IMG] Game #4- Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations2/17/2016 [DS]
I'm so conflicted with this game. The final case and wrap up of the overarching storyline was perfect and fantastically done, but every other case, while competently written, was kind of boring. Godot was a whiny baby until the very end, so it was difficult to warm up to him. The cases where you played Mia were pretty cool, but there wasn't much to them. But in the end, I'm glad I played all the way through; seeing everything wrapped up was its own reward.
Game #5- Her Story2/20/2016 [Steam]
I wasn't expecting much from this game, tbh, but I was pleasantly surprised. Got 100% in one night, and will gladly buy number two when/if that's released.
Game #6- Missing: An Interactive Thriller: Episode 12/20/2016 [Steam]
Short and sweet. I really enjoyed it, but it looks like money troubles will keep episode two from being made.
Game #7- Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist2/20/2016 [Steam]
Interesting. I don't have much more to say about it, especially since pretty much anything I do say is a spoiler.
It's been an entire month since I've updated, I've got through way less games this month thanks to being slightly engrossed in The Division. Since I classed the beta as an entry for my 52 games, I've decided to list the full game as a .5, I still wanted to put down my thoughts but not count the game twice.
I've just finished UC2, and I will soon play UC3 in preparation for the fourth and final installment coming in just over a month, loving these games. The first game was my first beaten game last year
GAME 26.5: The Division - 50+ hours - 16/03/2016 - PS4
Set in an incredibly detailed Manhattan, this will keep me coming back for its addictive loot-game, fun co-op and tense multiplayer. Although it isn't the most innovative game and get repetitive at times, it's a lot of fun with friends.
GAME 27: Mario Kart 8 (Replay) - 5 hours - 26/03/2016 - Wii U
A blast to play with friends, Nintendo are the kings of local multiplayer. With beautiful graphics and creative tracks, this is something I can always get out and have fun with.
While the controls were at times clunky and certain encounters were frustrating, this was a well-paced, action-packed ride that Indi himself would be proud of. There were some incredible set pieces, that are impressive even now. Onto number 3!
I've been pretty excited to get my hands on this one ever since playing through Golden Abyss a couple years back. If Golden Abyss is the worst of the series, I figured the rest should be pretty great. Well the first one did not disappoint. Wait
Hold on.
Fuck jet skis.
Alright, with that out of the way, it didn't disappoint. I can see where people were disappointed with the Vita release if they were expecting something closer to the sequels.
Game #19 - Rogue Legacy [Vita]
I played this on PC a good while ago, and it didn't quite click with me then. Something about sticking it on a handheld made a huge difference. I was hooked on Rogue Legacy for a solid week. I feel like it dragged on a little long, but I think I over-grinded near the end.
Highly, highly reccomending this one. Especially to anyone who already got it from PS+ and let it go unloved. I don't usually care for proceduraly generated games, but the character variation and upgrade system all kept it interesting for me.
Gameplay - Well, duh. The twin-stick shooting was excellent fun and remains solid throughout. I wasn't a huge fan of the battery element and probably would've liked the game more without it. Unlockables - There seems to be a lot of content hidden behind certain feats or achievements which is nice (and rare). Performance - Rock-solid throughout. After a deluge of horrible Unity games, it was nice to not have to worry about hitches etc.
Cons
Art Design - It's just cheap and I really don't like it. I got a little tired of the characters too.
----------------- 6.5/10 - Probably a little harsh for the game but I just didn't enjoy it as much as others seemed to.
Pros
Gunplay - Some of the best FPS handling I've ever encountered. This makes the core gameplay endlessly enjoyable. Presentation - Beautiful throughout. From menus to font to weapon designs. Content - This was my first experience with Destiny besides the Beta and I felt there was quite a bit to get on with.
Cons
Lack of direction - The game doesn't know where it's going. It doesn't know whether it wants to be a loot game, a Blockbuster FPS or an RPG. It does really great things with each genre but it's indecision in which direction to go with is going to majorly hurt it in the long run. Matchmaking - Whilst I agree there shouldn't be matchmaking for Raids, there should be way more than there is right now. The Loot - The problem, IMO, is that their just isn't enough right now. Only 1% of weapons/armours matter in the end-game and that number is dwindling with each expansion. The game is in a very weird position, this year will be crucial.
-------------------- 8/10 - Mainly for the amazing gunplay.
March has been dedicated to replaying a couple of old favourites for the first time since their release...
18. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)
Still think it's the best in the series, albeit with a terrible last 30 minutes or so. Was surprised at just how impressive the production values still are, in many ways it's still the industry gold standard.
The train sequence is incredible, I love the stuff with Tenzin, and what should have been a contrived long triangle between Nate, Elena and Chloe was brilliantly written. And carrying Jeff through the streets in the rain.... what a moment.
19. Uncharted 3: Among Thieves (PS3)
Genuinely think this is a better looking game than plenty of the stuff we've seen released on the current generation of consoles. Falling out of the cargo plane and parachuting to safety remains pretty awe inspiring even now.
Gunplay feels a lot tighter than it does in 2, but the pacing isn't quite as strong and I'm not sure the writing is either. It starts exceptionally well, it might have the best opening half hours of any game on PS3, but runs out of a steam a little bit.
Certainly doesn't deserve the hate it gets, though. There's not much between this and 2, and more Sully is most welcome.
Hoping to spend the next couple weeks working through the last few games in my PS3 backlog before I finally put it into storage. Those being AC Rogue, Prince of Persia and Sly Cooper 4. Have a few other Plus leftovers like Ducktales and Mirror's Edge, but will probably skip them - I need the desk space!
I actually have a number of games that are just on the cusp of completion. Which is why I haven't updated in a long time. I tell myself, "well I'll wait 'til I beat that, then I'll just do a multi-update!"
It's not working, as seen with the three-weeks ago game completion below.
Game 6: Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright -- 3DS -- 50 Hours -- Beat on 3/7/2016
Fire Emblem Fates is an awesome set of games, with three different paths that are thus far managing to be unique content. I was wary early on whenever I heard another series was going to "do the Pokemon". Thankfully, early import impressions were all positive on how well the content was done, which dropped any negative notions I had already built in my mind.
Gameplay is highly-refined from Awakening. Pairing up characters in the new system brings a whole different way to strategize. This time the game also has some excellent map design, pretty good character balance (minus a few OP/UP characters), and I really like the new way weapons work.
Story is freaking stupid. I still can't believe they got an actual manga writer to help the plot scenario. I guess nobody ever said mangas are a literature art, it's just... man, what a bad story. Bless the gameplay for carrying the weight of what it usually distributed at least somewhat between game/story.
Music is pretty good in Birthight. Think I liked Awakening's soundtrack more, and I'm definitely liking Conquest's music style more than I did Birthright's. I wouldn't say that puts Birthright in a bad spot, it's just a good < great thing.
If you liked Awakening at all, Fates is a surefire recommendation. Same goes for if you like Strategy RPGs, though I'd probably suggest Conquest in that case (but why not play both? )
1. Life Is Strange (PS4) - January
Despite what alot of people said, I really liked the story of this game. While the ending was lack luster, I enjoy the entire experience and felt it was done much better than the Walking Dead.
2. Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist (PC) - January
I don't have much to say about it, it was...meh?
3. OxenFree (PC) - January
I was surprised as to how much I enjoyed this game. I got hooked and finished it in one sitting over the weekend. Need to replay it for the second ending.
4. Titan Souls (PC) - January
I was told it was supposed to be like a 2-D Shadow of the Colossus. It wasn't really, as the core mechanic was that the character only had a single arrow. I don't know if it was just really easy, but this was a really quick game.
5. The Witness (PS4) - January
The aesthetic of this game was amazing, but I eventually got bored and found it frustrating after so many ours of staring at panels (
Fuck you swamp
).
6. Entwined (PS4) - January
Was one of the many games I got for free from PS Plus. I decided to try and play all of them by the end of the year, not beat, just play. This one was short enough and frustrating enough (controls) that I stuck with it and finished it.
7. UnderTale (PC) - January
Played it because of the hype. I was a bit disappointed but it wasn't a bad game.
8. The Unfinished Swan (PS4)- January
Another one of the free PS Plus games. Super surprised by how much I liked this game. Yeah, throwing ink everywhere to see wasn't great, but I loved the style of it, and eventually everything stops being pure white.
9. Gravity Rush Remastered (PS4) - February
I spent more time flying around than doing anything else. The combat was bad, but controlling gravity and going around the world was fantastic. I wish I played this sooner on Vita.
10. Digimon Cyber Sleuth (PS4) - February
I used to love Digimon as a kid so I picked this up to see if I could relive that, plus I like RPGs. I think I overdosed on this. 70 hours later and I was still grinding for the cool looking Digimon.
11. Firewatch (PC/PS4) - February
Like many people, I was hyped for this. To me it didn't disappoint, so much so that I played it twice, once on PC and once on PS4. I think I may want to go back to it...
12. Contrast (PS4) - February
Another one of the free PS Plus games. The shadow mechanic was cool, but it was such a boring game, that I was glad it was over just so I wouldn't have to keep playing.
