http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=227815833&postcount=394

July update


July
41.Roundabout- You are a limo driver that drives in circles instead of straight, It was featured on websites for its live action cutscenes, It was worth what I paid for it, less than $2.
42. Infamous: Second Son- Had no interest in this game until I played First Light and I really enjoyed it.

Another productive month.

Main post part 2

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34. Prey - 30 hours
My current GOTY 2017. Prey is something else, it's league ahead of everything I've played in past few years. It's still hard to believe how much content in this game, and it's even more impressive that 70-80% of this content is easily missable. I never thought that I'll see the day when newly released game will surpass System Shock 2, but it looks like Prey did this. Yeah, game is not perfect, several times in story-heavy moments characters started to talk at the same time and it was impossible to understand what are they saying, and also backtracking in last hours of the game was kinda pointless. But it still was very close to perfect game for me, it's like System Shock 2 but with more social element and huge open locations. It's tragic that Prey 2017 didn't get the recognition it deserves.

Update for July

Only managed to finish 3 games, 2 of them being platinum trophies.

30. Hitman (2016) - PS4 ★★★★☆
Quite enjoyed it even after a rough start. Think I walked and followed the targets for like a hour in Paris before I figured out what to do. Opportunities cheapen the game a bit though but they can be ignored if needed.

31. Code: Realize GoR - VITA ★★★☆☆
Game from PS+, since I kinda enjoyed the visual novels that I played this year i gave it a go. Pretty decent story but not really my cup of tea.

32. Severed - VITA ★★★★☆
Okay why did I wait so long with playing this game? This was amazing! Pretty balanced difficulty with fun game play.

Currently playing:

Yakuza Zero - Currently in chapter 3, put it on hold for a bit due to Assetto Corsa and severed but i'm definitely going to pick it back up in August.
Assetto Corsa - Still driving around every night while ignoring the campaign completely. Wonder if playing xx hours is also enough to mark a custom event/multiplayer game as completed? Guess there are no real rules for this.

double post

Original Post

39. Firewatch
3.5 hours
Rating: 8/10


Light on gameplay, but the story was fantastic. I really loved how it subverted expectations that usually come along with this kind of game. Very touching and overall a fantastic experience.

40. Nier Automata
23 hours
Rating: 8.5/10


I think this game had some great bones to its gameplay, but due to some poorly planned encounter designs, it ended up being a chore to play through at times. The story was great, though coming off of watching the story for the other games in the Drakengard/Nier series, this one felt a bit more ho-hum. That said, I did enjoy it a fair bit and some of the best moments were just before finding out what the hell was going on, so I'll give it credit for that build-up.

41. Horizon: Zero Dawn
27 hours
Rating: 9/10


This isn't usually the kind of game that I end up loving, but the combat system really bolstered what would have been a boring Ubisoft-style game. This game is just fantastic from a gameplay perspective, and although I didn't end up enjoy Aloy much, I can respect her journey and thought the story was very touching.

42. Injustice 2
5 hours
Rating: 8/10


As expected from an NRS game, the story was very good. They really upped their tech with the character work, specifically the facial animations, so I am very happy. Also, the game looks stunning in motion. The gameplay itself feels very good after awhile and I'm eager to play the game some more past the main story.

Click to expand...

I rather enjoyed this a lot more than SMW. The main issue I had though was that the controls felt a bit unresponsive at times which led to some irritating deaths.
Thankfully the 3DS release allows for save states so it made things less tedious.

Overall the game has some nice platforming challenges and the OST was overall OK. The game has 12 levels, 3 for each World. The first 2 levels of each world end with 2 doors, going through the upper door gives you a chance at a bonus round where you can get extra lives, whereas the bottom door just lets you end the stage.
The end of each 3rd level of a world has you go against a boss; 2 simply require you to get behind them and touch an object that will end the level, whereas the other 2 are shoot'em-up style battles!

The visuals are serviceable although the setting of the games are odd:
The first world is Ancient Egypt themed (Pyrapt Kingdom)

The 2nd world is an underwater themed world (Muda Kingdom), but doesn't involve mario swimming underwater, merely platforming normally

The 3rd world is Maoi themed (Easton Kingdom) as there are Maois in the background as well as Maoi-looking enemies as well...one of which just rushes at you at full speed and the scrolling could cause them to appear right in front of you =_=

The 4th and final world is China themed (Chai/Chi Kingdom) and even has those hopping zombies from Chinese folklore.

All in all despite its flaws the game has a nice charm to it, and the soundtrack isn't bad. A fan remake could help make it a better game, but as is, it's not that bad a game.

A bit late to the party, but I keep good track of games I finish. So I join the challenge:

#01 D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die (PC)
GOOD - A bizzare litte adventure in typical Swery-style. I really liked it. The problem is we will probably never get another episode and so the whole thing doesn't make any sense. It's worth playing it because of the sheer amount of nonsens happening. But it could have been something special.

#02 Resident Evil 6 (PS4)
GREAT – Already finished this one on PS3 back in the day. Replayed it on PS4 with a friend and l still like it a lot. It's the kind of horror-games I like the most. Bizzare monsters and lots of shooting. It's my second favorite Resident Evil game after Resident Evil 4. Never liked the classic Resident Evil games.

#03 Titanfall 2 (PS4)
GREAT – A fine campaign and I actually liked the multiplayer this time.

#04 Borderlands 2: Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty (PS4)
GOOD – It's more of the same with some fun characters. But overall I feel a bit burned out with the Borderlands games so it was a bit of a drag to finish this. The boss fight was a pain in the ass.

#05 Hotline Miami 2 (PS4)
GREAT – This was harder and more brutal than the first one. Some levels really got unfair IMO but it was still a blast to play. The soundtrack is so, so good and the weird story-line and psychodelic cutscenes are fantastic.

#06 Battleborn (PS4)
GOOD – Bought this very cheap to play the campaign in coop with my brother. It's a competent shooter with a nice art-style. I liked the sniping gentlemen robot. Nothing special but well crafted and fun, especially with one or more friends. Never touched the versus-modes.

#07 World of Final Fantasy (PS4)
GOOD – A charming game full of nostalgia and solid gameplay-mechanics. The story was a bit weak and the main characters aren't the greatest. I didn't have the motivation to do the "true" ending, but reaching the normal ending was a lot of fun with some boring segments in between.

#08 Watch_Dogs 2 (PS4)
GREAT – I already liked the first game and this one was equally good. It didn't have the cool vigilante-atmosphere of the first game but the meme-humor and the hacker-stuff was a lot of fun. Killing people felt wrong regarding Marcus character and motives but I like my shooting in third-person-games so I had to look over that. Did the platinum trophy.

#09 Wasteland 2: Director's Cut (PC)
GREAT – This is what I wanted from Fallout 3. The game is fantastic with cool characters, dialoges, quests and a fine world to explore. Great humor. Only held back by technical issues and a somewhat ugly art-style. The second best CRPG in years right after Pillars of Eternity.

#10 The Elder Scrolls Online: Thieves Guild (PS4)
GREAT – A fine addition to my most played MMORPG. The only thing that sucks is that you have to grind daily quests to advance the main quest. Oh yeah and the stealth-gameplay is hot garbage, lol. You can get into cover right before someone who already saw you and he simply forgets about you. Otherwise a really good expansion with useful new skills and a great new location. I did all trophies and the Mater Thief title.

#11 Killzone: Intercept (PS4)
MEDIOCRE – Killzone is one of my favorite FPS-franchises and the game still looks and sounds great and the shooting feels fantastic. But this horde-mode is rather boring. This might be because I played it only with my brother and not with a full team of four people. But a good horde-mode should scale to the players or add useful bots. We finished all the two-player maps once.

#12 Nier Automata (PS4)
GOOD – The gameplay is improved but everything else felt like a downgrade from the first game. The characters aren't as interesting, the story isn't as dark and the soundtrack was worse (still good). The open world stuff felt tacked on. I didn't like replaying most of the game a second time to get all the endings. But it's still a very special game with some great moments and I hope we see another Nier that is more fucked uped and weird than this one.

#13 Tales of Berseria (PS4)
GREAT – Another great Tales games. Not as good as Xillia 1+2 (my favorite Tales games), but I'd say it's the third best game in the franchise.

#14 Guild Wars 2 (PS4)
GREAT – Reactivated my account. Didn't play since launch (played over 300 hours in the first months of the game) and picked my most advanced character to finally finish the story. It's still one of my favorite MMORPGs but it's always hard to really "get back into" such a vast game. So I had some troubles and it was more of a chore to finish the last areas.

