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Jack Videogames · Oct 7, 2017

6h-ish. Got ending "Incrimination of Thought" basically by mistake. More on that later. Minor gameplay spoilers.

Even though it seems like a little, uneventful thing, Orwell is actually a pretty ambitious indie game, that wants to make you think about the power of surveillance and the trade-off of sacrificing your freedom to enhance your security, or viceversa. In that sense, Orwell does its thing pretty well. The story itself is pretty good, even if the storytelling is iffy and patchy sometimes.

The gameplay is also interesting, similar to Uplink but not quite as "specialized", and it's immediately evident what do you need to do to advance in the game. Sadly, Orwell's interface is extremely clunky and unintuitive, and a game like this lives and dies by its interface. I found myself at a loss of what to do more than once because something wasn't correctly clicked or a possible datachunk was not recognized as such because I got ahead of the game's internal logic.

At the end, just after the final twist, I neatly realized there was a three-way branch. But after this, I spend several minutes in thought because I couldn't realize what I had to do to pursue one particular outcome. I was told I had to investigate a certain person, so I did so - but I selected the wrong datachunk and I got the exact opposite result.

So, in this case, I have to score Orwell with an A for effort, but a C for execution. Oh well, there's always next time.

My Score: ★★☆☆☆

Original Post

Ladekabel · Oct 7, 2017

Ladekabel said:
This post is mine.

Did it three years in a row. I really, really hope I don't do it this year.

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

February:

Game 3: Superhot (PC): It's the most innovative shooter I played in years! 5/5

Game 4: Rhythm Heaven Megamix (3DS): I brought Tibby back to Heaven World. Technically there are still a few levels left but I saw credits (and the levels now are a little bit too hard for me). Overall I really like it even if some of the rhythm games are terrible. My biggest problem is some games being either too fast, too slightly off-beat to play or both. No score.

Game 5: Yakuza 3 (PS3): My imtroduction to the series and I loved it. Definitely will continue with the series. Enjoyable combat, detailed world, style and a cool soundtrack. Didn't bother much with the sode stuff and it has a little bit of early gen jank. Still a good game overall though. 3/5

Game 6: Ys Origin (PC): I love the Ys series and Origin is probably my favorite one so far. Three characters, three versions of the same story. Sadly, one story mostly ignores the other two. 4/5.

Game 7: Refunct (PC): Really, really short, little and neat first-person platformer. 3/5

Game 8: Child of Eden (PS3): I like neon, particles and neon particles. I love the music and the presentation in Child of Eden but I really didn't enjoy two of the five levels. And some parts they added on the fundamentals set by Rez I didn't like, too. 3/5

Game 9: To the Moon (PC): A neat and unique story with a nice presentation. Almost had a tear in my eye. It's probably unfair, but the controls hindered my enjoyment. Especially in a later part of the game. 3/5

Game 10: Helly Yeah! (PC): I really wanted to like but the game is hit or miss and misses more in my opinion. 3/5

Game 11: Momodora: Reverie under the Moonlight (PC): Great Metroidvania. Looks good, controls good but the soundtrack is forgetable imo. 4/5

Game 12: Octodad - Dadliest Catch (PC): Funny little physics thingie that is as long as its gimmick is interesting. 3/5

March

Game 13: Hitman Sniper (iOS): First-Person-Sniper that is enjoyable because of the touch controls imo. Nice presentation for a phone game and objectives are fun at first. Overstays its welcome sadly and in the last chapters too many missions goals are just "get high number of points for big score". Bought my ways through those because I saved up so much ingame money. 3/5

Game 14: Shock Troopers (Switch): Fun run and gun shooter although it controls a little to slow for my tastes. No score

Game 15: Thirty Flights of Loving (PC): That was something. No score

Game 16: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Swtich): Never felt I so compelled to explore a game world. There are a few shortcomings but this will likely be my GotY is one of my favorite games ever. I love it so much! 5/5

Game 17: Shadow Complex Remastered (PC): It has aged worse than I thought but it still is one of my favorite Metroidvanias. 4/5

April:

Game 18: Snake Pass (Switch): Delightful physics platformer. Slithering around is fun. Soundtrack is nice but a bit samey for me. Bit blurry in handheld mode. Quite frustrating in times when you feel it doesn't control like it should which get worse with the camera issues. 3/5

Game 19: Day of the Tentacle Remastered (PC): One of the few Point and Click Adventures I can bear to play. Presentation, soundtrack, story and jokes are still great. 5/5

Game 20: Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap (Switch): Never played a Wonder Boy or Monster Land game but I loved this. The amazing art is what drew me into this additional to it being a fun game. 4/5

Game 21: Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (PC): I like the Bad Company games for their campaign. I still enjoyed it though there were some garbage sections. 3/5

May:

Game 22: Paint it Back (PC): Out of the three Picross games I played, Paint it Back is the best. Presentation and puzzles are great. 4/5

Game 23: Inside (PC): Weird puzzle platformer. It has some great and playful puzzles, I like the presentation and nothing could've prepared me for the last bit. 4/5

Game 24: PuyoPuyoTetris Adventure Mode(Switch): I skipped all the story stuff. The missions were sometimes pretty tough. Certainly not the mode you buy the game for. No Score

Game 25: Persona 5 (PS4): It's not better or worse than Persona 4: Golden for me. I liked most of the characters, the refined mechanics, the style and design. The main battle theme was no Reach out to the truth though. It'll be either my GotY or lose to Zelda if nothing better comes along. People should certainly play Persona 5 though. 5/5

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

August

Game 39: Power Hover (PC): A level based autorunner. Presentation is nice, soundtrack wasn't my thing. Gameplay was hit or miss for me. It either oversteered in situations where I didn't want it to or understeered in situations where I needed more. 3/5

Game 40: Dark Messiah of Might & Magic (PC): I think I would've enjoyed the game more if I played it when it came out. Crashed often for me and the game feeling was off imo. Storytelling was awful. Level design was great though. 2/5

Game 41: The Journey Down Chapter 2 (Macbook): Like its predecessor. a neat adventure game. Likeable characters, good soundtrack and a tad longer than the first one. 3/5

Game 42: Valley (PC): A first-person-platformer. Looks great, plays great, soundtrack is great. 4/5

Game 43: Emporium (PC): Dark surreal adventure game. It is short but even if it only takes ~ 30 minutes to go through the gameplayloop gets quite tedious and distracted me from the themes it tries to tackle. 3/5

Game 44: The Silent Age (Macbook): Adventure with a time-travelling story. I'm a sucker for those. 3/5

Game 45: Prey (2017): Great sci-fi game. Atmosphere, combat and soundtrack are quite good. Also liked the art design in this. Ending felt a little rushed and I quite encountered a few bugs. 4/5 but a 5/5 in my heart.

September:

Game 46: Dragon Age: Origins Ultimate Edition (PC): Fuck this game. Was so good but then a known bug which hasn't been fixed in all these years in a story sequence wiped my equipment. Halfway through the Awakening campaign. Really enjoyed the rest of the game but this is unacceptable. 1/5

Game 47: Oxenfree (PC): Neat little advenutre with interesting story. Though I got the impression that the teens were really tweens or people in their thirties captured in younger bodies. 3/5

Game 48: Mario & Rabbids: Kingdom Battle (Switch): A turn-based strategy game with a lot of charme. The last few levels are pretty hard. Looks nice, plays nice, sounds nice. And while there is a lot you can do with the movement of your characters and combining abilities, there was something for me that was missing. Maybe bigger squads or more options for your character classes. Score: 3/5 or 4/5 depending on what day you ask me.

