Game 4: Luftrausers [PSV] — 5:37:50 [Finished: May 3]



One of those games that probably can't really be "finished" (unless someone is crazy enough to actually do all the missions), this was alright. It kind of lost me a couple of hours in, but I do like the game's ship customization and how the music transforms to match the unique ships (and all the different names). It has a cool look, too. I'm not really the type to compete for high scores in general and I wasn't competing against anyone, so there wasn't much driving me to play more of it after I unlocked all of the different ship parts. Never got to destroy a blimp, unfortunately. Bullet hell isn't quite my thing, but I enjoyed it overall.

Game 5: Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright [3DS] — 41:28 [Finished: May 3]



This game had a worst story than Awakening, but a better cast. The story was pretty predictable and wasn't actually that interesting, but the character interactions make up for it. I played it on Hard with permadeath, so I spent a whole lot of time reloading games when someone died. Frustrating, but fun in a way. Grinded relationships a bunch because that's a lot of the fun; I'll catch the rest on YouTube or something. I also plan on playing Conquest and Revelations later. The gameplay itself is fun, too, though I don't think I'll be playing on Hard or something that will really stretch my tactical muscles for the next playthroughs.

Game 6: Street Fighter V [PS4] — 150+ hours [Finished: May 3]



Dreadful launch, really fun fighting game. I just arbitrarily chose today as "finished," though I'm still playing it a ton. I personally don't care that much for the lack of single player content since I was always mainly planning to play online, but it's still ridiculous thinking back to how this game launched, especially since I had to pay $70+ for it. But yeah, it's still a very nice playing fighting game, and I think I'll be playing it for a long time to come.

Original Post

I'm gonna have to play more. Technically, I could add Superbeat Xonic in here, but I'll do it a bit later.

OP

Game #24 - Land's End [Gear VR]

I grabbed a nice little pile of Gear VR games once I got a hold of it and got my new phone. I'm happy to say that I enjoyed this one much more than Monument Valley (from the same team). I can't say that the new toy factor didn't play a role in my enjoyment, but the simple little puzzles were still very satisfying as a bit of gravy on top of a gorgeous environment to explore.

I wish there was a lot more meat to the puzzle solving, but I don't think they were wrong in treating it sort of secondary. The game as a whole was really pleasant as a walking simulator, and levitating big rocks with my head was pretty satisfying on a basic level. It felt like a really neat entry to VR game.

Finished getting through Golden Sun an had a blast doing so!


Games Beaten: 25 / 52
Total Playtime: 496:14:13

01 - ??

Original Post

For April I completed three games.

My current progress for this challenge is 23/52

1. Pokemon SoulSilver – Finished April 3 – 37 hours, 57 minutes
This is just the Johto clear. I'm going to go all the way and get all badges and fight Red. Will not be counted separately but I felt the need to just jot down my thoughts now. This game has a horrible EXP curve. There aren't nearly enough trainers for most of the game and their levels/pokemon suck and give horrible EXP. If I didn't grind I'd still have a Dratini and a Tauros too low leveled to contribute to my team. Feraligatr, Dragonite, Tauros, Ampharos, Vulpix (no fire stone boo) and Hypno were my gang of six. I love Johto and the whole Kanto thing from Gen 2 but I really wish this game had a better EXP curve. Probably looking at another 30 hours to beat the Kanto gyms, grind up the E4 a little bit, and go beat Red.

Just beat Red and it took around another 30 hours! All 8 Kanto badges and Red beaten in 67 hours 15 minutes on April 13!

2. Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds – Finished April 8 – 13 hours, 7 minutes
This was a replay that I played most of last year. I had completely forgotten that I was all the way at the end of the game and just needed to finish the final dungeon and kill the final boss. Game is amazing and is a true testament to what Nintendo is capable of when the take their existing franchises and craft new characters and new stories based around them. Even though this is a sort of successor to Link to the Past, I feel like the wall merge mechanics and being able to buy items instead of finding them is enough of a change that the game stands on its own. This would have been a 100% run but I totally spaced on getting the final armor upgrade before beating the final boss! Everything else though.

3. Pokemon Platinum – Finished April 20 – 41 hours, 39 minutes
The Gen IV salty runback after strugging so hard with the Diamond E4. This time I prioritized speed over movepool and it paid off. I selected pokemon that would work as ringers for certain situations. Crobat for the fantastic speed. It was able to switch in on a few things and get stealthy kills just by being faster. Magnezone because I struggled with Water/Flying types. Steel's excellent defensive typing helped me switch in and get kills. Gallade because it just had an awesome movepool and great stats and only a couple weaknesses. Torterra for that STAB earthquake and also curse spam saved me in at least one gym. Houndoom because I needed something to stand up to the Psychic member of the E4. And finally Vaporeon for Surf and Ice Beam. And boy did it stand up to Garchomp, knocking it out with an ice beam from above 50% HP.

Much better EXP curve. I did some grinding here and there when the EXP was good and the battles were easy. I also did a little bit at endgame and it made the difference. If not for a few instances of horrible critical hits for the last two of the E4, this would have been much easier. Having Magnezone get crit to death from 100% HP by Surf has to be the biggest bullshit moment I have ever experienced in single player pokemon. Having it happen again with Aura Sphere in the same attempt was frustrating. Knowing that had I survived both of those attacks it would have meant another knocked out pokemon was agonizing.

Starting way late, but I'm pretty confident I can still complete this.

Game 1: Dark Souls - 48 hours
I've been finally playing all the Souls games since Bloodborne completely owned me last year. Bloodborne easily displaced Eternal Darkness as my favorite all time game. Dark Souls was pretty darn great, but I still didn't like it as much as Demon's Souls. Though similar, I prefer the atmosphere, magic system, and bosses from Demon's Souls. Both take a back seat to Bloodborne... in my eyes. Disappointed that it took DSfix to make it worth playing for me, but I'm just glad that was an option.

Game 2: Rocksmith 2014 - COUNTLESS HOURS
Figured I would get this out of the way now. It's hard going back to Rock Band and Guitar Hero after playing this. Actually makes me feel like I could play guitar. But I can't... or can I? Has legit taught me a few songs that I can play from memory.

Game 3: Dark Souls 2: SOTFS - 60-ish hours - Finished 5/10/2016
I never played vanilla Dark Souls 2, but I don't see why this gets so much hate. I assume SOTFS made some pretty big changes. Liked that it was more of the same. Didn't like the way item durability was handled. And the bosses were pretty meh. Loved the design for the Demon of Song, but the boss fight was a joke. The rest were a bit bland.

Game 4: Just Dance 2016 - A few hours a week
I play this as a workout substitute to mix things up. Especially on rainy days. This is the first non-Wii/WiiU version I've bought. Pretty nice being able to play using the PS4 camera. I make sure all my blinds are closed before I turn it on.

Game 5: WWE 2K16 - 30+
Listen, it has Earthquake and Typhoon in it. That's all I need. Seriously, I only bit because it was $35 for the digital deluxe vs $34 for the regular version on a Live marketplace sale a week or so ago. I'm not a big fan of the Yuke's games, but this is definitely not BAD.

Game 6: Frozen Free Fall Snowball Fight - Tons of hours.
OK, I hate free to play, but I will always enjoy Bejeweled. Shoot, give me an option to just play as much as I want for $25, and I'll never put this down. Disclaimer: My niece gave me a Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease and this is about the only game that I could play without destroying my blistered fingers for the last week.

Game 7: Limbo - 2.3 hours - Finished August 28
After owning this game for a few years on Xbox 360, PS3, and PS4, I finally decided to play it through. And I did it on PC. Loved it. Puzzles were fun and the atmosphere was great.

Game 8: Wind Waker HD - 25 hours - Finished August 19
Got really sick and decided to recoup once I got out of the hospital by playing through my favorite Zelda game again. Held up beautifully for me. And I don't know how I ever did it without the fast sail.

Game 9: Pokemon Yellow - Too many hours
Um, so I found out that i don't really enjoy the old Pokemon games anymore. I remember being addicted to Red back in highschool, but it's painful for me now. I don't know what changed. I really like the newer gen games, but I just get bored with this one. That said, I'm trying to power through it. Don't know if I'm going to make it.

Game 10: NBA 2K16 - Lots of hours
I played this game a lot on my Xbox1, but I can never be consistently good. In fact, I lose more than I won - even against the computer. Whatever, I was still having fun. The story mode was laughably horrible. Seriously, it was beyond anything I could have ever imagined. Then I plowed through a few seasons posting HORRIBLE records. Just chalked it up to being terrible. But then an odd thing happened. They put it up as a PS+ game, so I figured I'd give it another go. I do just fine on the Playstation. I don't know if this is a reported problem, but I think the Xbox version has some bad input lag that made it near impossible to play consistently. All the adjustments in the world aren't going to make me release a shot when it doesn't "look" like the correct time. End of rant.

Game 11: Call of Duty Advanced Warfare - Finished 9/9/16
I pretty much only play single player. Especially a game like this that's been out for a couple years now. I honestly enjoyed it. Kevin Spacey was OBVIOUSLY going to turn out bad, but the core game was solid. And I liked it more than I remember liking BLOPS 2.

Game 12: Doom - Finished 9/24/16
This was the most fun that I've had playing a a game in a very long time. Glad I picked this up when Amazon was selling it for $20. Felt for like Doom than Doom 3, so that made me happy.

Updated my original post:

6: Flame Over (PS Vita) Started April 15th. 25 hrs?
#Finished 2016-05-01 (60% trophies)
Frustrating and not so rewarding game that has a good core that never evolves to what it should be. The controls are a unwieldy and unresponsive. Graphics are OK and the music is horrible. The gameplay is unforgiving and not explained enough.
My time with it has still been quite fun since the core gameplay is good, but it could have been so much better. Will not platinum it since some of the trophys are terrrible to achieve.
Will try it on PS4 and Steam as well.
6/10

7: Shütsimi (PS Vita) Started May 5th, 1 h tops.
Stopped playing May 5th. (10% trophies)
Well this was a shitty game. At least I found satisfaction clearing some space on my memory card.
3/10

8: Xenoblade Chronicles 3D (N3DS). Started February 20th. 173 hrs 55 minutes.
#Finished May 5th 2016.
All Heart-to-Hearts completed
171/195 achievements.
Full affinity between characters and five stars on every location
All characters on lvl 99 or 98.
One of the reasons I've only completed/played 8 games so far.
Wonderful game, but held back by the platform. Still one of the best games on N3DS.
It's probably one of the best JRPGs I've played in a long while.
At first I was a bit annoyed by the british accents, being used to mostly american accents in these kind of games, but it felt natural after a while and a fresh take on voices in games.
The playtime would probably have been a bit shorter if I discovered quick-travel a bit sooner than I did...
Would probably have loved this even more on the Vita and it's added power and better controls.
New game + is a bit tempting but will probably have to wait.
9/10

Main Post

Game 24: Mario Kart: Super Circuit (~5 hours)
This... this is a good Mario Kart game.