#15 Gears of War 4 (X1)
GREAT – Everything I want from a sequel. Keep the awesome stuff intact and add some new things to keep it interesting. Great campaign with lots and lots of shooting. Didn't enjoy the tower-defense-stuff too much and had to lower the difficulty from hardcore to normal in one of those parts.

#16 Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4)
AMAZING – Easily my favorite game of the year so far. Everything about it is amazing: main character, story, gameplay, world, battle system. It's such a joy to play and I did everything in the game to get the platinum trophy. Second best game of the generation after Bloodborne.

#17 Strike Vector Ex (PS4)
GOOD – A fun little aerial combat game with fast gameplay, good sound effects and music and a very arcadey feeling. The campaign is barebone but fun enough for a playthrough. Also did some bot-matches to get some more trophies.

#18 The Elder Scrolls Online: Dark Brotherhood (PS4)
GREART – Another fine addon for TESO. I especially like the shadow rider trait that lowers your area of detection while riding a horse. Good new location and quests. Same problem like Thieves Guild with the daily-quest grinding to advance the main story.

#19 Arslan: The Warriors of Legend (PS4)
MEDIOCRE – One o fthe weaker warriors game. I didn't care much about the story or characters and skipped them in the last third. The gameplay was okay but the officer fights sucked because of that totally stupid shield that the get after some hits. It turned those fights into a chore.

#20 Blood Knights (PS3)
MEDICORE – I was in the mood for some hack'n'slay stuff and found this in my PS+ offering. So I tried it and finished it in one evening. It's a very barebone game but it works well enough for the four hours it lasts.

#21 Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn (PS3)
GREAT – One of the most over the top Musou games. It's a blast to play while you are fighting through hordes of Gundams and everything around you is exploding. Really fun stuff, yet you might feel a bit too overpowered because the enemies seem to never have any chances. Finished all of the campaigns in the different Gundam timelines.

#22 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Wii U)
GREAT – Fantastic exploration with good combat and a lot of charme. Technical problems, dull side-quests and a boring story hold it back from being amazing.

#23 Injustice 2 (PS4)
GOOD – Way better than the first game with a really well made campaign. I am still not a fan of the Netherrealm fighting engine because it feels somewhat clunky and slow but at least the fights look great. Finished the campaign and did some character trophies.

#24: The Elder Scrolls: Online: Tamriel Unlimited (PS4)
GREAT – Started this when it launched on PS4 and had a longer break. Then I played it again a lot this year with a new character. Finally finished the main story.

#25 Pony Island (PC)
MEDIOCRE – A strange little game with a cool concept but the repetitive minigames aren't fun to play and way overused. Even in the short time the game lasts.

#26 House of Dying Sun (PC)
GOOD – Great atmosphere and controls but I am not a big fan of replaying stuff and this game clearly is made for replaying the scenarios on higher difficutlies.

#27 Marvel Heroes Omega (PS4)
GOOD – Already played this on PC. I finished the campaign in coop with my brother. It's a fun but ugly action-rpg. Nothing I want to waste too much time on but fun for finishing once. Especially in coop.

#28 Berserk and the Band of the Hawk (PS4)
GREAT – A great Musou game. The first half of the game is undeniable better than the second because of the awesome anime cutscenes, but the second half is still very good. Lots of enemies, brutal combos and a good feel of weighty weapons.

#29 Victor Vran (PC)
MEDIOCRE – A so-so hack'n'slay that I didn't enjoy too much. There are way better games in the genre.

#30 Paladins (PS4)
GREAT – This game is more fun for me than Overwatch. Already played it on PC and got back into it on PS4. Bought the founders pack to support the developers and Fernando is one of my mains so I appreciated the cool looking armor. I mainly play healers and tanks. I got the platinum trophy in this game recently.

#31 Astebreed (PS4)
MEDIOCRE – An okay shooter with good graphics but there are too many different systems in place and the constant change in perspective is more a negative than a positive aspect for me. The game was easy until the last boss which was quite frustrating.

#32 Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age (PS4)
AMAZING – Still the best tactical battle gameplay in a JRPG and a fantastic game overall. Yet I lost my motivation to go for all the hunts again because I have too many games to play and I did most of the side-stuff back on the PS2.

#33 Super Stardust Ultra (PS4)
GREAT – An impulse buy because I wanted some Stardust on my PS4. Already beat the game on PS3 and Vita and beat it again on PS4. It's still one of my favorite twin-stick-shooters. Is this version harder than the PS3-version? Because I really had trouble with the last stage and had to switch to easy-mode. Maybe I am just getting old and/or impatient ;-)

#34 Wipeout 2048 (PS4)
GREAT – I am not good in these games but I love Wipeout. The style, the music, the feeling while flying over the tracks. It's unmatched. This Vita-port is really impressive.

# 35 Game of Thrones - Season 1 (PS4)
GOOD - I was in the mood for more GoT while watching the 7th season. I really liked the game. Sure, it's your typical Telltale stuff without too much actual gameplay and many "choices" are fake, but it entertainend me well. Perfect after a long day of work to relax to. Story and characters are good and fit into the GoT universe well. It also rekindled my interest in Telltale games a bit so that I started Tales from the Borderlands.

#36 Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir (PS4)
GOOD - Like all Vanillaware games this game is very beautiful. It also shares one of the biggest problems of Vanillaware games. It is very repetitive. The characters are different enough to play through the whole story, but the same enemies and locations make it feel like playing the same game over and over again. I didn't play with a guide so I naturally picked one of the "bad" endings, because I didn't chose the right characters for the right bosses. Well, I can life with that – I won't replay all bosses again because the 35 hours I invested in the game are more then enough. Don't get me wrong, the game is really good. But it's too long for it's own good. It would have been better as a 10 – 15 hour experience with optional characters to chose from. Still way better than Muramasa IMO. But Dragon's Crown easily stays Vanillaware best game yet.

#37 Eternal (PC/Android)
GREAT - I was in the mood for a new digital CCG and stumbled across Eternal. A mix between Magic the Gathering (which I love) and Hearthstone (which I don't like too much, but I like the slick UI). And yeah, it's basically Magic with the UI of Hearthstone with some unique mechanics. I finished the campaign which is merely a tutorial and put some hours in building decks and playing ranked matches. Great fun so far and the output of new cards is really high compared to other CCGs I tried. Playing this on a daily basis now.

#38 Borderlands 2: Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage (PS4)
MEDIOCRE - In this DLC one thing became apparent for me: The balancing in this game is terrible. I played this DLC (like the one before) on Vault Hunter with my Level 41 Mechromancer and it was plain frustrating. Especially that final boss fight was a chore and only possible with lots of tricks and abuses. But Vault Hunter seems like the only way to level up further because when I switch back to normal mode I get like 3XP for one enemy and I am almost invincible. Another big gripe with the game is the loot-system. It feels like I can only get decent weaponry out of the box in the city where you pay with those Gearbox-Keys. Terrible design in an otherwise good and fun game. But to be honest I was never the biggest Borderlands fan.

#39 Stardew Valley (PC)
GREAT - The Harvest Moon sequel I always wanted. Probably my second favorite Life Sim after the godlike Fantasy Life from Level-5. Finished the community center route. I did most of the stuff in the game except the socializing with the citizens. That always bores me. There is already too much socializing in real life

#40 Destiny 2 (PS4)
GREAT - Beaten with a Warlock on Level 284. Played the whole thing with my brother and a friend and it was great fun. Also did two Nightfalls, most Strikes and some PvP. Did half of the RAID, but that was no fun at all for me.

#41 Warhammer Vermintide: End Times (PS4)
GOOD - Very nice interpretation of the Left 4 Dead gameplay. Probably the best game of this sub-genre. Played it coop with my brother. The AI for the bots was a bit dumb, especially in the last mission. They refused to pic up and use items and got killed in impossible places ... made it very frustrating.

#42 Dragon Quest 7: Fragments of the Forgotten Past (3DS)
MEDIOCRE - I love the Dragon Quest games and the charme is fully intact in this one. The german translation is on point and very, very enjoyable once again. The problem ist, this is a 50 hours game stretched to 100+ hours. It's too long with way, way too much backtracking. Also it's often not clear where to go next. It was a real pain for me to finish this game and I don't know why I did it because I lost interest in it around the 50 hour mark. Easily the worst mainline DQ-game from those I played. I don't understand why this is regarded as the best DQ-game by many fans.