Game 49: Steamworld Dig 2 (Switch): Like the first one, if you're looking for something chill to play, get this game. Nice visual style, good soundtrack and fun gameplay. Even some slightly creepy stuff. An improvement on the excellent Steamworld Dig. 4/5

October

Game 50: Yakuza 4 (PS3): I think Yakuza is now one of my favorite series. Some bullshit enounters and a little bit of jank but still a great game. Kamurocho in the rain looked incredible! 4/5

Game 51: Golf Story (Switch): Like Earthbound with golf. 4/5

Game 52: Rime (PC): Pleasant artstyle and nice soundtrack make this a good game to relax. Gameplay is climbing and puzzles from Uncharted. Not bad, not great but serviceable. Very screenshotable. 3/5

What am I doing with my life?

Baron von Loathsome · Oct 7, 2017

64. Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (36 hours)
Possibly the best game in the series, owing to the best cast, the best minigames, and a hell of a plot. One early game twist is bound to piss players off, though, and it soured the experience in my case.

Full list to date

Azriell · Oct 8, 2017

Complete List

Pan-Pan
Platform: Switch
Time: 6:00
Date: 10.08
Score: (3/5)

I'm a really big fan of games that don't hold your hand. I love it when games let you figure things out for yourself at the risk of getting lost, and I'm equally a fan of stories that let you figure out what's going on. This doesn't mean that a game drops you in a world with zero help, however. It's an fine line for a developer to walk: players need assistance in some form at some point, but a non-hand-holdy experience requires that help to not feel hand-holdy. Even something as simple as locking the door to an area and requiring the player to unlock it with an item they can get in the current environment is a good example of this, or an NPC at the right spot to give the vaguest of clues. Dark Souls does a great job of this. The world is huge and full of secrets and dangers, but somehow you make it through because of small queues given by FROM.

Pan-Pan is a game about a person whose space ship thing crashes in a strange land. The player is tasked with collecting pieces to fix the ship. There is a small world to explore, with puzzles blocking every possible avenue. I love the concept (and the art!) of Pan-Pan, but its biggest failing is that it does not give any sort of queue whatsoever. The world presents itself as a branching hub, so at first you think it's a big place and you can tackle it as you please. However, the puzzles must be solved in a specific but unknown sequence, and since the player does not know where to start (or where to resume when the thread is inevitibly lost), the game becomes an exercise in frustration. It's the kind of game that makes you want to Google things, and I'm the kind of player who refuses to do so.

Slowly, the puzzles come together. One solution in Area C makes you think that you can now approach Area A. You can't, so instead you walk around for a bit, inspecting every square foot of the world again, until you figure it out. The game goes on and on like that until it's suddenly over.

Pan-Pan is a great looking game with a simple but beautiful art-style. It does the minimalist story-telling thing very well. There is no language in the game, but the game does a good job of conveying things through other means, such as environmental queues, sound, and animation. These elements elevated the game up from something I might not have cared for to something charming if frustrating.

Shadax84 · Oct 8, 2017

35. Sublevel Zero Redux - 6.4 Hours

Platform: PC (Steam)
Completition Date: 3.10.2017
Rating: 8 / 10

Finished this little gem after quite a while.
Nice Descent roguelike.
Just finished the easy mode, didn't like the hard modes.

36. Star Wars - Knights Of The Old Republic - 20 Hours

Platform: PC (Steam)
Completition Date: 3.10.2017
Rating: 7 / 10

Although praised by many as one of the best RPGs from Bioware i wouldn't say that.
This game is stripped of so many things that previous Bioware games made so great.
One of the good things about this game is the story, which is really outstanding for a Star Wars game.
I played the game when it was released back then but never finished it.

37. Sniper Elite 4 - 25 Hours

Platform: PC (Steam)
Completition Date: 7.10.2017
Rating: 7 / 10

Another nice entry in the Sniper Elite franchise. The gameplay is again very good, although the AI again seems to be a bit stupid. The huge maps are a bit too big for me.
Finished the campaign on Marksman difficulty, didn't collect every collectable.

Falchion · Oct 8, 2017

Original Post

36) Mirror's Edge - 4 hours - 10/8
Every year I replay this game since it's one of my favorites of all time and pretty short. Even though it has some issues, it's always a fantastic experience.

37) Assassin's Creed III: The Tyranny of King Washington - 6 hours - 10/8
I had heard good things about this DLC shortly after the game came out, but I never got around to playing it until very recently when it went on sale. I had a decent time with it, but it was definitely hard returning to III, not just because it was my least favorite of the AC series, but because there have been so many positive gameplay changes since it came out and it definitely was showing some age.

Dyna · Oct 9, 2017

My main post.

32 | Stories Untold | PC
3.5 hours | Completed Oct. 8th

This was on sale on Steam so I figured I'd give it a shot and it was alright, a neat little experience. The game looks really good most of the time and they capture the 80's vibe pretty well. Lots of similarities to Stranger Things in the music and some of the visuals. The game is best experienced with little to no knowledge of what it's about so I'm not going to go into detail about the story but I will say that it was pretty clever. I would have enjoyed the game way more if it didn't have really shoddy performance at a few parts, really bummed me out. All in all, a short but fun ride, well worth the sale price (~3).

Tizoc · Oct 9, 2017

Main post

Figment is an action adventure game played from an overhead view, like that one game people always rave about, Legend of Alundra or something like that.
The game's premise is set up from the opening scene, where you control Dusty as he ventures through dream-like landscapes in order to restore the mind and awaken it.

The controls are pretty simple as Dusty mainly moves around, has a dodge roll and can whack stuff with his wooden sword. He can also hold the attack button to charge up his sword for a 360 attack spin.
Gameplay features some light puzzle elements although by the late game there are a few box moving puzzles which aren't really that difficult once you figure them out, it just that they take time to just move boxes around to their proper position in order to progress.

The game is overall easy, but moving Dusty around feels awkward a little as I felt that moving him was like pushing a boulder.
There isn't much enemy variety and their patterns are easy to figure out, along with some decent boss fights.

All in all a nice action adventure game that took me about 7 hours to complete the main game.

InquisitorAles · Oct 10, 2017

Main post part 2

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44. Overlord - 14 hours
Fuck level designers of this game, fuck console save system, fuck final chapters and bosses. Brilliant concept, garbage gameplay execution! I can't remember last time i was so PISSED OFF because of singleplayer game, i could understand reasonable difficulty and challenge, but in this game designers got so many things wrong, it's just ridicilous! Last hours almost completely devalued everything good this game has, like story and atmosphere. The more you progress, the more game slowly turning into a chore, last parts of the game are big 1+ hour levels, filled with permadeath monsters and traps, WITHOUT EVEN A SINGLE SAVE. I played 14 hours, but it felt like 30+ hours game, overbloated with idiotic design decisions. Prime example how amazing concept could be ruined by terrible design and controls.

rahji · Oct 10, 2017

Game 13: Jotun - Valhalla Edition - 6 hours

It was a nice game with really cool norse mythological background. Especially the islandic narrator voice was really nice and created a really cool atmosphere. But in the end I was glad that it was over because it was a little too simplistic. Just a light hit, a hard hit and a dodge button is just not fun to play it more than 5 or 6 hours. The bosses were really well made and a real challenge. Every boss I had to try at least 5 times to beat him. In hindsight of relayability, I don't think I will play Valhalla mode, I have seen enough from this game.

next game: Either Transistor or Psychonauts

Falchion · Oct 11, 2017

Original Post

38) Data Wing - 2 hours - 10/10
This is a fun little mobile game about piloting a piece of data through a phone. It had an excellent story and the gameplay was fantastic.