Seeing that this is a GBA title, there are technical limitations. The game is emulating the Super Nintendo's Mode 7 with it's tracks. Also, like in Mario Kart 64, the character's are 2D sprites, not 3D models.

All that said, it's a really fun Mario Kart. Most of the power-ups from the 64 game are present, including Lightening, Blue Shells, and Stars. The difficulty ramps quite high on 150cc. I found that 100cc was just right for me (though I ranked in all cups and all CC's).

I'd give it a perfect score, except that Mario Kart 64, and Mario Kart: Double Dash are undoubtedly better games. Double Dash especially.
4/5

Game 25: Sonic Adventure 2 (7 hours)
The first Sonic Adventure was an OK game. It created an experience you would expect for Sonic the Hedgehog in three dimensions. Unfortunately, it also created boring experiences, like playing as Big the Cat.

Sonic Adventure 2 does away with the boring stuff by having you play as Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles (in Hero mode). The Tails sections were my favorite. You pilot a mech and shoot down robots that get in your way. The Sonic parts were similar to those in Adventure 1, which is to say it's like a 2D Sonic game in 3D. The Knuckles part... well, it's kind of like using a metal detector at the beach to find buried treasure. It's the least exciting of the three.

The game starts out fantastic for all characters. It's really a lot of fun. Sadly, the level design starts to deteriorate around the middle of the game. It's a shame, because Sonic Adventure 2 has the potential to be great from start to finish. But it just starts to feel lazy and sloppy toward the end.
2/5

Game 26: Tomb Raider [2013 Reboot] (12 hours)
Rise of the Tomb Raider came out late last year, and people were impressed by how good it looked. But... wow, does this game look good too.

Tomb Raider is something of a cinematic experience. You move in generally a straight line, and the world unfolds before your eyes. But it's a really beautiful world. I'm playing on PC. I have to imagine this was pushing previous gen systems to the limit. On PC, it's silky smooth.

There's a bit of combat in the game. I generally don't like when you're killing people in video games. I didn't mind, say, Mass Effect 2, cause I was generally shooting aliens. But killing people isn't something I enjoy in games.

Also, Lara gets hurt. A lot. I could do without all the abuse.

All in all, this deserves to be seen. A graphical achievement most of all.
4/5

---------------
Halfway there...

OT

Just finished up Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time. Not much to say since it is a Ratchet game but boy oh boy did I forget how much fun those games are! The writing and voice acting all top notch. Controls same. I will continue on with Into the Nexus at some point this year.

Main post

13. Darkest Dungeon
★★★★☆ - 33.5 hours - Completed 5/2/2016
Darkest Dungeon has one of the most well-designed and engaging turn-based battle systems I've ever played. Every enemy encounter feels high-stakes with the potential to ruin your party and halt your progress. I was more than ready to beat it when I did, though, since the lack of variation in dungeon/mission design turned the dungeon crawling into a repetitive grind at a certain point.

14. Box Boy!
★★★☆☆ - 8.5 hours - Completed 5/4/2016
Clever little puzzle platformer with some original mechanics. Difficulty could've been paced better as most of the game is far too easy and the levels far too short, but the last few (bonus) worlds provide some challenge.

Game 15: Dark Souls III
PS4 - 42 hours - Beaten 05/05/16 - ★★★★★
Another big game eating up all my time and making me fall behind.
But oh so worth it!
Played the game with a dexterity/pyromancy build and destroyed my foes with my flaming katana(s). The combat is a fantastic evolution from Dark Souls', with a faster pace, better controls, and plenty of QoL improvements (plus no useless stats!).
I was a little disappointed that the world wasn't interconnected like DS1, and instead is a pretty linear progression area to area (though the areas themselves are nicely designed), but I accept that they're two different games going for different things, and that's ok.
I think I'd overall put the game behind Dark 1, but above Demon's and Bloodborne, and well above Dark 2.
Still have an optional boss to go actually, , but fuck him.
Patiently awaiting the DLC.

Main post

Going to smash through Ratchet & Clank, Star Fox Zero and Star Fox Guard now, which should be three quick games.

The List!
Detailed Impressions 01-12
Detailed Impressions 13-xx

21. SquareCells - 9 Hours


From the mastermind behind the Hexcells series comes that series' cousin/half-brother SquareCells. The ruleset is almost entirely the same, with the only obvious difference being the switch from a hex grid to a square one. SquareCells is more of a lateral move rather than being notably better or inferior to its predecessors. The experience overall feels more well-rounded, offering a more masterful learning curve than any of the Hexcells games do, and while the difficulty tops out *just* below what Hexcells ultimately achieves (not necessarily a bad thing, mind), it benefits from puzzles that feel less myopic. In Hexcells you frequently find yourself stuck on a single portion of a puzzle, unable to solve the rest until you work your way across the board in a (mostly) linear fashion. Conversely, SquareCells puzzles have you looking at the grid in totality, where solving one section of the puzzle can more frequently effect the possible solutions on the other side of the grid. This ultimately makes the puzzle solving feel more organic and less like you are hunting for The One True Solution as in Hexcells. The game engrossed me completely just like Hexcells did when I first discovered it, and I would highly, highly recommend it to any fans of logic-based puzzles.

I've gotten really lazy about updating but heres where I'm at

Game 6: Dungeon of the Endless [PC] -6 Hours
Nerve racking but rogue fans will adore this.

Game 7: Fable III [X360] - 12 Hours
Did it in co-op, wow this sucked .

Game 8: Madden NFL 2011 [PS3] - 20 hours
I love me some madden *gets garbage thrown at him*

Game 9: Ducktales Remastered [PSN] - 3.5 Hours
That volcano stage is pure evil

Game 10: God of War [PS3] -15 Hours
First time playing this really liked it but also felt droll at times

Game 11: Tomb Raider: Legend [PS3] - 11 hours
Until the final boss I really liked it, that final boss good god

Game 12: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning [PS3] - 42 hours
I enjoyed this one a lot despite its bland main story

Game 13: Shadows of Mordor [PS4] -16 hours
The controls...oi. Also LOL at the second area being bright and colorful

Game 14: Minecraft [PS4] -13 hours
Ender Dragon beaten woo

Game 15: Star Wars Battlefront [PS4] -5 hours
All tutorial and challenge missions cleared

Game 16: Road Rash [PS1] - 24 hours
What a nightmare

Game 17: King's Quest Episode 1: A Knight To Remember [PSN] - 6 hours
Really enjoyed this despite not having ever played KQ

Game 18: King's Quest Episode 2: A Rubble Without A Cause [PSN] - 3 hours
Like many episode 2s in these episodic games this was a failure

Game 19 Alice: Madness Returns [PS3] - 14 Hours
This needed to be 6 hours less, it just gets mindless and very boring

Game 20 Silent Hill: Shattered Memories [Wii] -6 Hours
The motion controls barely work. The plot...oi

Game 21: Saints Row IV: Re-Elected [PS4] - 27 Hours
Still great the second time around

Game 22: Monster Rancher 2 [PS1] - 25 hours
Once you break the game it becomes very easy

Game 23: The Muppets: Movie Adventures [Vita] - 2 hours
Generic.

Game 24: The Devil's Third [WiiU] - 10 hours
I gotta say I enjoyed this one. Its not great but its fun

Game 25: Star Fox Zero [Wii U] - 5 hours
The controls are so bad it ruins what could have been an excellent entry in the series.

Game 26: Fear Effect [PS1] - 9 hours
So many questions to the game design of WHY?

Game 27: Hatoful Boyfriend [PSN] - 4 hours
I loved this

Game 28: Mario Party 10 [Wii U] - 3 hours
Bowser Vs Party people is the best mode

Game 29: Ratchet & Clank [PS4] - 13 hours
This is the happiest I've felt with a game all year

OG Post

Original post


36. Forza Motorsport 6: Apex (PC BETA, 2016) - 3:14
Completed the Showcase Tour on roughly Professional difficulty (see below for details).

In a bizarre turn of events, my favourite Xbox exclusive is now on PC. Microsoft's on-again-off-again relationship with the PC is back on for now, and arguably in a big way. Though there have been major missteps along the way, most recently with the apparently awful performance of Quantum Break, it's also brought us this free Forza beta, which is the biggest Xbox game to land on PC since the early years of the Halo franchise. Microsoft's also committed to bringing future all Forza titles to PC as well. Apex, then, is an important proof of concept for Microsoft, a meaningful declaration that isn't just the PR fluff of a press announcement. You can download Apex right now and see how well Forza translates to PC for yourself (assuming, of course, that you've upgraded to Windows 10--a big if).

First, let's get the content issue out of the way: Apex doesn't have much. If you were expecting a PC version of Forza 6, complete with its long list of features, its many tracks and cars, and its multiple seasons' worth of racing series and challenges, look elsewhere. That said, Apex is free, so this is very much a forgivable omission. In some ways, Apex offers more than the last free Forza giveaway, the limited-time offer of Horizon 2's Fast and the Furious offshoot. Yes, you can drive around the Forza Horizon 2 map in F&F, but you get actual multiple tracks here and more cars to boot. Plus, F&F isn't free anymore, whereas Apex won't go up in price--at least, not during the open beta period. The Showcase Tour is the game's campaign mode, but it's just twelve races long. One nice addition is the inclusion of bonus objectives that add to your point score and can bump you up a medal grade (medals unlock cars). It seems inspired by Forza 6's dares system, which granted you additional rewards for upping the difficulty in certain ways. Thus, while I played on the Professional assists preset, the game later gives you dare-like objectives like turning the racing line off completely, turning traction control off, upping the drivatar difficulty, and switching to manual shifting. It helps extend the life of the game, but not by much. Beyond the Showcase tour, there's a schedule of regular events called the Spotlight tour, with what appears to be two events unlocked every week or so. Again, more content is always great, but it's not much.

