Original Post

3. Final Fantasy VII - 9/10. 35 hours
The first time I ever played the game. The story is fantastic, and felt relevant, especially today. Most of the characters are great. Aerith is my favorite in the game(shocking I know), and now one of my favorite of all time. The gameplay is very fun. The combat system is great. The Materia system is very deep and allows for countless playstyles and strategies. The music is phenomenal. Nobuo Uematsu is a genius. I played it on PS4. The 3X mode really helped with grinding out levels. If I didn't use that I probably would've ended up playing for another 5-10 hours. The game lives up to its reputation. I can't wait to see what they do with the remake.

Next Game - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

4. FIFA 17:I could play this game a lot more but for the sake of this challenge I am classing the completion of The Journey as it being done. Brilliant addition to the series and I hope it is something that is built upon in future iterations. As for the rest of the game. It's FIFA, minor changes each year but it is still the same game. This version will sort my football fix for the next few years.

Original post

Update for the month January! I finished more than I initially expected but I did pick some of the shorter games in my backlog. February is only 28 days and March and April will bring BotW & Persona 5 so not a bad plan to be ahead.

#1 Steins;Gate (VITA) - 29 Hours - Finished 09/01/2017 - ★★★★★

Kinda spoiled myself by watching the Anime first, due to this the first few chapters felt really slow. However the multiple endings and fleshed out character development sure made up for it! First platinum and 5 out of 5 score of the new year.

#2 Alan Wake (PC) - 10 Hours - Finished 13/01/2017 - ★★★☆ ☆


Started playing AW in 2015, tried to pick it up again 2016 and finally finished it in 2017. As you can see I really had difficulties finishing the game.. Doesn't mean it's a terrible game, just not my cup of tea. Think I died more in AW than Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3 combined :/ The combat just didn't click with me.

#3 Brothers: A tale of two sons (PS3) - 4 Hours - Finished 11/01/2017 - ★★★☆☆


Pretty moving story with fun controls that got disrupted by performance issues like screen tearing and weird glitches, for instance, had to restart a chapter in order to progress. After finishing it on the PS3 I noticed I once bought in on Steam as well..That would have been a much better experience. Oh well!

#4 Hatsune miku diva f 2nd (VITA) - 13 Hours - Finished 20/01/2017 ★★★★☆

Saw the credits, finished a few songs on hard. Not much changed compared to Diva f but still enjoyed my time with it. Will most likely get the latest DIVA during a PSN sale.

#5 To the moon (PC) - 4 Hours - Finished 20/01/2017 ★★★☆☆

Enjoyable story and a relaxing experience. I just wish that the engine was a bit better since it was way too small on a 1440p screen. Ended up playing it using the Windows Magnifier since the game performance was terrible during full screen.

#6 Double Dragon 3 (3DS NES Emulator) - 2 Hours - Finished 22/01/2017 ★★☆☆☆

After reading about Double Dragon 4 I remembered that I was never able to beat this game as a kid.

No idea how I had the patience to play this for hours on hours as a kid. I still wouldn't be able to beat it now If not for save states. However using save states it shows you how short this game actually is, the 5 chapters basically all consists out of like 3 rooms in which enemies keep spawning. Some retro games really up the difficulty to stretch out the game length.

#7 Steins;Gate 0 (VITA) - 20 hours - Finished 29/01/2017 ★★★★☆

It was great to go back to the S;G universe and the game provided me with another easy platinum. The story had some great highs but overall it was a bit less structured as the original game. I also ran into a save game corruption bug after playing 10 hours which kinda ruined the mood. Time to check out other VN's on the Vita, just noticed I have Code:Realize from PS+. Guess I will start that game in february.

#8 Abzu (PS4) - 4 Hours - Finished 31/01/2017 ★★★★☆

Fantastic game, although a bit short. Played through it twice,once just to soak up the atmosphere and the second time to 100% the game.

#9 VVVVVV (VITA) - 2 Hours - Finished 31/01/2017 ★★★☆☆

Finished it in ‘only' 600 deaths!

9/52 done.

Currently playing:
Downwell (VITA): Don't think I'll ever finish this game but i'm at least having a lot of fun, and that for only 2,99 euro!
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Dual Destinies (3ds): Currently in the second trial. Should be able to finish it somewhere next month
Rachet & Clank (PS4) - About 2 hours played so far
DOOM (PC) - Just started.

I should really focus on finishing my Wii U games before 3 march....

Going to try this. I'm a bit behind as I haven't finished any games yet this year, but I have a lot of short games that I can use to make up time. I don't expect to hit 52, but maybe I'll get close.

Currently playing: Digimon World: Next Order

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Didn't enjoy this one either. It may have been fine for its time but it has aged poorly. There are like a dozen areas to explore early on and the movement is so slow progression feels like a slog.

Personally I wouldn't mind a new modern Simon the Sorcerer game, if Wadjet Eye can still make decent PnC games, then the possibility is there for a good modern Simon game.

are you just playing those point and click games with a guide or something? just wondering because you are playing like one a day and those old ones have some obscure ass puzzles

Ladekabel said:

January:

Game 1: Xanadu Next (PC): Great game though the block puzzles drag it down for me. 4/5

Game 2: Picross Touch! (PC): It was free and I wanted to play it instead of other games. Presentation is a little bit basic but it is free so I recommend it. I fear buying other Picross games now. 3/5

Currently Playing: Ys Origin (PC), Rhythm Heaven Megamix (3DS)

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Had lots of stress with exams so it is a slow start.

The Flame in the Flood
Platform: PS4
Time: ~7:00
Date: 02.01
Score: (5/5)

The Flame in the Flood is pretty close to a dream come true for me. It's a survival game in which you split your time between rafting down a river and exploring locations you find along said river. It does survival right, as you're constantly juggling which items to bring, how to use your resources, and which locations to prioritize over the others. It's a proper evolution of the Oregon Trail formula, mixed with an awesome art style and a difficulty that walks a tight line between being too difficult to beat and being too easy for it's genre. I also really enjoyed the simple story, which was minimal but still effective at leaving me with a sense of satisfaction upon completion.

January Update

Game 1 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered ★★★★☆
The best remaster that I've played so far, it almost feels like a 2017 game with all the extra polish they did to the game. Unfortunately the fantastic original multiplayer (nostalgia?) didn't translate that well, filled with quickscopers and campers. Also the spawns and netcode seem a lot worse than the original which as a whole left me a bit disappointed. Still the best COD multiplayer released in 2016.

Game 2 - Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 ★★★☆☆
To be quite honest PES 2017 gameplay is a huge disappointment to me where the gameplay continues to have problems with absurd animations. AI is still top notch but the game lacks severely in almost every other aspect. Maybe it didn't clicked with me like PES 2016 did.

Game 3 - Lara Croft GO ★★★☆☆
A very barebones puzzle game that introduce some great mechanics later in the game that makes it a lot more interesting especially the DLC.

Game 4 - Hyper Void ★★☆☆☆
The only thing I remembered during my 1 hour spent playing the game was how great Dyad was despite how bad I was at that game. It's not terrible but nothing more than that.

Game 5 - Azkend 2 ★★★☆☆
Great game to play on the go and one that keeps the variety during the campaign which helps. As a match-3 game on the go this isn't a bad game to spend time with.

Game 6 - The Swindle ★★☆☆☆
Game seems great with all the mechanics, skill upgrades, increasing level difficulty but everything is moot when the jumping mechanic isn't reliable. I wish I could love this game but I couldn't.

Game 7 - Jazzpunk ★★★★☆
Great game with interesting story, great level design, sidequests and humor during the entire playthrough. A little bit short, but it kept me engaged for the entire time.

Game 8 - The Tomorrow Children ★★☆☆☆
I tried to understand the game, I visited towns, I went to the islands to gather resources but the game feels overwhelmed for a F2P game that I barely understood what everything meant. And I'm not interested in spending 1 hour reading a wiki to comprehend a F2P game...

Game 9 - Actual Sunlight ★★☆☆☆
A visual novel that tries to tell a story about depression in a very crude way which manages to do quite well. It basically doesn't have any gameplay and the way the story is told (black screens with white text) doesn't help the delivery of the game.

Game 10 - BlazeRush ★★☆☆☆
Playing it on the PS3 definitely didn't helped but the game looks rough for a 2 year game. The handling is actually good and the car combat is nice at first but it gets stale very quickly.

1. Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim - ★★★☆☆
It's an action RPG with light platforming elements. The way this game calculates damage is kind of effed. It seems every enemy in the game has an intended player level. If you're below that level, you literally cannot damage the enemy, and if you're a couple levels above, they can't damage you. Basically, there's a very small window in which the game feels balanced. That window moves through the game at about the same speed you do, but at times you'll feel overpowered, and at other times you'll be forced to grind. Aside from this stringent damage scaling, the game is solid. The soundtrack is a real highlight and the combat, while simple, is fun enough. Levels are fun to explore and they do a nice job of rewarding you for being observant. If you've played some of the later Ys games, this one will feel pretty rudimentary, but I think it's still worthy of a playthrough.

2. Ys Origin - ★★★★☆
Best Ys game I've played (all the ones on Steam), and I've enjoyed them all. Ys Origin feels like an action game from the 16-bit era translated into 3D. It's pure fun from start to finish. The bosses are amazing, the soundtrack is amazing, and the combat feels great (still pretty shallow though). My only real gripe is that the story can get in the way sometimes, although it's more interesting and better written than it was in previous Ys games. Also, I'd be happy if this game dropped the RPG elements. It has a smooth difficulty curve and I never had to grind, but I don't think player stats should ever factor into a reflex-based action game. I'll probably never try the higher difficulties for that reason. Anyway, great game!

3. Devil May Cry 3 - ★★★★☆

4. Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition - ★★★★☆
I'm still waiting on that top-to-bottom excellent Devil May Cry game. The combat is amazing, but the series has always suffered from excessive repetition of environments and boss fights, and DMC4 is the worst offender. I still love these games though, and I hope Itsuno's upcoming announcement is DMC5.

5. Assault Android Cactus - ★★★☆☆
Fun twin stick shooter with good weapon variety and well-balanced difficulty (aside from the massive spike at the end).

6. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy - ★★★☆☆
The seamless open world is really cool and I like how densely packed each area is. I don't think anything you do in the game is super interesting, but I can't pick out many flaws. The only real source of frustration is the camera which can get caught on walls and other objects, and doesn't always do a great job of conveying depth. I also think the soundtrack gives the game a bit of a dull vibe. It's just very forgettable. I jumped right into Jak II after finishing this one and hated almost everything about it. I'll still give Jak 3 a shot though.

7. Jak 3 - ★★☆☆☆
There's certainly a great variety of gameplay scenarios in Jak 3: platforming, shooting, driving, hang gliding, hoverboarding, piloting mechs, riding missiles, and many more. With how frequently mechanics are introduced and discarded, it's almost a mini-game collection. Unfortunately, most of it isn't fun. It's like the old saying: Jak of all trades, Daxter of none... *ahem*. I at least appreciate the quick turnaround time between missions. I quit Jak II because travelling to each objective was so tedious, so it's nice they fixed that.

8. Beyond Good & Evil - ★★★★☆
I think the main draw of Beyond Good & Evil is its expert worldbuilding. The combat is a bit clunky, the numerous stealth sections aren't that great, and there are some serious camera issues. But, man did I love exploring the world, taking in the scenery and uncovering government conspiracies. This game has its own unique vibe even 14 years later.

9. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile - ★★★★☆
Sad to see this series is basically dead. This is a really cool game. It's a 2D platformer, but you move along a path that curves around in a 3D space. The primary mechanic is grabbing and throwing enemies, which can be used for attacks, but also you can throw an enemy down while in mid-air to perform a double jump. Sometimes the game will ask you to repeat this maneuver multiple times before hitting the ground, which is always fun. It's a short game, but it squeezes a lot of ideas out of a relatively limited set of mechanics. Nice art direction, too.

5. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered: Fantastic remaster. Campaign still stands up as one of the best for fps. So many amazing set pieces. The multiplayer hasn't aged well and the netcode in the remaster doesn't seem as good as it was back in the day.

Game #7 Red Dead Redemption
Completed on February 2nd/ time 1d19h/ platform - Xbox One via XB BC.

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Masterpiece. This game is right there with Resident Evil 4, Skyrim, Mafia, GTA San Andreas, Mass Effect which I can play multiple times and still enjoy.
Started playing this game as soon as it became available on XB BC but really picked up around January when there wasn't that many games to play.
Now can't wait for RDR 2 and in a mean time I might start replaying it's DLC.

Original Post

Now on to Yakuza 0 and GTA Vice City.

Gotta say for the most part I enjoyed the game. I didn't complete it 100% but as much as I enjoyed the commentary from the movie director it can be distracting from the gameplay esp. when you are in combat.
Otherwise I liked the humor and the overall B-movieness of it. The final part of the game is a little weird but in the end...hey a happy ending is a good ending

Original Post


#20 Resident Evil ★★★.5 PS1 - Feb 1st - 5.30 Hours
Hard but enjoyable, can't say I liked the saving system or small inventory but I get why it's like that. I prefer Silent Hill on the PS1 but I'll try RE2 sometime

With the end of January providing a good time to step back and review, I'm going to throw my hat in here for this year. I don't time how long I spend with each game, but here's my progress so far:

Part 2: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=243463827
Part 3: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=251839976



1. Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas (Steam) - 1 January 2017
100%-ed. A fairly lightweight adventure, and while its mobile origins are evident, it's still a fun worthwhile Zelda-like



2. Pony Island (Steam) - 8 January 2017
100%-ed (including the secret ). Short but very sweet, this certainly lived up to the hype that I'd heard.



3. Watch Dogs 2 (PS4) - 21 January 2017
Platinumed. This sequel improves on the original in pretty much every way, and stands out to me with some very likeable characters, alongside a theme that very much appeals to my tastes - definitively an 'Ubisoft game' done right!



4. Day of the Tentacle Remastered (PS4) - 22 January 2017
Platinumed. I played the original *years* ago and this is a great recreation - I'm quite impressed with how much I managed to remember. I really need to get around to the Monkey Island remasters at some point!



5. Abzû (PS4) - 26 January 2017
Platinumed. Not as much actual 'game' as there might have been, but a beasutiful and very relaxing experience.



6. Batman: The Telltale Series - Episode 1: Realm of Shadows (PS4) - 27 January 2017
7. Batman: The Telltale Series - Episode 2: Children of Arkham (PS4) - 28 January 2017
8. Batman: The Telltale Series - Episode 3: New World Order (PS4) - 28 January 2017
9. Batman: The Telltale Series - Episode 4: Guardian of Gotham (PS4) - 28 January 2017
10. Batman: The Telltale Series - Episode 5: City of Light (PS4) - 29 January 2017
Platinumed. I pick and choose which Telltale games that I play and Batman is my third, after A Wolf Among Us and Tales from the Borderlands. While I don't follow the comics at all, I have a general positive leaning towards Batman as a series and this was a great way to dip back into Gotham for a little while. It's surprising/a little disappointing that the game's performance isn't all that great at times, but I can see past that.



11. Picross 3D Round 2 (3DS) - 5 February 2017
Platinum status (all puzzles completed on hard with rainbow jewels). Well, this was an impressive little time sink! Coming from playing through the original Picross 3D a while ago I knew pretty much what to expect, but the use of two colours now adds a good level of complexity. Very satisfying finally to complete the game!



12. Titanfall 2 (PS4) - 8 February 2017
Campaign completed on Master, with all collectibles... but sadly, I'm not going after the platinum trophy here - "...Becomes the Master" just isn't worth throwing myself against when I may never manage it. Regardless, this has been a standout FPS experience, which I've loved all the way through. It's a long time since I've played a game that made movement feel quite so good.




13. Kirby: Planet Robobot (3DS) - 15 February 2017
98% in-game completion rating - that's everything done, except for True Arena, which I'm not in the right mindset to throw myself against. A fairly easy, but fun game, as usual for the Kirby series, and building upon the already good Triple Deluxe. The robobot armour brings some enjoyable variety, while seeking out some of the well-hidden stickers makes exploring the levels fully nicely satisfying.



14. LIT (Steam) - 27 February 2017
All levels complete, within par time and step count. This is a decent enough little puzzle game, an iOS port, though rather short with only 16 levels. Having received this essentially for free in the aftermath of Gamepump's aborted launch, I can't complain about the price, though probably wouldn't have paid for it.



15. Dragon Quest Builders (PS4) - 5 March 2017
Platinum trophy. I've never really put any significant time into either the Dragon Quest series or Minecraft, but this felt to me to be a fun combination of the two, with a structured approach to the core building element coming through the questline, while still allowing freeform building, and rewarding experimentation with new rooms, recipes, etc. However, with Breath of the Wild having just arrived, just getting the platinum is plenty of time with the game for me.



16. Evoland (Steam) - 6 March 2017
Completed with 100% of achievements. This is a fairly lightweight adventure/RPG, but with an attractively novel gimmick - the gradual 'evolution' of the game aesthetics and mechanics as you progress. Certainly it's far from the best of this type of adventure that you'll find, with limited plot and shallow mechanics, but its 'evolution' gimmick and relatively short length means it doesn't wear out its welcome and all in all this is a fun little experience.



17. Ittle Dew (Steam) - 1 April 2017
Completed with 100% of achievements, which includes all collectibles. After discovering this game from a passing mention in the Steam thread, I knew that it looked like just the sort of game that I'd enjoy, being very much inspired by the puzzle elements of 2D Zelda (my favourite game series). While the puzzle mechanics that the game uses are more limited than those of Zelda, this allows each of them to be explored more deeply and there are a fair few really taxing puzzles here (I'll admit to resorting to a guide on a few occasions, especially for the 'Master Cave') - making for a very satisfying experience, with that "aha!" moment upon solving some of the more intricate rooms.



18. The Legend of Zelda (3DS VC - NES) - 14 April 2017
Much as I'm a huge fan of the Zelda series, I've never actually played fully through the original game - until now. Finally I've rectified that, having played the game through to completion, with all items collected, through both the First and Second Quests. Clearly the game's very primitive compared to where the series is now, but this was still great fun to play through. The extent to which the world hides secrets is really very impressive and the combat, while limited, still manages to bring a sense of satisfaction balanced well against the level of challenge. Overall I'm very pleased now to have this significant gap in my gaming experience plugged!



19. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch) - 16 April 2017
Main story quests completed with all memories restored and 120/120 shrines cleared. Clearly I don't need to sell this game's qualities give the plaudits that it's received from all sides - but suffice to say that it'll take a lot for any other game to displace this as my 2017 GotY. I'd have liked to see more extensive dungeons, but I can understand why the Divine Beasts were implemented how they were and the shrines go a long way towards making up for that; otherwise, I struggle to find any significant complaint here. With well over 100 hours logged, there's still so much more that I could be doing, but having completed all of the shrines I think that it's time for me to move on - at least for now. That said, I already have the Expansion Pass purchased so I'll definitely be coming back to this and may still try to chase that elusive 100% completion a little further in time.



20. Yooka-Laylee (PS4) - 29 April 2017
Platinum trophy. This is the first game - in fact, the first project of any time - that I kickstarted and, while certainly it has its fair share of flaws, I enjoyed my time with the game. It pretty much delivers exactly what was promised in being a Banjo-styled 'collectathon'; for the most part, it plays and controls well, with some imaginative worlds and well-designed characters. I'll join those who could have done without the minigames (they'd be fine if they were somewhat more forgiving) and certain other challenges were overly frustrating, but they don't mar the overall experience to that great an effect. Hopefully we'll see a sequel from Playtonic that addresses the flaws that are present here - and either way I look forward to seeing what will come from the studio in future! Oh yes, and special praise should go to Grant Kirkhope and, especially, David Wise for the excellent soundtrack here!



21. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (3DS VC - NES) - 30 April 2017
Just sneaking in to the end of the month, with this completion I've finally filled the glaring hole in my experience of Zelda games, with every main-line title now completed. I have to say that I'm very thankful for the VC functionality here, as I'll openly admit to making liberal use of save states and a guide - the game can be brutally difficult at times! While I'm glad that the series didn't follow the side-scrolling format significantly following Zelda II, it makes for an interesting change in approach that I enjoyed playing through, with the combination of overworld and 'action scenes' serving to make the game feel like it's taking place at a larger scale than other 2D instalments.



22. Headlander (PS4) - 1 May 2017
Platinum trophy; 100% completion reported in-game. This has been in my to-play list for a little while, since picking up the game in a recent sale - and as I feel that I should try tackling something a little shorter before my next 'big' game, it seemed to fit in quite nicely here. It's a fun little 'Metroidvania' with a neat twist in the use of different enemy robot bodies as the 'keys' that unlock different areas and an aesthetic that I don't see being explored that often. There's nothing overly challenging here, but it's still a satisfying experience in exploring the game's world and tracking down all of the available upgrades, plus a fairly interesting plot.



23. Grow Up (PS4) - 7 May 2017
100% of trophies. I enjoyed Grow Home, so this has been a game that I've been meaning to get to for a while and it's a nicely-done extension to the first game's premise, with a larger world to explore and a few new mechanics. Sadly, the game's somewhat glitchy and, while this in a way could be seen as part of its charm, overall I'd have preferred a but more polish. I don't regret my time with the game, though, as its climbing mechanic is a satisfying one (even post-Breath of the Wild), augmented with the world exploration and collectibles which always have some appeal to the completionist mentality that I have.



24. The Sexy Brutale (PS4) - 9 May 2017
Platinum trophy; 100% of brochure entries unlocked. This game really is... superb, an absolute gem and one that deserves all the success that it can get. If you've not heard of the game, this is a puzzle game set in fictional casino mansion, tasking you with preventing the murders of nine guests, through the use of close observation and an innovative time-manipulation mechanic. The puzzle difficulty is nicely balanced throughout and intricately designed, but where the game really excels is in its world design and intriguing storyline, which compels you onwards to discover the secrets that the mansion hides. Topped off with a fantastic soundtrack, this really is a game not to be missed!