#43 Killing Floor 2 (PS4)
MEDIOCRE – Well, I liked the first one but I guess I am just over "horde"-modes and zombies these days. To be fair, I never was a big fan of the whole concept. Even when Left for Dead was the new shit I didn't find it that great. I finished several maps and consider this "beaten" because I heard there are only two bosses in the game? So basically I saw it all.

This was a lovely and light PnC Adventure game. The first episode is free but one can buy the Season Pass and get the remaining 3 episodes as well.
Each episode is stand alone but is set in Vienna.
Gameplay mainly involves interacting with objects and people and it uses a choice concept or rather a 'craft your won story' element. At the end of each episode your actions are compared with other players' actions during their playthrough.

The game has some lovely animatiosn for the characters, and is worth going through for a light experience.

OP

Game 28: Puyo Puyo Tetris (NSW/PS4) - About 30 Hrs (7/3/2017)

#Loved this game! Such a good puzzle game!

Game 29: Higurashi When They Cry - Ch. 5 Meakashi (PC) - 8 Hrs 55 Mins (7/9/2017)

#One of my favorite arcs in the VN so far! So good.

Game 30: Implosion: Never Lose Hope (Android, iOS Switch) - About 8-9 Hrs (7/9/2017)

#Pretty good mobile hack n' slash. Enjoyed it.

Game 31: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PS3, 360, PC) - 4 Hrs 35 Mins (7/12/2017)

#Got through this after not finishing it before. Really fun game.

Game 32: Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution (Wii) - 1 Hr 20 Mins (7/16/2017)

#Enjoyable fighting game. Played quite a bit more of it to unlock characters.

Game 33: Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (PS4/Vita/PC) - About 22-23 Hrs (7/17/2017)

#A great VN and a nice revisit since I played this on Vita before.

Game 34: Splatoon 2 (NSW) - About 8-9 Hrs (7/28/2017)

#Such a fun campaign (even if it's short) with great multiplayer! Can see me coming back to this every now and then.

Game 35: Crash Bandicoot (PS1/PS4) - About 5-6 Hrs (8/1/2017)

#Fun, but frustrating, I enjoyed finally beating this game via the PS4 collection. Can't wait to get to the other two games!

Quite a bit done in July, bleeding into August. Proud of myself!

I will use this for my progress. I did start this but first time posting, not doing the greatest....

Rating scale
1 = Burn It!! 2 = Crap 3 = Average 4 = Good 5 = Must Play

February
1. Pillars of Eternity - 3 - I liked the game but I feel like it was overhyped to me. I found combat a little too easy for whatever reason and the story never really gripped me as much as I was expecting still enjoyable.

2. Ori and the Blind Forest - 5 - One of my all time favorite games. Everything from gameplay to the sound design was wonderful. Can't wait for the sequel


March
3. Final Fantasy XV - 3.5 - I really enjoyed my time with it but the more I think about it the more I was extremely disappointed with the second half of the game and how much more they keep adding. I have no urge to play it again, it just really helped me try and be a more patient gamer and wait till they release a finished product.

4. Stardew Valley - 5 - This game was simple, relaxing and enjoyable. This game I decided that I would play it along rewatching the Office and now the 2 are tied together in my memory. Named all my animals after characters in the show.

5. A Link Between Worlds - 4 - This gave me such a nostalgia trip to the past Zelda games but was slightly tarnished by the whole renting/buying main items thing. I loved finding new items and that was taken away. Other than that it was wonderful.


April
6. Battlefield 1 - 3 - The controls were tight and the gameplay was very well done however I felt nothing for the story. The jumping around to different characters were fine but I found it too short to get any real attachment and was just a completely average single player campaign. Didn't touch the multiplayer.

7. Call of Duty Ghosts - 3 - Completely opposite problem from Battlefield 1. It did not feel as good to play but the story had me a little more attached to the character. That said I had a big shooter itch in April and this helped scratch it

8. Recettear: An Item Shops Tale - 3 - I decided to marathon Death Note and this is the game I played while doing it. Game was mindless enough for me to still pay attention to Death Note but had just enough to keep me playing. I liked the concept but I feel like there was a lot more it could of been.


May
9. Guild of Dungeoneering - 4 - A very simple card based RPG that was addicting enough for me to play when I had random down time away from home. Took me a couple months for all the content but it ran great on my phone, I could play it for a few minutes here and there.

10. Kingdom Rush: Frontiers - 4 - I tried the other Kingdom Rush games and this was the only one I enjoyed enough to play thru it. Kept me up later some nights than it should of.

11. Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright - 3 - It was a Fire Emblem game. Nothing more, nothing less. I found it to be much less enjoyable than Awakening. The kids in this one I did not care about. And the story just dragged on too long and I found myself just skipping the cutscenes for the game play.

12. Mass Effect: Andromeda - 3- This game was super disappointing. Especially seeing the parts where they did great. The combat was very good. The vehicle was much better than the Mako in the first as well. The rest was just... empty. I beat it cause I paid too much for it and I like Bioware but to me this is their first legit flop. Which hurt cause its my favorite series.

13. Steamworld: Heist - 4 - Simple, enjoyable and challenging without being punishing. This game pushed me into giving #16 another go and finally finishing it. Very polished game.


June
14. Spec Ops: The Line - 5 - The story was very unique from what appeared to be a bro shooter and when I was done I had to pour myself a drink and have a think. Game wasn't perfect by any means but I feel like its one of those gaming must plays for breaking some of the genre norms.

15. Emily is Away - 3 - I wanted to like this game but I hated having to bash my keyboard in attempt to "type faster" to get it done. Also Emily is a crap person, why did I even like her.

16. XCOM: Enemy Unknown - 5 - This was my third attempt after getting destroyed all the rest. I read a few tips and tricks and put the pedal to the medal and absolutely loved it. Once I got a good strategy down and BUILT SATELLITES the game became very manageable and enjoyable. After hearing that it made me feel empty for a bit but I still enjoyed saving earth.

17. Dishonored - 5 - This game has changed the way I approach choices in games. You can go killer or stealthy, but the way I played it was I went stealthy and non killing. But if I was detected and HAD to kill someone, I would do so. No reloads nothing. I accepted the consequences of stealthing badly and it made the game much more intense. For guys I really wanted to kill but decided to go the knock out route, I ended up having fun throwing around their bodies for a bit. From now on I am going to play games just as myself and not forcing myself down one way and reload if I mess up.

18. Shadowrun: Returns - 4 - Still with the turn based strategy itch that XCOM left me with I decided to finally push thru on this one. The combat was a bit less fun but the story was pretty good. Kind of cheesy at times but I loved the cyber punk aesthetic and has me real pumped for Cyberpunk 2077 to get more of that style.

19. Steamworld Dig - 4 - Like heist this game was very simple and very enjoyable. I ended up finishing Deathnote (finally) playing this and had a blast with it. Very simple game play and very soothing way to end a month playing a bunch of games


July
20. Doom (2016) - 5 - This was the most fun I have had playing a game in a long time. Didn't have to think to much, didn't have to hide and aim a perfect shot. It was go go go all the time and was amazing. I want more shooters like this where you are rewarded for going Doom Marine on everything. After the current era of most shooters being #realism this was a very welcome change

21. The Room - 5 - One of the best short puzzle games I have ever played. Very intuitive and had me using my brain a ton.

August
22. Tales of Symphonia - 4 - There is a lot I liked about this game but it also really reminded me how ridiculous JRPG stories were. That said the game was very well done and the combat system is lovely. Spent over a month on this game to get it done and I didn't play it all the time. It was kind of hard to play at times which is odd because I enjoyed all of it. "This coffee is hot. No its cold. I lied its hot"

23. Gone Home - 5 - I have been meaning to play this for years and man the narrative was good. Thought it was going to be a horror game but nope, just a storm outside. So well done, simple and a good pallet cleanser after a long JRPG

24.Oxenfree - 5 - I was in the mood for another short story centered game and god damn this hit the spot. Gameway was simple but the story was very engaging, greatly written and the voice acting was on point. Spooked me out a few times too.

26. Guacamelee - 5 - I loved this game way more than I thought I would and I plowed thru it over a weekend. The game has so much going for it. Handles well, story is simple and cheesy but still entertaining. Combat was well done too.

27. Wolfenstein: New Order - 4- With my last shooter this one started rough for me. I kept running balls first in and well...that doesn't work. Once I got the hang of it I really enjoyed. Story was good even with BJ being a pretty stereotypical action movie star it worked for the narrative and had me engaged.