Besides content, how does Forza translate to PC? Pretty well so far. It doesn't feel as silky smooth on my machine as it does on the Xbox One; heavy weather effects in particular can cause the game to stutter on my GTX 970/i5 3570k/16GB RAM combo. 60fps is still the rule rather than the exception, however. I left the dynamic optimization setting on, which obviously could work better considering the stutters, but otherwise felt mostly seamless with one exception: photo mode. Trying to take a snapshot on the hillside road descending into Rio de Janeiro is futile with dynamic optimization on, because the game seems to drop the effective resolution of certain elements such that it's impossible to take a crisp shot of the cars. Besides that issue, though, PC Forza looks better than Xbox One Forza, though mostly in subtle details that most people will only appreciate if they've seen the Xbox One version. Most notable are reflections, which are much crisper than on the console. The rear-view mirror, while still degraded over the view up front, looks sharper than on Xbox One as well. Aliasing is less intrusive, and environment texturing seem slightly better.

There's no wheel support in Apex yet, though it's planned for future updates. That meant using my Dualshock 4 to play Forza. It's surprising how much of Forza's feel can be attributed to the rumble triggers, because I missed them in Apex. (Why I didn't just plug in an Xbox One controller is left up to the imagination.) I definitely felt slower and less sure-footed on PC than I did in Forza 6. We'll see if that changes once I can hook up my Driving Force GT.

All in all, if you have any interest at all in the Forza series and you have Windows 10, you'd be foolish not to grab the Apex beta. The real question, then, is what exactly this is an open beta for. Will there be a final Apex product? Will it cost money? When will the open beta period end? Or is this more like an endless early access period, with the "final product" actually being whatever the next real Forza game is? We can rely on support through the end of the summer at least, so if nothing else, we have a few months of PC Forza in front of us.

OP

OP2

Backloggery

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!

original post

Click to expand...

Game 30: The Walking Dead: Season One (PC) - 11 hours

LTTP, even though I've already played episode 1 a while back and I've seen large chunks of it. The biggest flaw I might find in this game is that it can be a little tedious on replay, which is also apparent when you have to repeat longer sections after a death.
Other than that, this game is proof that the concept of early fmv adventures can actually be done well - surprisingly enough. While I'm not always fond of too much streamlining, the point & click genre certainly needed it. While I've heard that later Telltale games lean much more towards practically being movies, this game still had enough interactivity. The puzzles and exploration aren't the most profound, but they make you feel involved enough. And while I'm also not always fond of story focus in games, that's because the story is usually shit. It's not often that a videogame surpasses the writing of its TV counterpart, but for TWD they've pulled it off.
Obviously, you really can't change the story's outcome as much marketed, but that doesn't matter. In TV shows or movies, there's often that one decision writers made that irks you beyond belief. Here, you have control over just that and it feels really satisfying. A small weakness comes from predictability whenever a steep decision must be made. You just know it won't last long, since they couldn't write an episode with several significantly different developments.
But that's really just nitpicking in an absolutely captivating narrative you just have the right amount of control of. Great game.

According to my past save file I first an last played Evolution Worlds nearly 13 years ago! It's a really draining game if ya march through each increasingly long dungeon in one shot rather than taking breaks every hour or so. Marathoning it over a few days certainly didn't help in that regard >.>


Games Beaten: 26 / 52
Total Playtime: 515:05:46

01 - ??

Main Post

Click to expand...

Game #9: The Swapper (Wii U).
Time Played: 07:38 hours (05:50 for the first playthrough).
Completion Reached: Beat the game (twice).

The Swapper is a puzzle platformer where the main mechanic is using a gun (called the swapper gun) that lets you both create clones and swap positions with them. The game is set in a desolated space station and has you advancing through it as you try to find other survivors or understand what is going on.

Gameplay is very simple, you move and jump like in any traditional platformer, but that's definitely not your main method of transportation. Instead, along the game you'll have to creatively use the swapper gun to solve many clever puzzles. One awesome thing is that your set of skills is set very early in the game and the challenge is simply getting you to figure out how to use these skills to clear the different puzzles in the game. One small nitpick is that controlling the swapper gun with the right stick isn't as comfortable as you'd like and it's really noticeable that the game wasn't built for consoles.

Narrative in the game is quite interesting, posing many phylosophical questions regarding the cloning and swapping nature of the game (think of it as a serious version of this classic video). The story is told through audio and written logs you find in the space station, so you'll have to figure it out on your own. I did two playthroughs of the game just to understand the story better!

Presentation is awesome. Graphics are pretty good with beautiful lightning and nice effects that really highlight the sense of loneliness and creepiness of an abandoned space station. Music isn't really at the forefront here but the few pieces that are highlighted are very nice.

Overall, I really liked the game. Puzzles presented are clever but fair. I got stuck a few times but I always managed to get the solutions on my own without resorting to YouTube/guides. I also greatly enjoyed the narrative and how it was presented. If there's anything to complain about is that I wish the game was longer. It felt a bit short honestly.

Game 15: Picross e4 - May 4th
Yep, more Picross! I think my thoughts on these games are pretty clear now, and there's no reason for this one to change anything.

Game 16: Ratchet & Clank - May 9th
Sort of torn on this. I did really enjoy it and I realise it's supposed to be a remake/reboot, but it kind of felt unambitious. I think a big part of it is that I loved A Crack in Time, especially Clank's puzzles, but since then we've only had a couple of fairly safe entries in the main series. I still enjoyed it and recommend it, just found it was a bit unremarkable for me.

Original post

Main post

Click to expand...

Game #73: Thirty Flights of Loving (PC) - ★★★★★★★★★☆

A nice, short interactive story game (particularly short). Had some fun story beats, a neat art style, and generally interesting and entertaining. I enjoyed that it featured a commentary mode, but the commentary being text made it a little slower and harder to enjoy. It can probably be gotten for cheap on Steam too, so I'd definitely recommend it. I don't want to say too much, but I'd say if you're into these kinds of games, you will probably enjoy it.

Click to expand...

Game #74: Gravity Bone (PC) - ★★★★★★★★★☆

Gravity Bone was made by the same designer as Thirty Flights of Loving, and is its predecessor. I played it as part of the Thirty Flights of Loving's Steam package, though it may be available for free online. Personally I actually found this to be the better of the two, mainly due to some interesting twists (and an ending to a game that I'd not seen before, not in the way it was done anyway). It had some awkward platforming stuff, but otherwise it was really fun for what it was.

Click to expand...

Game #75: Classic Games Overload: Card & Puzzle Edition (3DS) - ★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Yeah, this game was pretty poor. Solidly so, and disappointingly so. I had seen how content rich it was, and the game was made by the people who made the solid Ultimate Card Games for the Game Boy Advance. Unfortunately, it's visually appalling, slow, and unwieldy. And unless I just completely overlooked it, the card games do not come with the rules and instructions (not most of them, anyway). Ultimately, that resulted in me being completely unable to play several of the games I'd never played before. This game makes me really sad that Nintendo didn't make a sequel to Clubhouse Games/42 All-Time Classics.

Click to expand...

Game #76: Beyond Gravity - ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Beyond Gravity is a game that I really wanted to like more - I had bought it as one of those fun pick-up-and-play style games. And while it started out fairly fun, it kind of fell flat later on. One of its biggest problems for me was that you could only complete challenges if they are displayed (three at a time). The gameplay also doesn't really vary as much as I would like. Ah well, at least it was cheap!

Main post.

Time for a game dump! Short and quick thoughts since there's so many. Probably not gonna be my most well written stuff.

March

Game 10 - Persona 4: Dancing All Night


A replay, and admittedly just a trophy run, but I did end up playing it just for the hell of it again. Still as fun as I remember, though with more experience with rhythm games through Superbeat Xonic I can totally see where the complaints about beatmaps etc come from. I do believe there's room for both styles of game but I do hope they don't stick to 4th notes (am I getting my terminology correct?) if they decide to go at it again. Still, great game if you're a Persona fan and fun in its own way. Also probably the best the cast has been in a spin off!

Game 11 - Bravely Default - About 75 hours, I think.


I finally got round to finishing off the last few chapters, and even if chapter 5 - final is an irritating slog, it was damn well worth it. BD is probably the best JRPG combat I've played. In fact it's probably the only JRPG I can think of that I just enjoy for the combat alone. The Brave/Default system is such a small change that has a huge effect on the usual turn-based combat formula. The story is neat too, even if the characters take way way too long to clue in to what's going on. The way the ending plays out is pretty cool as well. I really gotta get round to Bravely Second at some point, because BD is up there with Persona as one of my favourites, if for entirely different reasons. If you enjoy turn based combat and/or JRPGs you owe it to yourself to play this game.

Game 12 - Ghost Trick - About 12 hours


This game didn't leave my DS since I started playing, and I'm pretty sure I finished it in about 3 sessions. I really loved it. The puzzles, although trial and error for the most part, are fun and creative and the game makes sure to pile on neat little twists as it goes on. The story, characters and writing had me from the start and kept me hooked right up till the end. A quirky, fun game that doesn't take itself *too* seriously, with a great ending to top it all off. I'm glad I decided to give this one a shot and I'm gonna miss it. Bummer it didn't sell that well so chances of something similar are low. Give this one a chance if you enjoy puzzle games, visual novels or just interesting mystery stories. It doesn't get talked about nearly enough, that's for sure.

April

Game 13 - Dragon's Dogma (Base game)


I'm counting Dragon's Dogma and DDark Arisen as separate games because gosh darn it both halves are pretty long, and DD released on its own anyway. This is a fantastic game made infinitely better by the PC port. Fullscreen, no tearing, 60fps...*drool*. DD's combat is my favourite ARPG combat around, along with its class system. Zipping around as a lightweight Assassin, clambering up trolls and chimeras and gryphons is ridiculously fun and exhilarating. I've only dabbled in mage classes and I've barely touched warriors, so I still have a ton left to explore if I want to. The story is actually alright, if cliché and sparse. There is a LOT of jank here, but to me that just makes it all the more charming. If you enjoy fast paced RPG combat then please, please check Dragon's Dogma out. There are tons of sources around the web that'll tell you more about this game if you have a little search. I'll be getting round to conquering Bitterblack Isle eventually.

Game 14 - Astebreed - 1.9 hours


I'm not a fan of shmups (and for that reason I won't even try to comment on the gameplay) but I actually had a pretty great time with this one. I can see myself going back to this one to try and get a bit better, earn some cheevos, which is more than I can say for a lot of shmup style games. The lack of a dub was pretty irritating, though, because a lot of story (I assume) happens during gameplay, with the subtitles appearing in the bottom left corner of your screen. I don't think I need to state why this is a terrible idea for a fast paced game like this. That said, it's not like anyone's really playing for the story, and with that in mind it's pretty good! I enjoyed my short time with it.