25. Song of the Deep (PS4) - 14 May 2017
100% of trophies earned; 100% of items (49/49) and treasures (209/209) collected. My second 2D 'Metroidvania' for the month and again one with an unusual take on the formula, this time coming from the underwater setting and the more freeform movement that that results in. There's a charming backstory and some nicely-done in-game art to compliment the gameplay. Combat is fairly simple but generally well-balanced, with satisfying controls and enough variation in enemies to remain interesting throughout the game's 10-hour playtime. Item pickups, a 'Metroidvania' staple, often require solving some form of simple puzzle - with only a couple of exceptions, these add to the satisfaction of tracking them down, while having them marked automatically on the in-game map limits the potential frustration that could otherwise come from going after the last few.



26. Raptor: Call of the Shadows - 2015 Edition - 14 May 2017
100% of achievements unlocked; all waves completed for all sectors; all weapons and equipment purchased. I played the heck out of the shareware version on my very first PC, years ago, so when I found that this had come to Steam it was pretty much essential to pick this up at some point. While undoubtedly nostalgia will be an influence on my opinion, this was still good, if fairly mindless, fun to playthrough, and this time get the full experience. The upgrade mechanic afforded by the supply room keeps the game compelling as you see your plane becoming ever more powerful from mission to mission and there's a fairly good variety of different enemies throughout.



27. Prey (PS4) - 29 May 2017
Platinum trophy. I've always enjoyed immersive sims, and with Prey Arkane have brought us another excellent entry in a genre that's sadly far too underserved. Admittedly the game's combat wasn't particularly to my liking - primarily due to being rather unforgiving on higher difficulties - but appropriate neuromod selection and being prepared to drop down the difficulty level makes it much more approachable. That niggle aside, though, Prey's atmosphere and well-crafted world really are outstanding, with the result that Talos I (the space station on which the game is set) feels very believable.and is a joy to explore. And of course, for those others who've completed it, that ending... even though I was partially spoiled on it (partly by the game itself, partly by an unmarked spoiler posting elsewhere), I didn't see it turning out quite how it did, topping off an intriguing story that draws your through the game.



28. SUPERHOT (Steam) - 2 June 2017
All main levels completed; all challenges completed except for NoRestart and SpeedrunRT (and FunFunFun).

SUPERHOT is the most innovative shooter I've played in years. If you've played it, you'll know what I mean.



29. NieR: Automata (PS4) - 19 June 2017
Platinum trophy (legitimately, without any use of the trophy shop); 100% completion except for fishing intel. Platinum's 'character action' games don't tend to be my thing, but after giving the demo a go and having great fun and given the glowing impressions from many here on GAF I was persuaded to pick this up - and I'm very glad that I did! The combat mechanics aren't overly deep, but that's probably a good thing for my ability to get through the game, and there's enough that the game remains satisfying to play. The world that's been crafted here is very unusual, to say the least, and all the more intriguing as a result - a must for a game that styles itself as an RPG in large part. Perhaps the game's greatest asset, though, is its stunning soundtrack; in particular, the rendition of Weight of the World in the final credits will stay with me for a good long while!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmmrKK2GD6g



30. RiME (PS4) - 25 June 2017
Platinum trophy. Well, this turned out very nicely - RiME really is a beautiful game. Nothing too taxing, but the light puzzles are still satisfying to solve, the environments are enjoyable to explore and there's quite an affecting payoff that comes with the game's ending. There are a couple of areas that could use slightly better signposting over where you need to go, but all in all, my time with RiME was a very well-spent few hours.



31. CrossCells (Steam) - 27 June 2017
50/50 puzzles solves; 100% of achievements. Not as superb as the HexCells trilogy, but this is another solid puzzle game from Matthew Brown. The game is somewhat more reliant on maths/mental arithmetic that I typically like in puzzle games, which is worth bearing in mind if you're considering a purchase. However, after this feeling peaking around halfway through the puzzles, I found this then gradually to become less of an issue as I become more adept at spotting the key patterns that allow progress to be made, without as much trial-and-error of potential scenarios.



32. Owlboy (Steam) - 1 July 2017
Completed with 100% of achievements unlocked, 2,800/2,800 coins, 3/3 gold tokens. Owlboy is a well-designed, somewhat unusual 2D platforming adventure. The game sees you taking control of Otus, a young, mute owl, who, despite being branded a disappointment by his mentor, finds himself exploring the world with a view to thwarting a pirate plot threatening the destruction of his community. Being an owl, the usual running and jumping platforming mechanics are supplemented by Otus' ability to fly, alongside various shooting mechanics afforded by the cast of companion characters who accompany Otus on his journey.

Controls are responsive, the game world and various areas are interesting to explore (albeit with a few secrets perhaps somewhat *too* well-hidden) and there's a touching story driving the game forward - and then absolutely beautiful pixel-art graphics. While it would benefit from a built-in map as it's quite easy to get lost in a few of the areas, aside from that it's hard to find much to say about Owlboy that isn't positive!



33. Kamiko (Switch) - 2 July 2017
"Delightful" is very much the right word for this game. It's short, yes - a first playthrough of the game's four areas can be completed within an hour, and sub-20 minutes is very possible once you're familiar with the game - but great fun throughout that time, with a low price tag justifying the purchase. The game's 'puzzles' are only of the very lightest in nature and the combat is simplistic, but the game plays so smoothly that it comes together in a very satisfying way, with a very catchy soundtrack to top all that off.



34. RIVE (Steam) - 8 July 2017
All campaign levels completed. A well-presented and graphically impressive mix of 2D platforming and twin-stick shooter, the game's subtitle, "wreck, hack, die, retry!" seems to have been very apt in my experience - there's a fairly significant level of challenge here!. The story is fairly throwaway and doesn't make a great deal of sense, but clearly that's not a focus of the game, instead just serving to provide an excuse to string together the campaign - which is good fun while it lasts, with some interesting and challenging scenarios, and at 3-4 hours in length for the 12 campaign levels doesn't outstay its welcome. Twin-stick shooters aren't a genre that I play all that much of so I can't see myself coming back to the game, but for those who want to spend some more time with it, a series of challenges, with associated leaderboards, are there to provide some longevity (though needing to wait a day for each to unlock is a frustrating 'feature').



35. WayOut (Steam) - 12 July 2017
100% of achievements; all puzzles completed with minimum moves. Clearly inspired by the classic Lights Out handheld game from the 90s, WayOut is a decent little tiled-based puzzle game that's generally a relaxing experience, with simplistic graphics and a gentle background soundtrack. Of course, the puzzles themselves are key to the experience and in many cases present quite a stiff challenge, especially if you're aiming to solve the puzzles with the minimum possible number of moves - I'm not ashamed to admit to having referred to a guide to help with a fair few of them.

As you get towards the later puzzles, there are some interesting variants to the standard Lights Out puzzles, with special tiles that behave in different ways from standard ones, and it can be quite satisfying (albeit briefly) to work out each new mechanic and how best to make use of it to solve each puzzle. The one major criticism that I have with the game is linked with this, though, to an extent - while the game doesn't really need a tutorial as such (and doesn't have one), the puzzles don't necessarily come across in such a way as to teach techniques for solving later ones, instead feeling in large part to need a trial-and-error approach. Overall, though, the game easily justifies its low price, with its 120 puzzles providing a good length and the game's positives outweighing its drawbacks.



My list continues in my second post here.

Master Post

8. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (~15 hours)
Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a delight. Having played the first game, I must say the first game is probably better. However, this sequel is extremely good as well. It seems as though all the good ideas that got cut from the original made it into the sequel. Jumping is a little floaty (not as precise as 64), but level design is top notch. Secret stars are rewarding to find, though really, each star is it's own reward. It's one of those games that you can't put down until it's over. Five stars, easily.
5/5

Full List of 2017 games

January end: 10 games (2017 total 10 games)
Tremendous start to the year, as I have decided to prune my active number of games down by a few to be more efficient. Also, I'm getting out of games that don't agree with me quicker, I bailed on Super Meat Boy after dying 80 times in a row, would have taken a small miracle to beat that game so I cut my losses a bit. Last year, I dedicated it to the handhelds, killing off a good chunk of the Vita/DS/PSP3DS games. After reflecting, over half of my backlog consists of PC and PS3 games, so that will be my focus in 2017.

1. God of War III (PS3) - January 1 - 11 hours
Another angry romp through Olympus. I love Greek Mythology, but not necessarily the GOW franchise. Great design in the visuals, sounds, music and set pieces, using the full brunt of the Mythological scale quite well. Controls are easy and first-nature. Ridiculous Boss fights. What brings the whole thing down is the ultra-violence and the worst leading character in all of gaming, you actively want him to die.

2. Fallout 3 (PC) - January 4 - 33 hours
This is a tough one for me. I love Bethesda, love Fallout, but it's not an ideal match. The Wasteland looks great, and it becomes an exploration game in first person, slinking around through the wastes is a joy. SPECIAL is diminished without turn-based combat and the main quest is really poor. The towns are really bad, the Megaton bomb in particular the worst part. I wanted to spend more time, but my save died upon upgrade to Windows 10, so I might take a PS3 run at a later time.

3. Goat Simulator (PS3) - January 7 - 10 hours
My 3-year old's favourite game. Ridiculously good bad game, romp through Goatville and Goat Bay with your Goat. Would sit on the couch and watch my daughters smash all of Sweden with their overpowered Goats. Reminds me of Pain, but this is far superior with the more open world aspects. Tons of fun for the whole family, but Flappy Goat can kiss my ass.

4. Stick it to the man! (PS4) - January 10 - 8 hours
An adventure game with inventory puzzles, with a mind-reading alien arm stuck to your head which operates like the 'place sticker' mechanic in the Littlebigplanet games. It is as awesome as it sounds. Very silly, the most Schafer-like game I've ever played that did not involve Schafer himself. High marks here, another PS plus gem.

5. Littlebigplanet Karting (PS3) - January 16 - 21 hours
Another charming addition to the LBP series, this time in the form of a Mario Kart style racer rather than the usual Platformer. Sackboy is great, the racing is easy and fun, multiple themed-worlds of various levels to beat. I also messed about in creative mode more than before, and this would be my favourite LBP game to date.

6. Zhuzhu Puppies (DS) - January 18 - 3 hours
A pet raising sim, more in the vein of Sims than Nintendogs. Played with my 3 year old while she was sick. Highlight of the game is the catchy music, and I suppose the little poops that you have to scoop manually. Whee.

7. Ben there, Dan that! (PC) - January 20 - 3 hours
Quick and zany little old-school adventure game, crudely animated which only adds to the charm. A couple of English blokes take the piss out of the Adventure game genre, American beer and Sci-Fi with hilarious results. Well worth a playthrough, double that if you're a old Lucasarts game fan, as I am.

8. Tumble (PS3) - January 23 - 2 hours
PS Move game, sort of a cross between Stacking! and Jenga. 4 different modes, played through them in 1 sitting with my family, passing about a single move controller. Fun for a spell, I'm just not much of a motion gaming fan.

9. Serious Sam 2 (PC) - January 26 - 15 hours
Another excellent shooter from the Serious Sam series, 3 for 3 now by my count. Tons of levels and enemies, same serious arsenal with some additions, but with an added story mode with so bad they're good cutscenes after level completion. I don't think there was as many memorable levels as 1st/2nd encounters, but the variety is better and the vehicles are a fun distraction. One of the top shooter series running.