13. Infamous: First Light (PS4) - March
Another one of the free PS Plus game. I think this was one of the first? Anyways, plays like Second Son, so that means it's awesome. I don't care for fetch, but it still plays good.
14. Dark Souls: Prepare to Die (PC) - March
Finally got around to playing it. Yeah it's hard, and yeah the game is janky as all hell (that jumping). Still...I'm glad I beat it, but I probably won't go back to it. I'll try to take on Dark Souls 2 soon.
15. Steamworld Dig (PS4) - March
Another one of the PS Plus games. I used to play a mining game on my cell back in college, and this felt like that. I still don't understand the "story" but it was enjoyable enough.
16.Limbo (PS4) - March
Free PS Plus game with a great mood and style, but holy shit is this game dull. I was hoping for some explanation or sense of ending, but nope. Great...
17. Salt & Sanctuary (PS4) - March
I was expecting a 2D Dark Souls but I actually enjoyed this one more. I didn't understand the lore, but the gameplay was more enjoyable to me. Might've been because you weren't strafing around opponents and the jump was actually good. Though some of the bosses were direct copies of Dark Souls, overall I liked the bosses better.
18. Yo-kai Watch (3DS) - March
I heard this game was like pokemon and SMT, which it kinda is and kinda isn't. the yokai don't look as good as pokemon, but this game had a certain Level 5 charm that I found appealing. Took me from January till March to finish, but there you go.
19. The Wolf Among Us (PS4) - April
I had read the comics before (up to a point) but I never really liked Telltale games before. I finally decided to play this one and was mildly impressed. There were some hiccups but overall it was pretty good.
20. Ratchet and Clank (PS4) - April
I think the later Ratchet and Clank games spoiled this for me, as I didn't find it as fun as A Crack in Time.
21. Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal (PS3) - April
Like I said for the newest one, not as good to me when comparing to A Crack in Time but still a good game
22. Monument Valley (Android) - April
Enjoyable casual game I was able to play when I was stuck on the train or waiting around outside. Sadly, was you beat it once, it loses its appeal.
23. Uncharted 4 (PS4) - May
Probably one of my favorites of the year. I know alot of people thought it was pretty weak but I personally thought it was the best, story wise. Gameplay wise...more of the same
24. Journey (PS4) - May
Beat this on PS3 when it first came out and I wanted to check it out with updated visuals. Still an amazing experience.
25. Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone (PS4) - June
To me, Witcher 3 is one of the greatest games ever, and I could not wait to finally start the expansions. Amazing, absolutely amazing. Enough said.
26. Witcher 3: Blood and Wine (PS4) - June
I actually preferred this one over the other expansion, as it wrapped up the story for Geralt in a way I liked. I ned to replay it for different choices.
27. Mirror's Edge Catalyst (PS4) - June
I had such high hopes for this game. I think it would have been better if it wasn't open world and was structured more like the first one. Movement and visuals were great though, so there's that.
28. Inside (PC) - July
Great game. I had some high expectations after seeing the trailers and hearing about it from people who could not talk about it. Was not disappointed.
29. Gone Home (PS4) - July
I did not enjoy this one, despite critical acclaim. I didn't get the nostalgic feeling some people saw in it, so that might've been a factor. I mainly played it to get some of my PS+ backlog done.
30. Stacking (PC) - July
Another backlog game that I've been meaning to complete for a while. I love double fine and thought this would be fun. Just kinda blah to be honest.
31. Abzu (PS4) - August
Was expecting another Journey like experience. Kinda disappointed in it, but it was relaxing and I did enjoy the visuals.
32. Lara Craft Go (Android) - August
After Monument Valley I needed a new mobile game to go through. I enjoyed Hitman so I wanted to try the next entry for this Go series. Good puzzles and good time waster.
33. Bound (PS4) - August
Visually, I loved this game. I thought the aesthetic was cool. Everything else was just kinda a slog to go through.
34. Broken Age (PC) - August
I finally got through this one. I beat the first half but put off the second half for a while. I decided to just start from the beginning for this since I forgot almost everything. I thought it was ok, not great, but not terrible.
35. Braid (PC) - September
Another backlog game that I've been meaning to complete for a while. Maybe it's just me, but I found this one pretty hard, especially after World 3.
36. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (PC) - September
I never finished the last one, so I was worried I'd miss key story points of this one. Wasn't an issue, but I found the game pretty short and the ending unsatisfying. Plus, I'm terrible at doing stealth.
37. Virginia (PC) - September
I still don't know what to make of this one. I did not understand everything going on, but I loved the soundtrack. Need to go back and make sense of it again.
38. Bioshock (PS4) - September
Got the remaster so I could finally complete this game. I got so far in the original but never finished it. Good game, definitely glad I beat it now.
39. Yokai Watch 2: Fleshy Souls (3DS) - October
I don't know why, but I didn't enjoy this one as much as the original. I did as much as I could, but it felt like the original had more content.
40. Bioshock 2: Remaster (PS4) - October
I never finished it before, finally got around to it. Weakest of the Bioshock games in my opinion.
41. Tomb Raider (PC) - October
Got this in a steam sale a bit back and never got around to playing it. Sucks that I waited so long because it was a pretty good game. I understand the talk about it being like Uncharted now.
42. Tick Tock Isle (PC) - October
Short, interesting, and cheap.
43. Offspring Fling (PC) - October
Clearing out the PC backlog with this one. Decent puzzles, none of them too hard to need help on
44. Owlboy (PC) - November
Been waiting on this for a while. Enjoyed the time I had with it, but I kind of wish it had more substance
45. Dishonored 2 (PS4) - November
Loved it. Because I played as Corvo it felt a bit too much like the first game, so I'll have to replay it as Emily
46. Furi (PS4) - November
Played it, got stuck, said fuck it and lowered the difficulty, too easy, raised the difficulty, never again. That's Furi.
47. Final Fantasy XV (PS4) - November
Another one I had been waiting on for ages. Enough has been said about the game by other on the board so I'll just say I really really enjoyed my time with it and I was not disappointed with it at all.
48. Pokemon Sun (3DS) - December
First time playing a pokemon game in a while. I liked it for what it was, but I don't think I'd ever replay it again.
49. Hue (PC) - December
Got it on sale because it looked interesting. I really liked it. Some of the puzzles gave me a hard time but it was very enjoyable.
50. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PC) - December
Really good game. I didn't like the controls at first but they grew on me. That ending though...
51. A Story About My Uncle (PC) - December
Got this during a Steam sale so I wanted to close it out of my backlog. I did not like this game. Probably one of my least favorites I played all year.
52. Until Dawn (PS4) - December
Why did I wait do long on thsi one? Really great game.
Got Matt killed though
Games I Gave Up On:
Overwatch - got to level 100+ and decided to put it down. I don't think you can really finish this game No Man's Sky - took too long and got boring real fast, spent almost 30-40 hours on it 35M - boring and terrible walking simulator Doom - I'm terrible at first person shooters Star Ocean 5 - Just so mediocre and bland. Did not keep my attention long enoguh for me to beat it Hotline Miami 2 - Sorta just forgot about this one. Need to go back to it.
I'm new to this forum and excited to take part. I should preface this list by saying that there are probably games that I am not going to finish but per the rules if I played for 10+ I will include it. If I am not into a game or get tired of it I'm not going to keep playing it. I'm just not.
Game 1: Jak and Daxter: the Precursor Legacy -finished
Played it for the first time this year and have to say that while it was good it was probably much better when it came out. I hated the camera getting stuck on walls and I wished there was more dialogue (Daxter felt criminally underutilized in this regard.)-3/5
Game 2: Tharsis -finished
A board game for your computer! All about mitigating disasters and managing your crew's health (mental, physical, and dice...al). It was a cool experience for a short bit. . -3/5
Game 3: Oxenfree -finished
Scared the crap out of me at the time. Now I look back and laugh (at myself). It's not even scary, just atmospheric-creepily so. -3/5
Game 4: Undertale -finished
Wow. Typically I take the media adoration with a grain of salt. I figure for people who cover video games innovation is so refreshing that they look at a game with rose colored glasses. However in this case that adoration is due. Let's all bask in the glory that is Undertale. -5/5
Game 5: The Bug Butcher -finished
You shoot up! Bugs bounce around! Gotta kill em all! It's a fun little game for a weekend. -3/5
Game 6: Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky -35 hours, watched the ending of youtube.
I don't understand why people love this game so much. I hear from everybody that it has great story and characters. I don't think this to be true. I played it for longer than I probably would have just because I wanted to fall in love with jrpg again. That ending was whack though -3/5
Game 7: This War of Mines -finished
What a fun romp through an exotic eastern European country! Bring the kids! -4/5
Game 8: Unravel -finished
I was not struck emotionally by it's old-lady-photobook or conservationist message but I did enjoy swinging my yarn rope and solving obstacle puzzles. -4/5
Game 9: Firewatch -finished
How can you not play this straight through? Underwhelming ending but *"it's the journey not the destination" argument* -3/5
Game 10: The Witness -10ish hours, did not finished.
I loved some puzzle types, hated others, loved discovering logic, got tired of constantly having to discover new logic and shook my tv in frustration. Seriously though if you say you love this game I instantly think you are smarter than me.