September
28. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 - 3 - I enjoyed this game for the most part. A lot about it was really well done. I played with the restored content mod and it helped but god...something about this game really bugged me the whole time. The characters I didn't like as much as the original. The universe felt extremely empty and the ending, even with the restored content was incredibly horrible. Like...it jumped to random points that made no sense, a character literally disappeared and I just...wow. It did hit my Star Wars itch at least.

29. Massive Chalice - 3 - I played thru it, third attempt before I really could and it was an alright game. The concept was really cool and felt a lot like an XCom breeding simulator however I gave no shits about any of my bloodlines or characters which made the game a Netflix and game kind of game. Which was cool and all but I was really hoping for something more from it.

30. Day of the Tentacle - 4 - This was my first game of the genre. I don't know how but I absolutely missed out on the entire genre but whelp. I did. I played the remastered version which helped but I found the writing and the wit super engaging. Some of the puzzles were hard because I had no idea how these genres really worked but trying shit out and figuring things out was refreshing. Absolutely no hand holding and that was welcomed in a short simple title.

Game 31 - 1000 Top Rated ☆☆☆☆☆
Nothing like an impressive disaster to start the month. As someone that actually enjoys this kind of games especially on portable devices, this one is incredibly shallow. At least I got a platinum for doing nothing!

Game 32 - Energy Cycle ★★☆☆☆
At start I was having a hard time getting into the game mechanics that looked very obtuse, then it started being too easy and in the end it became slightly difficult again.

Game 33 - Trackmania Turbo ★★★☆☆
What a disappointment. For a game that focus so much on mastering tracks and vehicles, the lack of simple and accessible leaderboards for every track is a big oversight. Then the craziness of the tracks are definitely lacking, with some combos of cars/tracks being too difficult because the track by itself isn't a challenge.

Game 34 - Puzzle Showdown 4K ★★☆☆☆
Unlike the debacle at top of my monthly list, this one is actually fun to play especially the versus mode in couch co-op.

Game 35 - The Golf Club 2 ★★★★☆
As someone that already loved the first game in this series, the sequel is a worthy successor but at the same time some stuff makes me wonder if they couldn't make this a DLC for the first game and keep the community together. Societies are a great addition for the LFG crowd and online tournaments and the gameplay is still miles ahead of any sim golf in the market (playing Rory McIlroy PGA Tour right after playing this, is going from real sim to full arcade). Still the online issues during the first week after launch, the slow leaderboards, the bug of not registering online rounds after finishing them and some feeling of "sameness" is why I can't give it 5 stars. Would still recommended it without reservations to any golf sim fan.

This game is an indie God of War clone, using even a similar control scheme.
It has a few light platforming challenges, but late game enemies tend to be pretty tanky as they require a lot of hits before they can be killed.
I personally like this game as more of a style over substance, but it does have some VERY impressing visuals for an indie game.

A sequel could really improve on its combat system, but alas we may never see one.

53. Disney Infinity 3.0 - Marvel Battlegrounds Playset (1 hour)
I've started collecting the figures, and I may as well play the last two playsets on Xbox One if they're not on Steam. Anyway, short and fun fighting game, if somewhat shallow-feeling.

Full list to date.

Game #37 Kirby in Planet Robobot
3DS
man, I loved this game. I love Kirby in general, but the robot stages, the shooter stages, the game is so damn charming. And has a ton of extra content too.

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Elite Dangerous (PS4)

This open-fare space sim has crept up and buried its claws in me. Deep.
A true sandbox that doesn't tell you or give you anything. You have to get out there and take it.
The incredible atmosphere and potential for emergent play make this one of the most intrinsically rewarding games I've ever played.

Note:
This game can't necessarily be "beaten", but I've already put in over 40 hours into it and I don't plan on stopping.

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Back in the day sequels to games had to be 'bigger' than their predecessor and that is true of Mario Land 2.
After completing the first stage, the game opens up to a map from which you can access ANY of the game's main 6 worlds or Zones.
Each Zone consists of around 3 stages along with a 4th final boss stage. After defeating a boss you get a Gold Coin with an emblem on it which are all needed in order to access the final stage: Wario's Mansion.

The gameplay is traditional Mario fare, with there being 2 power ups: Fire Flower power (which has Mario sport a feather I guess in reference to native Americans or something?) and a new Bunny power-up. The new power up mainly lets Mario float by mashing the air button to remain airborne for a while longer.

The music and visuals are really good in this game, with the graphics being a major improvement over Mario Land 1. All the sprites are bigger and look nicer.

Still, however, I prefer Mario Land 1; Land 2 feels much longer than its predecessor which is apparent in the stages as there is a chekcpoint bell when you reach halfway through the stage. I might be exaggerating a bit here, but I rather much prefered the short length of Land 1.

Despite that, I still find Land 2 to be a solid platformer, although one that many Mario fans find to be easier than most Mario games. Non the less if you're looking for some more Mario platforming goodness, def. check this game out.

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So I finally decided to beat these 2 games today. While I didn't understand their plot, or likely I didn't care for it, I did enjoy its visuals and the light puzzle gameplay. Strongly recommend it for anyone looking for a good game to play on their phone or tablet/iPad.

#27 - Tacoma (1:54)
7/10. Enjoyably atmospheric, minimalist romp. Simple stuff but well executed.

This was a pretty short game. It only has 5 levels and each takes around 10-15 minutes to beat.
Overall it's a decent 2D platformer for a handheld, and it is a little on the easy side, which is a Kirby series mainstay.
Interestingly enough, kriby doesn't get his power copying abilities in this game, as any enemy or object he inhales becomes a star projectile that he shoots in front of him.

Stage 3's theme is my fav. track in the series and the overall graphics are fine.

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11. Final Fantasy Tactics | VITA | 28th May | 43h | ★★★★★
What a classic. The praise is well-deserved. Characters with complex and sympathetic motivations and some consummate faux-Shakespearean dialogue. A refreshing contrast from the maudlin dross that dominants the genre. The rpg systems were flexible and rewarding and the strategy gameplay was tight.

12. Shovel Knight: Spector of Torment | VITA | 1st June | 6h | ★★★☆☆
I liked the agility of Spector Knight. I didn't like how he kept accidentally sticking to walls. I preferred the airtight gameplay of the original but overall a pretty good time.

13. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | PS4 | 25th June | 33h | ★★★★★
I like open-world games that have fun mobility options and allow the player to chill out between activities instead of constantly overwhelming them with ungratifying busy work. San Andreas is pretty much perfect in this respect. Rockstar had clearly made the effort to vary the gameplay for each main story mission which kept it fresh. The difficulty of some of the longer missions without checkpoints was initially frustrating but I actually ended up appreciating the tension.

14. Mario Kart 8 | Switch | 30th June | 40h | ★★★★★
For moment-to-moment gameplay I don't think Mario Kart can be beat. Corner sliding, boosting through shortcuts and avoiding attacks is just the perfect blend of reactive skill, control and strategy. 40 hours was the time it took me to get 3 stars in all Grand Prix but this will be the go-to multiplayer game for a good time yet.

15. System Shock 2 | PC | 1st July | 12h | ★★★★★
This was like Bioshock meets Dead Space with Doom's running speed. Atmosphere in spades and some surprising level design given the spaceship setting.

16. Crash Bandicoot | PS4 | 5th July | 6h | ★★★☆☆
A fun platformer with more jank than I remember. Dodgy collision detection and input latency slightly undermined the experience.

17. Super Mario Galaxy 2 | Dolphin | 15th July | 21h | ★★★★☆
Lots of charm and creativity in SMG2. It felt like there was a new idea for almost every star. Loved the castle time trials. I found the individual levels a little short for my liking, however. And I think I just don't find the weighty controls of Mario games as fun as twitchier platformers. I managed all 120 gold stars but didn't bother with hunting for the green ones.

18. Ori and the Blind Forest | PC | 20th July | 11h | ★★★★★
Fast, fluid and responsive platforming with beautiful and dynamic visuals. I'm looking forward to the sequel.

19. Castlevania: Rondo of Blood | Wii VC | 1st August | 8h | ★★★★★
My first classicvania. When I took out the first boss and got that Dark Souls rush I knew I'd been missing out. I've found myself humming along to the soundtrack while playing.