Game 15 - Unhack - 92 minutes


A very short and enjoyable puzzle game. Entirely mouse driven, you direct your little orb thing through stages full of hazards to 'unhack'/cleanse software of malicious viruses. The story is...alright, but very very predictable. It has full voice acting (aside from the main character who doesn't have a proper name either) which I didn't expect. It's not the best VA ever, but considering how low budget the game probably is it does the job. The main character is insufferable, however, which is my main gripe with the game. He's a pervy anime stereotype done really, really badly. The rest of the cast were one note and tropey but this guy takes the cake. If you play this game for the puzzles (and on hard or above; normal mode is infinite lives) you'll have a good time. You probably will not if you play for the story. Oh, and the music was pretty decent.

That said, I did buy the extra story DLC too just so I'd have more of the game to play. Let that speak for the puzzles themselves!

May - The month of Fire Emblem!

Game 16 - Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth - 65-70 hours I think


Man, I really didn't like this game to start with. The gameplay is standard JRPG turn based fare with Pokemon style weakness management, and also way too easy, even on hard. The story starts off quite interesting, but it felt like nothing happened between the prologue/chapter 1 and about chapter 8 or 9, so there was almost nothing driving me to play for the first half. The story does pick up after the first half, however, and actually gets quite good. From that point on it essentially turns into what I've wanted Pokemon to be for ages, at least on the presentation side of things. I could have forgiven a lot of the games shortcomings if the boss battles were any good, but they weren't. Almost all of them are completely random with no discernible patterns to learn, or really anything. You get a type advantage and then hope you can out DPS it. This isn't the case near the end of the game, but that's still near the end of the game. I would have had a much better time had every boss battle been fun to play.

Even if I'm sounding pretty down on it I really enjoyed myself overall. The digivoltuion system got quite addictive after a while and I found myself running around grinding just for the fun of getting powerful digimon. I enjoyed the story from midway to the end too and the ending went against my expecations as well, if only a little. I look forward to the next Digimon game we get; I just hope it gets a bigger localisation budget. Punctuation, formatting, grammatical and spelling errors out the wazoo here.

Game 17 - Love at First Sight - 3 hours


A really cute little visual novel, which is a bit odd to say considering it's about a cyclops girl. The story is well done and enjoyable if a bit predictable and expected. I kept thinking a lot of the scenes should have been longer, or that it could have done with some extra scenes and that the ending was rushed, but after delving into the extras all of that is explained. The dev apparently put the game off so much he had to develop the entire thing in 2 months. I'm sad that the game didn't reach it's full potential but for a cheap little release I really like how it turned out. I need to give massive props to the translation/localised writing, too. It's really really good. Characters sound natural and speak like actual, normal people would, not robotic and weird like I notice in a lot of VNs I play. Tomo's (MCs friend) bluntness is particularly well done, and one of the post game extra scenes had me laughing out loud because of him. The art and OST are nice too, though I have a thing for the creepy-cute thing they've got going on. It's weird and feels off but I like it.

I'd definitely recommend this for a quick read, though maybe wait till it's on sale. £7 isn't all that much but £5 would be the sweet spot, personally. I did get it on sale.

PHEW. I am never leaving this so late again. None of my short thought/reviewy things do any of the games I've talked about justice, so if you're interested in any of these please do look and read around a bit more. I've enjoyed every game I've played here and I'd hate for my rush job to put people off trying them.

52 jrpgs. 1 Year. - Mid-way point!

A goal of playing through 52 jrpgs in a year seems like it should take a great deal of time right? Well let me tell ya this: 50+ hour... no 40+ hour... heck even 30+ jrpgs aren't the norm. At least not the ones I've played! I'm not lacking for variety either. Done traditional, strategy, action, from simple dungeon crawling to world travelling, the whole deal really!

516:08:43 total
019:51:06 avg.

Okays that is alot of time, its already surpassed last years 52 games challenge I did! But what about that average huh? 20 hours?! Well that sure is something! Now if ya wanna not count the 5 rpgs I "rushed through" the average time is...

495:56:40 total
023:36:59 avg.

Only around 23 and a half hours. Crazy huh? An its not like I purposely picked especially short ones. Quite a few I've played I didn't even truly know how long they were since they lacked in-game timers, and others I'd either never played before or hadn't played in a long time so its not like I'd always know where ta go or what ta do! Speaking of time!

Let's talk about in-game timers!

Some games have darn near perfect ones. Others are off by either a small or large amount of time. An the rest, well they don't got one at all! The accurate ones range from FFVII, .hack//, PSO & Ø, and Project X Zone 2. Good on 'em for providing some much needed accuracy! Won't need to time 'em manually in the future. Props to the 3DS activity log to as it helps prove/disprove DS & 3DS game timers!

Now the ones that're off? We got games like Golden Sun, Star Ocean: FD, Evolution Worlds, Dragon Quest IV DS, an some others. Whats the deal with these? I believe the first two don't count time spent fussing around in menus for some reason or another. EW's real time an clear time was over an hour and a half apart. Did it not count loading or perhaps cutscenes? DQIV was off by 2 hours which I don't get since it lacks both of those things. Dunno whats going on there!

In the end if you're interested in accurate play times you'll have ta do alil testing an find out if your game of choice or not is really counting everything!

Oh ya, we're only still in early May still huh? Well here's to 26 more jrpgs before the years up!



Did an easy cheesy romp through Phantasy Star Ø!

Games Beaten: 27 / 52
Total Playtime: 516:12:33

01 - 27

Main Post

Game 27: Mario Kart 64 (~6-7 hours)
This is one of, if not the greatest kart racing games ever made. Enough said.

5/5

Game 28: Donkey Kong Country (~7 hours)
This is a good game, albeit flawed. The graphics are superb for the time. Also, the music is good. I'm a fan of David Wise (and Grant Kirkhope).

On the downside, the collision detection is fuzzy (probably because they used 3D models). There's no reward for defeating an enemy (no points, high score, etc). Finally, the difficulty level is inconsistent.

Good, but not great.
3/5

Game 13: Miracle Girls Festival (Vita) 7 Hours
5/5/2016: In an attempt to buy all the rhythm games on my Trip to Japan, I picked up a copy of MGF, and it is just Anime Project Diva. It is a bit thin at 22 songs, but it was enjoyable for what it was. Has a story mode that is really repetative, but hey, I really like playing the themes from Haiyore! Nyaruko-san so it wasn't all bad. 3/5

Game 14: Project Diva X (Vita) 10 Hours
5/8/2016: Being somewhat dissapointed with the songs in F 2nd, I quite enjoyed the avaliable songs selection in X. The formula might be a bit stale, and I think I still might prefer IA/VT, but I'm glad I picked up a copy before it comes stateside later in the year. The medley songs are pretty solid, even if the story mode is unnecessary. My TV isn't super lag free, so I quite enjoy playing the diva entries on the Vita. 4/5

OP

7. Fallout 4 - 10 hours on PC

This is still on going, I'm pretty close to finishing the main story according to just looking at the table of contents with a guide. I haven't touched any side quests besides Sanctuary. There is certainly a lot to do in this game, I see why some of my friends have like over 100 hours put in. I'm having fun for sure. However, I've never been a huge die hard fan of Fallout, so I doubt I'll go far into the side quests once I'm done the main story. If they interest me I will.

Pros
+Still fun, still a lot to do, and still a fantastic Bethesda RPG
+Huge world
+Improved gameplay outside of VATS, which is huge.

Cons
-Story isn't that interesting, some of the writing is still pretty flat and forgettable.

⋆⋆⋆⋆
4/5

Click to expand...

OP

Still playing, want to finish the main story and tackle some side quests. Not sure how far I'll go but we'll see.

REALLY tempted to buy Uncharted for $60, even though I usually always try to wait on new games like that.

OP

Game 27: King's Quest - Chapter 3: Once Upon a Climb (PC) 01/05/16 - 01/05/16 2.9 Hours
This was a great chapter and liked it much better than chapter 2. It kinda reminded me of Dragon Quest V where I had to pick between two women to be my bride/queen. Just looking forward to the next chapter now but that probably be a long wait until the next one.

Game 28: 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors (DS) 04/05/16 - 10/05/16
The first game of the Zero Escape series and this being my first replay of the game since I played it like maybe 5 years ago. Although I could remember most parts of the story but even upon completing it and getting the true ending, my mind continues to be blown away at how amazing the story ties up together with everything being told in the game, of course, it isn't the same as playing it the first time but none the less still mind blown. Truly a remarkable visual novel, it is my favourite one I've played so far although I haven't played that many.

56 Alien Isolation 8.2

While good atmosphere in a lot of the game and I liked the story, a lot of the game was just too forced. The alien being right up your ass in certain parts. I would have loved if the game had more objectives besides travel here and back in areas. A little more to it such as missions that has more character development and ai routines for friends. Enemies and friends are always on linear fashions. And the alien doesn't have realistic ai, everything feels too scripted and forced. Situations with weapons forced. This made it disappointing for me. 4/28

57 Table Top Racing 8.2

A decent game that was free on plus. Controls, handling are actually quite good. The biggest problem is it needed slightly better track design and the game doesn't pick up in fun until you do get the fastest cars. Also needs even faster cars with higher stats by three times in all stats. Needs more diverse tracks.. Such as tables connected to sofas and such and more jump dynamics, and interesting track shortcuts to make it truly standout. Still enjoy the controls though. Not a bad title. 5/6

Original Post



Game 12: Fire Emblem: Conquest (3DS) - 22 Hrs 5 Mins (5/10/2016)

# This game definitely had more challenge than Birthright, but I feel the story was worse. Hell, it's the worst Fire Emblem story in my opinion. A shame since it's the closest we have gotten to the older FE games since Awakening came out and took the world by storm. Characters were okay with some getting a bit trope-y like Charlotte being obsessed with gold and such. Though that has been in Fire Emblem for a bit, just not as apparent in previous games. The varying maps were great and objectives had a lot more variety than Birthright. I did get sick of having all of those seize missions toward the end though. Overall, I still think the game was great, but the story definitely damped my playtime.



Game 13: Box Boy! (3DS) - 9 Hrs 9 Mins (5/11/2016)

# This game is definitely a charmer. I loved the minimalistic art style where it looks like a old calculator game. The game wasn't too hard with me beating all the worlds, but trying to get all the crowns can take a few tries if you mess up. I liked how they threw in new mechanics for the puzzles and I definitely am looking forward to the sequel when it releases. Just a nice little chill game is great after playing Fire Emblem so much...

Game 14: Fire Emblem: Revelations (3DS) - 25 Hrs 8 Mins (5/22/2016)

# I can definitely see this game as a middle ground between Conquest and Birthright with it being a little more challenging than Birthright, but not near as hard as Conquest can be. I felt the game played more like Birthright than Conquest with challenge stages being available and the way the game flows.The story I felt was weaker than Birthright and, slightly weaker than, Conquest. The plot twist elements they put into the plot to reveal things to give you the full picture on the three games really ruin the plot of all three. It's the kind of plot twists you can predict from a mile away. I definitely glad I got the game and played all the paths of Fates, just wish parts of each game were better executed. It was worth getting the special edition for me in the end.