Baron von Loathsome · Oct 11, 2017

65. SteamWorld Dig (4 hours)
Combining Metroidvanias and Minecaft-style mining games makes for an experience that's surprisingly hard to put down.

Full list to date.

Baron von Loathsome · Oct 11, 2017

66. Refunct (30 minutes)
A relaxing half-hour platformer.

Full list to date

oO_CurrY_Oo · Oct 11, 2017

Main post

#45 Cuphead (PC) - 8 hours

Great game with an amazing artstyle.

oO_CurrY_Oo · Oct 11, 2017

Double post

megalowho · Oct 11, 2017

Main Post

A few recent additions to the list for October:

38. Yakuza Kiwami (PS4) | October 7 | 45 hours | 4/5
Getting into the Yazuka series has been a highlight of 2017, what with Sega being gracious enough to drop two entries at the top of the canon for newcomers. Kiwami doesn't reach the hights that 0 does in most areas, which can be expected given its decade-plus old origins, but it still works as a natural extension of the story, characters and activities which is no small feat for a remake. Almost reminiscient of an old school expansion given the familiar location and narrower scope. The one exception is the combat system, which feels a bit snappier despite more gun toting enemies and less moveset variety. Ending was memorable, I'm continually impressed with how well Yakuza balances thier badass crime fiction with moments of genuinely funny comedy and emotionally charged drama. Kiwami 2 can't come soon enough.

39. Rez Infinite (PC) | October 8 | 4 hours | 5/5
The definitive release of a classic, now easier to play with mouse controls and mind meltingly amazing to see unfold in VR. Flying through the surreal digital landscapes while drinking in the synesthesia is a top 3 experience in the medium for me. The additional Rez HD modes are there for replayability, the campaign is a blast to run for score on its own, and then there's Area X - a blissful and bittersweet example of where the franchise could have gone, if only you monsters had bought and played Child of Eden.

40. Tacoma (PC) | October 10 | 2 hours | 3/5
Another quality environmental narrative from Fullbright, this time on a space station with more personal dynamics to explore. The memory replay mechanic is a neat way to show off multiple perspectives and the voice acting is on point, as is the abundance of ad copy littering the ship. Game handles its sci-fi elements well, particularly its take on AR, AI and future corporate moustache twirling. In the end it is linear and light fare as far as abandoned in space mysteries go, fleeting and voyeuristic and perhaps over too soon for the character arcs to resonate. Still a nice place to visit for a couple of hours.

In Progress:
Crimson Shroud (3DS)
Divinity: Original Sin 2 (PC)
Destiny 2 (PS4)

InquisitorAles · Oct 12, 2017

Main post part 2

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46. RIP 1 - 1 hour
Very primitive 10 year old game, basically Crimsoland meets Beach Head. It's possible to finish in one go and it comes bundled with two other standalone chapters, but gameplay is too boring, so i finished RIP 1 and not going to play the rest in near future.

NegativeCero · Oct 12, 2017

Well, I started off pretty ok, I don't know how you guys finish so many games. I definitely underestimated how many games 52 is.

11. Yakuza Kiwami - 40 hours
I never played the original at the time so I don't have the context of what is new based on the story. I heard that they made it fit more with 0 and added the Nishiki story to it, which really helps. The new fighting styles and Majima Everywhere are fun and maybe a bit tedious after a while. I didn't do as much side stuff this time around, and I guess there felt like less stuff was available to do. I had a good time, it's definitely weaker than 0 and from what I remember of 2.

12. Wolfenstein The New Order - 15 hours
I've gotten excited enough about New Colossus to go back to this one and I"m glad I did. All these years later and I'm surprised that it exists at all given that shooters nowadays have to include a flashy single player story and multiplayer. This just being a story driven shooter is kind of amazing. Even more amazing is that it's good. The characters felt realer than I would expect from a game that boils down to have fun shooting Nazis. Here's hoping its sequel is just as good.

13. Steamworld Dig - 9 hours
This game's whole loop is just addicting. DIgging for loot, sell loot, buy upgrades. I probably could've gotten all the upgrades if I went backtracking but I was ready to finish it off. Not much of a story to speak of, but as a straight Metroidvania, it does what it does well. Will pick up SD2 at some point.

14. Life is Strange: Before the Storm - About 4 hours
I was worried this would disappoint me after I loved the first so much. It definitely hit the right tone with Chloe and how her relationship with Rachel began. I'm definitely looking forward to the next episode.

First post

VisceralBowl · Oct 12, 2017

People who have completed the challenge will be posted here, please remember to send me a PM with your post once youre done!

Ladekabel

Tizoc · Oct 12, 2017

JP cover cutz its hilariously awesome said:

Knack 2 is a vast improvement over its soulless uninspired predecessor, however it does have its own issues.
First the good: There is some good light paltforming and puzzles sections through out the game which may involve Knack avoid hazards during.
Combat is a lot less frustrating this time around, and the upgrade system, while undercooked I found it, adds a nice level of depth to the combat.
I daresay the game has some nice visuals but the human characters just feel very out of place. There are some nice tunes too.
Boss fights are rather good here too IMO.

Now for the bad: The game is longer than it has any right to be, and I found it overstayed its welcome. At one point I thought I'd finished the game but then I'm given about 1 hour's length of extra stages to go through. The game really should've ended some 5 chapters ago, by condensing the platforming and combat sections.
The game's plot is something I skipped since I didn't care for it, and it doesn't help that non of the supporting cast are intersting in any way and the game's dialog is so uninspired and drab.
One thing that irritated me in the first game is that at some points you will have Knack grow into a titan and can mop the floor with previously tough enemies, and this is kinda fun despite how simple it makes the combat, but then you go into the next chapter and Knack is shrunk back to a smaller form. This is a bizarre design choice and I always feel underwhelmed whenver the game does this in Knack 2.

Knack 2 is a mixed bag but IMO it's more on the positive side with its biggest issue being that the main game is needlessly longer than it had any right to be. It does have some extra gameplay challenges and trials one can do after beating the game and its Platinum isn't too hard to get.

I dunno how I feel about the game. Apparently it was designed for consoles and doesn't have an Arcade release, which would be fine if it didn't have one of the most odd interface I've ever seen in a shmup.

OK so this is a typical shmup where the screen is the usual vertical area where you move your craft around dodging enemy bullets and blowing stuff up. This screen is centered, and in previous Raiden games on Steam, the left and right areas would have artwork on them instaed of just being a black nothingness, which was fine for me as i sitll managed to focus on the main game area and play as best as I can.