10. Dante's Inferno (PS3) - January 28 - 18 hours
I did not expect to like this. An unabashed god of War clone, turning the Divine Comedy into a blood-letting affair, by an EA studio named Visceral? Ugh. But like it I did, as they actually did a decent attempt of turning the source material into a game, and the Dante / Beatrice pairing is vastly superior to the eternal angst of Kratos' tale. I like the Scythe weapon, and the good/evil skill tree dynamic. It was quick enough to justify a 2nd run to grab the platinum as well.

Game #21 - Final Fantasy IV
Time: 27 hours

Stange relationship with this one, as I lvoed half of it, and absolutely hated the second half, and sincethe bad stuff usually leaves a stronger impression on you, thats the one that is going to stick with me. I enjoyed the first 15 hours or so, really liked the low poly look and the story was fun if a little simple, but I liked a lot of the stuff it was doing mechanically with mixing battles and cut scenes, and the way you constantly changed your party for story reasons. Unfortunately eventually the story becomes super cliche, nobody actually dies which really annoyed me, the whole group is super incompetent, and there is a ridiculous difficulty spike near the end (the last dungeon is probably my least favorite zone in any rpg I can remember), so much so that I just wanted the game to end, which is never a good thing. This is a Final Fantasy game I will never replay again (ironically since its built for multiple playthroughs). Left a really bad taste in my mouth man, I hope 6 brings me back on FF's good graces.

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5:30h. Commander difficulty, used only Optimus. 92% completion

Got this one in PS+ and caught me totally by surprise. even after reading it's actually pretty decent, I hadn't expected it to be this good. The story is every bit as forgettable as expected, but the fights are dope. I'm not going to say it's Bayonetta with robots, but it's not too far off, except for the relative scarcity of special moves and the fact that you have 5 different playable characters.

I'm taking off a star because I think it's a couple hours too short to be perfect. But if you have it already in your backlog, it's totally recommendable.

My Score: ★★★★☆

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Main Post - Part 1

#10: Tales of Monkey Island: 14.9 hours

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Maybe a little easier but yep that's a Monkey Island game, and an old style Telltale game. Got more interesting by episode 3 where the plot started gearing up, otherwise I dunno point and clicks don't really grab me that much.

Currently playing: Between the 3rd and 4th dungeons in Oracle of Seasons. Just got a composite to HDMI converter so I might finally work on my Wii's VC backlog a little.

20h-ish. Read fully.

After reading through Watanagashi-hen, I've realized that the Higurashi novels aren't really horror a la Corpse Party, but rather gory and frantic utsuge. You know none of the characters will get a happy ending, not at least during the , but you really really want them to, and knowing you're watching a slice-of-life show with a foregone conclusion weights quite heavily on you.

Watanagashi is less straightforward than Onikakushi and even presents something akin to a mystery. Unlike Rina, which was shown to be pretty psycho from early on Mion manages to keep a façade of normalcy for most of the story, which makes the last three episodes the more poignant.

Already reading Tatarigoroshi to see how deep the rabbit hole goes.

My Score: ★★★★☆

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#21 Heavenly Sword ★★★.5 PS3 - Feb 3rd - 5.30 hours
Pretty good although they really should have prioritised a stable framerate over graphics..I never beat this when I played it like 9 years ago because the final boss was too hard, well it's still hard but I got it eventually. Nice seeing Andy Serkis in a game.

Original Post

4. Inside - 9/10. 3-4 hours
Castlevania was pissing me off, so I replayed Inside. It's a fantastic puzzle platformer that is dripping with atmosphere and mystery. The puzzles are very clever and just the right difficulty without ever becoming frustrating. The art is gorgeous. The ending is one of the more memorable ones in recent memory. Even though I don't quite understand it all, it still left an impact.

Next Game - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Master Post

9. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
If you're a console gamer, it wouldn't be uncommon for you to say that one or more of the following games is among the greatest games of all time: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario World. New Super Mario Bros. Wii takes elements from all three of these games and combines them into one new(er) Mario game, with some unique elements of it's own (namely power-ups). All told, this game will be a nostalgic throwback to your youth. Running and jumping through the game feels like Mario, and clearing levels is as fun as it's always been. It's not without it's flaws though. I thought the level design was somewhat uninspired. It kind of felt like ”Let's just throw some blocks here and enemies there and call it a level". Boss fights were often very fun. And graphically, it's great, and very colorful. Having played the original DS New Super Mario Bros., this one is actually considerably more challenging. Prepare to repeat levels with cheap deaths.

If you want a great 2D platformer and have never played one of the first three games I mentioned, go play one of them now. But if it's more Mario you want, it's more Mario New Super Mario Bros. Wii provides.
4/5

Roberto Duran said:

Here's mine so far:
1) Castlevania Symphony of the Night (X-Box 360 version)
2) Picross 3D
3) Mega Man 2 (NES)
4) Castlevania Aria of Sorrow (GBA via Gameboy Player)
5) Mega Man 1 (NES)

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6) Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow (Nintendo DS)

Another very good Castlevania game, though I didn't think this was as good as Aria of Sorrow, but I enjoyed the difficulty.

Here's what I managed for the first month. Seems the next few will be a lot of Nintendo since I just acquired a Galaxy New 3DS XL

Sch1sm said:

Reserving~

Completed 04/52:

Game 01: Paint It Back (PC) - 28h0m

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#Picross clone. Tremendous Picross clone. So good. So smooth. So often confused on the tongue with The Rolling Stones' Paint It Black. Good time wasted. Lots of class hours lost in the first two days alone. Near 30 hours in 4 days. I thrive in this shit.

Game 02: Pony Island (PC) - 3h42m

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#Satan? Ponies? More ponies? Where's the island? What's going on? Very boring puzzles with very boring side scrolling.

Game 03: Strata (PC) - 1h06m

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#Line puzzler. Simple. Zen. Soundtrack is lovely. Broken achievements so to earn the ones for sets specifically, you only need to complete and perfect the first puzzle of those particular sets, lol.

Game 04: Pictopix (Platform) - 14h30m

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#Another Picross clone 'cause who doesn't love Picross? Not as fun as Paint It Back, because you don't have that variation in normal, pro, and master paintings, but a much better UI. Wish you could change key bindings, but it is what it is. Well done game. Has the added bonus of randomized puzzles, so like Paint It Back and HexCells Infinite, it's a forever installed title.

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I've been intrigued by this thread in past years, but 52 games always seemed too daunting. It's quite a lot by my standards, and I always have so many problems deciding what to play.

Count me in this year. In 2017, I really need a distraction to keep myself from going crazy.

I loaded my backlog of games I owned and actually wanted to play into Grouvee, and have been using the "Tell me what to play" option on the site to just randomize a game each week so that I don't get paralyzed by choice or overthink it. The goal is to either play it to completion or until the end of the week, at which point I can drop it if I don't feel like playing it. If I finish a game early, I can either randomize a new choice, return to a game that I didn't finish, or take a break.

With that introduction out of the way, here is what I played each month.

Completed

January

1: Game of Thrones: Telltale - 13 hours


If you play enough Telltale games you start to seem the seams in their "choice-driven" narratives, and this was way more pronounced in GoT where the main story was a known-quantity and could not be affected in a way that would violate cannon. It was very transparent that the choices you made didn't matter, which made the game feel somewhat like an inevitable slog. I'd also mention that they got many of the HBO series actors/actresses to do voices in this, and leaned into that pretty hard, which means if you aren't familiar with the books or the show, you'd be totally lost playing this. I had an okay time with it overall, but have no desire to play season 2.
6/10

2: A Boy and His Blob – 11 hours


This PC port of the Wii remake is still very solid and a joy to play. The UI & presentation feels a bit outdated, and puzzles were generally not challenging, but it's a game directed at kids at the end of the day so that was easily forgivable.
8/10

3: Sunset Overdrive – 11 hours


Jet Set Radio + Ratchet and Clank sounds right up my alley, but the great art style and technical aptitude in this were somewhat wasted on a boring open world design. The open world exists as an area to travel between missions, and a location to find crafting collectables that you need to play base defense scenarios to combine. These were by far my least favorite parts of the game, and I dreaded every base defense mission in the main storyline. The last 1/3 of the game, when the best guns were unlocked, and the open world traversal was incorporated into missions rather than just something you did inbetween them, redeemed the game for me a little bit.
7/10

4: Song of the Deep – 6 hours


I was not thrilled when Grouvee randomized the only other Insomniac game on my large list right after finishing Sunset Overdrive, but I had a great time with this. The art was fantastic and they got a ton of mileage and variety out of the under sea setting. The light momentum-based ship movement & combat were simple but a nice change of pace for the Metroidvania genre. A few bad sections and a heavy hand collectible treasure that really didn't feel great to collect (had a very low value and never felt worthwhile) were my only complaints.
8/10

5: Aviary Attorney – 6 hours


This was Phoenix Wright set in 19th century france. I expected puns and a lack of substance, but was very impressed by the characters and story. The art style, and the level of personality lent by minor animation, is incredibly good. My only complaints were mission progression issues: I had to replay some trials when prompted for evidence I never discovered. Fortunately it wasn't too time consuming due to the ability to load any chapter/day, so it didn't ruin the experience for me.
9/10

February

6: Resident Evil 7 - 10 hours


I loathed RE5/6 and couldn't see myself every enjoying the series again, so I was pleasantly surprised by this. It reminded me of why Resident Evil felt unique in the survival horror gen back on PSX: player firepower. Where 5 & 6 leaned way too heavily into Action gameplay, 7 really got the balance right by having you feel like you weren't totally defenseless, but the scarcity of items and ammo always made the threat of becoming defenseless feel close by. I played the whole thing in VR and the immersion and sense of scale added so much to the experience. The locations weren't just video game versions of a house, a bathroom, a trailer, etc.: the scale made them feel authentic and real. Likewise, a monster becomes that much more terrifying when you realize it dwarfs you by 1-2 feet and that its claws are longer than your legs.
9/10

7: Steamworld Heist - 13 hours


2D X-COM + Worms is the common and most accurate summary of this game. I was impressed with how much more satisfying the manual aiming was over X-COM's percentage-based combat. Pulling off a trick shot and killing two robots at once when you're almost dead is one of the most satisfying moments of gaming in 2017 so far for me. I don't have any complaints about the game, and the length was basically perfect for my taste.
10/10

8: Nioh - 60 hours


I had a great time overall with Samurai Souls. The weapon variety, magic system, and Ki Pulse/combo based combat was super satisfying. That said, the game felt like it could have used some real editing: fewer/better items, fewer/better levels, and maybe even scrapping some of the under-baked weapon types. A few complaints aside, I can easily see myself replaying this at some point, and it's an insane value with the sheer amount of stuff they packed into the game even before NG+.
8/10

March

9: Steamworld Dig - 4.5 Hours


After having a great time with Steamworld Heist and hearing the Dig 2 announcement I decided to go back and play this. It felt fairly mindless and non-challenging to play, but I had an okay time all the same. On the plus side, the great art style and humor from Heist was still present in this game. On the negative side, digging endlessly through tunnels is not actually very fun. Most of the game felt like a slog even staying up-to-date on upgrades.
6/10