20. Earthbound | SNES Android | 4th August | 30h | ★★★★☆
Despite having played some of the games inspired by Earthbound, this still felt unique. It has a certain almost inexplicable quality to it; a tone that's ironic yet sincere, surreal and deeply nostalgic. I'm generally not a fan of turn-based rpgs and Earthbound didn't do a great deal to elevate itself above its peers in the gameplay department. I could listen to the Sky Runner theme for hours.

Gave up on - Final Fantasy XV | PS4 | Nope | 12h | ★☆☆☆☆
I struggled to find enough redeeming qualities in the first 12 hours of this game to justify me continuing when there are so many better ways I could be spending my time. Considering the vacuous core gameplay, patchwork story and many rough-edges, this feels to me like the result of a development team with some serious management, process and pipeline problems.

Original Post

19. Crash Bandicoot - 8/10, 8 hours
20. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back - 9.5/10, 8 hours
21. Crash Bandicoot Warped - 8/10, 8 hours
Got the N'Sane Trilogy and played through the franchise for the first time. I really enjoyed myself, all three games were excellent. Cortex Strikes Back was easily the best game of the trilogy, with the strongest level design and very few duds. I really enjoyed 1 a lot, it has its issues (Road to Nowhere and High Road are genuinely the least pleasant gaming experiences I've had in a long time) but it is still a fun game with some really quality level design throughout when you're not crossing broken bridges. By all means, Warped SHOULD have been the best game, but half of it was bogged down by being stupid gimmick levels... its standard levels were genuinely some of the best content to come out of the entire trilogy, so it's disappointing that Naughty Dog thought dumb gimmicks were the way to go. Overall, fantastic games that I will definitely revisit, and I'm glad I got to play them. As a total package, this is a game of the year contender in my eyes.

22. Splatoon 2 - 9.5/10, a stupid amount of hours already
I'm still playing this, but I finished the single player campaign and that's why this is on the list. The original Splatoon was my favorite game of 2015, an incredibly refreshing shooter that got me back into enjoying team multiplayer shooters again. Splatoon 2 is, in several ways, better than the original - it is way better balanced, the clever and well designed single player is even more fun (though the final boss in 1 is superior), and Salmon Run is an incredible addition that adds so much to the overall package. The shortened rotations are a good fix, but of course in typical Nintendo fashion we also have Salmon Run being available for limited times which is a move I absolutely hate. I also think the current maps are good, but not as good as original Splatoon's - of course, time will probably change that, and they certainly improved Moray and Mackerel. Rotations in Salmon Run are a great idea, but limited availability... not so much. This is one of my favorite games this year so far, damn is this year stacked. Dumb internet decisions by Nintendo are probably gonna hold this game back from being my GOTY though, and that's a damn shame on their part.


I'm hoping to finish FE Echoes and Hey Pikmin soon. Maybe then I can get back to Persona 5 and maybe finish that before summer ends. I kinda wanna do a gimmick, "shitty games month", but I have so many games that I started and didn't finish this year that I kinda wanna clear out that backlog before I try something like that. Tentative things I'm thinking about... Lair, a replay of Metroid Other M, Paper Mario Sticker Star.

Original Post

Been slacking heavy on writeups so I haven't been making new posts lately but still keeping pace. Pyre inspired me to get back on the wagon.



29. Pyre (PS4) | August 2 | 12 hours
I've always liked and admired Supergiant's sensibilities and house style, but Pyre quickly became the game that I outright adore the most. The presentation, atmosphere, and Jen Zee's gorgeously surreal artwork instantly impresses, along with another haunting soundtrack from Darren Korb. The writing and lore crafting takes center stage, weaving a melancholy but uplifting tale of faith, revolution, ritual and kinship. This is a choose-your-own-adventure visual novel at heart, with an excellent cast of characters and a world that lingers in your head after it's over.

The 3-on-3 fantasy team sport that compromises the other half of the game also delivers. It's ambitious, fast paced fun, takes a little getting used to and can feel somewhat detached from the story, though that mattered to me less as I improved and began to appreciate the nuances of the classes and mechanics. It holds up throughout and left me wanting more. While Pyre's disparate influences won't be to everyone's tastes, for me it's easily the studio's most accomplished work to date.

A little late, but here's my update for July:



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.



36. WayOut 2: Hex (Steam) - 14 July 2017
100% of achievements; all puzzles completed with minimum moves. This follow-up to WayOut follows the common approach for sequels to tile-based puzzle games of changing the tile shape - as the game's subtitle suggests, instead of squares, puzzles here are based on hexagons. Aside from that, the game imports pretty much all of the mechanics and tile variants from the first game - not necessarily a bad thing, but it means that the game doesn't feel quite as 'fresh' as it might otherwise.

Notably, this sequel presents a significantly tougher level of difficulty, especially when aiming for 'perfect' solutions - this is likely primarily to be the result of each move now having a greater impact (on the six adjacent hexagons, rather than four adjacent squares), so be prepared for that. Conversely, it felt to me that the trial-and-error element may have dropped slightly, though it's still definitely there to some extent and perhaps this feeling is due to my accumulated experience across the two games together. Either way, overall I'd still recommend the game to puzzle game enthusiasts as a lightweight and relaxing, yet challenging, experience.



37. Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4) - 22 July 2017
Platinum trophy; 100% progression reported in-game; all outfits, weapons and crafting upgrades acquired. It's taken a while for me finally to get to this game, but I'm immensely glad to have done so - Horizon very much justifies the positive reception that it's received, as it's an astoundingly good game. I don't think that it's quite going to be able to topple Zelda as my game of the year so far, but it's s very close-run thing. Frankly, it's hard for me to find much in the way of flaws here - the game's world is large and beautiful, the story is compelling, combat is responsive and satisfying, and there's a great soundtrack behind it all. I'm now eagerly awaiting the release of the DLC!



38. Firewatch (PS4) - 23 July 2017
100% of trophies earned. It's taken me a while to get around to playing Firewatch, but I'm glad that I've finally played it. The game has a beautiful setting and a very effective use of music throughout. There's a compelling narrative to draw your through the game and the development of the relationship between Henry and Delilah is intriguing to follow, though I couldn't help but find the ending to be a little unsatisfying overall. I was also somewhat surprised that the game's technical performance on PS4 isn't all that great, with a number of noticeable framerate drops, though fortunately I'm not overly sensitive to that so it didn't detract too much from my enjoyment of the game. All-in-all, Firewatch was a great experience, and definitively my favourite "walking simulator" game to date, by quite some margin.



39. Kathy Rain (Steam) - 23 July 2017
100% of achievements unlocked. I've not played a classic-style 'point-and-click' game for a while, but this was a good way to re-introduce myself to the genre. The low-definition 'throwback' graphical style works well; conversely, the soundtrack is quite sophisticated, working well to set the mood of a number of the game's setpieces. There are a few of the puzzles that still cross the line beyond what I'd view as reasonably solveable from deduction, etc. (I'll freely admit to having kept a guide to hand), but the majority of the puzzle scenarios are well-done. There's also a fair amount of focus on investigation through conversations, tying in with the game's "a detective is born" subtitle - I think on balance I prefer more traditional puzzles, but the seeing the variety is a positive. I don't feel that the game quite resolves all of its plot threads in a satisfying way and it starts to rely a little too much on the supernatural towards the end (even if it's clear that it's not wholly real), which is a bit of a shame, but I still enjoyed my time with the game.

Game #50 - The Final Station
Time: 4 hours

What a fantastic little game. A 2D side scrolling shooter / survival hybrid in a terrific sci-fi horror setting that subverts the zombie apocalypse theme with some fantastic writing and visuals. The story gets a little surreal (and honestly, incomprehensible) but its a joy to play, the systems are very cool, as stated the pixel art is fantastic, great level design, just a great game all around. I wish it was a little longer because it felt like the game could have done more with the systems it gave us. Still, highly recomended.


Game #51 - Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Time: A lot...

I'll finish off the list for now with a couple of games that dont really end, but that I spent more time with this year than most other games combined. Starting off with my return to Heroes of the Storm with the new 2.0 update, this continues to be the one and only moba I am interested in. 2.0 brought great changes to the loot system, and the game continues to pump out new heroes and maps regularly, as expected from Blizzard's support with their games. At the moment of writing I am once again taking a break from the game, but it will continue to be a staple of my yearly gaming for a long time.


Game #52 - World of Warcraft Legion
Time: Again, a lot...