In raiden 5 however, the right side of the screen will feature a dialog history box and images of your mission command team who speak with you during the game.
I HAVE ENOUGH TROUBLE DODGING BULLETS IN THIS BLOOM INFESTED GAME WHY DO I NEED MY SUPERIOR RUNNING HIS MOUTH ABOUT COFFEE TO MAKE ME EVE MORE DISTRACTED?!
Thankfully I muted the voices so they didn't get in the way of the action, and it let me enjoy the OST too which is pretty good.

The left side of the screen shows your stages, such as score multiplyer, your weapon's level and how much shield energy you have left. I personally don't mind shmups that have a form of lifebar in them esp. as I'm terrible at shmups. I find having such a shield tends to make me more focused on avoiding enemy shots even if at certain times there's hundreds of them on screen.
The game uses an interesting online element known as 'Cheer'. Pop ups will appear on the upper left side of the screen which states in-game achievements that another online player has done. You can press the Cheer button to reward them with Special energy meter that a player can activate to increase their attack power.
It took me a while to figure it out but ocne I did it really helped me out in certain situations.

Overall I didn't enjoy it as much as Raiden 3 or 4, but I might replay it again in the future and see how I'd like it.

Rhaknar · Oct 12, 2017

Game #53 - Marvel vs Capcom Infinite
Time: 45 hours

What a weird game... on one hand its a huge disapointment with its tiny roster, new chracters locked behind DLC, sub-par visuals (alrhough I dont think they are THAT bad) and the miriad of other issues everyone knows by now. On the other hand, its super fun to play, the story mode is alright for what it is, and it has plenty of game modes and fantastic online. Unfortunately, its another fighting game in a long line of "ok this is the one im going to really practice and get good at" only to give up 1 week later. Sigh, I'll never learn, I'm sure ill do the exact same thing with DBZF lol.

Game #54 - Battle Chasers Nightwar
Time: 39 hours

Fantastic jrpg-like from the mind of Joe Madureira (you know, the Darksiders guy), this little gem really delivered on everything I love about the genre mixed with Joe Mad's usual style of world building (it really feels like Darksiders in a fantasy setting). One of the best combat systems I've ever played in a jrpg-style game, the amount of systems that interwine to make combat feel super satisfying, and upgrading your party members with builds that suit your needs is fantastic. Story is alright, prety much your standard fantasy "rag tag group of adventurers vs evil doer" fare, but it looks SUPER pretty (both in combat and especially when you are exploring the various dungeons and whatnot. A ton of systems like crafting (meaningful crafting!), fishing, various side bosses and activities, really well made secret side quests and shit, make this a overall amazing package. This might be hyperbole but it did for jrpgs what Hollow Knight did for metroidvanias. What can I say, I loved it. Bring on the sequel (pretty please, dont let that cliffhanger hang Joe)

Main Post

illusionary · Oct 12, 2017

It seems that I need a third post, so here goes.

Part 1: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=229604143
Part 2: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=243463827

59. Steamworld Dig 2 (Steam) - 12 October 2017
Completed with 100% of secrets/items collected (post-game trials excluded). SteamWorld Dig 2 is another hit from Image & Form, building on the success of the first game in pretty much every way. The game sees players taking control of Dorothy, a companion to the first game's protagonist, Rusty, as she seeks to discover what has happened to Rusty, and develops into a full-blown 'Metroidvania'-style exploration game while retaining the mining and wealth accumulation from the original SteamWorld Dig.

While it's easy to drop in and out of the game for brief stints of gameplay, it's very easy to lose yourself in the game's core mechanics, which make for a very relaxing, engrossing and ultimately satisfying experience, as you gradually expand and improve Dorothy's abilities. New to this over the original game are a range of additional bonus abilities that can be selected (and swapped out at will) - the range of these expanding as more core upgrades are obtained/purchased - which themselves also encourage further exploration to gather more of the upgrade 'cogs' that each bonus ability costs to enable.

Dotted throughout as you dig deeper through each of the the game's key areas are a number of secondary cave areas, the majority of which present a challenge or puzzle or some kind. There's an impressive range of different scenarios offered by these, each of which is very enjoyable to solve, rewarding upgrade cogs and other materials. For those who want to challenge themselves, there's good potential for replaying the game with a speedrunning approach, or limiting the abilities that you allow yourself access to, but even without this the game has a good length.

This is all presented with some attractive graphics and animation, making for an excellent overall package - highly recommended

60. Scanner Sombre (Steam) - 13 October 2017
Complete single playthrough. This is an interesting experiment of a game, and really quite unexpected to see coming from Introversion given their existing catalogue. The game sees you exploring an underground environment in first-person, the catch being that your only means of vision in the dark comes from a scanning device which outlines surrounding surfaces with dot patterns when directed towards them. Beyond this, there's not much by way of interactivity (a short puzzle towards the end of the game aside), but there's some decent worldbuilding from short (self-spoken) narrative explanation about the area - with some fairly unsettling themes - and the game's fairly short so doesn't overly outstay its welcome.

I wouldn't choose to play it through a second time, but it's worth playing through once for the experience. I'd also say that while I didn't play in VR, I can see that doing so could raise this to much more compelling levels.

61. A Hat in Time (Steam) - 18 October 2017
40/40 time pieces collected; 100% of achievements unlocked. Releasing just far enough in advance of Super Mario Odyssey, A Hat in Time really is a beautiful game, doing a fantastic job of capturing the joy of the N64-era 3D platformer while also seeing some modern touches. It's a fairly short game, with only four worlds ("chapters") and 40 of the primary collectibles, but in that time demonstrates a huge amount of imagination, with many of the acts within each of chapter featuring a wholly unique scenario, form a train-based 'detective' sequence to arena-based boss-battles, and a wholly-freeform mountainous exploration area. While the moveset is fairly small, there's enough to do the job and controls are responsive.

The game's 'indie' roots show through at times with lack of polish in a few aspects (e.g., occasional clipping issues), but that never really detracts much from the experience, especially with the attention to detail that's frequently demonstrated (for example, I'm sure that most players won't realise that Hat Kid keeps a diary that's updated after each act!). Overall, A Hat in Time is a joy to play, and highly recommended if you have any liking at all for the genre.

LocarionStorm · Oct 13, 2017

Continued from previous post.

41. Fire Emblem Heroes - Mobile - 7 hours - Started July 15, Finished Oct 11
Picked up this game initially just to farm some Nintendo coins in order to redeem for a exclusive small picross game. However, what I found was a well-crafted mobile gacha game. The simple rock-paper-scissors format of the battling works well and the different unit types and skills and seals provide some needed depth to the gameplay. A perfect example of a mobile game without intrusive advertising or microtransactions. A go-to of mine when needing to waste some time and with only my phone in reach. I will probably give the next Fire Emblem game (on the Switch) a try because of this game.

42. Another Perspective - PC - 1 hour - Started June 23, Finished Oct 13
A small indie game that I found on Steam and decided to give a try. A very brief experience but the platforming puzzles were well-constructed and not frustrating and fairly simple for the most part. The existential-esque narrative that accompanies the gameplay tries to accomplish something worthwhile but ends on a very flat note and in doing so, ends up coming across just pointless. Perhaps the added mystery mode adds something onto this narrative, but I am not motivated to take a look.