10: Zelda: BOTW - 60 hours


BOTW was not what I expected from a Zelda game and I usually hate open world games. Despite this, I enjoyed BOTW more than any Zelda since OOT. I have a bunch of substantial complaints about the game: weapons breaking was annoying, shrines weren't a sufficient replacement for thematically interesting dungeons, rain *always* sucked. But it wasn't enough to detract from my overall enjoyment of the game. When the credits rolled and I returned to the game world before exiting, I legitimately felt sad knowing that I was saying goodbye to the BOTW world for a long time. 1000 bonus points to Nintendo for not dragging everyone through a 2 hour tutorial again like in SS. The game trusted players to figure things out, and that was *very* refreshing for a Zelda game.
9/10

11: Shovel Knight - 8 Hours


I'm late to the party on this one, but Shovel Knight is a very intelligently designed homage to 8-bit games like Megaman. Playing it made me wish that all the older 8 bit character action games would be remade with optional frequent checkpoints. I would have given up on the game in frustration if it had antiquated relics of game design like Lives or finite Continues, but the modern compromises (no lives, infinite continues, checkpoints at a slight score penalty) meant I was able to play through the whole thing and enjoy it. I'm looking forward to checking out the two DLC campaigns they put out at some point during the 52/2017 challenge.
8/10

12: The Bug Butcher - 7 Hours


This was a fun modern take on Pang (the retro side-scrolling shooter where your character can only aim up, so you end up juggling enemies and leading them into bullets as they bounce around). I wish the co-op mode was more than just trying to see how many waves you could beat before dying and resetting, and I wish the game had a boss fight to cap it off, but it's still an impressive project given the small team.
7/10

13: VA-11 Hall-A - 10 Hours


I had pretty mixed feelings while playing this. It's very light on gameplay and fairly non-interactive. There were several embarrassing meme-embracing moments like those featured in the Steam store page screenshots. I wasn't a huge fan of the first half, but the story and characters eventually won me over and I was glad that I had played it.
7/10

14: Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm - 10 Hours


I played SC2: Wings of Liberty at launch but waited a long time to play the followup expansion. HOTS has an embarrassingly bad story, even compared to Wings of Liberty, but it also had a very fun campaign design that didn't feel too repetitive. There was great variety in the mission objectives and the game avoided the RTS campaign pitfall of presenting a long series of base-building missions that feel identical. Conversely, it definitely had some of those missions along the way, and they were fun when they did show up. After playing HOTS I'm excited to finally play LOTV. I'm even more excited that Blizzard can finally move past Metzen-writing.
7/10

15: Titanfall 2 - 8 Hours


I had spent plenty of time playing the multiplayer mode in TF2, but finally got around to the single player campaign. Ended up enjoying it quite a bit. I especially liked the second half, where the traversal and Titan gameplay that the MP mode is famous for started to become the focus of the campaign. Unfortunately the first half didn't lean into the best parts of the game, and felt too much like every other modern shooter (take cover, snipe enemies, regen health when the screen gets messed up.)
8/10

April

16: Snakepass - 11 Hours


The controls in Snakepass made it feel like a truly 100% new take on a platformer and the satisfaction from mastering them was immense. I loved the game but if I had one wish for something to be changed, it would have been for greater visual variety in the levels. The first two worlds in particular felt very samey, and it was a shame to finish half of the game before coming across levels with a bit more variety.
9/10

17: The Disney Afternoon Collection - 5 hours


This was a collection of 6 NES games but I'm counting it as one game because it feels like it matches the spirit of this challenge better. I had played most of these as a kid, but had definitely never beaten any of them besides Ducktales 1. Most of them haven't aged particularly well, but the last two (Ducktales 2 and Chip and Dale 2) were 100% new to me and I loved both. It was really interesting to see how much design and visual evolution they accomplished over the lifespan of a single console generation. The presentation of the collection was also fantastic.
8/10

18: Yooka Laylee - 21 Hours


I backed this on PS4 and was very disappointed by the performance and how it impacted the feel of movement in the game. I decided to buy it on PC and see how much that helped, and it felt like a completely different game. They pitched it as a modern refresh of the Rare 3D platformers people loved from yesteryear, and for me it met that goal admirably. I hope it does well enough for a sequel, as I'd love to see more.
9/10

May

19: Assassin's Creed Syndicate - 30 Hours


The last AC game I played was AC3 ~4 years ago. I expected to hate this, having long grown tired of Ubisoft open world games chock full of pointless collectibles and uninspired quests. This game ended up being... okay? I liked both of the main characters, I liked the setting of Industrial Revolution London, and I liked the improved movement options (grappling hook and carriages). Everything else about the game was the same tired AC formula, but the setting and characters carried me through to some extent. The game is definitely much too long, and I was ready for it to end by the 50% mark. My better-than-expected experience would be encouraging for AC: Empire (or whatever the reboot/2017 offering is), but I have a hunch that the long delay for this iteration will only mean it is more bloated and full of bland activities to do, so who knows.
6/10

20: Pony Island - 3 hours


I started this over a year ago and finally got around to finishing it. It's a very creative game with a bunch of unexpected twists. Not to the same extent as something like Frog Fractions, but the same premise. I'm glad I played and experienced this weird creative thing someone made, but I'm not actually sure it was all the fun.
7/10

21: RIVE - 5 Hours


This was a free Humble Bundle game that I had pretty low expectations for, but ended up really enjoying. It's like a twin stick shooter mixed with a light platformer, with very satisfying controls, visuals, and responsiveness. It was difficult, but very frequent check-points and instant respawns meant it was never frustrating.
8/10

22: Injustice 2 - 7 Hours


When will I learn? Several times a year a new fighter will come out and I'll think, ”This is it. This is the fighter I'm finally going to get good at!" Then I play the training mode, see a bunch of Cancel attack stuff, and immediately realize ”No, I won't." Injustice 2 is also a fighter I will never be good at, but it's got an incredible amount of single player content, a great mix of characters I already have some fondness for, and doesn't delve into hyper-violence in a way that alienates me. It feels much more accessible than something like SFV, but still not quite enough for me to wrap my head around. Still, it doesn't feel as out of reach as most fighters, and I did sort of okay in the multiplayer matches I tried. I expected the Story mode to be half as long as it was. It's the best time I've had with a fighter since the original Blazblue in 2008.
9/10

23: World of Goo - 8 Hours


I started this way back in 2009 and only got around to finishing it/replaying it thanks to this challenge. It holds up surprisingly well: the puzzles are still clever, and the physics gameplay is still pretty satisfying. The PC port is very barebones however, and occasionally the simplistic controls lead to some frustration.
7/10

24: Deadbolt - 7 Hours


Initially the similarities to Hotline Miami and this bothered me: it felt like borderline plagiarism. It won me over because at the end of the day, it's much more competently made: I didn't run into the same AI, aiming, and camera issues I had in Hotline Miami. The game played flawlessly from start to finish. I could have lived with a checkpoint or two in each mission, as it was pretty frustrating to finish a mission and die to an enemy on the way out, but overall this was a fun test of skill. I still think Hotline Miami is the more interesting game, but this was inarguably better made.
8/10


25: Farpoint VR - 7 Hours


This has a lot of similarities to RE7 in my mind. It's a very impressive display of what VR is capable of, but the last third of the game also throws away a lot of goodwill that the game earned by being too action focused. The PSVR Aim Controller mostly felt great to use, but towards the end with lots of flying enemies it had a lot of tracking problems with upwards aiming, and I experienced a ton of cheap deaths. This wasn't the best game I played in 2017, but it will probably be the one with the most jaw-dropping moments, and it makes me hopeful about what the future of VR tech is going to bring.
8/10


26: Vanquish - 7 Hours


I played a bit of this on Xbox 360 back when it came out, but the PC version feels like a new game: Keyboard + mouse controls, 60fps, higher resolution. It looks and feels wonderful to play. Some of the cover-shooter bits gave me an unwelcome sense of last-gen déjà vu, but the speed and style of the gameplay surpasses the sometimes-boring last-gen cover shooter design.
8/10


June

27: Witcher 3 - 64 Hours


I picked this up back when it launched and put it down pretty quickly after being overwhelmed by the game. I also played dozens of hours of, but did not finish, Witcher 1 and 2. I came away from those games thinking that Geralt was an obnoxious character and that the frequent sex offers (and card collection from ”conquests", smh) from female characters in the game were extremely juvenile and off-putting. I decided to finally make an effort at playing through 3, and it ended up being the only game I played in June due to the insane length. Turning off most side-content map icons ended up being great advice from GAF, and made it much easier to slowly digest the massive scope of the game. Even after ignoring 70% of the side content that wasn't related to the main story, this is by far the largest WRPG I've ever played. There are massive, massive sections of the map I barely scratched full of towns with quests and stories that, from the few I played, were actually pretty compelling. I think this is probably the best written RPG I've ever played, especially when it came to the quests outside the main story. Bioware and every other developer is on notice: this is how you write compelling side content. As for the negatives: ultimately while the game made Geralt more relatable and the world setting is incredibly well-realized, I'm still not a huge fan of the Witcher world's setting, and I'm being generous by saying that the combat was serviceable.
8/10


28: Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone - 14 Hours


I took a break for the penultimate main-game story quest to play the first DLC expansion. The main-DLC quest content was fantastic and I loved the storyline. I'm not convinced this earned the description of an ”expansion" though. It didn't really change anything about the game, seemed to take place in regions that weren't noticeably distinct from the regular game, and it's too similar to existing quest content in the game. It seemed like a really, really good quest chain that would have fit naturally in the game as side-content at launch, rather than an ”expansion".
7/10


July

I've finally hit the post limit where I can't include reviews. Instead, I'll link to the month's post where I posted larger summaries of my experiences with each game until I think of a better solution.

29: Owlboy - 9 Hours


7/10

30: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate HD - 10 Hours


8/10

31: Yoshi's Woolly World - 20 Hours


6/10


August

32: Splatoon 2 - 8/10


8/10

33: Dragon Quest Builders - 80+ Hours


8/10

34: Sonic Mania - 6 Hours


9/10

35: Ratchet & Clank - 10 Hours


7/10

36: Severed - 5 Hours


9/10

37: SOMA - 10 Hours


8/10

Original post.

First game completed in February!

Game 8: Elliot Quest - 5/5 - 31:00 hours (02/02/2017)

Completed the game, got the neutral ending, did all the optional bosses and dungeons, collected all items. What a blast to the past! Not unlike Shove Knight before, this indie is a love letter to 8-bit games, both in presentation and content; while Shovel Knight harkens back to action platformers, this little gem does so towards action adventure games. The gameplay offers no explanations whatsoever, aside from some basic commands: you play and learn through your ability and your mistakes. The way the save system works is harsh but fair, you get used to it pretty quickly and it manages to strike a good balance between "having to redo long parts" and "feeling the stakes". When moving Elliot around you feel in control from the get go, but it's only after a few hours, when you get the double jump, that the game truly opens up, both in exploration and combat possibilities. The graphics feature warm, deep colours, the sprites have a distinct and charming look; the game is surprisingly big and long, with heaps of secrets and stuff to collect: every location is beautiful and unique and you never feel bored by the exploration. The sense of adventure and mistery is strong and pushes you to finish the game. Too bad the ending feels rushed and is definitely the low point of the whole game, together with the morality system, which is unneeded and shallow.

This game is:

+

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A 2D shooter where enemy alien bugs bounce around and you need to destroy them in a set amount of time to wrack up score and complete the stage. If you don't take any damage at all you get the highest score possible in a stage.
I only played and finished up til the final level, Level 30. AN overall decent shooter but gets pretty tough by the end esp. if you want to get the highest score.