I resubbed to Legion recently with patch 7.2.5 for 1 month, and I proceeded to have probably my most profitable month in the game in a long time. I had a blast, leveled almost all the classes to max level (very easy to do with the new Invasions), played around with various specs, finished all the class campaigns, got all the new class mounts, and once I had done all that, I felt like I had gotten my "money's worth" more than i've ever felt. I had a goal with this resub and I completely completed my goal, it was such a great feeling. Legion is fantastic at being alt friendly, and it continues to be probably my favorite wow expansion. It was probably my swan song with it until the next one, but man it sure was fun. I like this new super casual, "get in get out" way of looking at WoW to be quite frank.

aaaaaand done. Well I'm not done, since I'll play more, but there's my 52 for now

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54. Disney Infinity 3.0 - Finding Dory Playset (4 hours)
This is the actual end of Disney Infinity's content, and it's not a great playset to end on. It's not bad, just mediocre. It's a very basic adventure with an emphasis on collectables, but it's not especially engaging in any way.

Full list to date

Pikmin 3 - Loved this in the end. Left handed so quickly came to the realisation that the gamepad was a no go. Went and bought a Wiimote and nunchuck. Have picked u the NPC version of the first game, and will keep an eye out for the second, although that seems a bit more rare.

The Town of Light - Felt the themes here were handled with sensitivity and respect, which makes a change. The game was pretty janky though, could've done with a bit more polish.

Strider (2014) - Really enjoyed it early on, but the shallowness of the combat became unable to ignore a few hours in. Usually try to 100% at least the upgrades in a metroidvania... Didn't do that here.

Next up: Homefront: The Revolution - Paid just a fiver for this, hoping the patches have helped it out.

OP.

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Game 30 - Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PS1) - 4/5 - 3 hours, 42 minutes *

Casey's RE Series run through 2k17 continues.

I am so Bad at this game. Only my second ever playthrough on "hard" (more like normal, I guess) difficulty but hoo boy was it sure a playthrough. 20 saves, rank D. I don't know what it is with this game and me but I'd like to SOMEDAY maybe A rank it.

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Game 31 - The Legend of Zelda (NES) - 3/5 - 8 hours, 15 minutes

This wasn't my first time playing this game but it was my first time finishing it. I stopped after the first quest because if I'm honest, I was kinda over the difficulty by the end. (I had a big storm coming )

It was nice to see where Zelda started, I intend to work my way through the series through the rest of the year until I either decide to get a switch and try BOTW or cave and play it on my Wii U. Who knows which I will end up doing though as it's pretty far out still.

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Game 32 - Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES) - 2/5 - 10 hours, 35 minutes

I know I complained about the difficulty with the original Zelda, but if only I knew. I'd tried this game a few times in the past so I knew it was pretty rough and I knew of the game's reputation but I thought it couldn't possibly be that bad. I was a fool. Thank god for save states.

I'm really sad that I kinda hated this by the end because I was most excited to play this one out of the whole series. I really like the formula and expansion of the towns along with inclusion of light RPG elements. I would absolutely love to see another attempt at this same style of Zelda game that heavily refines the formula as ALTTP did to TLOZ.

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#35: Company of Heroes: 27.8 hours

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There's nothing wrong with Company of Heroes 2's campaign, but it mostly just made me long for the familiar comfort of CoH1. Its few new ideas (breakable ice, freezing to death) are used very sparingly so it just feels like more of the same. In short: fun but doesn't light the world on fire.

The DLC campaign, Ardennes Assault shakes things up a bit more, though the missions stay pretty stale. You have three armies taking territories on a map, and they can lose a set amount of units across missions. Winning missions grants you currency that can be spent buffing your powers or replenishing your numbers. In the end I barely eked out a win, and it was incredibly tense.

The multiplayer additions are ultimately for the worse I think. You can buy extra doctrines and small passive buffs and it ultimately just makes the thing a convoluted and confusing mess. Admittedly I didn't play very much, before those things turned me off.

Overall it was worth playing in a vacuum, but mostly just made me want to play Company of Heroes 1 and Dawn of War 2 again.

Currently playing: Rhythm Thief, probably a few hours in now.

Ladekabel said:

June:

Game 26: SquareCells (PC): A logic puzzler based on Picross with a twist. It has a nice, clean presentation but I didn't really enjoy the twist and the game was the best for me when it was simply Picross. Will check out the other games by the same developer though. 3/5

Game 27: I Am The Hero (PC): Decent 2D Beat'em Up. Nice pixelart but forgettable soundtrack. In later areas things can get a little bit tricky because of the number of enemies on screen which wouldn't be that big of a problem if I wouldn't have had problems activating my EX skills. Combat system is fun but monotonous though the game is over before it gets boring. Ending screen is nice. 3/5

Game 28: Va-11 Halla (PC): A Visual Novel set in a cyberpunk bar. It has a nice (but a little too much anime) pixel style, soundtrack suits the look and some of the stories and characters are really good. A lot of the dialogue feels like an excuse that anime girls can talk about boobs, dicks and fucking. The bar mixing is fun though.

Game 29: Vanquish (PC): Vanquish is as great as I remembered it. While graphically it looks really dated and the soundtrack doesn't really get me, the gameplay is still really awesome. The mouse and keyboard controls make the game so fluid that it makes my first experience with the game on 360 retroactively worse. Don't expect much from the story either but sliding on your knees and shooting robots in slow mo will make up for that. One of the best if not the best third person shooter. 4/5

Game 30: Mandagon (PC): A neat little exploration platformer for the price of free. Chilling music and nice pixelart. Platforming is good, too. It's sub 1 hour so if you need something for the challenge, check it out! 3/5


July:

Game 31: Mini Metro (Macbook): In Mini Metro you plan your own train connections. New stations pop up randomly and you need to include them in your existing lines. The game is mellow and stressful alike. If too many people are waiting in your station you need to bring in new trains, additional carriages or a new line asap or it is game over for the scenario. While it is fun it can get slightly frustrating, too. There are elements of luck involved. For example you can get in to trouble if you not get tunnels to cross a river or too many stations of one kind are in one row. 3/5

Game 32: Isotiles (Macbook): Fun little puzzle game. Nothing bad, nothing special. It is cheap, short and good. 3/5

Game 33: Solitairica (Macbook): A Solitaire rogue-lite. It could be a little bit snappier, animations could be faster than the fast animation option and clicking the cards doesn't feel very good. Despite that the game is pretty fun. You have deck of cards which you try to match with the cards of different columns which represent the enemies healthbar. I almost quit the game if I didn't get lucky in my last run. The rng gets you. You can get runs where you can't get a single action and die. Losing doesn't feel good. 3/5

Game 34: Spaceplan (Macbook): A clicker with a story. The presentation is nice. I didn't read the Stephen Hawking book it is based on but the game went a little bit too hard with its potato theme. Near the end there are some not so good sections and the ending sequence is too long. And I didn't really like the clicker mechanics. 2/5

Game 35: Divinity Original Sin Enhanced Edition (PC): Played in coop. Was one and half a year in the making. Really cool RPG with a bad last part that drags it down for me a little bit. 3/5

Game 36: Cook, Serve, Delicious!: When I finally got the highest rated restaurant I yelled "I'm free!" and uninstalled it. This game is the devil of time consuming. 4/5

Game 37: The Journey Down Chapter 1 (Macbook): Neat little adventure game. I especially enjoyed the soundtrack. 3/5

Game 38: Nier: Automata (PC): Having played the first Nier I kinda knew what kinda depressing stories were waiting for me which in hindsight maybe took away from its impact on me. Or maybe the first Nier is still fresh on my memory since I played it late last year. In terms of combat it is a step up from the first game though it can get kinda repetitive. The shmup parts (not the hacking minigames) were my favorite sections. Soundtrack was mostly great. Graphics are outdated but have some nice designs. I'd recommend if more for the story and themes than the gameplay. 4/5

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June and July update.

On a good track to beat the challenge... again...

#63 Escape Plan ★★★ PS4 - August 3rd - 2.30 hours
Some interesting puzzles and nice presentation but really short and easy


#64 Valiant Hearts The Great War ★★★★ PS4 - August 7th - 5 hours
Beautiful presentation and a moving story, it's pretty unchallenging but I never lost interest in the gameplay

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23 | Styx: Shards of Darkness | PC
Time: 14 hours
Score: 7/10

Shards of Darkness is a worthy sequel to Master of Shadows although overall I enjoyed its predecessor a bit more. The level design is really great and provides a lot of viable pathways for reaching your destination. I completed the game without killing or alerting anyone but a radically different playthrough is also possible. While the stealth in this game is very impressive, there are still a few problems with ledge detection and the story is ... really bad. Still, I consider both Styx games must-play games for pure stealth aficionado's.

55. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (10+ hours)
It was a series highlight on Wii U, and it remains so on Switch.

Full list to date

game 38
Yakuza 3, PS3
19 hrs.
The Yakuza ride continues with the 4th Yakuza game I've played this year, and the first real HD one(not counting playing 2 via the Wii U HD collection). And the games continue to be amazing. Love the franchise and the massive QoL jump playing 3 right after 2 is jarring. But yeah, they should really package up the whole franchise at some point, the Kazuma Kiryu collection.

Game 39
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood(remake)
PSP
Classic game, great remake and package. Nothing to be said about this that hasn't been said a thousand times.

OP

23: Assassin's Creed 2 -- (replay #2) [PS3] - 14h

Obviously, this is an insane improvement over the first AC game, and I really enjoyed replaying it. There are some things in the ending and some sequences that still bother me, but overall a great game.

8/10

24: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Remastered [PS3] - 9h

I've played the first Uncharted on PS3 and found it mediocre, but I'm glad I replayed now on PS4.
I've never seen a game improving so much with the performance bump. 60fps really makes this game for me, the shooting is way more fun. I'm pretty sure the PS3 version is sub-30fps. I'll be jumping into Uncharted 2 very soon.

7/10

This game really dragged on by the end. The shooting is fine and the visuals are OK. The game's plot elements are its highlight which I found were OK too.
Rather unremarkable gameplay-wise when it comes to its SP.

Master Post

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Game 26: Parappa The Rapper Remastered (PS4) | 3 Hours | 07/31/2017 | 4/5

It's Parappa the Rapper. In HD! The same game with the same songs you loved, but now presented in HD!... That's pretty much it. Looks great, plays great; although there is input delay but personally I had no issues and pin-point precision isn't something you really need to worry about due to the freestyle rapping mechanic. Level 4 is still a broken difficulty spike but that's the game. A fun three hour platnium trophy filled with goofy shit and catchy tunes.

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Game 27: Transistor (PS4) | ~6 Hours | 08/02/2017 | 3.5/5

This is a game where there's a lot to love but my experience was bogged down by some of the design decisions in the game. Visuals and sound are great and they build a really great aestheitc for the game. Gameplay itself is fun; I especially loved the backroom challenges and the use of limiters, but there were a couple of things I didn't love. Mostly, I didn't like the loss of functions when HP reaches zero, you just feel handicapped and I rather just die and start all over then lose a key move for that fight and usually the next. The limiter that makes recovering functions harder was the only limiter that I unlocked that I had to disable. The games most important mechanic, Turn(), is an interesting mechanic that functions like Fallout's VATS, where time is stopped and you plan out your moves to create a devastating plan of attack. The problem becomes after doing so you're locked out of your moves until it recharges, except for Jaunt(), an important dash attack, which just makes the game kind of a slog, especially if your HP reached 0 and you lost Jaunt and then it becomes really annoying. I didn't like the end game enemy type because their primary attack is a OHKO (this probably was my fault due to a increased enemy damage limiter I had on) which meant I kept losing functions which just fed into the thing I didn't like. Game is still cool, I just really didn't like losing functions.

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Game 28: The Sexy Brutale (PC) | 5 Hours | 08/07/2017 | 3.5/5

Cool, unique puzzle adventure game. The premise is interesting; reliving the same day trying to save the hotel guests from their demise, and the story goes to some interesting places with some late game swerves. The puzzles are generally well done. I did need some guidance for a couple of things where you have to be at the right place at the right time to see something and get knowledge about it, but for most of the game that is not the case. It's a fun ride and I had fun with it.

56. Lit (45 minutes)
It's a cute and fun puzzle game, but it's too short for what it is.

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Super Motherload
Platform: PS4
Time: 7:00
Date: 08.09
Score: (2/5)

I didn't know what this was going into it, and I was pretty disappointed when I realized it was another game like Steamworld Dig. I've seen a lot of people sing the praises of both of these games, and I simply do not get it. I found the game to be incredibly boring and the ending was frustrating.

edit: Decided to play through it again. Probably 4-5 hours for the second playthrough, and I enjoyed it a little more this time around. Probably just because I knew that grinding money isn't important to the game, and instead I could just focus on getting deep fast. Still, I would only call this one "ok," and I still can't say I really like it.

Spyware said:

86 games in 2105

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Holy balls, you're from the future!

@thread
I'm shitty gamer this year. I only finished Resident Evil 7, Ratchet & Clank (PS4), Sonic All Star Racers Transformed and Persona 5. My job is killing me.

Samorost 3 can be played stand alone as it is mainly about the adventures of this Gnome who lives on a planetoid or something that goes on adventures to other Planetoids and it's some weird-o ass acid trip or some shit.

Original post


25. Nier Automata (PS4, 2017) - 32:20
All main endings complete. Endings ABCDELMU, 60% sidequest completion.

There's a lot to talk about with Nier Automata. Too bad nearly all of it is spoiler-y. Suffice it to say that it lives up to the expectations you might have for a sequel to Nier, and then some. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a spoiler thread to read through.

22:23h. Did all sidequests I found, but I didn't look for them. Team Tekka + Oats, Gorilin, Bardock, Calule, Gotenks EX. No postgame.

This is an utterly unambitious, strangely addictive and totally charming little game. The combat system is pretty nifty, the fusions are simply really fun, and the graphics are good for a 3DS game. On the minus side, the plot is like a bad fanfic, the game is SERIOUSLY easy (I didn't lose a single fight - I came close during the last boss, but I was too overleveled to lose) and the main plot is a bit on the short side.

Still, very worth the 20 hours I invested on it.

My Score: ★★★✩✩

Original Post

17:09h. All puzzles complete (duh)

It's a Picross game, and I always enjoy those very much. Though I'm removing a full star because of Mega Picross. Fuck Mega Picross.

My Score: ★★★✩✩

Original Post

My main post.


24 | Silent Hill 3 HD | Xbox 360
7.5 hours | Completed Aug. 9th

Great psychological survival horror game! Gripping and mysterious story, disturbing enemy design and an amazing soundtrack. I really liked Heather as the main character, she was badass but vulnerable at the same time. The world of Silent Hill is ugly, repulsive and spooky but it's still a blast to explore. Very few games have made me as anxious and on edge as this and Silent Hill 2. I didn't mind the clunky controls or the camera, I think things like that kind of add to the experience in a way. I realize the HD collection is quite shunned upon among the fans but as I haven't played the original games before I didn't notice anything too jarring. There was a strange slowdown whenever an achievement unlocked and firing the SMG made an awful sound but I still enjoyed the game a ton. My only regret is . . Still, overall a great-ass horror game, liked it very much!


25 | Sudeki | PC
17.5 hours | Completed Aug. 10th

I was in the mood for some light Xbox/PS2 era RPG so I picked this up from the Steam summer sale and uh... Oh boy. This is essentially a western action RPG that tries to imitate a JRPG but falls short by a long mile. It has some interesting things going for it like the combat system that changes from third person hack 'n' slash to first person shooter depending on which character you're using but it's just so clunky. The story is super generic and the characters are god-awful - especially the female party members with their stupid, tasteless bikini armour. The voice acting is horrid, some of the NPCs sound hilariously bad because of the over-the-top accents, and the antagonist is cringeworthy. They also did the bare minimum with the side quests and fleshing out the world, very rarely did an NPC have more than two lines of dialogue and all the side quests I completed were dull and short. The game really just hasn't aged well at all, it's definitely a product of its time in the worst way possible. I'm not quite sure why I stuck with it till the end, I guess there was something slightly charming about its mediocrity. Oh and by the way, that last boss fight was some straight up bullshit. What an awful, awful fight.

Main post



24 | Dead Space | PC
Time: 11 hours
Score: 7/10

I first played Dead Space five years ago and remember being deadly afraid, quitting halfway. This time I had more horror experience under my belt and the experience was less terrifying but still really scary, especially in the earlier levels. The atmosphere and Ishimura design is top notch. The plot is also relatively interesting and unsettling. While there is a bit too much combat for my liking, dismembering enemies is a hell of a lot more fun than simply going for headshots. I completed the game on 'hard' difficulty but the game became a cakewalk halfway through. Maybe 'impossible' mode offers a real survival challenge? Anyway, Dead Space is a great horror title let down a bit by an inverted difficulty curve and too much emphasis on combat, especially later on. And now I can finally get started with Dead Space 2.