43. Headlander - PS4 - 7 hours - Started June 3, Finished Oct 16
A quirky, easy Metroidvania game that is more about the puzzles of traversing the map than the combat - even though plenty of combat is contained within the game. The story was straightforward and did not have really any notable payoff in the end. One bummer was that there were really only 2 boss fights in the game. The very different design of those 2 fights and the manner in which the various skills that you have were used made me wanting more boss fights. Another shame is that by the time that you are fully powered up, you do not actually get to make much use of your more recently acquired powers. Not to mention a lack of puzzle, combat, or traversal usage of at least a third of the powers. Still loved the game and had a bunch of fun.

44. Q.U.B.E.: Director's Cut - PC - 2.5 hours - Started July 2016, Finished Oct 16
This play through was my second time through Q.U.B.E. and my first time through the director's cut that has the added story and voice acting. One quick note is that it does not appear that there is any option for closed captioning - which is really weird and unfortunate. The magnet puzzle in Sector 6 still is dumb as all hell and just poorly designed - any puzzle relying on primarily trial and error and imprecise solutions usually leads to a frustrating time. The aesthetic of Q.U.B.E. definitely has held up very well and some extremely striking visuals throughout the game that remain favorites of mine. I look forward to another Q.U.B.E. game in the future.

45. Electric Highways - PC - 30 mins - Started Oct 16, Finished Oct 16
Just a weird free experience that was available on Steam. Played through it and found it as a sort of playable song sampler. The music was pretty cool and matched the vibe spot-on. The graphics are from the early 1990s, but the disorientation made possible by the simplicity really drives home a feeling of being lost in some early VR simulation. One thing that I am thankful for in this game is that the speed of movement is extremely brisk - something that the walking simulator genre needs to learn to allow.

46. LOVE - PC - 45 mins - Started Oct 17, Finished Oct 17
Technically, I started this game awhile back when first purchasing it (due to the raw focus on platforming and similarity in style to the terrific VVVVVV), but the game does not save any progress. Therefore, I counted this as being started just this day. The gameplay is superb even though it is an extremely short game - particularly if you get fantastic at speedrunning it. Tight controls, perfectly tuned difficulty, and a cool array of game modes and leader boards - even if I am not interested in them. I would like to see another creation like LOVE from its creators.

47. The Walking Dead: A New Frontier - PS4 - 8 hrs - Started Oct 18, Finished Oct 21
This season of the Telltale's Walking Dead is superior to the second season. More interesting characters, more intriguing story lines, and a better constructed story overall. The extensive use of flashbacks was novel for Telltale games that I have played and actually helped greatly in characterization. There were still those moments where the illusion of your choices making a difference wore down - due to it being obvious that regardless of what you said, the end result was going to be bad. The engine for these games still sucks as much as ever and does frustrate and that frustration from crashes and the ilk harm the overall player experience and the reception of the story.

48.

Baron von Loathsome · Oct 14, 2017

67. Scanner Sombre (1 hour)
This is a haunting, beautiful game that suffers mainly from an inconsistent tone and an unearned twist ending.

Full list to date

Theswweet · Oct 14, 2017

#28 Destiny 2 Completed 9/8/17
#29 Cuphead Completed 10/5/17
#30 Chaos;Child Completed 10/13/17
#31 Titan Souls Completed 10/13/17

Been a while since the last update! There was a big gap between 28/29, but I've been speeding up lately.

Destiny 2 - I enjoyed what I played before and since, the raid was especially nice. Looking forward to the DLC.

Cuphead - Loved it. It was a nice challenge, and the gameplay was simple and fun. Fantastic artstyle, too.

Chaos;Child - Best VN I've ever read. I'll be coming back to it in the future, for sure. Really dark and disturbing at times.

Titan Souls - Downloaded and played it randomly while at a buds house, on his spare PS4. It was a brisk 2 hour playthrough, and I greatly enjoyed the boss fights.

Tizoc · Oct 14, 2017

Wrote my impressions here

Using the SEGA CD cover cuz it looks awesome

This is a 2D sidescrolling action/beat'em-up game from Taito, released in 1988.
The gameplay is pretty simplistic: You move right and left, you can jump or crouch and you have 2 attacks. You can either do a short ranged melee attack with your kunai or throw shurikens. On Normal difficulty 1 hit is enough to waste regular mooks and dogs, while stronger enemies take a couple before they are killed.
There isn't much to say about the gameplay since it feels pretty outdated IMO. However the game has impressive 2D animation and visuals and the music is quite good.

Daddy Mulk is a pretty catchy 80s tune now that I've listened to it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NteidGHXV7U

LiquidSolid · Oct 14, 2017

Oh god, I've been putting off posting updates in this thread since the start of the year and I've got so many games to go through. Hopefully I can get through 10-15 each weekend until I'm caught up.

Original Post

Game #01 - Steins;Gate (PSV) - 17/01/17

One of the best visual novels I've played. The setup is kinda long and plodding and I hated the protagonist for a time but when the story starts picking up, it's a thrilling ride to the end.

Game #02 - Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII (PS4) - 27/01/17

The first RTK game I've played since X, specifically because they finally went back to the RPG style systems and I had a blast. It isn't without its flaws, especially the AI (which cannot be understated, is absolutely terrible, with AI rulers perfectly happy sending armies to their deaths against enormous armies), but it's still a lot of fun to create a character and then throw it into a game, levelling up your stats, forming relationships with characters and working your way up the ranks.

Game #03 - Gravity Rush 2 (PS4) - 07/02/17

When Gravity Rush first came out, I likened it to Assassin's Creed 1, in that the mechanics were there and I felt it had a ton of potential but they hadn't quite figured out the rest yet. With Gravity Rush 2, I think they finally delivered on that potential. The gravity powers are as fun as ever, especially with the improvements they've made and new styles, but this time they added to that with great, diverse cast of characters, a lot more mission variety, some really cool online functionality and a really entertaining story. One of my favourite games of the year.

Game #04 - Game of Thrones (PS3) - 10/02/17

By far the worst Telltale game I've played. The performance sucks, the writing sucks, the "big" choices it gives you don't matter one bit because you always end up in exact same place anyway and it just doesn't feel like ASoIaF/GoT at all. Thankfully, this was followed by...

Game #05 - Tales from the Borderlands (PS3) - 15/02/17

One of the best Telltale games I've played, which is a bit of a shock given how little I care about the Borderlands series. Great characters, a really fun story and *shock* pretty decent performance.

Game #06 - Resident Evil 7 biohazard (PS4) - 24/02/17

A huge return to form (and the survival horror genre) for the series. Loved the way they created a clean slate of new characters up until the very end, especially the villains who were all really fun. It's no REmake or RE2 but it's a fantastic starting point that they can continue improving upon. Can't wait to see what they do next, after RE2make obviously.

Game #07 - Steins;Gate 0 (PSV) - 25/02/17

After a little break after the original, I dug into the sequel and enjoyed it even more. It again took a little while to get going but hanging around all these characters I already really liked, with some new ones added to the mix, and going through some more time travel shenanigans made for a hell of a lot of fun.

Game #08 - Life is Strange (PS3) - 28/02/17

It's been a while since I first played Life is Strange but I was given this version and it's just as engrossing as I remembered. With this, Dontnod entered Telltale's arena and knocked them out with their first punch. They created a cast of fantastic characters and made your choices feel like they actually had an impact on the story, all without relying heavily on licensed properties.