Game 11: Far Cry Primal -12 hours
Lack of fire arms was not overcome by animal buddies and bee bombs. And boy was that melee combat bland. Innovative setting should have been met with innovative gameplay. -3/5
Game 12: Stardew Valley -30 hours and counting
At first I was scared. I was petrified. Then I discovered how to craft sprinklers. Now I just give women dandelions all day. 5/5
Game #15 - Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney [DS] (34 hours, finished in March 28)
I can understand why people don't like this game. After the end of the trilogy, every problem was solved. Where would the series go? The game answers by putting you in control of a different character, in a different setting, 7 years after the end of Trials and Tribulations.
Since its beginning, I was waiting for the moment when I'd be told what happened to make these characters change so much, and why some of them disappeared from others' lives, but that singular moment never occurred. You just have to accept that they are gone without an explanation. This is not a problem of this game particularly, but more of the sequel to a series of games heavily based on their characters.
With that said, Apollo Justice is a great game on its own. The mechanics introduced in the first game's DLC finally are put to good use, with brand new locations and updated background arts. Even though the greater mystery is presented in a more complicated way than it actually is, every case by itself is amazing and challenging in the right dose.
Cute little puzzle platformer with great pixel art and some nasty teleport-based puzzles. Had to use a walkthrough a couple of times to figure out some puzzles. Its pretty short so its a easy one to finish, and if you like puzle games I highly recomend it (especially because its been bundled and super cheap so many times you probably own it).
Game #12 - 140
Time: 50 minutes
Very short puzzle platform with simplistic graphics and a great soundtrack. I loved the way the sound and puzzles worked together, and the asthetics work nicely to fit the mood of the game (reminds me a lot of Thomas Was Alone except with funky beats instead of the british narrator). Its very short and the last puzzle is annoying, but its worth playing.
I recently finished Dark Souls 2 so going back to Bloodborne made for a tough first few hours relearning the systems and the necessity of offense. But as soon as I reached Old Yharnam everything clicked again and I remembered why this is my favourite Souls-like game. I love the coherence of the artstyle, the monster design becomes so outlandish and terrifying in late game (fucking White Lanterns, I hate you!). The addition of the firearm and the parry system that comes with it is pure gameplay bliss that, at least for me, works much better than parrying in Dark Souls. And regain is such a clever incentive for the player to keep pushing forward, to unleash the beast inside you. Went for the true ending this time. Very last boss was nothing special but still nice to have accomplished this. Outstanding game, maybe my favourite game ever.
Game 27: Bloodborne: The Old Hunters
This was my first time playing the DLC which I grabbbed from the PSN sale. Wow, really great content. The hunter fights in the first half of the DLC were really challenging and felt great. Level design was also very good again (that turning staircase!). The bosses were some of the best in the series, the first one
Ludwig
in particular. Final boss gave me a real headache but with the help of a summoned hunter I eventually managed to take him down and let out a scream of relief. The last time I did that was when I defeated Ornstein & Smough back in the day. I need more Bloodborne in my life....
Game 28: Command & Conquer: Generals
I had heard so much positive reaction to this entry in the C & C series, but I was utterly disappointed. The campaign missions are really bad for the most part. The C & C Red Alert games were much better. Add to that the lack of FMV's and a scenario heavily influenced by the Post-9/11 angst and you got a very mediocre game, at least in singleplayer.
Game 29: Bayonetta
Crazy, just crazy.The more I progressed the less the areas felt like actual levels and more like just one big, crazy boss fight after another.
The problem is that it is just too much. There's so much going on at any sceond that I never felt completely in control of the action.
Game 30: Dark Souls 3:
A fitting end with some of the best boss fights in the series and some very nice references. Also, no Winter Lanterns which is always a plus in Soulsborne game.
Game 31: Devil May Cry (Reboot)
I know this one's not liked very much. And yes, Dante is a giant dickhead in this game trying to appeal to an audience that never cares about these kinds of games in first place. I still liked this a lot though, manly because of the combat system, which was really versatile and not as chaotic as Bayonetta.
Game 32: The Testament of Sherlock Holmes
A pleasant surprise! Where most adventure games turn crazy with their puzzle logic later on, Sherlock Holmes stayed fair for the most part outside of a few segments. It's also a very nice representation of Victorian London, especially Whitechapel is shown in all its horrible glory. Looking forward to more titles from the series!
Game 33: Call of Duty: Ghosts
Ghosts is the black sheep of a family that gets enough hate already. And I can't judge the multiplayer because I didn't touch it. Maybe it's as bad as people say it is. But I thought that the campaign was rather entertaining. Yes, it's setpiece after setpiece and at the end of every level everything explodes but damn is this well orchestrated at times. I wouldn't want to play games like this all the time but every now and then I like some brainless fun. Also: Space machine guns!
Game 34: Final Fantasy XIII
"It gets better", they said. "You just have to stick with it", they said. It didn't get better but I finished it anyways. Just a bad game. The story starts out interesting but soon turns into a Saturday morning cartoon with amazingly bad writing. As if some 13 year old anime fan was allowed to write the damn thing.
And then the tubes. Oh my god, the tubes. For the first 30 hours you basically cannot go or right, just a straight line. What the hell were they thinking?
And when it finally opens up for a few hours it's just as boring because you are going after absurdly mundane side quests. All in all, a terrible game.
Game 35: Gauntlet An underrated Co-op experience. It's neither long nor blessed with a diverse gameplay, but it's simple hack'n'slay fun. Also, this game is made so much better by the decision that you and you co-op partner share loot and health potions, so there's a constant, often hilarious, fight about them.
Game 36: Victor Vran
Janky Diablo clone. Was fun in Co-Op, but nothing to write home about.
Game 37: Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
I enjoyed this one. I don't think the actual missions or some of the gameplay aspects (naval combat, ship stealth (!)) were actual fun, I rather used this almost meditative. At the beginning you have a map full of little icons that want to be explored and to be found. Then the icons disappear from your map. So I collected and collected, bringing order into the chaotic map. A soothing experience.
Game 38: Vanquish
Holy Shit, that game rocked. Over the top action, fast-paced, stupid story. Great title.
Game 39: Devil May Cry 2
Just as dull and boring as everyone said it is. What the hell went wrong there?
Game 40: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
It's been 2 months since I played this and my memories of it are already fading. I remember that I liked it, that I shot a lot of things and that a lot of the things exploded. Sometimes that's enough for some nice entertainment.
Game 41: Call of Duty Black Ops 2
Just like MW3, but worse. RTS elements in a Call of Duty game were not a good idea, Treyarch!
Game 42: Overwatch
Favourite multiplayer game of the year. Will continue to play. Perfect!
Game 43: God of War: Ascension
This one's got a bit of a bad reputation but I had a great time with it. Some of the set pieces and levels were simply stunning. Gameplay's good as usual.
Game 44: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Not as smooth as Black Flag and not as much to collect. OK game.
Game 45: Journey
I wasn't quite as stunned as so many people on this forum but I liked it for what it was. The final minutes were really great!
Game 46: Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments
My second Sherlock Holmes game this year and it was even better than the last one. Cool short stories, mostly logical puzzles and a great atmosphere. Those games are highly underrated, play them.
20) The Crew - 16 hours - 3/29
Phew, this game sure was something. The story wasn't great, the currency system makes buying lots of cars a bad idea for most of the game, and worst of all the driving itself feels floaty and unsatisfying. That said, The Crew isn't without its redeeming qualities. It has one of the coolest maps I've spent time in, not because of how it looks (most of the time like a 360 game), but how large and full it is. It's a scaled down version of the US but they do an excellent job of making each area feel unique and recognizable. I slogged through it but at the end of the day it just makes me want to revisit Forza Horizon 2 instead of playing the Wild Run DLC.
Game #8: Project X Zone 2 (3DS) - 50 Hours
At first glance it may seem more or less the same game as last time, but its a more polished and just an overall better experience. Missions are less frustrating and a lot shorter this time around. While you do have the 1 hour missions near the end of the game, they aren't actually a pain to play through. The battle system is still fun, and they added a new feature to it as well (which I never used, but im guessing its more crucial on harder difficulties). Writing in this game is a lot better, and its still a great fanservice game with seeing all your favorite characters interacting with each other.
It still blows my mind that they referenced Zero Escape in this game
Game #9: Life Is Strange (PC) - 21 Hours
At first, I wasn't really getting into this game at all. I thought the first episode was a nice intro, but hasn't really drawn me in yet. I thought episode two dragged on until the climax at the end. Episode three was when I started to get invested in the game. My biggest fear was that the rewind mechanic would get old for puzzles, but the game does some intriguing stuff with it and does it while paying attention to detail. Out of all the episodic adventures I played, I felt that I had the hardest time choosing what option to go with during the major decisions in this game. It does a great job making each choice equally appealing. Of course, it also helps that you have all the time in the world to make the decision.
Game #10: Lume (PC) - 2 Hours
Extremely short puzzle game. (only 7 puzzles in the entire game). Most of the puzzles were pretty straightforward and didn't require that much thinking. There was one puzzle where the game wouldn't give me the clue for it no matter what I did, so i just looked the answer up. The game does have fantastic visuals where all the characters and settings are made out of cardboard and paper. Even when this game felt really lacking, im still interested in playing the sequel to see what the developers can do with a bigger game. For this one, I recommend only getting it during a sale.