Game 15: Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations (DS/3DS) - 14 Hrs 37 Mins (5/25/2016)

# I would definitely say this is my favorite of the Phoenix Wright series that I've played. All of them have been great, but this one had the best overall trials and the overarching plot was done really well. Great music as always too. The last case really got me too. Man, do I love this series... Can't wait until AA6 comes out this year!

Update :

Game #13 : Never Alone: Foxtales

Rating: 5/10 - Platform: PS4 - Developer: Upper One Games
Got this on sale on psn and I'm glad it was cheap because this must be one of the shortest DLC I have ever played. I went through it in roughly half an hour and it wasn't so good. This time around you can swim and go under water (but you can also die in some water part for some reason). The control is still clunky and the "puzzles" really simple. The visuals are pleasant at least.


Main Post

Game #28 - Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition
Time: 26 hours

Welp my save got corrupted from a power cut right before the last boss so I guess im done with it. I already finished vanilla so Ive seen the ending, but I lost the character if I wanted to ever do NG+ and more importantly, I lost access to the DLC (because you need to "unlock" the dlc dungeons at certain parts of the story) so I guess I wont be playing the DLC. Such a shame because I actually had a super good time with the game this second time around after feeling disapointed back when I played vanilla. Not gonna lie tho, this corrupt save thing kinda soured me on the whole thing. Oh well :/

OP

Updated Main Post

19. Mad Max - XB1
Completed Main Story: 4/21/16
Time: 22 hours
Rating: 3.5/5

Not a bad game, but pretty much a typical cookie-cutter open-world game styled after the Ubisoft formula. The car combat is what they used to try to set themselves apart from the rest. The combat system is fashioned after the Batman formula so works well. The first real area of the game I spent time clearing out all the side missions, etc. but realized how monotonous and boring it was getting so for the most part the rest of the game just spent pushing through the story missions while clearing out some camps and a few side stuff here and there.

20. Rainbow Six: Siege - XB1
Completed all situations and spent time both PvE and PvP multiplayer
Time: 15 hours and counting
Rating: 4/5

Was going to skip this game as I had gotten a lot of shooters last fall when this game out. But bought it on a (drunken) whim when it was on sale at the Xbox store. Really glad I did. Been having a lot of fun with this game and it's a very nice change of pace from the other shooters I mentioned previously. I'm not very good at the game, so stick more with team-based Terrorist Hunt that PvP, but still having fun and enjoying it.

21. Gears of War 2 - XB1/Xbox 360 BC
Completed Main Story: 5/10/16
Time: 8-9 hours
Rating: 4/5

Got this "free" with the other Gear games when I picked up Gears1 Remastered last summer. Had played this through when it first came out and now playing again to ramp up to Gears 4. Thought this game held up really well for a 7 year old game. Haven't ever played Gears 3 or Judgement before so looking forward to those.

22. New Super Mario Brothers - DS/WiiU VC
Completed: 5/11/16
Time: 5 hours
Rating 4/5

After a previous unrelated thread on GAF where people where discussing about time spent on games for the WiiU, it made me realize that even though I like the console, I don't really play it much. Decided to pick a short game out of my VC backlog to play. This is a nice update to the classic Super Mario games from the 2D era. A little easier than what I remember those being overall (esp the NES games), but the last 'normal' level and the last two castles in world 8 did give me some trouble.

23. MLB'16 The Show - PS4
Through 2 seasons of RttS as well as time spent in Diamond Dynasty
Time: 25+ hours and counting
Rating: 5/5

Love this game. Best baseball game - either from the Show franchise or otherwise - I've ever played. This is the first year I've played anything but Franchise and am hooked. I haven't even started my franchise yet. I have sunk a lot of hours into this game and will continue to play this throughout the year. Just marking it off my list for now as I felt I have spent considerable time with it.

Currently playing Dragon Age: Inquisition. I think about about 2/3 of the way through the main story. So hope to finish that in a week or two. Will also start playing Uncharted 4 as well.

Game 21: Zombie Army Trilogy
PC, Steam 12ish hours
Played through the all 3 campaigns. Super fun. Buggy as all fuck though. I also wish there were more weapon varieties, but overall lots of fun.

Game 22: Gears of War HD
XBone 6ish hours
Great remaster, played through in coop-lots of fun still.

Game 23, Zelda Picross
So much fun, great freebie from Nintendo.

Main post

Game 11: Black Desert Online | 1000+ hours | Finished May 5th
I need to stop playing MMOs. At least, that's what I say every time I've put an mmo on one of these lists.. I feel like I could've used those hours on single player games instead and had more enjoyment that way. At least I got to play with some GAF members and that was fun. The company and game though..
--
Game 12: Noble Works | 15 hours | Finished May 7th
It was alright. Premise was interesting at the beginning but near the end it just kinda falls apart.
--
Game 13: Dark Souls III | 50 hours | Finished May 12th
Least favorite game in the series for sure but it did have a few good parts at least. Ended up getting all the achievements of course.
I didn't even finish the Old Hunters DLC so I might skip DS3's and check someone play through part of it on youtube first or something.
--


I usually have an image for every game.. but it's been so long since I updated this list that I forgot I didn't even transfer Photoshop to this new PC. Surprised I haven't needed to use it in 3 or so months. Will have to update with images later.

As expected though, playing an MMO took up a lot of my time. Falling behind on the challenge because of that.

Gonna go ahead an claim this as my main post for the second half of this challenge! May the RPG madness never end @_@

• Game #28
- .hack//Mutation
• System: PS2 (via PS3)
• 05/11/16 to 05/12/16
• 03:41:32
No speedrun to copy this time but still a good time by my standards! Coming off my Infection save where I had no money or healing items left made much of the run pretty dicey! Seeking out doable yet deadly leveling spots got me game over'd a few times but the payoff was worth it. Cause I fudged my virus core count I had to go out an grab two of 'em to get into the final area which cost time >_<; Had a good time doing this overall!

• Game #29
- Parasite Eve
• System: PS1 (via PS3)
• 05/14/16 to 05/17/16
• 08:52:26
I remember this game being much harder then it turned out to be? Maybe I was just bad at gear customization last time? This is still a decently fun game hampered by really slow movement speed outside of battles and terrible "hitboxes" on stuff like doors/phones/etc. The controls are kinda clunky an inventory management blows. Having to find the pixel perfect spot to click on to make things work stinks! Kinda wish cutscenes were skippable cause most of 'em are just gross x.x; Anyway the battle system is fun and even random fights can wear ya down so no free passes here! Still love the map and car sequences. Musics pretty alright to!

• Game #30
- .hack//G.U. Vol.1: Rebirth
• System: PS2
• 05/18/16 to 05/19/16
• 05:04:07
Oh NG+ you are the best way to play this game! Starting at L35 trivializes pretty much everything up until the very final parts so its a shame only Haseo is at that level while everyone else is much lower. Wouldn't need half the grinding I did if everyone was good ta go! I think the worst part was raising your arena rank just ta be able to kick off the tournament an progress the story. Took an hour of ended in 1 second battles just to get to that point! At least I did better then usual on the final boss! Didn't even get knocked down to half health!

• Game #31
- Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
• System: DS
• 05/23/16 to 06/07/16
• 25:43:26
What goods Party Chat when for a huge stretch of the game your partys basically just monsters? Dunno, but a bunch of them monsters were useful all the way to the very end! Pretty depressing story all around but still a unique one! I think the biggest struggle was just keeping my party equipped as by the end I was totally an completely broke lol. The various Metal Slimes weren't kind to me in this go around an I didn't stick around places ta do much grinding so at least according to guides my levels were just on par which gave some of the tougher baddies at least a fighting chance! But boy, does it take way to long into the game to get Zoom, an even longer for other useful spells... -.-;

• Game #32
- Phantasy Star Online Episode I & 2 Plus: Episode 1
• System: Gamecube
• 06/08/16 to 06/08/16
• 01:11:25
Nothin' like cruising through at L200 on the Normal difficulty to unwind! Got through alil quicker than I did last year to boot! Already beat PSO ep.1 earlier this year but on the Dreamcast version so not much ta say about it again um... other than maybe this being a game which makes me think you can "grow out of" a game? That and its kinda lame that at max level with great gear ya can't one-shot everything (aside from bosses).

• Game #33
- Phantasy Star Online Episode I & 2 Plus: Episode 2
• System: Gamecube
• 06/09/16 to 06/09/16
• 01:23:19
Hey! This went alil quicker then last year to! Ep.2 as always is way better then the first in all regards!

• Game #34
- Skies of Arcadia
• System: Dreamcast
• 06/11/16 to 06/19/16
• 37:55:38
Every boss fight is at least 2 boss fights. Often 3. In a row. No saving, no healing. The overworld encounter rate can suck badly at times! Menus are kinda clunky to. Other than that? Games golden! Really really great world, its one of those rare few ya actually feel like you're exploring and learning about normally and through discoveries! Ship battles are super fun, but dangerous if ya make the wrong moves! That OST is so great an chock full of different battle themes! Sadly this game can't make me a better navigator! Cause when I wanna go northeast I should totally go south right??

• Game #35
- Style Savvy: Trendsetters
• System: 3DS
• 01/02/13 to 06/29/16
• 27:06:27
Only took 3 & 1/2 years! I'd been playing this on & off all that time in really short bursts an only really powered through the ending stuff this past week. Think I took to long with this one but then playing a couple hours a day each day shows ya how much boring repeated text there is an how interchangeable the customers are, so I dunno. Had a buncha fun going from not being able ta afford stuff in the online shops to having money to blow! Filling up the lil jar of happiness an unleashing it each night was always pleasant even after the rewards just became random pieces of clothes. Taking photos, dressing up, seeing all the seasonal places & clothes... just a nice happy game overall!

• Game #36
- Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs
• System: DS
• 06/25/16 to 07/05/16
• 16:49:00
While I liked the previous Ranger gaem theres no doubt this ones the best of the bunch! Just by letting ya use the d-pad & buttons for most things outside of battles is a big improvement! The new diving/flying sequences are nice breaks from the usual gameplay! Love the tropical islands setting it has, and the fact that the dungeons weren't anywhere near as treacherous/annoying as in the previous game. Having a partner pokémon and all 7 assist slots open from the start makes the early game much much better to!