Game #09 - Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4) - 11/03/17

Where to start? With Horizon, Guerrilla managed to take everything they're good at, particularly their great combat mechanics, animations and engine, combine it with an open world and then do an incredible job hiring in all the right areas, especially the writing and quest design team, to create a fantastic game. It's not perfect, the melee mechanics could do with a lot more depth and the side quests could do with more production value but for a new IP from a developer that's only been known for their shooters prior to it, it's easy to ignore those flaws, especially when you have a protagonist as great as Aloy, a great story that continues to gets better the further you get into it and robot fucking dinosaurs.

Game #10 - Final Fantasy XV: A King's Tale (PS4) - 14/03/17

A pretty lame little low budget 2D sidescroller I started while my internet was down, stopping me from starting NieR because I couldn't download the latest NieR patch.

Game #11 - NieR: Automata (PS4) - 24/03/17

My GOTY 2017. I was dismissive of the original game when it was first announced but once I eventually played it, I loved it, flaws and all. So to get a sequel to that game with Platinum Games added to the Taro Yoko and Keiichi Okabe's incredible work was the perfect combination and it worked incredibly well. Nier Automata is an incredible game from start to finish. The gameplay isn't quite up to par with the Bayonetta's or Metal Gear Rising's but that's a good thing because I don't think you could have a proper RPG length game with the combat constantly at that level of intensity. So what they've got works perfectly. The story is everything Taro Yoko is known for: Crazy, relatable and yet super depressing. And it's brilliant. And the music is a worthy successor to one of my favourite soundtracks of all time. Amazing game, one of my favourites of this gen.

Game #12 - Alone With You (PSV) - 27/03/17

This year I started playing games on my commute rather than just listen to podcasts or read and this is one of the first ones I played, as I'd already played the PS4 version but I wanted to play through it again since it was cross-buy but not cross-save. Honestly, as the PS4 version was still relatively fresh in my mind from late 2016, I think I made a mistake playing this again, as I could still remember enough of the story and puzzle solutions that it didn't really interest me as much as it did back then. So it sadly ended up becoming a bit of a slog doing the numerous playthroughs to get all the endings. I still like the story and the world but it didn't come close to that first playthrough.

Game #13 - Batman: A Telltale Series (PS4) - 28/03/17

I found this to be a middling Telltale effort. There's some really cool sequences in there but I really didn't enjoy Telltale's "take" on Batman. For every interesting thing they did, there were another five pointless or outright dumbs changes they made and they took me out of the game. And that's before we get into how god awful it looks and runs. I can't imagine how poorly the last gen versions perform.

Game #14 - Gravity Rush 2: The Ark of Time - Raven's Choice (PS4) - 29/03/17

Not much to say about it. Fun little DLC campaign that helped explain Raven's backstory. There were some weak missions in there but I really like Raven, so it was great to play as her.

Game #15 - The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 (PS3) - 02/04/17

It's weird how much changes in a year. I first played this last year and loved it but this time around, I'd say it was decent but nothing special. It goes some interesting places but the dialogue is a bit wooden and the puzzles and characters can get pretty grating at times.

Basty · Oct 14, 2017

2 Games I left out of the original post but I did complete!

4. Resident Evil 7 (PS4)
Usually not a big fan of horror games but I LOVED this game, while it isn't my GOTY (Unfinished Persona 5 probably is), it's a classic and one I'll revisit once the DLC releases

5. ARMS (Switch)
It was alright, I didn't hate it but as a big fighting game fan it was really lackluster. The characters were all really bubbly with a lot of personality, as were the stages. Completed the Single Player with Spring Man, Min Min, D.N.A and Ninjara. It wasn't worth it's price tag really.

Currently playing MvC:I and Wind Waker

John Paul v2 · Oct 14, 2017

Main post.

21. Vagrant Story | VITA | 30th Aug | 34h | ★★★★☆
Vagrant Story is beautiful, poorly designed and extremly engrossing. The gorgeous low-poly aesthetic and lonely atmosphere of this cult classic has long had me curious but I'd failed several times to push through the frustration of the initial few hours. The tutorials do not adequately explain the intricacies of the workshop, the relative importances of affinity, class and type, the impact of dp/pp or any of the many reasons your meticulously planned weapon is dealing 1 damage to its intended target. Even online resources can't always be trusted here; such is the cryptic nature of the mechanics.

Occasional victories of mechanics mastery were hard-won but felt equally rewarding. Unfortunately, the post-boss stat growth roulette was also against me. Half way through my playthrough my agility had barely moved from its base level meaning I was constantly missing attacks. My luck changed with +3 agility from a boss followed by two agility elixirs dropping. At this point, I'd gained a solid understanding of the mechanics, amassed a versatile collection of grips, blades and elemental gems and mastered the timing of chain attacks. The difficulty promptly broke and I flipped from scraping by to god mode before slapping me in the face with a enourmous difficulty spike at the last boss.

Overall a unique experience of overcoming adversity with incredible presentation. However, I can't call it a 5/5 because a) your masteey of the mechanics mean nothing when you don't have the requisite weapon parts + gems on your first playthrough to avoid dealing no damage and b) for a game so reliant on fiddling around in menus they sure are some shitty menus.

22. Samorost 3 | PC | 3rd Sept | 5h | ★★★★☆
Samorost 3 had all the things I love about Amanita Design's games: delightful interactions with curious environments, adorable animations, surreal humour and a stellar soundtrack from Tomá Dvořák. I particularly enjoyed the protagonist imitating noises on his horn improv jazz style.

23. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory | PC | 6th Sept | 14h | ★★☆☆☆
I liked the Mission Impossible vibe and Sam Fisher's sardonic attitude. However, I don't think I understood the point of this game. Walk slowly, choke out a guard, walk slowly, choke out a guard, hack a terminal. Thief 1 and 2's core design starts with this foundation but distinguishes itself by expanding the experience with meaningful resource management and risk-reward choices in how you use your bag of tricks to navigate non-linear environments.

24. Sonic Mania | Switch | 16th Sept | 6h | ★★★☆☆
A consumate homage to the classic Megadrive games. Some pretty good music and relatively good flow to the levels but I'm not sure that the Sonic franchise ever really had a flawless gameplay formula. Some frustrating boss battles. I really didn't enjoy the secret final final super Sonic boss.

25. Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One | PS3 | 16st Sept | 11h | ★★★★☆
A really solid co-op experience. And a substantial one at that too. Plenty of levels with their own unique gameplay gimmick and plenty of destructive tools. We eventually discovered the unstoppable power of combining the beams of multiple Critter Strikes. Turning bosses into giant pigs never got old. Turning swarms of enemy robots into a sea of fire-breathing hell-pigs never got old. More Cpt Quark and Nefarious is always a good thing.

26. Castlevania IV | SNES | 30th Sept | 5h | ★★★☆☆
My expectations were high after playing Rondo of Blood as my first Classicvania the other month and, unfortunately, Castlevania IV just didn't quite have the same magic for me. Slightly lack-lustre visual design and mediocre music (that jazzy Submerged City track was ambitious but ended up feeling like some kind of keyboard cat Thelonious Monk). Sub-weapons seemed extremely rare. Way too easy up until an extreme difficulty spike in the boss rush leading up to Dracula. And I'm just going to come out and say it: tickling enemies with the droopy whip looked dumb and felt silly.