Game #11: Dear Esther (PC) - 2 Hours
I like the fact that the story is very open ended and that there is not a correct way to look at it. I find it interesting that some of the scenery changes each playthrough (and does it completely at random), which can actually change a way how a player sees a certain part. For example:
The narrator mentions throw some books into a fireplace before continuing on his journey. One player might see those books in the fireplace just like the narrator says. Another player could see a different thing and see that the books are actually fine and one a nearby table which suggest that the narrator can't be trusted completely and may be already breaking away from reality.
. Overall, I really like the visuals, especially in the caves. Great use of sound effects, had to stop and take a breather a few times cause I kept hearing very faint voices being mixed in with the wind.
Game #12: Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward (Vita) - 30 Hours
Second time playing this game, but first time on the Vita. I was impressed with how better the character models looked on the Vita, I never noticed how the models still sort of moved with their breathing animation. Downsides for the vita version was that the gyroscope didn't work as well as the 3DS version for some of the sliding puzzles (although you can just use the D-pad for that). Also the memo function was almost impossible to use. I enjoyed the puzzles in VLR a lot more than 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors, there were more of them and were overall more challenging.
Currently Playing: Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest, 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors, Her Story
Game 12 - Hitman Go - Definitive Edition[Vita] ★★★
This was a great little time waster. The puzzles were fun and the presentation was solid. I really like the board game aesthetic, and spent more than a little time just looking around the little dioramas. I got the platinum trophy, so it kept me engaged through everything it had to offer, but by the end the solutions had become a bit formulaic so there was little thinking involved. If the obvious approach didn't work, too often the solution was just to waste a few turns until all the pieces were in the right place. It's nowhere near as good as Lara Croft Go, but I still had a lot of fun, and it has got me a little more interested in the Hitman franchise, so a successful experiment on Square's part.
It’s hard to figure out where to even start with this game. For one, I spent almost 200 hours and almost 3 months playing it. On the other it has a lot of glaring issues I can’t really overlook, and many of them are only relevant in the early game which is all but a distant memory. So I guess all I can do is give it a shot and hope I don’t miss anything.
First up. Mira is amazing. Each continent has a ton of unique locations to see, and while most of them aren’t very varied in aesthetics, Noctilum is a work of art. I would however have liked some tweaks to the exploration mechanics. When you get to a new area it always feels like someone else has already explored it before you, which can detract from the experience somewhat.
Character customisation is a little lacking in some areas, but I loved that there was a lot of available voice actors and they were all listed by name. Gear is varied in a sort of dungeon crawl style, with lots of worthless loot apart from the few great pieces with the right rarities and passive bonuses. Said passive bonuses can be upgraded a limited number of times total per gear, and increased with by slotting in augments. There’s a huge number of augments which you a lot of room to craft (literally) a stat spread you want. What I also love about the gear system is that if you desire you can set a second set of gear, which is what you appear to be wearing in-game. It amuses me that we’ve come full circle at this point from wanting different gear to affect in-game appearance to needing a separate section of the menu to get back to a consistent outfit of your choosing. I ended up wearing a relatively low level of set of green and gold body armour for the entire game, and painted my Skell to match.
I really enjoyed the combat system, which is like MMO hotbar combat with a few extra systems mixed in. Your abilities are tied to weapon types and unlocked as your class levels up, and when you reach the maximum level of each path in the class tree that class’s melee and ranged weapon are unlocked for use for all classes. There are bonuses to accuracy and crit chance when above/below or behind enemies, and knocking enemies down to do more damage generally requires comboing abilities with a party member. I like the Soul Voice system, which prompts party members to use certain kinds of attacks to heal and receive buffs when you meet certain criteria. Each enemy also has a number of appendages (armour plating, weak points, limbs) with their own HP and resistances. It’s very satisfying to systematically carve up and enemy to weaken it and disable its attacks, though the appendage targeting system is dodgy. My main problem with the ground combat system is that most of these features are only explained in the electronic manual, and even then some basic things are best learnt from an FAQ.
Skell combat functions differently, with your abilities stemming from equipped gear instead of your class levels and chosen weapon types. There are significantly fewer abilities and I never felt that there was enough variety to create interesting builds like my ground build which focused on changing stances between high damage/low defence and high defence/low damage as needed, while maintaining debuffs to my main damage type on the enemy. In Skells most builds boil downs to various sequences of abilities that do damage, which when coupled with a significantly reduced number of targetable enemy appendages when in Skells leads to less satisfying combat overall.
By endgame the most important party of fighting large monsters on foot is chaining together abilities during Overdrive (your super mode) to build up enough meter to refresh Overdrive before it expires and keep your combo going. At max combo you do 10x damage and your abilities all charge essentially instantly turning you into a one person army.
The story is... serviceable at best… there’s some intrigue that doesn’t pay off and some characters to get attached to if you want. My main problem with it is that its often so incongruent with the gameplay that it detracts from the experience. Why does the game assume that I don’t have a Skell until the very end? Why does this cutscene act all amazed that we have to go somewhere I went 20 hours ago? The answer is usually “because it wasn’t mandatory until now”, and it’s a problem a lot of JRPGs have but I just don’t think it works here. Similarly you get so overpowered that story bosses cease to be threatening the second you find out that their level, no matter how big they are.
I also hated the mission structure. Basic Missions are terrible, MMO level fetch quests all around and the systems in place make them worse (I’ll get to this in the next paragraph). Affinity missions, which are the meat of the characters and better but still not fantastic quests are way too hard to unlock. Until the post-game you need to use people in your party for tens of hours to get their affinity high enough to unlock them, and there are a lot of characters to switch in and out.
So… the material drops... The game has a compendium of enemies and their associated drops, but there’s no way to record where those enemies are found or which appendages drop which items. Similarly each of the 4 continents has an associated list of materials lying around, which change per area but the game will never tell you where they are. Good luck finding them without a guide.
In short: When it works, it really works, but it hardly ever works unless you’re just wandering around without a care in the world.
Some friends of mine finally dragged me into their PoE guild with the release of the latest expansion and I’ve got to say I had a lot of fun with it. It’s a free-to-play game in the vein of Diablo or Torchlight and as far as I can tell it’s a solid entry in the genre.
My character’s build was very passive and low maintenance, basically requiring me to left click the enemies and run away to heal as required, but there’s a lot of variation in the aesthetics that keeps things from getting boring. I really liked that the passive skill tree is insanely large and intricate (I’ve been told it’s reminiscent of FFX’s Sphere Grid) and all of the active skills and their augments are just gems you can slot into weapons.
I can’t really speak to the story because for the first act of the game I was partied with my 1000+ hour in friends rolling new characters. There’s a bunch of lore and story scattered around but they’d seen it all before and ran past. At that point I didn’t see the point in caring so I ignored it for the rest of the game.
The game is really easy to play for free. Almost all of the microtransactions are cosmetic except for extra stash space and character slots and you get enough that I never felt I needed them. During the time I was playing they released a special page that can store currency thousands of currency items in a single stack instead of capping at their usual amounts. It’s nice to have, and I bought one to give some money to the devs but again I never felt I really needed it. Since my friends are playing and I’ve only made it through the game once (you get extra difficulties as a sort of new game plus you can move between using the map) I’ll probably go back to it. But for no I’m ready to officially move onto other things.
I didn’t initially have much interest in the rereleases, but in the end I decided to check them out by way of my first Nuzlocke run. In the end it was good and stressful to see (most of Kanto) again in this manner. I’m not sure Generation I is too well suited to Nuzlockes though, as I rarely lost Pokemon in circumstances that didn’t involve Self-Destruct or Psychic attacks.
Even though the UI is horrible, the early version of the battle system still works pretty well. Being able to easily look up move statistics online nowadays helps with that too. Yellow’s sprites are still the best of the first two generations, even if their palettes are limited.
There were three massacres during my run, and I’m to understand that they’re pretty standard for a lot of Nuzlockes. Firstly, I forgot that Lt. Surge has a single high level Raichu with Mega Kick instead of a more balanced team in Yellow. Quake (Diglett) and, my favourite at that time, Babydoll (Nidoqueen) unexpectedly fell before Raichu decided I’d learnt my lesson and just growled at me until going down itself. After that I slowly rebuilt, I found a Nidorino and named it Killer Croc in honour of Babydoll but alas he too fell during Rock Tunnel, along with Phoenix (my first of 4 Psychic types to bear the name) which was unexpectedly dangerous.
After a long journey, with periodic losses to critical hits, Self-Destructs or errant Slowpokes I decided to tackle Fuchsia Gym before going to fight Sabrina. I wanted to be ready for her because as I already mentioned Psychic is terrifying in this generation. Unfortunately the ostensibly poison Fuchsia Gym is also heavily populated with Psychic types, and we suffered a few more losses before reaching Koga. When Koga sent out his first Venonat I knew we were in trouble, it was several levels higher than my best team members and the levels only increased from there. His Venomoth, which as it turns out knows both Psychic and Double Team, proceeded to wipe out my team. Poison Ivy (Weepinbell), Nightcrawler (Gengar), Hawkguy (Fearow), Magneto (Magneton), Batman (Golbat) all died, leaving Clayface (Golem) the sole survivor. But I persisted and rebuilt from near scratch, training a few new Pokemon and bringing back some of the old reserves, and after many hours of grinding we were ready to move on.