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#6 Alien Rage Unlimited (PC) - 4 hours - 04/02/2017


Pretty average game, not alot of weapon/enemy variety and some of the boss fights are pretty annoying. It's reasonably fast paced though so if that's your kind of thing than you could consider picking this up but only when it's on sale. 5/10

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Game 8: Child of Light

System: Wii U (Multiplatform)
Year: 2014
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

Oh good, the little girl has suddenly grown up to a hot chick!

Overview
Child of Light is a gorgeous RPG with a water-color motif, that I originally purchased and started playing over a year ago. The game follows Aurora, an Austrian princess who is sent to a less druggy Wonderland. I first played a demo of this game while studying abroad in Austria, so I thought it fitting to try out the game, given its setting (although very little of the game is set in the real world).

Gameplay
The game is a turn based RPG where two members of your party face up to 3 enemies at once. There are 6 or 7 characters to choose from, each with their own abilities in battle. Somewhat like old FF games, each character has a bar that increases, and they can only use a move once the bar reaches a certain point. Unlike FF though, all characters and enemies share the bar, and if you attack an enemy once they've selected a move, but haven't attacked yet, they are knocked back down the bar. It's an interesting mechanic, and really adds variety to what move is the best at any point.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• The game is gorgeous. The backgrounds all look like paintings, and the character designs are all excellent, especially
  Spoiler

  Aurora's adult appearances.
• The RPG system is clever and really engaging, it does a good job keeping the battles fresh.

Cons:

• The story is not good. All characters speak in rhyme, which is cute at first, but makes an already thin story fall even flatter. Even worse, the rhymes are often not very good. They only have the final word of every other word rhyme, and don't bother with syllable length, making many lines awkwardly out of sync. Also, many of the rhymes are poor, such as rhyming 'alter' with 'other'.
• Most of the characters aren't great. I rather liked Aurora and some of her party members (mostly the useful ones...) but many of her companions were either flat or useless in battle or both. The jester siblings in particular weren't too interesting to begin with, but they added a second identical character with nearly the same abilities.
• Wasted battle potential. While the battles are cool, some of the character's abilities aren't very useful. Every character has an element that it's weak to, but only one character can use elemental magic, all others simply have physical or status moves. You can use hold items to give elemental status to physical moves, but why more characters couldn't use fire or water spells is beyond me.

Rating

Average

A very pretty and artistic game, Child of Light does fall a bit flat at time. In particular, the story is neither very cohesive or interesting, instead relying on combat and limited exploration to hold the game together. If the visuals really appeal to you, I would recommend the game, but don't go in expecting a well-rounded experience.


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For a list of the other games I've completed this year, visit my mother post here.

OP

Game 8: Yakuza 0 (PS4) - 35 Hrs 31 Mins (2/3/2017)

#This game... Oh, this game!

As someone who has never played a Yakuza game, this was a great beginning for me to get into the franchise. The characters were great, the story was hooking me to move forward while the side content was keeping me interested as well with how wacky yet serious this game can be. The soundtrack was good and this game just makes me interested in Kiwami that much more. Loved this game!

9) Gravity Rush 2(PS4) 1/22-2/4

There's so much good this game does but the bad end up overshadowing and overcoming what is so good about the game sometimes that it left me with such a mixed reaction to the game.

Positives:

- Beautiful looking game, I love the artwork as I did with the 1st one. It's simple, it's full of life and it captures a real Studio Ghibli feel. Game will always give you such a beautiful atmosphere with the town even if the same 4-5 character models get rehashed

Was a beautiful game 1 minute in and was a beautiful game by the credits rolling. BY FAR the best thing this series has to offer, the art work is amazing. You got no soul if you aren't smiling or get some sort of flashbacks by playing this game to some form of Studio Gibli/Animated Kids cartoon(movie).

- A lot of new optional content in this sequel. The photo mode which I put a gif up above is much appreciated, the photo hunts are somewhat addictive, the emotes that Kat can do are sweet. This game has so many new modes that you can do compared to the 1st as expected, you can find yourself burning a lot of time doing the photo hunt or the mining missions.

For the sake of progressing in the game, I cracked down on simply the story mode but this game just felt longer, this took me a bit over 35 hours to wipe out side missions/main missions and a sprinkle of mining/photo hunts here and there. The costumes come late and often, I think in the span of like 2-3 hours, you can get 4 different costumes which is crazy talk! There's a lot of fanservice with the costumes but nothing vulgar or over the line, all the costumes serve a good purpose and don't put Kat in a scenario that she looks trashy which is a good thing.

- Story is somewhat clique but I mean I like it thus far. It has the whole "Rich vs Middle Class vs Poor" element to it that a lot of games do but I think the characters really help out here to make it bearable. But it is nothing absolutely groundbreaking.

Yeah the story got somewhat predictable but I really liked how much they opened up between the 1st and 2nd game like revealing Kat's history, revealing a character's unmasking. It felt like this is the last game of the series and the creators just owed it to the fans and just let loose everything and anything. The game is clique and if you watch enough kid friendly movies/shows, you will see everything coming but I like that type of storytelling that you know what is upcoming but say your kid or someone young does not. I was pretty damn happy by the end of the game over what happened so in that regard I had some emotional investment in this game and that's not always easy to get out of a gamer.

Negatives:

- Some of the mission structures, particularly the stealth missions are lousy. This was a major problem in the 1st one though fortunately there were 1-2 of these, they upped the ante for this game. Why they continuously reshuffle these missions is beyond me, if there was a major gripe with this game it is the lack of innovation with missions. Having played the remaster of the original last February, this was as clear as day for me that this game borrowed some of the previous missions only fluffed it with new story/dialogue and some new enemies.

Missions do repeat in this game but you know what you sign up for when getting an open world game so I cannot fault GR2 in this department.

Overall,very few missions can I honestly say I had fun with in this game which sucks to say. The gravity sliding is the best feature in the game for me and very seldom do they feature it in this game in the form of a mission. To me, I felt the missions verged more so on padding the game length rather than give you a truly unique experience. I did them for the sake of completion but I can count on my fingers how many times I truly had fun doing them. There were a few missions that I cannot for the life of me think why is this in the game outside of just extending the game to be longer.

Might be in the clear minority but some of the Lunar modes(New concept for GR2) I found to be way too complex for what it suppose to be a simple game. I can not for the life of me perfect the rocket jump, the instructions on how they tell you do it just are not precise and what I ended up finding myself doing is button mashing all of the ways the game tells you(TILT the stick and hit X continuously, I am doing that fellas!) Nothing!) I for the life of me do not get the reason to have to make this so complex. I also feel like when I "Flick" the touchpad that there's a 3-4 second delay in getting the mode activated, which is a massive problem given the combat can be very fast and quick, especially playing on the hardest difficulty.

I honestly don't know if it's me or the game, I just feel that the modes in this should not be this complex. Compared to Kat's Gravity Shifting abilities, night and day with how easy that was to pick up versus this.

As I progressed through the game, I got better with this though I will say the game will randomly drop me back to normal mode for whatever reason despite not commanding it, which isn't too big of a deal given I can flick it right back on. There was a new panther mode that magically just appears without any forewarning which is frustrating since it's such a key mode towards the end stretch of the game. Still did not get the rocket jump down, didn't end up needing it as I found other ways to get to the objective though it would have been much easier in doing so.

- Like with the 1st, this game has uneventful music. It fits the game and atmosphere, absolutely it does but not one track that I encountered in the 1st game or this one can I truly say that I can constantly go on Youtube and hit the replay button over and over again. This is purely nitpicking and I think the majority does not agree with this one but this series never hit home in the music category and I am an absolute sucker for good VG music and those are gimmie points if anything when "reviewing" a game.

Nothing I will go out of my way and listen countless times on Youtube but I will say the music fits the theme and mood well which is all you can ask for. Though there is one song that is somewhat neat that the game constantly goes to, and without spoiling too much it is somewhat "important" of a theme throughout the game.
(It was posted by the last person to review Gravity Rush 2 in this thread in fact!)


- The cameras......my god, the 2nd half of the game they absolutely cripple you in awful spots. You cannot see where you are going. You cannot, especially in gravity mode. I got stun locked a few times to my death( I am not even, stun locked like this is a fighting game) because the cameras treat this game like it's Dark Souls and I am trying to fight the camera to see how the hell I can escape to void a game over. They get out of control for the gravity portions of the game and for the gravity sliding which is much of the combat of this game so I felt very frustrated in that regard. I can't say I felt like I was in control of Kat's actions at certain portions and it's the auto lock as well as the camera that hurt this for me. I try and dive bomb an enemy and when trying to go after them because I tilt the camera somewhat to see my surroundings, my character will suddenly try and go after a nearby enemy and completely miss the enemy I had intended for. In fairness, you can disable some of these features but I never felt this way back from the 1st game. But the cameras you cannot do anything about.

- This game dips into the 10 FPS category at times, absolutely frustrating. Once again, game developers.....DO NOT put too many enemies or animations into segments of the game if you can't handle the ability to give 30 FPS or better. In scenes where you are fighting an onslaught of enemies at a time, the game will dip immensely to 10 FPS and it just feels so bad altogether. I am not even a FPS sucker by any means but this one was as evident as day to how bad it was for the experience of the game.


Recommendation:
Yay or Nay.

Yay if you at all liked Gravity Rush 1
Nay if you did not or never played the game before

Altogether this is a solid game but if you have never played the 1st game or liked the 1st game, you might not be bothered to check in for this one as you really need to have liked/enjoyed GR1 to some capacity to get the most out of this game. Game does not do enough in the main combat portions to pull a newcomer in as it does not differentiate enough from the 1st one despite the new Lunar and Jupiter mode features IMHO. The missions to me which the dialogue added life to it felt lifeless and a majority of them were just not fun which is the worst thing I can possibly say about an open world game. I was doing some missions for the sake of doing them. One particular mission was a walking simulator that made Uncharted 4's walking sequences feel like a Platnium game to the point where I said out loud "What the fuck is this doing in the game? Am I playing Gravity Rush 2 or Everybody Goes To The Rapture?". Looking at you Chapter 22. Good god it felt like 20 minutes of absolute nonsense that did not need to be drawn out this bad. You just walk to the same locaiton nonstop to progress story each time since "time freezes" and it's like I get it.....you are suppose to be trapped in a neverending repeating cycle but my god, did it need to be this drawn? NO. I honestly had no idea what the hell I needed to do to get out of that, thank god the next chapter had a cool puzzle which actually ended up being one of the best things this game offered.

Much of the missions felt like time killers for the sake of saying this is a 30 or so hour mission based game and given the combat can be wonky at times, I can say while playing this on the hardest mode possible that I just did not have any fun at certain times with this game.

Besides all of that, the game is fine and I happen to enjoy the series enough to look past it but I cannot say I was blown away by this game and I did expect more/better in plenty of departments with this game that it failed to deliver for me. Someone said it best 1-2 pages ago(Sorry I forgot the name, I am very lazy! )

"What this game does good, it does really good. What it does bad, it does really bad." Just so frustrating because there are segments in this game that are so good.....but then you compound it with some mind numbing and frustrating sequences.



10) Double Dragon IV(PS4) 2/4

Awful. Absolutely awful. Where do I begin with this mess?