That being said, Castlevania has some solid base gameplay: whipping enemies, dodging attacks and utilising the right sub-weapon for the situation. So I had fun overall.

27. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 | Megadrive | 1st Oct | 2h | ★★★★☆
A replay of a classic. I feel like the first few levels of this one flow better in terms of level design than anywhere else in the series. Something about how you find yourself bouncing from enemy to enemy. Maybe the difficulty is tuned just about right for how fast you can reasonably react with such a small viewport.

28. Suikoden 2 | VITA | 3rd Oct | 40.5h | ★★★★☆
I finally understand the praise. Recruiting soldiers, growing your castle, wanting to kill the shit out of Luca Blight. What a good jrpg.

In fact, Suikoden 2 had one of the few turn-based combat systems that I've genuinely enjoyed in a long while. And I think that's largely down to its rapid pace. Instead of dwelling on lengthy individual attack animations, attacks come out in rapid succession, often firing-off simultaneously. Regarding pace, the events of the story also rattle along at a decent speed with characters joining and leaving and areas of the map opening and closing. There are a number of powerful moments in the story and I loved how the bonds between the primary protagonists are reflected by their synergy in combat.

My main criticism is that most of the soundtrack is painfully obnoxious, specifically pretty much any tune that plays while in a town or the castle. Thankfully the battle themes and the track that plays during any emotionally significant moment are all really strong so it's easy to put some other music on while playing. Also, what the hell happened to the localisation in and around Tinto? It's like they didn't have time to localise the literal translation and it ends up sounding like Half Life 2 Full Life Consequences. I didn't mind too much though, it was kind of hilarious.

29. Castlevania: Circle of the Moon | GBA | 13th Oct | 10.5h | ★★★★★
A replay of my favourite Igavania, ironically not directed by Igarashi. Tight controls, challenging encounters and an amazingly diverse magic system to explore. Cruising around with double runspeed, the Roc Wing and a close familiarity of the layout of Dracula's castle results in some seriously satisfying flow. I can't believe no other game has copied the Battle Arena. Probably my favourite part of CotM.

Two criticism I have: vanishingly small drop rates make some items not worth farming for and the run animation is kind of lame.

30. Professor Layton and the Curious Village | NDS | 14th Oct | 12h | ★★★★★
Absolutely charming and refreshingly placid. I was initially concerned that the majority of the puzzles were going to be trick questions after a slew of them near the start but there ended up being a good range of questions. A perfect game to play in short bursts. A true gentlemen never checks online for puzzle solutions.

Jack Videogames · Oct 15, 2017

33:29h.

...

What just happened? Is this... despair? I... I...

My Score:

Original Post

oO_CurrY_Oo · Oct 15, 2017

Main post

#46 Half-Life (PC)

Tizoc · Oct 15, 2017

So I started this game something like earlier this year and took breaks of months inbetween mainly because of just how dull the gameplay got with its repetitiveness.
I recently decided to finish it up so I can start UC3 down the line and then up and uninstall the game from my PS4.

There is a reason my brain told me to not replay this game; it's too long for its own good, there isn't much variety in the gameplay (any such, only amount to maybe 10% which gets overshadowed by its uninspired constant enemy waves), despite the decent gunplay.
This game has not aged well at all.

Baron von Loathsome · Oct 15, 2017

68. I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (5 hours)
A very dark and psychological adventure game, and thanks to its moodiness and writing, it holds up quite well today.

Full listo to date

InquisitorAles · Oct 16, 2017

Main post part 2

-------

47. Agents of Mayhem - 42 hours
Despite all issues. it's a good game after all, i played it for over 40 hours and had a lot fun. Devs and publisher failed not just show this game properly, but also explain main gameplay features and why it plays good. For example, they didn't bothered much to explain that agents is not just different skins and voice packs, every agent have specialties and different weapons, and they plays completely differently to each other, it affects your playstyle a lot. They also failed to showcase city, it's really beautiful place but for some reason game always trying to send you in randomly generated dungeons, which is baffling - why you need to do this, why you can't focus on the sights of your city instead? And yes, lack of co-op is really surprising, even though i prefer SP-only approach, it's obvious that all that procedurally generated content is perfect match for online, so that leads to another confusion for potential buyers who thought that game is entirely MP. Seriously, this game had one of the most disastrous marketing campaigns ever, it could've sale fairly better if publisher bothered to spent time on properly pushing it.

Shadax84 · Oct 16, 2017

38. Mass Effect Andromeda - 38 Hours

Platform: PC (Origin)
Completition Date: 13.10.2017
Rating: 5 / 10

Definitetly the worst Mass Effect, starting with the lame story over the graphical issues and the non existent RPG elements.

Azriell · Oct 16, 2017

Complete List

Statik - Institute of Retention
Platform: PSVR
Time: 5:00
Date: 10.16
Score: (4/5)

Pretty cool puzzle game where the controller represents your hands inside a cube. Three sides of the cube are various levers, knobs, switches, etc., needed to solve a puzzle, and part of the challenge is keeping all of the controls straight. It was fun and challenging, and the story was unique enough to keep me interested.

Falchion · Oct 17, 2017

Original Post

39) Assassin's Creed Syndicate Season Pass -
6 hours - 10/16
I was waiting to play this until I finished the AC III dlc and have been really looking forward to the Jack the Ripper story especially. Overall the season pass was a lot of fun even though the missions definitely lacked some of the polish of the main game. I was surprised that I enjoyed The Last Majaraja missions even more than the Ripper ones. These have definitely gotten me excited for Origins.

LaunchpadMcQ · Oct 19, 2017

Original Post

I had written up a blurb for all of these, and I accidentally deleted them. I don't have time to do them again, so I'll leave it as is for now.

43.Bastion
3 hours
Rating: 8.5/10

44-45. Assassin's Creed Unity + Dead Kings
13 hours
Rating: 5/10

46. LawBreakers
34+ hours
Rating: 9/10

47. Rocket League
14+ hours
Rating: 8.5/10

48. Gone Home
1 hours
Rating: 8/10

49. Danganronpa V3
43 hours
Rating: 9/10

50. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
13 hours
Rating: 7/10

51. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
15 hours
Rating: 7.5/10

52. Cuphead
9 hours
Rating: 8/10

GLuigi · Oct 19, 2017

I been busy lately, but I finally have some time to work on posting updates

Game #13: Doodle God (PC) - 5 Hours
I remember playing the iOS version way back when the iPhone 4 came out. Its pretty cool to see how much this game has expanded since then. Simple game to play, just combine two elements to make an item. As the game progress you will soon get access to more elements and gets a bit more complicated. Honestly, i think this game is a hit or miss. I can see how people can get quickly tired of this game.

Game #14: D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die (PC) - 10 Hours
Fully played through the game at least twice with the second time just completing all the side missions. Fun and quirky mystery adventure game with a lot of Memento vibes going on. ( I had a good laugh when I saw that one of the DLC skins for David Young was straight up a Memento reference) Even knowing that this game's story will never be completed, I still had a good time just watching all these over the top personalities that the cast has.

Game #15: Detective Case and Clown Bot in: Murder in the Hotel Libson (PC) - 5 Hours
Played through the game twice to 100% complete it. Pretty enjoyable point and click game that has a lot of charm to it. Fairly straight forward with its gameplay, just running around collecting clues and using them to prove your statements. Game felt a little slow at first because of how slow your character walks, but you eventually unlock the ability to fast travel. Thankfully, the game was short enough where it didn't really feel like that much of a problem. Great game to pick if you want something light and easygoing to play.