During the grind I obtained a Slowpoke, the last remaining Psychic type available to me, and thus it bore the name Final Phoenix. After evolving it into a Slowbro we easily defeated Sabrina, then Blaine, everything was going great. Then in the final battle with Giovanni at his gym disaster struck.
The first action of the battle, Dugtrio used Fissure and killed Final Phoenix. It was at that point that I knew that this was the end, and that only a miracle could save me now. Syndicate (Dodrio), Quicksilver (Magneton) and Hulk (Gyarados) fell in quick succession. Clayface, who had been with me since Mount Moon was the oldest surviving member of my team by far, fought valiantly and was able to take out some of his team but was eventually broken apart by an Earthquake from Giovanni’s Nidoking. This left Bug Eyed Bandit (Venomoth) to finish the fight, and while Parafusion hax were able to bring Giovanni to his last Pokemon, a Rhydon, Bug Eyed Bandit’s 15 level disadvantage proved too much in the end, and it too sucumbbed.
So that’s how my 20 year anniversary experience with Pokemon Yellow ends. Giovanni wins, and presumably rebuilds and conquers Kanto. Depressing.
Preview: I’m currently playing Limbo (expect to hear about that in a few days) and Mutant Mudds: Super Challenge, which should take a fair bit longer.
Game 13: Not A Hero (PC): The game mechanic of Not A Hero is great. A fast paced 2D-Shooter. It has humour, I like Bunnylord and the Soundtrack kicks ass. That said, the game does many things wrong in my opinion. First complain is no seperated button for executions. You want to shoot the bad guys coming to you but because you stand over a knocked out enemy you go in to a execution animation and everyone else is loading all their bullets in you. While some could say it is your own fault for getting in such a situation, I sometimes stood right next to the feets of a knocked-down enemy and it triggered the execution. Another thing that bugged me, were the ridicolous invicibilty frames of two later enemies. My biggest complains were missing checkpoints. Maybe I'm too casual, but the levels get longer pretty soon and doing the same thing again and again and again gets annoying pretty fast. On top of that, in two of the three boss levels, the sequence where
Bunnylord kills the major bad guy
is unskippable and you have too watch it again, if you fail in the part that comes after that. It is a game with a great idea but lacks in execution imo. Game 14: Deathsmiles (iOS): It's a shmup. I don't care if there are any secret runthroughs, hidden endings and what not. I played through the game (even if it was on the lowest diffculty) and saw the credits.
Didn't play much this month. Wasn't in the mood and if i wanted to play something it was Stardew Valley, Hearthstone or Clash Royale. Maybe it will get better in April.
Very cool puzzle game where you have to combine various cubes to form defenses and turrets to get around each level. I missed one of the optional puzzles, it was doing my head in and I couldnt find a solution online so I just skipped it and ended the game. The definition of hidden gem.
Game 10: Picross e - March 31st
I loved Picross DS but for some reason never got around to picking up any other games in the series. Grabbed this on a whim and enjoyed the hell out of it. Definitely need a break before playing more, but it is nice to know there's another 5 games in the e series to go!
Game 6 : Fallout 3 - The Pitt (PS3) - 4/3
Pretty decent bit of DLC however, I'm not one to usual complain about frame rates and performance but all of the Fallout DLC bar Mothership Zeta has crashed on me multiple times and has caused me to just rush through them.
Game 7 : Fallout 3 - Operation Anchorage (PS3) - 5/3
Not as good as The PItt but better than Mothership Zeta.
Game 8 : Fallout 3 - Point Lookout (PS3) - 5/3
Best of the Fallout 3 DLC's I've played so far.
Game 9 : Fallout 3 - Mothership Zeta (PS3) - 6/3
The worst of the Fallout 3 DLC's but at least it didn't crash on me or crawl along at 5FPS
Game 10 : Fallout 3 (PS3) - 7/3
I can see why people raved about this, however I really struggled to care at all about the story. Still I've got a game I started 6 years 10 months and 1 week ago off of the backlog
Game 11 : Fallout 3 - Broken Steel (PS3) - 8/3
it had the same problems as the other pieces of DLC, namely it ran like shit and crashed nearly every 20 minutes. Whilst I didn't have many technical issues with the main game, the DLC has been a trial.
Game 12: ICO (PS3) - 15/3
Fantastic palette cleanser after Fallout 3, really made me regret not picking it up back in 2002.
Game 13: God of War: Chains of Olympus (PS3) - 27/3
Pretty short, but oh so very pretty for a PSP game.
Game 14: Dynamite Deka (PS2Classics) - 27/3
Even shorter than I remembered and I could only beat it on easy mode.
Game 15: Braid (PS3) - 27/3
Very late to the party, great game a couple of infuriatingly annoying puzzles towards the end aside.
Game 16: God of War: Ghost of Sparta (PS3) - 28/3
I think that's enough God of War games for me for a while.
Lots of short games and DLC, still the taste of broken games has just about been washed out of my mouth and that unopened copy of Skyrim on PS3 is looking very, very unappealing.
Game 22: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
I promised myself I'd get to this one during my revision, and I did! I actually did a TP run only last fall, so I was afraid I wouldn't want to jump right back in, but it actually worked out fairly well.
Twillight Princess certainly isn't the best 3D Zelda out there for many people, and I am one of them. I agree that it has aged a lot more poorly than OoT, MM, and TWW, and it's usually at the bottom of my list whenever I think about replaying a Zelda game.
Still, I think that many are unduly negative about it. It has some of the more interesting and imaginative items in the series, and its dungeon design is absolutely superb (though not quite as good as Skyward Sword's).
I also still really like the overall presentation. The way that the relationships between key characters, especially between Link and Midna, are explored, is quite fascinating, and definitely a step up from past games (I feel that you can see the further evolution of these elements in the relationship between Link and Zelda or even Link and Groose in Skyward Sword). Not to mention that Midna is probably my favourite Zelda companion. The art style obviously doesn't hold up quite as well as TWW's cel shading, and many of the character / enemy designs are a little out there, but above all, the game feels very grand and epic.
This last part may have also hurt it a bit, as much of the world feels quite empty (it's nice that Hyrule is much larger, but for the most part, it doesn't feel as lively as it should). To me, MM felt absolutely perfect in this regard. The game world is much smaller, possibly even smaller than that of OoT, but it is absolutely packed with things to do, items to collect, and NPCs to interact with. This is one of the things I'm really looking forward to in Zelda U - we've seen the Zelda team going a bit back and forth trying to get the size of Hyrule just right in the last few console games, so I'm very interested to see whether they've finally been able to find a proper balance between expansive and dense.
So much for the original game, which is mostly intact here. Now for the parts that are exclusive to the HD version. I mentioned above that the game doesn't quite hold up visually, and TWW HD looks considerably more pleasing, but the higher resolution and reworked textured are still very welcome. I think that if you go in expecting an improved version of a 10-year old game, you really can't be disappointed.
The reduced tear hunts and poe lantern don't really make any difference for me. I know where the poes are, anyway, and I never really minded looking for the tears, either. What I do really appreciate are the faster pickups (this is especially apparent when collecting tears) and the removal of the hard ruby cap. I'm the kind of person that can't leave chests all over the world, so being able to pick up rubies with a full wallet is a huge improvement. The stamps obviously also help here, as they reduce the number of ruby-containing chests. Also, even though I don't use Miiverse that much, myself, I wouldn't mind all my Wii U games having stamps or similar system / account - wide unlocks. I'd even kinda like them being tied to achievement-like challenges, so as to give you more incentive to go achievement-hunting.
Lastly, amiibo functionality. I didn't really use my Zelda or Link amiibos. I did give the Ganondorf a spin for the quadruple damage, but found that the early game in Hero Mode isn't really balanced around the amiibo, but then again, I always felt that the game's difficulty mostly drops in the end game, where you have ready access to potions and probably more health than you need. With that in mind, I dropped amiibo use after a while, and only started it again towards the end of the game. As for the Wolf Link amiibo, the Cave of Shadows really isn't all that spectacular. It's nice as a little challenge mode, but the reward doesn't really seem worth it, especially considering the fairly high difficulty.
MARCH END (6 games completed, 14 games total)
Ahead of pace for the 1st time this year now. Being slowed down by Pokémon, Minecraft Vita and Rainbow Moon addictions. Should finish Hakuoki, Motorstorm, Pokémon White 2 and Don't Starve this month for starters as I try to stay above 6 games a month or so.
Game 9: X-men Origins: Wolverine (PS3) - March 4 - 35 hours
Real surprise here, possibly the best movie tie-in game ever. Somewhat similar to God of War without the scale, but featuring an astronomically better main character. Wolverine is a right bastard here, killing every security guard and soldier on Earth, but at least we finally have a game where regenerating health makes sense. Raven's last hurrah for the most part, they deserve better. My 11th Platinum Trophy.