Positives:

- Game looks like a Double Dragon on the outside, looks like something straight out of Double Dragon 2 out of the NES. Game even rips sprites and music straight out of it, which in essence might actually be a negative as it shows little to no creativity.

Negatives:

Let's dissect this mess of a game


- The combat is so simplistic and so broken, it's ridiculous. Come on Arc System, you put your name on quality fighters like Blazblue and Guilty Gear, how dare you put this out? I am all for simple gameplay, believe me I am. But the key to winning with this game is timing it right to do a spinning air kick to continuously stunlock enemies down before they finally die. However, the same rules apply to the enemies to you and there are specific enemies are are obnoxiously broken like these Judo guys who shine and take half your health and can repeat this every 2 seconds. Abodo a mainstay in the series also plays cheap with this hammering vertical flying elbow that can combo and destroy you in one hit if he either throws you in the air or if an enemy throws you in the air and you get comboed. Go figure, you can't fucking combo in this game but the enemies can. The final bosses have a gun that 1 shot takes half of your health and you have to be lucky enough to frame jump the bullets, and you know you can't duck in this game because that would actually mean some game design work to be at hand here.

- The platform parts are horseass, considering your character moves so stiff it's like Jimmy or Billy are holding their shit in their pants when moving around. Same 2-3 platform gimmicks every now and then, and given you fall off you lose a life, this is obnoxiously lousy platforming. The game offers little to no innovation but has to throw in this shit. It's acceptable in 1987 to do this, not 2017. Again, I am all for a homage to the series but come on....show some growth. Show some innovation. Separate yourself from previous entires whether it's new obstacles, new style of combat. Do whatever you have to do.

- No health regains, no live regains. Point system matters none, you know it's just there because nostalgia and shit. Yeah you know screw lasting a while on one life and getting rewarded. Not once in my 1 HOUR OF STORY MODE did I ever run into health or lives. You know Streets of Rage 2 actually gives you something for points and gives you ACTUAL HEALTH. Golden Axe....ACTUAL HEALTH. ALTERED BEAST. ACTUAL HEALTH. No but not a game developed in 2017. After reading the main thread here it seems like it is a staple in this series but games like Battletoads and Double Dragon and Double Dragon Neon had this, not sure when you throw this many amounts of enemies that you refuse to throw any health seems kind of crazy.

Enemies also just randomly take health off you, no consistency. Some enemies take 1 bar, others take half, under right circumstances you can lose 3/4 of health. Not sure if possible to drop your health from 100% to 0% at any point, would not put it past this game.

Oh yeah and uhhh if you die, you start over again and there's TWELVE MISSIONS in this game. Yes I know, TWELVE. But of course, in grand fashion there is a way to stage select the mission you were previously on....or rather the mission you beat as you can't simply start right off at the mission you began at. You die at stage 11, you start at stage 10.....why? The heck if I know.

How do you do that btw because it isn't explained. At least the NES games that did this had menus inside the cartridges that show you this. This? Magically tap options and keep tapping it to get to the mission before the mission you died on to get selected.

- I just let out a sigh of happiness after beating the game, I have zero interest in the tower, not with this loose combat. That's another thing too, the 2 second delay to turn your character around, unforgivable.

- The story....hohohohoho. Now, this game is a typical beat em up, bare bone story. Listen of all the negatives here, this I won't rag on but honestly the "villains" somehow see the light by the game's end and it's all for naught. It basically sums up my thoughts, an absolute waste of 1 hour of my life that I am never ever getting back. The cutscenes are NES esque, no problems here. Like I said, the story and presentation while uninspiring are by no means awful....the combat and other shit though, yeah fuck that.

Recommendation:
Yay or Nay

Put it this way with this mess of a game, I paid 6.99 for it and I felt jipped off. If this game is somehow in my top 10 by year's end, this means this year of gaming was an absolute abomination altogether. If you can get this for 1-2 dollars, only then go for it on the PSN Store folks.

Oh and find a 2P. I played this solo and as always, the game doesn't let up regardless. No friendly fire for the opponents, nothing. I would not be surprised if the game offers the same amount of bad guys for solo as it would for a duo.

I am sorry if I sound miserable but I was genuinely looking forward to sinking my teeth into this game and to say I was letdown would be an understatement.

Game 9: Resident Evil Zero

System: GameCube
Year: 2002
Developer: Capcom

Short hair don't care.

Overview
Having played REmake and RE4 last year, I figured it was time to give another RE game a shot. I can't play RE7, 2 and 3 were too dated, so I decided on playing RE0. The game is very similar in both visuals and gameplay to REmake, where you are exploring a zombie-infested mansion in order to discover the hidden evils of the Umbrella Corp.


Gameplay
You play as both Rebecca Chambers, one of the SWAT team members you were sent to look for in RE1, and Billy Cohen, possible mass-murderer. Unlike the other classic RE games, you control both characters at once, with one following the other, and the ability to swap between the two at will. The partner system is a clever idea, but feels a bit clunky, as the player will often be able to avoid danger, while the CPU partner runs right into it. Having to sets of guns and inventories is a nice addition, however. A new addition is the removal of the item boxes from other games, instead adding the ability to simply drop items and retrieve them anywhere. While I think it's a clever idea (I often found myself yelling at REmake to simply put down some item for one second while I used another), it does cause a great deal of backtracking to areas where you've collected items to get what you need. Towards the end of the game, I had to run all the way back to the beginning to grab a weapon I knew I wouldn't need until the final boss fights.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Partner system makes the game feel more unique than other RE games.
• Both Rebecca and Billy have strong character designs.
• The game is visually stunning. The pre-rendered backgrounds look amazing even today, and some of the effects they managed (particularly the water) stand out as some of the best on the system.

Cons:

• The story is pretty unnecessary. This game tried to fill in some plotholes in RE1 that didn't really exist and no one wanted answered, and in doing so, made a very bland and strange story. I don't care about the background of the founding of Umbrella, I don't care about some side project they were working on. It felt that they needed to make a story, but couldn't interfere with what RE1 had established.
• The locales are kinda boring. All of the environments in this game are the ones from RE1, but changed slightly. There's a mansion that you start out in with a similar layout. There's a small building behind the mansion. There's a secret underground lab which is beat to shit. It all feel really repeated.
• Level design isn't clever. In RE1, you don't get to see the entire mansion for quite a while. You explore a good part of it, then go to other house or lab, then return and are allowed a little more of the mansion. IMO, the mansion is the most interesting location, and it's nice to have it revealed piece by piece. In RE0, you completely explore an area, then go on to the next and completely explore that one. There isn't much mystery about it.

Rating

Slightly Above Average

While it's my least favorite of the three RE games I've played so far, I did enjoy myself. The gameplay is fun, the visuals are great, and it was a fun return to the classic RE universe with its mysteries. I was let down by the story and the writing, and none of the characters come off as very strong, but all and all, it was a solid game.


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For a list of the other games I've completed this year, visit my mother post here.

Original post.

Game 9: Lumino City - 2/5 - 05:48 hours (05/02/2017)

Reached the ending. A quirky, puzzle-oriented adventure game, very straightforward, with each area self-contained: perfect for beginners. The selling point of the title is the cardboard setting, which was hand-made, filmed and digitized; this means that everything is in scale and has a coherent placement, so much that you can actually see your route and progress around the city in the panoramic title screen. The plot is barebones and after the initial incident that puts things into motion, doesn't really come into play again until the end. The charm of the game comes from navigating the weird environments, meeting the crazy characters and solving the, albeit mostly easy, puzzles. It's short and to the point, but sometimes frustrating due to the lack of control: you can see it was built for smartphones, as the movement options are very limited and the game oft unresponsive to your clicks.

This game is:

+

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6: Resident Evil 7 [PC] - 9h

First time I've finished an horror game, tried Outlast, played Alien Isolation for 6 hours and didn't finish. But this is true survival horror, I can actually try to survive by saving stuff I can use later and think if I want to confront an enemy in a certain situation.
Just incredible game, I will remember this one.
The only other RE I've played and finished was RE6 which I found it was dumb fun.

This gets a 9/10 from me.

OP

8.
Playstation 4

OK so, this game is still as good as I remember. The graphics were definitely more polished, but nothing too dramatic. I love the riddles, more so than the other Arkham games. I think it's because I don't feel overwhelmed by trying to hunt them. The ending is still a massive damp-turd however.
8/10

#5 Muramasa: Rebirth - 1/29/17
#6 Gravity Rush 2 - 2/5/17

Muramasa: Rebirth dragged on just a little bit in the second story I played, and I decided not to opt for collecting all the demon blades quite yet. It was a great game, with a beautiful aesthetic, but nearing the end I felt the need to move on to my next game.

Gravity Rush 2 was better than the first one, but it did have some problems. The various rift planes in Gravity Rush 2 just weren't as interesting as the ones in the first game I felt, and the story goes completely off the rails near the end, introducing a bunch of characters for the sake of a big epic conclusion. That being said, again, I loved it and it was definitely one of the more interesting gaming experiences I've had, for a variety of reasons.

Game #22 - Abzu
Time: 1.5 hours

Conflicted feelings on this one because I loved everything about it as a game, but given how short it is, could never recomend it at its price point. Gorgeous visuals and amazing soundtrack, gameplay is very simple and theres barely any actions to do (some sections where you have to press switches and thats about it), but its a fantastic experience that everyone should go through, if you find it cheap or in a bundle or something.

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Decided to update my previous post because I forgot to include rop and underrated To Be or Not To Be. Started the year bedridden with back pain and iOS devices.

1. Reigns (iPhone; 7.5/10) Jan 1
Endpoint: Almost all endings
Time: About 3 hours
Comments: So I rang in the New Year confined to my bed with severe back pain, with access to my iPhone and later my iPad. I thought this was entertaining but got repetitive pretty quickly. Didn’t feel the need to do another playthrough to “trick the Devil”.

2. Ryan North’s To Be or Not To Be (iPhone; 9/10) Jan 1
Endpoint: Almost all endings, I think
Time: About 2 hours
Comments: I thought this was great, maybe its humor was amplified by the medications I was on. Convinced my sister who isn’t at all into games to make this her first game purchase (though I suppose this is more choose your own adventure than traditional game).

3. Able Black (iPad; 8/10) Jan 2
Endpoint: Finished game
Time: About 2 hours
Comments: I was a little disappointed with this one, though it was definitely worth playing, being a huge fan of Device 6. It was well written, and the puzzles were pretty good. I had a couple of bugs that made me restart the game on my iPad Pro.

4. rop (iPhone; 8/10) Jan 2
Endpoint: Finished game
Time: Probably about 4 hours
Comments: Another fun “minimalist puzzler” for iOS. This one would have been better on my iPad Pro with much larger screen because some of the puzzles were difficult due to the closely spaced lines. I got stuck on one of the puzzles for quite awhile (put aside for a couple months) and it felt good to finally get it. Only complaint is that some of the puzzles felt more like trial and error than figuring them out.

5. Blackbar (iPad; 7/10) Jan 2
Endpoint: Finished game
Time: About 1.5 hours
Comments: Interesting game but I didn’t get that invested in the story.

6. Grayout (iPad; 8/10) Jan 4
Endpoint: Finished game
Time: About 2 hours
Comments: I liked this more than Blackbar. Story and characters were more interesting. I thought the synth soundtrack was appropriate for the mood of the game.