Game #16: Dear Ester: Landmark Edition (PC) - 2 Hours
Played with the developer commentary on since i figured I would get bored playing through it again. Commentary itself was great to listen to, it informed me of a lot of details in the game that i never knew before. For example, in the caves i never noticed the one lone paper boat floating downstream. It was pretty cool hearing not just only the developers but also the music composer and artist.

Game #17: Breach & Clear (PC) - 9 Hours
Played and finished two of the single player modes. Its a decent tactical turn-based strategy game, but doesn't really bring much to the table when it comes to challenge. There are 3 single player modes but they all use the same exact maps. The first game mode i played, Terrorist Hunt, is just a standard kill everyone on the map. At first the i was having a good time, but later it started to feel a little stale for me as the game does not throw much variation. The second game mode i played has all your guys starting inside the map and have to fight your way out and escape. It was actually fun to see how chaotic the first turn get as you see your guys frantically shoot in all directions. Fun game at first, but after a couple missions you get the feeling that you seen everything there is to the game.

Main post

Tizoc · Oct 19, 2017

Now this was a lovely little surprise.
This is an auto-runner game where you must clear stages while collecting colored orbs. You can move onto any of the 3 lanes in a stage where possible as well as change between Red, Yellow and Blue.
Match the colors of the orbs to your own to pick them up and earn score points.
The color mechanic gets some nice uses in the later stages, but overall each stage is short and the game is for the most part easy even when things get a little hectic. The only major issue I had with the game was the final boss who felt pretty RNG that it took me over 30 minutes to beat him!

I don't know if this game has a color blind mode, but I recommend this game for anyone who is looking for something light to play.

Dyna · Oct 20, 2017

My main post.

33 | Jet Set Radio HD | PC
5.5 hours | Completed Oct. 18th

Still one of the coolest games ever in my opinion. The art style and the soundtrack are just A plus and the story is very fun, but the gameplay can be pretty damn clumsy. Lots of frustrating moments due to not having enough speed for a jump or getting knocked off a roof by an enemy (I'm looking at you Assassin No. 3...). Still had a great time grinding around Tokyo-to and I actually managed to get the Jet rank on a lot of levels this time around. Hopefully SEGA will do something with the series in the future.

34 | Costume Quest | PC
6 hours | Completed Oct. 19th

I've been wanting to play Costume Quest 2 for quite a long time so I decided to replay the first one (as well as the DLC) before that. I really like Costume Quest, it's a cute little adventure with nice humour and characters. The combat is very easy for the most part but the game is really short so it doesn't get too boring. There were some screen tearing issues but other than that worked just fine on PC. Not much to say about this one, but I'd definitely recommend it, especially if you're into Double Fine's other games and want a light RPG to play.

Joe Boy 1986 · Oct 20, 2017

OP

33.

Nintendo Switch

I did not believe the hype. I've had this since launch and have only just completed it. The game is OK, but I just feel like it's a mediocre sandbox game with Zelda slapped on the front of it. Too long walking and climbing with not enough to do. Side quests and main quests just take too long to find or achieve. Not a fan of the combat system or the weapon break system. The story is pretty non-existent and the loading times are horrendous. Not for me I'm afraid.
6/10

34.

Xbox 360

LttP with this one. If I'm being honest, I played it for 6 hours and then put it down massively frustrated with the mechanics. I went back a week later, and played patiently. Once I got the hang of it and learned not to rush in, I loved it. You really become attached to your team, and man oh man when one dies, I genuinely felt a pang of loss. Great game and has teed my up nicely for Mario + Rabbids
8/10

InquisitorAles · Oct 20, 2017

Main post part 2

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48. Clive Barker's Jericho - 6 hours
Really nice old school AAA game with lovely QTE and "squad command" gimmicks. First half of the game was pretty boring and forgettable, but those roman empire themed levels is where this game shines. Also, character models and effects still looking surprisingly good, while levels themselves didn't aged well.

Tizoc · Oct 20, 2017

I mainly played til the end of Act 3 and cleaned up side missions before calling it quits.
Act 4 was gonna be repetitive so I ignored it as by the time I've beaten Act 3 it may as had been the end of the game.

Like its predecessor it starts out good but eventually it becomes quite repetitive. Between the two, War is the better agme since the expanded Nemesis mechanic offers some nice fiddling and messing around with.

If only there was a lootbox that had these damned Orc Captains stfu, it'd be good since they rambling probably amounted to 1 hour of my playthrough :V

Spieler Eins · Oct 20, 2017

original post

Game 38: The Evil Within 2 (PS4) - 14 hours

They've adressed my major complaints of the first game, which was the lack of exploration and an overload of incoherent action sequences. Sadly, their idea of exploration was generic AAA design instead of careful level design of the survival horror classics. There's a few decent levels later on. Yet many okay-ish moments are ultimately brought down by constant blabbering and a generally poor story and completely nonsensical premise, which the game is not going to let you ignore. On top of that, the art direction feels bland during big chunks of the game and this title feels weirdly low budget. Breaking down the gameplay, gunplay and exploring are average, though the controls feel a little too slow.

Overall: An even bigger disappointment than the first TEW. I actually look a little bit more fondly on the latter now.

Tizoc · Oct 20, 2017

Right now I'm gonna aim to reach 250 completed games this year.
Once I reach that goal, I'll put my primary backlog on hold and focus on Yakuza 1/Ryu ga Gotoku 1 and LoZ: Breath of the Wild Wii U.

I WILL however continue going through my PnC backlog. I've had Yakuza Kiwami since release but I didn't start it since I wanted to experience the original game first.
I dunno if I'd get to beat 3 games by year's end, if not by the time I can put in my votes for GAF GotY 2017, but I'm really glad I got to experience some games at last this year such as Dust and Darkside Detective.

Krooner · Oct 20, 2017

Finished

Rime - Decent enough, didn't grab me like I though it would will probably have another pass at it for the collectables.

Lone Survivor Director's Cut - Enjoyed this, very odd vibe to it. Having to go back home and sleep started to frustrate me after a while, I just wanted to get on, but was having to head back every ten minutes. I got the blue ending,

From what I can tell they were living in a country at war? Was she killed in the conflict?? There was a newspaper snippet in one of the apartments talking about a car accident too...

Will go through again at some point, perhaps I'll check online to see how to get different endings It gave me a list at the end, but it was 10 pages long, there can't be that many triggers surely??

These two put me at around 40 games this year, I think I'll actually do it. I have some shorter indie games to go through as well as some stuff on my SNESc... I'm optimistic.

Up next, continuing with my Horror games in October theme (ignore Rime, I'd borrowed it and the friend wanted it back) I'm doing Resident Evil: Origins

oO_CurrY_Oo · Oct 21, 2017

Main post

#47 South Park The Fractured But Whole (PC) - 17 hours

Tizoc · Oct 21, 2017

Finally got around to beating it after putting it on hold

The final world's stages are rather easy, but I do feel the controls and physics need some tweaking a little.
Otherwise though it's a nice platformer.

oO_CurrY_Oo · Oct 21, 2017

Main post

#48 Half-Life C.A.G.E.D. (PC) - 40 minutes

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