Game 10: Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge (Vita) - March 6 - 5 hours
Fun, quick little RTS that has a similar control scheme to Grim Grimoire, always a plus. Far better than the original game, very easy to rip through with only 8 half-hour-ish levels. Solid effort from Frima.
Game 11: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (PS3) - March 11 - 30 hours
Not going to pull punches here, this is a better game than the original. Top Developer Firaxis nails virtually everything from the base setup to the classic turn-based combat itself. I now dream of a future where Sid and the gang alternate between Civ and XCOM sequels. My new 2012 GOTY.
Game 12: Corpse Party (PSP) - March 23 - 13 hours
Macabre, brutal game, plays like a Survival horror/adventure/Visual novel mashup. They nail the atmosphere and that awful feeling of dread, and the voice acting and sound effects are stellar: screams, pleads and whimpers are legitimate, not the dialed-in stuff of poor horror movies. Some scenes are just awful and dark, too much for me at points. Worth a play if you're not squeamish.
Game 13: The Unfinished Swan (Vita) - March 27 - 3 hours
Beautiful, minimalist game. FPS controls, but using balls of paint and water rather than bullets. Simple, fun puzzles and a nice fairy-tale story starring none other than Terry Gilliam. Highly recommended.
Game 14: P.T. (PS4) - March 30 - 8 hours
I simply cannot say enough about PT. Incredible experience, unsettling, scary even with others in the room. Classic horror that takes a lofty place among all mediums, not just games. My #1 gaming wish is that Kojima makes a full fledged game out of the concept now that he's free. Easily a top 10 game of 2014 despite being pretty much a demo.
Game 7: Metal Slug (45 minutes)
This game is pretty fun. It seems loosely based on World War II. Neo Geo was pretty cool back in the day. MS took forty-five minutes to beat. I had unlimited continues.
4/5
Game 8: Commander Keen: Episode 1 (2 hours)
I'm going to share a really controversial opinion
I think the six Commander Keen games are more fun than the original Mario Bros. trilogy. You have to understand the context. When I was a kid, my friends all had NES, SNES, or Genesis. I had a home computer. Keen was about all I could play (or maybe all my parents bought), so the the series has a special place in my heart.
You sort of get in this rhythm where you memorize levels to beat them, but I don't mind it. The levels are short. Also, this game doesn't have continues. You run out of lives, and that's it... game over and start over. I played with an SNES-style USB controller, which made the game more fun than using a keyboard. It's certainly not the longest game of the Keen series, but it lays the groundwork for future titles.
5/5
Game 13 - Steamworld Dig [Vita] ★★★
I'll be honest, I'm having a hard time judging Steamworld Dig. It doesn't really set a foot wrong in anything it tries to do. The presentation is flawless and it's for the most part a well designed mining game. It's just a little bland. While the mining is really satisfying, the rewards for doing so aren't so much. I think it primarily comes down to the use of resources in multiple contexts. You're mining for cash to buy upgrades, but the upgrades don't unlock in the shop until you hit certain lifetime cash totals. You unlock a steam jump that uses water before getting a drill and punch that also use water. Better upgrades also cost orbs but orbs are used to buy teleporters so you can get more cash in less time. Basically, everything you do feels like you're purposefully being roadblocked to extend the life of the game, and it starts to feel like a chore. Not that I'm against grinding, but the problem with this is that when you finally start feeling empowered, not only is there very little else to aim for, but the most satisfying part of the game (digging) is pretty much removed and you just fall through huge caverns. With a crafting system or a more varied areas, it could have been so much more.
1. Pokemon Red Finished March 3 19 hours, 29 minutes What can I say? The game that pretty much started me off as a handheld gamer. I played the heck out of this as a kid so buying it on the VC was a given. My team of Blastoise, Hypno, Electabuzz, Dugtrio, and Fearow dominated the game. Other than Blastoise, I had never used any of those pokemon on my team. The game suffers from a bad EXP curve and terrible item storage, things that were fixed in future games. I plan to play and complete at least one pokemon game from each generation over the course of 2016 in honor of the anniversary, culminating with Sun and Moon when they release in November.
2. Pokemon Yellow Finished March 7 20 hours, 54 minutes Continuing my run through every generation of Pokemon. I used the gift Eevee for the first time ever and turned it into an absolute battle tank Vaporeon. I used Nidoking until the end for the first time ever and it was a beast with Earthquake and Thrash. I used the in game gift Charmander and turned it into a fierce Charizard that really helped against the defensively weak Alakazam that my rival used. Pikachu was really weak but ended up getting the final KO of my rival's own Vaporeon. Overall about the same as Red/Blue. The Jesse and James segments are really dumb. They are always weak and their pokemon suck. At least the sprites for pokemon are way better in this game. And Charizard learns Fly!
3. Pokemon Diamond Finished March 13 31 hours, 25 minutes I have always felt this was the black sheep of pokemon generations. I played through Pearl once. It took me an eternity. I remember struggling hard with the Elite Four. They just felt overpowered and something almost unattainable within the main game. Continuing with my trend of only using five pokemon, the Champion of this game was basically an item spam fest. My team coming in at level 50 was outsped and overmatched big time. I could have grinded my team up to a decent level but I just wanted to finish with the game. My team of Infernape, Bronzong, Gastrodon, Luxray, and Abomasnow did fine for the main game but chugged hard as the Elite Four went on. I really enjoyed the game despite it being pretty slow. I got used to it fairly quickly and managed to enjoy myself until the E4. I've decided for Platinum when I play it I'm just going to use the most OP pokemon I can find.
4. Pokemon White Finished March 20 27 hours, 17 minutes First time replaying a Gen V game. It was a mostly pleasant experience. I had some horrible luck throughout most of the main game. My opponent needs a crit? They for sure got it. I have a non 100% accuracy move? Prepare for it to miss three times in a row. My team composition was weak to rock and ground and fighting moves and the E4 had tons of pokemon with those type of moves. I used Emboar, Galvantula, Excadrill, Jellicent, and Vanilluxe. About halfway through my Pokemon retrospective.
5. Mega Man 4 Finished March 27 2 hours, 47 minutes If Mega Man 2 and 3 are the best in the series, 4 is not that far behind. The robot masters hit like trucks but they have some interesting weapons. The charge shot makes a debut here and is really overpowered in my opinion. Also debuting is the false castle and the antagonist bait and switch. Both of those will make appearances later on in the series in order to pad the game length out to 15 or so stages. Mega Man 4 probably pulls it off the best out of any of the future games though. Some of the difficulty of this game is ruined by knowing you can go back to previously beaten stages (mostly to get Wire and Balloon adapters if you missed them) allowing you to basically farm E-Tanks in Skull Man's stage until you get up to 9. On the Legacy Collection, the save state I used to keep my save kept the tank numbers but the password system on this game originally does not.
6. Nintendo Badge Arcade Finished March 27 5 hours Playing this every day for the free plays. I spent a little bit of money to get the Fire Emblem Fates character portraits and the sprites. I'm pretty much done spending money until the Mega Man badges come along. I'll keep playing every day because my free trial play is fun and can sometimes lead to as many as four actual free plays. I'm putting this game down as finished now because I have no idea when the Mega Man badges are coming and those are really the only ones I want and would actually pay money to earn.
7. Pokemon Omega Ruby Finished March 28 27 hours, 42 minutes Continuing my Pokemon journey through generation 3 by way of generation 6. I used a theme team since the game is so easy and I wanted to get through it quickly. This time it was a team full of pokemon that evolve via trade. My team was Rhyperior, Porygon-Z, Kingdra, and Alakazam with my starter Blaziken thrown in as well. ORAS gave the series some cool things like DexNav and I hope they continue to be present in the future of the series. Up next is Soul Silver and a trip to maybe the most well like generation of pokemon games.
I'll get the positives out of the way by saying the core gameplay is really, really good! Shooting, running, going in and out of cover, using special abilities etc etc all feel satisfying. Hovering in some middle ground between Gears of War and Borderlands, this is a third person shooter with a good foundation and above average mechanics. However the house they built up around it is a complete disappointment. The short version is: it's just another run of the mill Ubisoft game, this time with co-op. A large map overflowing with icons to run towards, outposts to capture, doodads to collect, bars to fill, loot with arbitrary colors to equip. All busywork hiding how mediocre and shallow The Division really is. Uninteresting AI and engagements means the excellent TPS mechanics are rarely put to good use. The gating of progression means leveling feels less like I'm becoming stronger, and more like I'm struggling to keep up with the pace of the enemies' strength. The guns are boring, too; damage numbers getting bigger doesn't make a difference if I'm still killing enemies the same way I was before. The setting of the game draws comparisons to The Last of Us but the narrative more closely channels Crackdown. Characters, locations, motivations, all completely forgettable. The UI is obtrusive. The list goes on. But the bottom line is the game lacks any heart or soul in its overall design and fails to provide any real entertainment, getting by on above average player control and little else. Play with friends or not at all.
11h-ish?. Steam says +50h, but I tend to leave it running well after I'm done playing.