• Game #37
- .hack//Outbreak
• System: PS2
• 07/09/16 to 07/12/16
• 4:32:07
Lots more vicious baddies in this one so power leveling took abit more time, plus Virus Core drops just weren't happening in my favor. So I had ta spend extra time farming 'em up for use in the final game. Still decently speedy I guess? Time spent on that stuff in this game is less time spent in the next doing it so things'll even out I think!

• Game #38
- Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation
• System: DS
• 07/10/16 to 07/20/16
• 37:00:09
Still the best of the Zenithia trilogy! Theres just so much world and adventure like not really knowing where you'll end up next! And the story is mysterious an full of intrigue! Your crew of characters are likeable including the monster pals! The vocation system is all kinds of great if ya love having pages an pages full of magic/abilities for each character! Had a really good time replaying this one!

• Game #39
- Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
• System: PSP
• 07/21/16 to 07/24/16
• 07:09:38
I denied myself NG+ the second time I played this game for the sake of a certain GAF thread so this time I let loose an went wild by using it! This made the game super easy in that many battles were over before they began. Plus I didn't have ta fudge around with missions! Pretty much a for fun straight main game playthrough, with some side stuff done for more fun! Great game!

• Game #40
- Pokémon Conquest
• System: DS
• 07/25/16 to 07/29/16
• 15:37:10
This is a great game ya know? Pokémon going SRPG plus Nobunaga kingdonm conquering stuff worked out very well! But like seemingly all SRPGs its got an isometric view which I just can never like! There's lotsa grinding fun in here if you're looking for perfect links with pokémon or just getting ones better than what most warriors start with. The evolution mechanics really require a guide though -.-; Games got nice art, an alright music. Pretty short to if you don't wanna grind much! But then there's the lengthy post-game which is where things get hard...

• Game #41
- .hack//G.U. Vol.2: Reminisce
• System: PS2
• 07/29/16 to 07/31/16
• 07:54:25
Think I finally found my grinding groove for this series! No need ta clear an entire area of baddies, just battle until your HP/SP are low then leave and come back or go to an area a level or so above the one ya just left an repeat! Beats wasting time/items waiting to recover! The NG+ level advantage ya can start with doesn't last as long at G.U. Vol.1's does but you'll get about 2/3rds of the way through the story just fine with it. Being able to buy fairy orbs and smoke screens helps with speediness which is something ya don't get in the first game. Plus the occasional speed talisman pickup and speed+ accessories! An even though I took a chance an went into the final battle at only L88 I ended up with a much easier victory then usual? Thats fine by me!

• Game #42
- Star Ocean: The Second Story
• System: PS1 (via PS3 & PS2)
• 07/31/16 to 08/06/16
• 22:07:00
Games got a slow start an not just in the story department but the battle system & skill buildups. Once those get going it becomes super fun to play! The game world is pretty open to, since once you're outta the intro town you can go to any other in the area an get some nice loot earlier then if you just go to the next official stop! Games got issues like being buggy an prone to freezing/glitching out, and making you exit dungeons through manual backtracking rather than being automatic or even giving you like an escape spell! Played through Rena's story btw since hers is better then Claudes! Also gave Claude the boot the second I was able to hook her up with an all girl party!

• Game #43
- Golden Sun: The Lost Age
• System: GBA (via GB Player)
• 08/06/16 to 08/13/16
• 22:37:34
Oh you know I link cabled up an carried over my best data from the first game! Shame it doesn't help ya cheese the game any until very very far into it! Dunno how I ever played this without a guide in the past cause the worlds big an open with so many places to go an no obviously set order. An remembering places/things ya couldn't reach manyyyy hours after last seeing 'em is kinda hard! Still love the speedy battle system an messing around with djinn class setups or just plain summon rushing baddies! Offensive magic isn't weak like it tends to be in many rpgs which is another plus! Dungeons are bigger an mostly better even if there are some annoying "oh c'mon!" moments in 'em. Story is even better an so is the forever great soundtrack!

• Game #44
- Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale
• System: 3DS
• 08/11/16 to 08/17/16
• 21:43:19
An rpg where ya farm items? Like... actually on a farm! Who knew it'd turn out ta be a nice combination? Helps that I like rpgs and Harvest Moon! Both sides of the game are pretty basic with nothing fancy going for 'em but thats kinda how I prefer it! Props for the cool features of being able to change difficulty/encounter rates whenever ya want, boo for the field music starting fresh each time ya come outta a battle. Yay for the crop/animal notifications, boo for still harvesting things one at a time. Games got a nice cute look to it, multiple battle themes which is always nice, and a safe but sound story. Overall I certainly liked it!

• Game #45
- Xenogears
• System: PS1 (via PS2 & PS3)
• 08/19/16 to 08/31/16
• 49:05:22
Totally an epic rpg but not without its flaws. Bad camera angle, slow text speed, big lag opening/exiting menus, and potential game freezes hampered my enjoyment alot. Even so theres way more good than bad! The world/character history is crazy good, graphics are still nice imo, battles are fun, and the soundtrack is great! Its a classic which only falls short of legendary status because of the technical issues mentioned, unless ya just don't let those things get to you!

• Game #46
- .hack//Quarantine
• System: PS2 (via PS3)
• 09/03/16 to 09/03/16
• 05:53:31
The end of the speediness for the original series. I zoomed through the game not lettin' any baddies come close to stopping me... now my virus level otoh well that almost put an end to things! Last dungeon was more brutal than usual throwing just a handful of non-data bug baddies at me! Was really surprised how many of the expensive healing items I was able to end up buying, plus all the other goods I needed! An finally, confirmation that the optional party members still show up at the end even if ya didn't recruit 'em! Next time around I'ma go back to taking things slowly an soaking up the atmosphere an all that good stuffs.

• Game #47
- .hack//G.U. Vol.3: Redemption
• System: PS2
• 09/09/16 to 09/11/16
• 10:52:47
Since there's no NG+ bonus ya dun get to start overleveled like in the previous 2 games, so the first 4 hours was pure grinding! Getting to L120+ before even clearing the first chapter is pretty cheap but it made the rest of the game fly by. By the end I had overgrinded abit, L141 was excessive an prolly what pushed me over the 10 hour mark. Still, it made all but the doppelganger battle a breeze! Prolly shouldn't have wasted time with Avatar Awakenings either and instead just used the other two ta quickly finish fights. Pretty fun being so high level you can just run through story dungeons not fighting baddies at all hehe!

• Game #48
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II
• System: PS3
• 09/06/16 to 10/09/16
• 91:12:59
Pretty darn sure this sets the record for longest game I've play an by like a 20 some hour margin! An somehow almost all of it was really good! Hard ta say much without spoiling but it delivered on stuff from the end of the first game that had left me wanting more and included lotsa stuff I didn't even know I wanted! Hooray for the snowboarding mini-game! And the great music including the ton of different battle themes which kept battling fresh!

• Game #49
- Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past
• System: 3DS
• 09/18/16 to 10/13/16
• 73:40:00
Okies now this was prolly the worst game I've played all year. Others may have been mediocre but this one just sucked. An thats a big disappointment for me since I'd liked all previous DQ's I'd played. Making ya redo places over an over again before letting ya push on to new uncharted territory made for a terrible game structure. Not mention the lousy localization which removed UI elements, added massive input lag, and other junk. Never touching this game again.

• Game #50
- Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
• System: DS (via 3DS)
• 10/15/16 to 10/19/16
• 19:50:00
See now this was the polar opposite of DQ7. It was FUN! It had nice puzzles, it gave ya shortcuts, its backtracking was meaningful as it unlocked new things to see an do! Has a much better soundtrack to! But that cliffhanger never to be resolved still hurts... ;.;

• Game #51
- Shining Soul
• System: GBA (via GB Player)
• 10/21/16 to 10/23/16
• 07:52:54
This could be the most or second most basic barebones rpg I've played all year an yet its fun in its own way once ya really get going. Attack, back off, attack, back off, attack~ simple stuff but I liked it. What I didn't like? That you can still be hit by baddies while you're in the menu x.x; That and your heroes pitiful high "miss" rate forcing ya to boost the heck outta the stat for that. Also the music is so bad there's an option to turn it off lol.

• Game #52
- Mega Man Battle Network 2
• System: GBA (via GB Player)
• 10/24/16 to 11/07/16
• 17:08:12
What kinda rpg has regular randomly encountered baddies that can game over you? This kind! Had ta learn to save really frequently cause they'd kill me alot. Bosses weren't pushovers either. Game seems more unfair hard then hard-hard or maybe I'm just bad at it? Still enjoyed getting to replay it after such a long time cause it still holds up!

• Game #53
- Phantasy Star: Portable
• System: PSP[/b]
• 12/30/16 to 12/30/16
• 03:02:00
I decided that if I was gonna cheese this game again as part of the 52 game challenge I'd do it differently then before! It took some thinking but instead of plowing through the story missions again, I instead went through each of the open missions! On the easiest difficulty with my max level character naturally! Oh an I did this in one sitting to cause why not! Going through these missions made me nostalgic for old PSU cause these were still the original full maps versions of the missions. Many were changed/gutted later on in PSU & for Portable 2 / Infinity.

Games Beaten: 53 / 52 !!!
Total Playtime: 1061:19:00
01 - 27

An overdue update:


Game 12. Life is Strange (PS4); Playtime: 16 hours; got the platinum; completed on 2/19/2016
This game deserves every bit of praise it received last year. A satisfying and touching adventure game that was interesting throughout. Would definitely recommend this.


Game 13. Escape Plan (Vita); playtime: ~6 hours; main story + some dlc; completed on 2/25/2016
A glorified vita tech demo. I like the music, but whatever charm the game had wore off quickly for me.

Click to expand...

Game 14. Fat Princess: Piece of Cake (Vita); Playtime: ??; all trophies; completed on 3/7/2016
A game that starts out fairly fun, but quickly becomes stupidly hard in an attempt to force you to pay for micro-transactions. I had a bunch of power-ups from daily log-in bonuses I received around the original release date, so I was able to cheese my way through the end game for free, but it&#8217;s definitely not a fair F2P game by the very end of the original campaign. I&#8217;d say that if you want to try it, play up until the free Fat Princess PS3 voucher and then drop the game.

Click to expand...

Game 15. Doomsday Clicker (iOS); Playtime: ??; competed on 4/26/2016
I saw that a few gaffers were involved in the development of this game, so I decided to give it a try. It&#8217;s a clicker/idle game that has a bit of humor, but there&#8217;s really not much to do here. A Dark Room had some story, and my understanding is that Cookie Clicker and the Candy Box games have a bit more substance to them and reasons to keep coming back. With this one, it&#8217;s solely about seeing the numbers go up. Not much compels you to go back after prestiging once or twice.