I mainly beat the main game in both.

Original Post

For the month of July I completed six games

My progress for this challenge is 70/52

1. Journey – Finished on July 2 – 2 hours, 10 minutes

I wasn't sure what to make of this game at first. I wandered around aimlessly exploring for a bit until I came across someone else also playing. At first I just ignored them but finally I started walking with them and they really helped me out. It was clear it wasn't this person's first Journey. We eventually traveled together until completion of the game. Of course during the credits I got up to use the bathroom and didn't realize their PSN ID would be there at the end. I would have messaged them a big thank you for being patient with me as sometimes I was just dumb and couldn't do things correctly since I was getting the hang of the game. Overall it really made me think. It was just one of those experiences.

2. River City: Knights of Justice – Finished on July 2 – 2 hours, 20 minutes

Another Kunio game! This one was really short but kinda cool. It wasn't quite what I was expecting but I still enjoyed it. I actually stopped right before the final sequence and finished it up now not knowing how close I was to the finish. I know there are a lot of quests that I didn't do but I just didn't know where to go to do them. Combat was simple as always. Holding items always felt clunky when you'd have to cycle through to get to healing food. Sometimes you'd drop your weapon and not get it back. It was fun to take a giant sword and just bash a group of enemies over and over again. I feel like the focus in this game was more on weapons than in Tokyo Rumble which I played earlier in the year. Another one of those games that gets a bump from me because it doesn't overstay it's welcome. It isn't long enough for the gameplay to get really stale or for the story to wear thin.

3. Flower – Finished on July 3 – 3 hours, 20 minutes

This is a quirky little game where you are the wind and you make flowers bloom. You make everything beautiful and colorful and even makes musical sounds when you bloom flowers. It is a whimsical and relaxing adventure even if you sometimes have to fight the controls to get where you need to go. Sometimes I couldn't exactly tell in the mass of flower petals I was controlling where exactly the front was to know where I was going but otherwise it wasn't an issue. For the most part you are just blooming flowers and traversing environments but by the end there is a definite nature versus urban sprawl sort of vibe going. I did manage to get most of the trophies for this game. There seems to be one trophy for each flower dream and three secret flowers for each dream. Getting that trophy and the secret flowers makes your flower fully bloom. I did all of that except for the fifth dream. I am not going back to redo that stage. I refuse. I may come back in a week or so and grind the arbitrary number of flowers bloomed for the easy trophy.

4. Professor Layton and the Last Specter – Finished on July 6 – 15 hours, 29 minutes

The first game in the prequel trilogy of Layton games. This game tells the story of how Layton and Luke first meet and solve their first mystery together. A specter is attacking the town of Mysthallery and Layton is delivered a letter begging him to help solve the mystery. There are of course puzzles of varying difficulty throughout the game, hint coins to find, and other side puzzles such as the train set, fish bowls, and a cute little puppet show. The puzzles are numbered and having a huge gap in number from one puzzle to another drives me crazy so I mostly use a guide to help locate puzzles. I know nothing is permanently missable but I just prefer the little bits of talking to people about their puzzles rather than going to a set location to pick up the ones you miss. I just really enjoy the charm of Layton games. I blew through this game in only a few days and I almost feel bad about it. I really enjoyed the game though. Really looking forward to the next two games to see where the story goes.

5. Pokemon Heart Gold – Finished on July 14 – 32 hours

This is one of the games I credit with helping to save my life. When this game came out I was overweight and out of shape. I opened the box that this game came with and out popped a little life saver called the Pokewalker. I began to walk and exercise all the while my walking buddy Caterpie was trapped in the Pokewaler. I've continued on that path to this day, dropping a lot of weight and getting in shape. To think it all started with buying this game and getting that tiny little Pokewalker. For this run the theme was “Johto's Finest”. I used Feraligatr, Ampharos, Crobat, Togetic, Steelix, and Hitmonchan. Hitmonchan of course is a Kanto pokemon but Tyrogue is a Johto pokemon so I allowed it. Had a pretty good run of things despite wasting my Dig TM on Feraligatr instead of using it on Steelix. Still had to grind at the end of the game because my party was in the high 30s and there is just no way I was going to outspeed anything in the E4 without adding on some levels. Lance was tough but the non Blizzard having Dragonites were stopped by Steelix. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't evolve Togetic during the first part of the game and I'm basically making the choice not to grind for another 20+ hours to fight Red.

6. Pokemon White – Finished on July 22 – 24 hours

I feel like I may have underrated the Gen 5 pokemon games. I really enjoyed playing this game again. It hits all the right notes regarding story, gameplay, and cool, new pokemon designs. One thing I really dislike is that basically every boss pokemon in the E4 and the battles beyond all basically know four damaging moves. Everyone is a sweeper of some kind. It means you are basically in a damage race and almost no matter what you are going to get knocked out along the way. You basically need certain types and because a certain dragonslaying TM is postgame only, some battles suck. Very rarely are you going to have a pokemon resist all four attack moves of an opposing pokemon so it is hard to set up and hard to catch up if you fall behind in the final fights. This game probably has the best story in a pokemon game up until Sun/Moon. It felt like a JRPG story with the traditional pokemon framework built into it at certain points. I actually liked both rival characters. The gym leaders actually had personality as opposed to X/Y. N and Alder are both somewhat fleshed out characters considering it is pokemon.

A minimalist no dialog adventure game. It's a pretty straightforward interactive story and a short one as I've beaten it in under 3 hours.

Game 27: Strider 2 (PS1) - 1 hour

Fun arcade action platforming. The controls could be a bit tighter, but they are still good enough to pull off its fast paced action. Thankfully the level design compared to the original Strider has been made in a way that isn't solely out to eat lives/coins. The art direction is great, but a big amount of mini-loading screens can be distracting.

Game 28: Devil May Cry (PS3 replay) - 4 hours

Since I had set up my PS3 I felt like replaying this game. I didn't think I would do it in one sitting, but it's still very fun and quick to get through. I love how blatant it is that this game was originally Resident Evil 4.


original post

Another simple PnC game. Humor was good and visuals were OK. Nothing much to say.

33. Princess Remedy in a Heap of Trouble (Steam, 2017/07/26, 1 hour)

The previous Princess Remedy was so much fun, that I've double down'd and play its sequel back to back. Speccy graphics returned, most of the formula too, although NPCs sport a little more dialog, new locations can be visited. Probably the most meaningful change is that Remedy is able to date certain characters, they tag along and act like a special ability in battle. This one is also short and sweet.

34. Clustertruck (Steam, 2017/07/30, 6.4 hours)

You have to survive a certain distance to reach the goal of each level. This is done by 1st person parkouring over a cluster of trucks and yes, it's as high-octane as it sounds. Jumping from truck to truck isn't tricky enough, there's also the environment constantly throwing a spanner in the works. Thanks to the physics, everything is highly dynamic, random and even glitchy. You must, literally and figuratively, think on your feet. The levels only last a few seconds, but they can feel like eternity. It's a fun game, although there's a fair amount of trail and error involved. Some levels you'll ace on the first try and other after 666 million retries. The first 80% of Clusterf*ck is a breeze, but the home stretch will drive you up the wall. All puns are intended.

35. Shadow Complex Remastered (Steam, 2017/08/12, 7.9 hours)

This metroidvania game aged really well and is still super fun. The production value is definitely in the upper tier for this genre. Not quite triple A, but close. Level design and gameplay abilities bounce of each other rather nicely. There is some backtracking, but it isn't annoying when you get to test drive new gadgets. The story is okay, serviceable enough to keep the show going. Not sure how much or what was remastered, but Shadow Complex runs happily in 4K, looks super clean and anti-aliased. There's some Unreal3 engine related stuttering, when data streaming happens in the background. It's smooth sailing, when everything is loaded into memory and the player traveled the map for a bit.

36. FullBlast (Steam, 2017/08/12, 2.3 hours)

Decent SHMUP, but they stretched its content too thin. The 12 levels should have been 4 with the given variation of enemies, bosses and stage elements. Lots of reuse and recycling, even the metal soundtrack felt like a single track on repeat. The gameplay is solid arcade style shoot 'em up fun, but lacks any interesting scoring or power up mechanics. I've cleared the game once and will probably not return. FullBlast bored me, although it might be a nice beginner's or casual SHMUP.

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