Holy Potatoes! Why do I even have this game? I think I got it from a Humble Bundle somewhere and it sounded innofensive enough for me to play during breaks at work. And yep, it's your typical kairoclone, but "disguised" as a potato-centric game. HP lies heavily on its humor to be charming, and while the references are cool at first, you soon realize that every conversation with them goes like this:
"Hey! You're that guy! Potato pun"
"Haha, yes, I'm a parody of a fictional character! Potato pun."
This, sumed to the fact that the endgame DRAGS. TO NO END., makes HP a particularly repetitive kairoclone. Still, if you can get it cheap, it's good to spend some hours on.
Time: 4:30 hours
Score: Darth Maul is cheap.
Thoughts: Disney Infinity really hit its stride with 3.0. That being said, in spite of the awesome that is Ahsoka Tano, this is the weakest of the Star Wars 3.0 play sets from what I've played. It's also more than a little unbalanced; your non-Jedi figures will only see play while you wait for your Jedi to recover. Still fun.
Time: 4:30 hours
Score: OT Remix
Thoughts: Much much better than Twilight of the Republic. That being said, as this is one of the only play sets that sticks (relatively) close to the source material, the deviations were noticeable and jarring. Also, virtually everything on Endor was a drag. Still fun.
Time: 4:30 hours
Score: Play till you get the Iron Man crossover coins, then wreck everything.
Thoughts: This is actually based on Ultimate Spider-Man, not 616 (and not the superior Miles Morales), so things are slightly different what you see in the movies. That being said, it's pretty fun until you get Iron Man unlocked, at which point it become a curb stomp battle. Still fun.
Time: 4:30 hours
Score: Wreck everything with Iron Man.
Thoughts: Iron Man is pretty OP in this series. Setting that aside, I thought it was a pretty good Avengers story, but it was more frustrating than anything else. This is a flaw shared with Spider-Man, but it was really annoying to see someone like Carol Danvers or White Tiger and know that there is no way to play as them, save a short power disc team up. Still fun.
Time: 4:30 hours
Score: Play till you get the Iron Man crossover coins, then wreck everything.
Thoughts: Iron man again? Yup. It's kinda cool how IM logically fits in all three play sets. That being said, I also used Gamora, cause, you know, Gamora. Of the three 2.0 play sets, I consider this to be the weakest. Too many turret sequences for my tastes. Still fun.
Time: 4:30 hours
Score: Man, it's incredible this series continued.
Thoughts: After playing 3.0 which was great and 2.0 which was still very good, it's a little amazing how much of an overhaul they accomplished from 1.0 to 2.0. This isn't terrible per se, but there are flaws and there are a lot of them. For example, the game doesn't actually tell you when the story in any particular 1.0 play set is story complete and the difficulty can spike without warning in both directions. Plus there are too many sequences that seem to rely on you remembering superfluous things. Pretty meh in general.
Time: 4:57 hours
Score: Can you tell how often I was unclear on the next objective?
Thoughts: Of the three stater play sets in 1.0, I'd give the nod to this one as being the most fun. That's not really saying a lot. Personally, I'm hoping that 4.0 revisits the original play sets and starts doing stand alone releases; I think with the various improvements and changes to the game play in the later entries, Pirates could be legitimately fun.
Game 4 - Life is Strange - 14 hours - 02/17/16
Awesome spin on the Telltale style of adventure games. You really get attached to the characters and story. 4/5
Game 5 - Battletoad Arcade - 2 hours - 03/01/16
Nice Arcade game, but really repetetive and obviously made extra hard so that you would spend a ton of quarters. 2/5
Game 6 - Until Dawn - 8 hours - 03/06/16
Great interactive movie style of game with quick time events. Would have loved a more deep approach to the choices, but as a fan of horror movie, I loved it. 4/5
Game 8 - Huniecam Studio - 2 hours - 04/07/16
A clicker game with a lewd aspect where you "control" a cam girl operation. Not really deep or interesting. Very few things to do, even for a clicker. 2/5
Game 9 - A Wizard's Lizard - 50 minutes - 04/11/16
A game like Binding of Isaac but with worst itemization. All the items fall under 3-4 categories. Still pretty fun. 2/5
Dead Space
Love the atmosphere, the sound design, and the feel of the gameplay. It seems like a lot of effort went into finely tuning the controls because they're basically perfect. I didn't care for the repetitive mission structure. It kind of makes the ship feel more like a set of objectives than an actual place. I also didn't get the sense that all the different areas were actually connected in some way. With a little more world cohesion and a more interesting progression, it would be an amazing game.
Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows
Great free update. I was surprised by how much new stuff was included. Plague Knight handles much more erratically than Shovel Knight, which makes for a lot of exciting platforming moments.
Tomb Raider: Anniversary
Lots of platforming and environmental puzzles, and some terrible combat to spice things up. I only played Legend and 2013 before this, so I'm not super familiar with the series' roots, but Anniversary feels like a pure Tomb Raider game to me. Puzzle-solving is at the forefront and shooting, thankfully, takes a backseat. I enjoyed it a lot.
Hyrule Warriors
This is a guilty pleasure game on two levels: 1) I played it for the Zelda fanservice alone and 2) the gameplay is mindless and repetitive, but effortlessly mowing down hordes of enemies is admittedly pretty fun. The metagame is a massive grindfest, so I'm happy just finishing each scenario once.
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
It's one of those games that basically plays itself, but it's not nearly as braindead as PoP 2008. You have to manage a handful of different mechanics while platforming, so the difficulty comes from rhythmically pressing, holding, and releasing certain buttons. It's occasionally satisfying, but I wish it was just a little more challenging. It only starts to get good like 10 minutes before the game ends.
Fantastic JRPG. After being disappointed by Tales of Zestiria, I picked this up hoping it would scratch the itch I had for a good, old-school JRPG. It did that and more. It's got Tales aesthetics + Chrono Trigger battle system + Persona 4 social links. Also has a well-crafted story, a strong cast of characters, a couple of crazy plot twists, and a superb soundtrack. All in all one of the best JRPGs I've played in the last couple years. The sequel is now one of my anticipated titles.
Game 9: Samorost 1 & 2 (PC) 1.5 Hours 3/27/2016: Wanted to play through the first games in the series before going to 3 since I really love both Machinarium and Botanicula. Super simplistic, but the style and aesthetic are definitely all there. Worth a play through with a drink and a spare hour 3/5
Game 10: The Magic Circle (PC) 4 Hours 4/1/2016: A really interesting premise with a fairly novel mechanic, I have grown to dislike the audio log narrative, but it works a bit better in The Magic Circle since it is fairly baked into the narrative. Well written and making an interesting statement about both overzealous creators and entitled fans, I think it was mostly successful in telling the story it set out to. Oddly I think playing from an isometric view may have had the benefit of making ally management and movement more intuitive, but as it was such a short game, there really wasn't a whole lot of time to fight with the controls. 3/5
Game 7: Splatoon -- Wii U -- 80 Hours -- Beat on 3/23/2016
I thought about just putting my total playtime I was at when I "finished" the game. But that number (at that time) was 595:38. So I just made a rough guesstimate at how much time I put into the game in 2016 towards my goal.
The goal being the most grind-y thing I've ever done in a game. Buying every piece of equipment, upgrading the slot count of every piece, and filling every piece of equipment. I also maxed out a weapon's counter, which takes... a considerable time. But that's not here nor there for what was my main goal.
I feel that, in reaching the goal and after thinking on it for a week, the game deserves to be on my "Completed Games" list even if the game may be updated with more for me to grind out (and the fact that I still play it all the time!). Why? Because Splatoon was a huge part of my 2015, with the Community Thread really making me feel welcome. So I had to find a way to get it in here somehow without feeling like cheating. I think the goal of filling everything fits that bill since it also ate so much of my January/February!
The game's signature mode, Turf War, is fun. The concept is simple and it works. In the early days of owning the game, it's all I played. And my play sessions ranged anywhere from five minutes, to three hours. The short match structure leads to accommodating a wide range of playstyles.
But it was the more competitive modes that really grabbed me. With three modes to play in, all completely different from each other, there's a lot of variety. Variety that you can play for fun, or put more time and effort into to try and climb a ranking ladder. This is where I've probably spent 70% of my time in the game, and I didn't even play it until... September '15? When one sees Splatoon, they probably don't think of these strategic modes that makes the phrase "Intense Splatoon match" work. But it can definitely ring true, and this bit of the game, these Ranked modes, is where you'll find it so.
Being consistently updated - New maps, new weapons, balance changes - Splatoon is a game I think every Wii U owner should have. The balance changes are serious game-changers, too. What may have been GOD OF WEAPONS when the game launched is now in a good place. This makes for a lot more variety than what we may have had. Two sides to a coin, since you never know what is safe, but I think it works.
In fact, at nearly a year old, new weapons are still being added just a few weeks from this post. It's a clear start to a new series from Nintendo, and I can't wait to see what we see from the future. Be it more life in the original game through updates, or a sequel on the NX further down the road. I don't think a game can be for everyone. But I do believe that if you haven't given Splatoon a shot in all of its modes you may be missing out on something you'd truly enjoy.