7. Lifeline: Whiteout (iPhone; 6/10) Jan 8
Endpoint: Got most endings (I think)
Time: About 2 hours
Comments: I got this free somehow, and I got tired of the Lifeline formula early last year when I played 3 of them early last year. Anyway, it was ok. I guess it was interesting enough to keep me checking it when I found some random downtime with my phone.

8. Amnesia: Memories (Vita and PSTV; 7/10) Jan 16
Endpoint: 100%/Platinum
Time: About 22 hours
Comments: This one is kind of hard to rate, since there were some things I liked and other things I didn’t. I’ve sort of been on a visual novel kick and thought about abandoning it early, but I guess I’m glad I stuck with it. This is one I started much earlier in 2016 and sort of made me set aside the Vita for awhile.

9. Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma (Vita; 9/10) Jan 28
Endpoint: 100%/Platinum
Time: 21.5 hours
Comments: I enjoyed it. Virtue’s Last Reward was one of my favorite games I played in 2016 (and the first I logged for the 2016 challenge, finishing it on New Year’s Day). I didn’t like it quite as much as VLR, but I was pleasantly surprised after hearing about the mixed reviews. The escape rooms were definitely easier. I did like that they got rid of the time wasting part of VLR showing the blinking dot on the map.

10. Day of the Tentacle Remastered (Vita; 8.5/10) Jan 31
Endpoint: 100%/Platinum
Time: About 7 hours
Comments: I remember watching a friend play this way back when, but I never played it myself. Great, classic game. I liked playing the point and click on the Vita with the touchscreen, as I imagine it might be a little annoying on the PS4.

So, January was a month of mobile for me. I’m back now to spending a good amount of time with my vita, and it feels good. Goals for February: Get Fit with Mel B (PS3, basically doing aerobics, been doing it off and on for over 6 months and am getting near Platinum requirements), Inside and Oxenfree (PS4), another Lifeline I somehow got for free (iPhone), Psycho Pass Mandatory Happiness (Vita), and Hexcells Plus (PC).

6. Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition



100% completed base game and the DLC stories. I really enjoyed the story and characters in this game. Does those far better than GTA 4 or 5. Felt more in line with a Hong Kong action movie and cop movies. Doesn't rely on juvenile humour and doesn't waste time with filler missions. I liked the homage to 70s martial arts movies with the one tournament mission. Combat is done well as is the slow-mo shooting when doing action movie type stunts.

Both DLCs are included and are kind of short. Nightmare in North Point was a bizarre spin, but interesting mythology. Year of the Snake was pretty short and the threat doesn't stack up compared to the triad of the main story.

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10. Pillars of Eternity - 75 Hours


Well, it took 2 years, 3 new characters, and 30 hours of game time before I felt like I really understood how this game was meant to be played (it's my first RTWP CRPG), and I'm glad I never quite gave up on it because this is a damn fine game. This is the only game I've backed on Kickstarter (on the strength of New Vegas alone, basically) and Obsidian did not disappoint. Though I don't think it's a perfect game, there weren't any glaring flaws and for once I don't really have anything negative to say. QUALITY GAME.

Excited to finally be able to participate in this challenge this year!

1. ABZU


Time: 2 hours

Thoughts: A very enjoyable Journey-like. The environments were enthralling and the movement felt great. The soundtrack was particularly great as well. Each piece seemed to fit with each section of the game very well.
Score: 8/10

2. Inside


Time: 3.5 Hours

Thoughts: My current pick for 2016 GOTY (although I haven't played many 2016 games ) The puzzles were all engaging too me and none of them felt unfairly difficult or cheap. There is a sense of powerlessness that you feel throughout this game and it makes everything feel intense. It seems like all of the enemy encounters were designed to have you just narrowly escaping them when you did everything right which which always left me on the edge of my seat. And the ending had saying out loud"MAAH GAAWWD KING!!"

Score: 9.5/10

3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D


Time: 20 hours

Thoughts: An improved version of a game I thought was perfect when I played it with my Dad at age 8. I really enjoyed the new character models and the gyro controls. It was interesting playing the game again as a 25 year old. When I was a kid, the things that stuck out to me were the big events of the game. But now, I think the biggest strengths of this game are its smaller moments. I also think it is the best paced of the 3D Zelda games.

Score: 10/10

4. Never Alone


Time: 4.5 hours

Thoughts: Pretty decent puzzle platformer. There some sections which felt cheap to me, but there were others that had me really engaged. It's ending sequence was my favorite part, but I wish it had been a bit longer. The behind the scenes stuff you unlock as you play is definitely the best part of this game though.

Score: 7/10

Original Post

Thought I'd posted an update at the end of January but I'll just let this stand as my update this week.

Game 3: Deadly Tower of Monsters
Really enjoyed this. Sure the combat and general feel is a bit ropey but it all fits thematically. Completionists must love this game as the path to the platinum is clearly laid out for you.

Game 4: Kirby: Planet Robobot
Started this last year but grew tired of the monotony- which is odd as the game appears to revel in the fact it has a core mechanic designed to keep it fresh but it just seemed like a wasted opportunity as there was little use of the robot powers to create interesting options even with the combat. I just feel like I was missing something. Man, do they love a boss fight near the end of the game or what?

Game 5: Dishonored 2
Felt like I was falling out of love with it around the 5th or 6th mission but some of the most fun was left till that portion of the game. Absolutely loved it. Even managed to put 22 hours into my first playthrough which is very unlike my normal play style. What was exceedingly funny was that playing as the other character from the first game changed my approach entirely.
It seemed like I was justified in treating it like the ultimate murder simulator. Everything that moved died. Started a second playthrough with Corvo and it seemed to fit that I should be totally in the shadows. Games are weird...

Game 6: Last of Us - Left Behind
Maybe shouldn't be counted as a full game but if I'm ever gonna do this 52 game thing I'll have to include this
A really nice aperitif to the main game. Haven't played Last of Us since its release but this game reminded me I have little interest in playing a combat heavy sequel. I can't make up my mind whether the combat isn't great or whether it just creates too much stress on the player as a stealth game. I'm getting too old for that stuff..,

Currently Playing
Yakuza Zero - Normally a game like this would kill any progress I'd be making as its super long but I've managed to get through to Chapter 10 over the weekend so I feel like I've gotten through the stage where I'd normally fall off. It's also the furthest I've gotten with a Yakuza game. Really enjoying the fact the game prioritises storytelling over anything else. So much to do and the only bit that is bothering me is the disonance created by the 'storyline' of the characters and the substories where they generally go about being these super nice guys. It doesn't seem to fit with their overall motivations at that stage of the game.

Titanfall 2 - Loving the game but every time I settle down to finish it off I get a call to play Dark Moon which I'm also really enjoying.

Master Post

January:
Mirror's Edge Catalyst (PS4)

Nice to play ME again, but not really satisfied with Catalyst on the whole.
Enjoyed the core gameplay for the most part, but by the end it all felt like a chore, and the story/characters did little to hold my interest.

February:
Bloodborne: The Old Hunters (PS4)

Had been through this before to help a friend, but finally felt in the mood to finish off the remaining bosses on my own save.
Some awesome new trick weapons and equipment, fantastic atmosphere, and some grave lore implications. Don't hesitate to get this if you enjoyed the main game.

Aiming to finish by March:
Unravel
Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Recently acquired:
Gravity Rush 2

Just a couple more chapters to go in DE: HR. Unravel shouldn't take too long.

GR2 is a big/risky addition, especially as it's so relaxing/easy to get distracted by side quests and social interactions while playing. Going to have to concentrate on clearing the story first and foremost.

All in all, I feel like the year is off to a decent start.

Original Post

4. Super Meat Boy - 9 hours

I haven't finished it and don't really plan to, but I've had my fill of this game to last me a lifetime. More than 2 hours at the IWBTG warp zone and still haven't beaten the first level. The game is fun when it doesn't demand something ridiculous of you, but I don't feel the controls are precise enough for something like that thing. I know, some people do it with their eyes closed and pressing the buttons with their feet, and I think if I tried for a little more I could do it, but nah. Maybe I'll get back to it at some point. I'm hesitant to call it bullshit because it's technically completely fair, but I still think the controls aren't good enough for that level of precision.

Yes, I'm still salty lol.

Been slacking off but got one done while watching the Super Bowl.

Click to expand...

3. Fire Emblem Heroes
My first gacha game that I really like. Ran through the Story Mode on Normal and was easy-peezy with my three 5* characters.

Original Post

I feel like I'm just completing a bunch of bite-sized games right now. I got through most of Yakuza, Kingdom Hearts and Digimon World but haven't brought myself to finish them.

Anyways, finished Fire Emblem Heroes yesterday. Fun, just didn't care for the story. Bring on Shadows of Valentia.

6h-ish. 21 years played, rank ~50-ish, three Ultra Stores, all customers befriended, 5-star city.

I thought that playing the newest Kairosoft creation right after playing their first and most well-known game would be a nice change of pace. And it was interesting how see how much the original formula has evolved since them. Biz Builder Delux is still a Kairo game at heart, but there are loads of variables to manage. In fact, at first it seems daunting, when you see the money going down the drain and you don't even know why.

But then, in-game years start going by and things start making more sense. All stores are managed differently - "Restaurant"-type stores require good cooks and space for sitting, "Shop"-type stores need space for products and fast employees, and the Museum and the Street Stands are different animals altogether. Making them all fit is a load of fun.

I'm giving it 5 stars because it feels like the ultimate Kairo game, even though some aspects could have been a bit more polished (more store types? some store types that appear in the title screen [Flower Shop, for example] are not even in the game!)

My Score: ★★★★★

Original Post

First time trying this, but I had made a vow this year to at least look into my backlog and hold off on some but the my most anticipated releases. Here goes:

1.

(PS4)
I clocked in about 20 hours across the month, finishing off most of the parallel quests and unlocking each trainers' move set.
Overall: 5/10

2.

(PS4)
Completed the story with every collectable, and a fair few of the unique trophies too. Except that last one - screw that last one.
Overall: 8/10

3.

(PS4)
Fully completed Overall: 10/10

4.

(PS4)
Campaign completed with 2 of the 4 main characters. Dicked about enough on and offline to level up the other 2.
Overall: 4/10 - and it only gets this high based on the fact I got to play as Yang

5.

(PS4)
Completed the story, though hadn't collected all the gearbits, ancient tablets or seals. Overall: 9/10

6.

(PS4)
Completed the single player campaign, all helmets, on Hard in 13 hours spread over two days.
Overall: 8/10

7.

(PS4)
Beaten, 10 hours (6 for the main game, taking time to learn lore, 4 for going back & getting collectibles)
Overall: 7/10

8.

Remastered (PS4)
Completed in 37 hours - completed with every summon, limit break an every boss beaten.
Overall: 9/10

9.

(Steam)
Completed in 6 hours - incidentally enough at a similar pace to the game's story it seems.
Overall: 8/10

10.

(PS4)
Beaten in 18 hours on Normal, all bobble heads burst.
Overall: 8/10

11.

(PS4)
Platinumed in 12 hours (one trophy was a bitch to get since it’s a random drop)
Overall: 6/10

12.

Beaten in 15 hours
Overall: 8/10 - changed to 9.5/10 after second playthrough, see the post itself for details as to why