Click to expand...

Sped through .hack//Mutation in under 4 hours! Will I finish the whole saga in under the time it normally takes to beat just one of 'em o.o?


Games Beaten: 28 / 52
Total Playtime: 519:54:05

01 - 27
28 - ??

Main post

Click to expand...

Game #77: Mighty Switch Force! (3DS) - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;

This game has seriously been burning a hole in my 3DS since I bought it at its launch (I enjoyed Mighty Flip Champs quite a bit). I always found the game pretty clever and fun, but it could get pretty damn frustrating, and that's even without thinking about the really strict Par system (this isn't a criticism, but damn do I have no desire to hit Par!). I think what sours the game, a bit, is that getting hurt by your switching sends you back to the last checkpoint. While it's legitimately challenging, it often results in me losing my run because I was stuck on a puzzle and accidentally, in my impatience, switched ever so slightly late. Still a solid game overall, and one that you can play on 3DS or Wii U. It has a nifty final stage, too!

Click to expand...

Game #78: Mighty Switch Force! 2 (3DS) - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;

I don't think Switch Force! 2 is too much worse a game than the first, but I was ultimately a bit disappointed with how different it ultimately wasn't. I felt that they could have done a better job with the water hose mechanic. Otherwise, the game is still a good puzzle game (as good as the first anyway), even if it gets kind of frustrating near the end. I did really enjoy the firefighter motif - much more than the original's - and I like how they at least switched up your gun to a hose. I hope that they do a third game where you play Patty Wagon as a doctor using a defibrillator!

Click to expand...

Game #79: Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge (GB) - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;

This game had me and lost me at various points. On one hand, I do really appreciate Game Boy games' tendency to have elements added or changed for the sake of properly adapting a series to it - in this case, it's really quaint and neat how they implement eight Robot Masters despite the limitation preventing them from each having their own level. The engine is also pretty decent for a Game Boy game - usually games are either super floaty or janky! Unfortunately, it just doesn't hold up in the transition very well. On one hand, the level designs are more hit than miss, and I've had more than a few run-ins with spikes that only punish you if you take the wrong path. I know that Mega Man games have a bit of “well how the hell was I supposed to know that would happen!?” but I think it particularly stands out because this game has a worse engine to contend with. The game is also -super- unbalanced. The bosses, Wily 1 aside, are more-or-less piss easy, and your standard weapon is actually sometimes the most effective one in a boss. On the other hand, levels can be super brutal, thanks to the aforementioned level designs as well as the entirely scarce health drops (maybe I haven't played a Mega Man game in a while, but holy SHIT does every single hit you take make a big difference). Overall it was an okay game, and maybe something a devout Mega Man fan could try out, but there are better games to play on the Game Boy (including the GOAT GB Mega Man, Mega Man V!).

Click to expand...

Game #80: Balloon Fight (NES) - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;

Ah, what a classic! I've always been rather fond of Balloon Fight, even though I'm not a big fan of the classic arcade-style offerings of Nintendo. It has pretty cool mechanics (it's definitely something of a ripoff of Joust, but the two feel pretty different mechanically). It's an interesting strategy game with a lot of ways to approach situations. It's also a great endless game, thanks to Balloon Trip (which is arguably the best part of the game). Both modes do tend to drag on a bit after a while however.

Click to expand...

Game #81: Pokémon Battle Trozei (3DS) - &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;&#9734;

This game was a lot more “eh” than I had hoped it would be. At first it seemed fun - I like how it encouraged you to build up ridiculous combos - but over time it felt more tedious than fun. I would either get bored by the combos, or I would accidentally slip and have it end. The game just isn't really rewarding enough; I constantly felt fairly bored by the actual gameplay, and it was simply too easy.

Lindsay said:

Sped through .hack//Mutation in under 4 hours! Will I finish the whole saga in under the time it normally takes to beat just one of 'em o.o?


Games Beaten: 28 / 52
Total Playtime: 519:54:05

01 - 27
28 - ??

Click to expand...

Gotta give you mad props for doing a JRPG year! I kind of want to power through the Dragon Quest series this year, since I've been trying to get them down.

Game 12: Sonic Lost World [3DS] --- A bunch of hours wasted.



This game is SO fucking bad. To think Dimps used to make good games like Sonic Advance/2/3/Rush... and somehow they also developed this? I mean, the PC/Wii U version wasn't the best Sonic game ever, but at least it didn't do its best to make you hate yourself like the 3DS version does.

Main post

Game 10: Medal of Honor 2010 (PC) - 05/13/16 - 4 hours
The campaign was pretty fun. I felt like it conveyed what being part of an ongoing effort to stop terrorism whilst showing the human side of soldiers.
Solid gunplay, nothing much to say aside from that. I enjoyed my time with it.

Game 13: 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2 [3DS]--- 3 hours played.



Fantastic game, as most people on this forum might know. The 3D port is really good, it's a shame I can't really use the 3D effect more than 2~3 minutes without feeling dizzy. Anyways, this is not my favorite Sonic title from that era, as I prefer 3 & Knuckles and CD, but this one still is one of the best platformers of all time. I think I like it more than the original, although the original has a better soundtrack, perhaps. On the subject, Sonic 2 does offer one of the best final boss themes, as well as quite the frustrating final boss.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4L4TSrDB4M

The List!
Detailed Impressions 01-12
Detailed Impressions 13-xx


22. Dark Souls 3 - 78 Hours


At long last, Dark Souls 1 receives the sequel it deserves. Every inch of this game is so refined, so carefully constructed it manages to outshine the original. No Lost Izalith's or Beds of Chaos to be found here. Dark Souls 3 manages to recapture the sense of wonder and discovery that made the series so infectious, and enriches the lore and player experience by directly referencing and expanding upon known characters and locations instead of throwing the baby out with the bath water and reinventing the wheel the way Dark Souls 2 did. My list of complaints is short: Continually branching pathways made the end game feel less focused. I would have preferred the game be more front-loaded with different paths, and then funnel down to the critical path as you near the end instead of the other way around. I guess it's the way Dark Souls has always done it, but the final 25% of the game felt very scatterbrained, yet still impeccably designed. Secondly, the grinding required for the covenants is absurd. Your total invasions will have to number in the multiple hundreds to collect every spell and ring the game has to offer, which is far more than should be expected of any normal player. It discourages end game play for me, knowing how distant those rewards are. Those are relatively minor quibbles though for what is otherwise the most fully-realized Souls game to date and an instant classic.

Main Post

Click to expand...

Game #10: Fire Emblem Awakening (3DS).
Time Played: 132:38 hours.
Completion Reached: Beat the game in both Normal and Hard.

Uh... That's a lot of hours. It took me 3 months to fully clear this game, mainly since I did 2 playthroughs, one as a boy and one as a girl. So, Fire Emblem Awakening is the 13th entry in the long running Fire Emblem series and, surprisingly, is the only that finally managed to bring success to the franchise.

I've talked Fire Emblem gameplay before (in last year's thread) so I'll now summarize it as being a cross of turn based strategy and RPG. However, what's interesting about Awakening are the things it brought (and removed) from past titles. To clarify, I've only played FE7 and FE8 before this one, so there are many changes I probably missed in the transition. This game has actually been the subject of controversy among series' fans, some of it caused by the marriage system. In previous FE games you could build support levels between characters, which would unlock fun conversations between party members. Some of these supports could even turn into romantic relationships in the traditional post game credits. Awakening took this romance idea and made it a big mechanic. Now, characters can reach a "S" support level and marry each other, to eventually have a child that you can actually recruit into your party thanks to time travel shenanigans. Personally, I like this mechanic. It feels natural for characters to fall in love and the whole time travel plot with the children coming back to prevent their future is actually pretty cool. There are also many nice supports between parents and their children. However, it also has some downsides. For one, I dislike that every male/female support ends in marriage. In previous FE games, only a few supports were romantic, but now most of them have to be, to accomodate for this mechanic. In many cases it feels quite unnatural, especially with the younger members of the cast.

Other controversies come from the actual level of strategy involved in Awakening. Although I loved the game, it's undeniable that maps are a lot simpler here than they were in past games. Many chapters are just open fields which is a bit lame. Paralogues, however, feature some pretty interesting layouts and are probably the best chapters of the game. Not only maps were made simpler though, as status effects and some "complex" weapons (reavers) were also removed (although I can't say if this was prior to Awakening though). There's also a lot of discussion about the difficulty level, with people often criticizing the game for being too easy, even in Hard difficulty. Awakening lets you grind and features mechanics that potentially make your characters quite strong (forging weapons, pair up, among others) so I see why this is brought up. Personally, I thought it was a fine level of challenge although I wouldn't have minded if it was harder. Most of my troubles came from same turn reinforcements though, which is a horrible mechanic.

Presentation in Awakening is great. Since I was coming from FE8 the switch was huge. Awakening features pretty decent 3D graphics, awesome CG cutscenes, nice in-game cutscenes, beautiful art, orchestrated music... It's an incredible step up and probably one of the reasons for the game's reception. One of the things that sadly disappeared in the transition are the cool critical hit animations. They were replaced by cool critical hit phrases for each character though, so it wasn't all loss.

Overall, I really liked this game (I guess the playtime speaks for itself there). Many people don't like the its story, but I thought it was fun enough and the characters are awesome, with great designs and backstories. Gameplay is fun as always and if you like FE or similar games then this one is totally recommended.

Master Post


Game 15: MLB the Show 16 - 24+ hours - May 10th, 2016

"Sports games are just the same every year with no innovation." -Said unironically usually by someone who plays iterative games like those made by Nintendo or Ubisoft

Click to expand...

In case you can't tell from my disdain in my fake quote, I'm pretty impressed by how great MLB the Show is this year. I last played in 2014, and this year's version is pretty damn great. So far I've completed two RTTS seasons with my LHP, winning Rookie of the Year, a World Series and a Cy Young. I guess for my RTTS lad, all that's really left is MVP and a WS MVP. Besides that, I've played some Diamond Dynasty and a little Franchise mode. I'm going to continue playing on and off for the next year, but with my RTTS pitcher becoming a superstar, and after putting in a couple dozen hours, I'd like to count it as "done."
Should I play MLB the Show? If you like baseball, most definitely, but know that it's called the Dark Souls of sports games for a reason!

Original Post - Part 1

#8: My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess: 8.3 hours

Click to expand...

More Picross! It's not a bad amount of content for a free game. There are 3 pages of puzzles which can be played in both normal and Mega Picross modes ranging from some 10x10s and 15x15s up to 5 20x15s and then a single 80x80 Micross.