A hit in its day, but one I never got around to. A simple puzzle platformer with an amazing dark and bleak atmosphere. It's very well put together, and after the proliferation of similar games recently it's still pretty high in the pile. But I feel like it's not as unique as it was 5 years ago.
Game 13 - Hitman GO: Definitive Edition ★★★☆☆
Really well designed puzzle game that lacked more variety for my taste. Also the camera flipping out in some levels really destroyed my enjoyment for the game. Sometimes a small issue is enough to make me forget about the good moments.
Game 14 - EA Sports UFC 2 ★★★★☆
Really surprised by how much I love the game except for small quirks in gameplay. It helps that I'm not a hardcore fan so I don't mind the simplistic grappling and ground game (submission quick time is dumb though). AI stamina needs to be changed though. But the biggest problem is the lack of interesting single player modes, especially considering how the same developed Fight Night Champion or that you could make a Career Mode about building a team and not an individual.
As I mentioned last week, I rebought just about all Resident Evil games when they were on sale on steam. After playing REmake again, I decided to give Resident Evil 4 HD a spin. This has to be one of the games I have bought the most times in my life (I own the Gamecube version, two different Wii versions, and now the steam version). I think the only game I own more versions of is Ocarina of Time (the original N64 game, the disc that came with Wind Waker, the Wii VC version, the Wii U VC version, and the 3DS remake). Those two are also easily the games I've beaten the most times (I'm not entirely sure, but I must be hovering somewhere around 25 times for both), so I'm definitely no stranger to Resident Evil 4.
In a way, I was expecting the steam version to really shine because of higher resolution, better frame rate, and mouse aiming. However, my first 1-2 hours were a bit more tedious than I'd hoped they might be. Coming off the Wii version, mouse aiming is not all that different to the pointer, but the latter somehow feels a lot less twitchy. What's worse, I can't help but feel that the keyboard is not up to the task of letting you control Leon's movement. The most bewildering part are some of the default key bindings (seriously, Backpsace to select items, and Delete and Page Down to rotate them?), that I can't even change without messing with the .ini file. Now that I'm done, I've gotten used to it, and QTEs have now become almost laughably easy, as I can just hit both combinations (X+C and LMB+RMB) at the same time, but I still prefer the Wii control style.
As for the framerate, I started at locked 60 fps, but turned it back down to locked 30 fps a few chapters in. Maybe it's because I'm used to playing the game at the lower frame rate, but something just felt incredibly wrong about the rhythm and pace of enemy movement.
Other than that, it's pretty much Resident Evil 4 with higher resolution. I've been following the HD texture project for a while, so I wasn't exactly shocked to see the low-quality textures, but they still stand out much more when everything else is sharper. Also, for some weird reason, the icons for items and weapons in your inventory are really messed up (I'm nitpicking, I know, but I've played the game so often that even the most mundane differences start jumping out at me).
To finish, one last thing. After I'd finished the main game, I also played through Assignment Ada and Separate Ways (for a moment, I was afraid the latter wouldn't be present here), and what kinda bothers me is the fact that while, once again, the game runs at a higher resolution, the cutscenes weren't scaled up. This again leads to a quite jarring difference going from gameplay to cinematic, and I'm not sure what exactly kept the responsible parties from retouching these video files (I'm pretty sure this wasn't an issue in the main game - I noticed it immediately after starting Separate Ways).
So, to conclude, I'm glad that I now have a version of Resident Evil 4 that I can play without having to rely on a console, and I'm especially relieved that I can now still play it after I'll have retired my Wii U, but I nevertheless think that the Wii version is the definite version of this game.
Well, didn't get to 52 but I'm pretty impressed with how many games I finished this year. Also had a ton of fun this year, hoping 2017 lives up to the hype!
1. Tales from the Borderlands - PS4
Completed - 1/1/16 (Platinum)
Game 11: Hyper Light Drifter (PC) 7 Hours 4/3/2016: Was a Kickstarter backer on this one and am incredibly happy with the outcome. It delivered on sublime combat, interesting encounters, fun bosses, and was all wrapped in an audio visual package that really makes a statement. There were a few technical issues, but overall I think it is close to being the best game I've played in years. The upgrade system was a bit wonky, but lead to a really great health management system that made every fight feel tense since taking 3 hits in a row without healing would pretty much always mean death. The bosses were interesting and towed the line really well of challenging yet manageable, with patterns that could be learned and exploited. A great game that I hope more people end up playing since it seems like it was a real labor of love through its development. 5/5
OP
21) NBA 2K16: A Spike Lee Joint - 6 hours - 4/3
Just finished the story mode in 2K16 and man was it bananas. This year, instead of presenting the player with a bunch of choices that come with the stresses of fame and fortune, they handed the reigns over to Spike Lee and you watch the story unfold as you play through the games of your high school, college, and rookie year in the NBA. There are some really off the wall twists thrown at you that was hard to take seriously but it's actually kind of sad at the end.
Awesome zelda style action rpg (emphasys on the action) with gorgeous graphics and a cool soundtrack. Hard as balls, I wish it was longer, because I love whats there. Lots of secrets to find if youre into that kind of thing. Must buy on sale, full price im not so sure, I dont regret it but, well...I wish it was longer :/
Game 3: Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 (PS4/X1/PC) - About 20 hours (3/29/16)
# This game was alright, not great, but not bad. It's presentation was top notch and it's a great way to see the end of the series that isn't the manga or the anime. The combat is very mashy though with one-bottom combos. I personally preferred the combat in the Clash of Ninja and even the older Ultimate Ninja games. Story mode was really short, but the adventure mode was lengthy and I did all the side activities in that. Still, I would recommend this game to fans of the series, but probably wait for it on sale.
# This is the first time I ever played a Gen 3 game to the end. It definitely made me appreciate the game more. The music was something I really liked, far as the soundtrack goes. It was definitely more Pokemon, which I don't mind. I didn't really care for Team Aqua compared to other teams like Plasma or Galactic. Overall, it's a solid Pokemon game which was better than X and Y, but didn't reach the likes of Black and White in my opinion.
Game 5: Fire Emblem: Birthright (3DS) - 30 Hours 22 Minutes (4/5/16)
# This was definitely better than Awakening in my opinion. It still felt pretty easy for the most part compared to previous Fire Emblems beside Awakening. Music was really great like Fire Emblem usually is. Liked how they addressed the Pair Up mechanic in this from Awakening and felt the story was better from Awakening, but falters compared to previous entries I've played. I still think this is a very solid SRPG that people should give a shot on. Now to try and get to Conquest and Revelation at some point.
Game 6: Pokemon Puzzle Challenge (GBC/3DS VC) - 2 Hrs 19 Mins (4/6/16)
# This is the definition of a short but sweet game. While not as great and lengthy as Puzzle League in my opinion, this definitely was an enjoyable game for what it was. Also, I can always come and play this every once and a while when I feel like playing it again
Game 7: 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (3DS) - 4 Hrs 29 Mins (4/6/2016)
# What a classic game! I had been playing this off and on for a while with an occasional death or two, but I eventually got down to the last level and went straight through it. This is definitely a well-done port of Sonic 2 with the only slowdown happening to me is when I had a ton of rings, got hit and the rings just kept pouring out and that didn't even last too long.
Game 8: Yoshi's Wooly World (Wii U) - 16 Hrs 16 Mins (4/7/2016)
# Man, this game was just a fun ride. Definitely liked the way everything was yarn as the game had a really great attention to detail. The soundtrack was really great and the game felt as hard or easy as you make it with the optional badges and the hidden collectibles I can tell if I went back and tried to get everything, I could double or triple my playtime. Overall, this is a really great platformer that I felt reviewers were a little too harsh on. Definitely enjoyed it a bit more than Kirby Epic Yarn and I'm looking forward to what comes out of Feel Good next.
Game 9: Ratchet & Clank (PS4) - About 12 Hours (4/19/2016)
# I honestly have never played a Ratchet and Clank game until this, but I definitely enjoyed this game a lot. The weapons Ratchet had were definitely unique and Clank's sections were a nice diversion to the meat of the game. The environments were definitely breathtaking and this is one of the best looking games I've played in a while. The platforming was solid, the story had pretty good humor overall while being pretty simple. The game was relatively easy for me, but that didn't take away from the game too much. This is definitely a purchase if you like platformers.
Game 10: Tearaway: Unfolded (PS4) - About 7-8 Hours (4/28/2016)
# There was definitely more content to this version compared to the Vita original. I still feel that this game, while being really solid, is not as good as people have praised it to be to me. While the presentation, music and story are charming, the combat and platforming were very simple and boring to me. I like the creative shown in the way the game looks and sounds, but I'm not too thrilled with how the combat and platforming feel. I still recommend this game to those that are interested as I still feel it deserved better in sales and such.
Game 11: 3D Sonic the Hedgehog (3DS) - 3 Hours 9 Mins (4/30/2016)
# I finally can say I beat Sonic the Hedgehog, Definitely wasn't as good as Sonic 2, but still worth playing if you're willing, especially since you can save anytime, anywhere with this version of the game. That helps if you struggle with older games. Overall, I think the game was alright with things being done better in later Sonic games like 2 and 3 and Knuckles.