What I can't understand though is why they've ruined the controls. Ordinarily in a Picross game you hold up and down to fill squares and mark them empty respectively. In this version however it's changed from a hold to a toggle, making using the neutral cursor much harder to use. Because of this you lose a lot of fluidity if you're trying to rapidly switch between counting out squares with the neutral cursor and filling them with the other two because you have to press the button again instead of just letting it go. Awful change and I hope it doesn't persist, if I wanted to play a Picross game with slow controls I'd play them on iOS.

#9: Streets of Rage: 6.1 hours

Click to expand...

I've never really liked 16-bit era beat 'em ups and this was no exception. It's alright, the emphasis on timing and grappling is interesting. But I found most of the bosses incredibly obnoxious and I couldn't get past the first half of the last stage without cheating myself extra lives. Still, it was a pretty unique diversion for me and the music is really catchy.

#10: Her Story: 1.9 hours

Click to expand...

What a great concept! Murder mystery, where the murder and the mystery have long been solved and you're trying to piece the facts together from interview fragments. There's not a whole lot more praise I can give it without getting into spoilers (I think she was telling the truth by the way) but it's definitely something everyone should try. Something that sort of frustrates me though (and this is mostly a personal issue) is that the way the game is structured makes it impossible to get the whole picture. It's still worth the experience though.

Preview: Still working my way through the second case of Ace Attorney 5, again not sure what to play on PC/Wii U.

Dryk said:

Preview: Still working my way through the second case of Ace Attorney 5, and will probably start Her Story on PC.

Click to expand...

So how's AA5 coming? You likin' it so far?

A Link to the Past said:

Gotta give you mad props for doing a JRPG year! I kind of want to power through the Dragon Quest series this year, since I've been trying to get them down.

Click to expand...

The more DQ love the better! I got 5, 6, 8 and 7 if it actually comes out on my list. Maybe even replay Joker 2! I've found that going from game to game in a different series/standalone works better than marathoning a series in a row so if you're gonna power through 'em give them some space!

Dryk said:

#9: Streets of Rage: 6.1 hours

I've never really liked 16-bit era beat 'em ups and this was no exception. It's alright, the emphasis on timing and grappling is interesting. But I found most of the bosses incredibly obnoxious and I couldn't get past the first half of the last stage without cheating myself extra lives. Still, it was a pretty unique diversion for me and the music is really catchy.

Click to expand...

Yeah the bosses are a pain! 2 and especially 3 give ya much more mobility to help even the odds. Way better special moves to.

5./12. Sound Shapes (PS4/PSTV)
I completed both of these games, and have been working my way through the death mode levels in each to try to get two platinum trophies. I really hate the controls in this game and the music isn't really my style, but there are some cool visuals. And I like that they split up a cross buy game into two trophy lists!

6. Danganronpa: Bullet Time Panic
Even after completing this game, I completely understand why I was hesitant about buying it from the trailers. This game looked like it wouldn't be my cup of tea, but it's probably one of my favorite games of all time now. The story and music is absolutely amazing and it made me reflect on my own life despite how ridiculous the whole thing is. Super super good, even though it has cringeworthy trailers. Platinumed it!

7. Super Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Dispair
I think I like this better than the first game. Danganronpa has a better sense of place with Hope's Peak and Asahina is my favorite character overall (she got me to start exercising seriously again), but this game does almost everything else better. It's all completely ridiculous while also making you feel some real emotions. I loved how the game makes no sense at the beginning, I got some real Majora's Mask vibes for the first few hours. And Nagito? Gundham? Aw man. And then you play Island Mode and realize how wonderful everything could have been if Monokuma never showed up... GOAT. Platinumed it, and enjoyed Island Mode a lot more than School Mode.

8. Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin
I shit on this game a lot in Dark Souls threads, but after going through the whole thing multiple times in order to platinum it, I think it's kind of okay. It has some cool weapons and locations (I love the Gutter), but the real problem is that it loses a lot of what I think made Dark Souls so great. I obviously enjoyed it enough to put in dozens of hours, but now that I have the platinum I don't think I'll ever play it again, which I no doubt will Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Dark Souls III. It's okay!

9. The Witness
This game is really pretty. It has a weird way of making you feel like you're actually outside which I don't think a lot of other games can do. Sooner or later I'll go back and do that final challenge, but I think it's a fun celebration of nature in a weird artificial way. Not into some of the loftier aspects of it, even though I like science and shit. The Mountain part at the end wasn't great, I feel like it was too much and killed the momentum. I didn't realize you could do it without getting all of the lasers first though, maybe it's better if you go back and forth solving the mountain puzzles.

10. Pokémon Red
I was pretty skeptical when everyone was stoked that these games were being re-released, but they really hold up and seem like they come from a simpler time (I guess that's nostalgia?) It was really fun totally hosing everyone with an Arbok that used Toxic and Wrap, and I love how simple the story is and how characters say stuff like "A light year is a unit of distance!" when you beat them for no reason. I'm excited to transfer my team over to Sun and Moon! I picked Charizard but I boxed him. I love how much of an ass Gary is, makes it even better when you wrap his whole team.

11. Dark Souls III
This game is super fun. I think it's missing a little something in terms of level design that Dark Souls had, but I like the gameplay enhancements and Cathedral of the Deep was one of the most memorable areas I've gone through in a game. I imported it which sort of hampered my initial experience, but I loved playing through it in the English release too. Importing was totally worth it. I kind of hate this Platinum trophy though. I never want to see the area where I farmed for ears or sword grass ever again. First time I played through as a knight and it was super fun, even more fun when using a hollow barbed sword with Carthus Rouge. I'm pretty excited for the DLC. Feels like the sequel to Dark Souls that Dark Souls II never was.

13. Stardust Vanguards
This was on sale on PS4 for like a dollar and I heard it was an easy platinum so I bought it. It was a dollar and I'm still pretty disappointed. I think it might be someone's first attempt at making a game, but there's not really anything above mediocre about it. I don't think it would be better with friends.

14. Infinity Runner
After I beat DS3 I needed a release, this is one of the many super cheap super low polish games I bought. The game glitched out on me in the Inifity mode three times where I had to redo my 20 minute run, the music is completely generic, and the visuals are completely laughable at some points. But I enjoyed it! It's pretty relaxing and the controls feel good. Got the Platinum after a few hours, which was nice. The worst ending ever though.

15. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
I played a few hundred hours of the original Isaac back in the day, I finally got around to trying out the remake. I've beaten mom's heart a few times and unlocked all the characters, but I obviously still have a long way left to go. This is now my go-to "put in a few rounds to relax" game. Fun fun, I like the new features for the remake.

16. Street Fighter V
Yo, this game is so good. I was really bad at it for the first few months, but after a long break I finally found my character in Birdie. Currently sitting at Gold rank and playing ranked for fun. I want to get the platinum trophy, but the Hell survivor mode seems legit impossible. I'm excited for the rest of the updates, even if I won't change my character!

17. Game Boy Tetris
Watching Bosman v Wozniak made me want to dig up my old Game Boy to play this since I missed it on 3DS eShop. I had to do some battery port cleaning to get the Game Boy working again, but it was worth it. I like playing it during night shifts at work, even if I'm not very good at it.

18. Miitomo
I played this for like a week to get a lot of Nintendo points and I haven't played it since.

19. Journey
I bought this when it first released on PS4 and finally got around to playing it. I don't think it's for me. I like the art style a lot (the part where you're in a cave and they make it seem like you're underwater is really cool), but I don't think I got anything out of it. I saw people saying this was the best ending ever in the "best ending levels" thread, and I wasn't really impressed. I'm sure I didn't play this game the right way or put the proper time in it or something, but right now I don't get it.

I just played through Her Story since my last post so I'm going to edit that entry into it.

A Link to the Past said:

So how's AA5 coming? You likin' it so far?

Click to expand...

Yeah I haven't been playing it as much on the bus because I've been catching up on podcasts instead. But it's going alright. Something feels a little off in the investigations compared to the others but I'm still trying to put my finger on it.

Lindsay said:

Yeah the bosses are a pain! 2 and especially 3 give ya much more mobility to help even the odds. Way better special moves to.

Click to expand...

Yeah I wasn't a fan of the super strict timing on the claw guy, or the hitbox on the fire-breather's fire, or the twins in general.

Lindsay said:

The more DQ love the better! I got 5, 6, 8 and 7 if it actually comes out on my list. Maybe even replay Joker 2! I've found that going from game to game in a different series/standalone works better than marathoning a series in a row so if you're gonna power through 'em give them some space!


Yeah the bosses are a pain! 2 and especially 3 give ya much more mobility to help even the odds. Way better special moves to.

Click to expand...

Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Maybe I'll swap between Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and SMT/Persona (as I haven't beaten many of any of these series, lol).

Dryk said:

Yeah I haven't been playing it as much on the bus because I've been catching up on podcasts instead. But it's going alright. Something feels a little off in the investigations compared to the others but I'm still trying to put my finger on it.

Click to expand...

It's probably that you don't have free investigation - in AA5 only, you only investigate when the game tells you that there is something to investigate.

Archive Post


Game 16 - Uncharted 4 - A Thief's End [PS4] &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
One of the most immaculately-crafted games I've ever played. From the more grounded story, to the more open world areas, and increased traversal and combat options, Naughty Dog have improved this series in ways that I honestly wasn't expecting. But the most important for me is probably the most subtle. Having more than one path through a linear section is something they had throughout The Last of Us, and it really added to the world. Even something as simple as walking down a hallway can be drastically improved by offering the player a side room they can cut through, whether there's a collectible in there or not. It widens the "corridor" you're playing through so you're not bumping into the walls all the time and having your immersion ruined, and it's all over this game. It's a very powerful illusion that makes you feel like you chose the path instead of being forced along it, and for my money, is the single most important improvement they've made to the series with this entry. In terms of presentation. the story is magnificent, the voice acting peerless, and the graphics are among the greatest you'll see on any platform, thanks to its insane attention to detail and image quality. The soundtrack, however, is a bit of a disappointment. Swelling, memorable themes are swapped out for minimalist ambiance, which doesn't quite hit the mark. I don't think the whole package gels together as well as The Last of Us, but this is still a top-tier AAA game, and a fitting send-off for the series, saving the best til last.

A Link to the Past said:

Gotta give you mad props for doing a JRPG year! I kind of want to power through the Dragon Quest series this year, since I've been trying to get them down.

Click to expand...

Dragon Quest I and IV are pretty short (as in, sub 20-25 hours for IV and much less for I) so you can start there if you want to. Then there's DQ VII which is a 100+ hour monstrosity for most. Can't wait until it drops on the 3ds in here, it's the main reason I decided to not even attempt the challenge this year lol