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[ROMhack]

I'm on the final stretch of Shenmue 2 which is nice. It's winding down nicely.

My birthday is coming up so I'll probably get a few games from the fam. Is there a rule on that? Seems like gifted titles should have a technicality, maybe its own award.

 

[hariseldon]

@hariseldon - So KOTOR 1 is on Game Pass, which I didn't realize. I'm finally going to play through it myself.

Also, we're over halfway through another month. I still haven't bought anything new (other than spending $4 subbing to EA Access/Game Pass).

Hopefully you'll have a fun time with it. I bought DLC to complete KCD ready for my full playthrough, no idea where the fits in the rules.

 

[TheGreatLeon]

This is what I’ve been doing as well. I want to buy RE2 and Mario Bros. u Deluxe but I cannot justify buying anymore games until I play and finish the mountain of games I already have.

 

[Guileless]

My birthday is coming up so I'll probably get a few games from the fam. Is there a rule on that? Seems like gifted titles should have a technicality, maybe its own award.

DunDunDunpachi created the thread and came up with the original set of rules he and his mates are following in the OP, but the spirit of the thread (play what you have instead of adding to that pile) encompasses a lot of different approaches. I'm trying to not buy any more games and thus decrease overall spending (on games and other discretionary items).

So for me, receiving games as a gift would be fine.

Although if you're really into this, you could tell your loved ones not to buy you a game and get you something else more practical that you need instead.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

I'm on the final stretch of Shenmue 2 which is nice. It's winding down nicely.

My birthday is coming up so I'll probably get a few games from the fam. Is there a rule on that? Seems like gifted titles should have a technicality, maybe its own award.

No games you've purchased in 2019. No games released in 2019. If we're talking technicalities, you could ask for games from 2018 and earlier.

I suppose it's really up to you, since the challenge is meant to be self-regulated.

Purchasing games or receiving games is 100% safe. I've already bought a few games myself this year like GG Sign, Nobunaga's Ambition Taishi, and Katamari Reroll. Haven't played any of them, but buying is fine.

I made this caveat with the knowledge that some people may be collectors and/or might wish to pick up limited editions of titles they want to purchase. It would be unfair to give up an anticipated game for the sake of the challenge. My focus is 100% on the playing of games you already own. I don't care what you buy, Just don't play it.

EDIT: thank you Guileless

The spirit of the challenge is to play what you have. It's meant to be fun and lighthearted. If you don't want to go hardcore, then do one of the easier tiers like Dabbing Golduck.

 

[Yoshi]

I have finished Blinx, and I am so stressed by it. It is super difficult, super stressing, and at times infuriating, especially when Blinx decides to aim on something you clearly are not shooting at. It is an unusual game and it can be fun at times, but it is just way over the top in terms of difficulty. And not in a good way, because the game mechanics are not tight enough for that level of intensity. I cannot recommend the game, and I think it is the worst game I have played from Artoon / Arzest so far, but if you are really a huge fan of 3D platformers - it is a unique game for sure. Now I play Pac-Man World 3 next, because I need something relaxing. No more constant near-death situations for me for now...

Best one so far: Poi Explorer Edition
Worst one so far: American McGee's Alice

Finished:
Ratchet & Clank 2
Ratchet & Clank 3
Ratchet & Clank Size Matters
Pac-Man World
Spyro Enter the Dragonfly
Tak Guardians of Gross
Pac-Man World 2
Poi Explorer Edition
Jersey Devil
Sly Cooper (4) Thieves in Time
Toy Story 2
American McGee's Alice
Alice: Madness Returns
Spyro: A Hero's Tail
Sly Raccoon
Blinx The Time Sweeper

Currently playing:
Pac-Man World 3
Axiom Verge
Sly 2

 

[Guileless]

I've never talked to anyone who actually played Blinx.

 

[mekes]

I can confirm it's superb, and has a fantastic villain. Lovely lovely game.

Yeah I really enjoyed the story, it’s got me back into the game so I’ve spent a lot of time finishing up side quests and Witcher contracts left over from the main game. I’ll download the second expansion very soon. It’s perked my interest for their new upcoming game too.

 

[Guileless]

The amount of high profile game releases this early in the year is really something isn't it? We are being tested.

 

[hariseldon]

The amount of high profile game releases this early in the year is really something isn't it? We are being tested.

And yet so few of them tempt me, due to the DLC, the microtransactions, the general shitty way publishers treat gamers, etc.

 

[DeleteriousObnoxious]

i Started on some more games.

Subnautica being one of them.
The reason why i suddenly decided to start up Subnautica despite being a disliker of Survival genre in general due to the stress of surviving and i don't need much of that personally in my life so its more a personal limitation/preference than actual bad gaming design. I been lured into Subnautica by a good friend of mine that told me despite it having all these things like hunger, oxygen, thirst and health bars that constantly decreases, the overall feeling is one of much serenity at least in the first 3-4 hours.

I been playing about 5 hours subnautica taking my time stumbling around and locating alien lifeforms and Faunas left and right
the world building looks and feels natural i understand its a Fixed landscape but with different starting locations.

This game reminds me a bit about a old PS1 game called Treasures of the Deep. and while its not gold and old pirate treasure you dig up finding all those ocean wreckage from your mother spaceship Aurora is a reward on its own and just as well encourages exploration.

Return to castle wolfenstein
I have done some more progress and are currently in norway of all places, i can't wait to continue further and hopefully experience the end.
I am playing the game with Modded AI enhanced textures and i might try to do a new run after beating it with RealRCTW, with the equally interesting mod Vemon 6.0
https://www.moddb.com/mods/rtcw-venom-mod/news/rtcw-venom-mod-v60

Honestly i do not really plan ahead or have a block of my backlog....

Plans in the future to experience for first time:

Dragon Quest 7 / Dragon Warrior VII - PS1 version. - my idea is to finish up Dragon quest 5 remake on PS2 as well as Dragon quest viii before i start up on Dragon quest 7 so its still quite far into the future but i heard a lot of good stuff and i am thrilled to have this in the future to start up.

 

[Guileless]

And yet so few of them tempt me, due to the DLC, the microtransactions, the general shitty way publishers treat gamers, etc.

Being alienated from the modern AAA treadmill is a great way to save money.

 

[Mexen]

I like this. Will partially participate. 2018, I grew my library. 2019, I enjoy it. Still, I see myself getting around 22 games this year. I bought over 70 last year for perspective.

 

[Guileless]

70 to 22 would be a major reduction. Are you a collector?

The current Bandai Namco sale on PSN is really tempting me. Somebody say something bad about Takes of Berseria.

 

[DeleteriousObnoxious]

70 to 22 would be a major reduction. Are you a collector?

The current Bandai Namco sale on PSN is really tempting me. Somebody say something bad about Takes of Berseria.

Its Anime, ohh wait thats actually a good thing. Damn it!

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Im actually quite proud of myself ive finished up and got platinum for god of war 2018 and doom and have yet to buy a new game

 

[Trogdor1123]

I think I'll jump in on this. I have a pretty big back log

GTA 5
Red 2
Bioshock collection
Ezio collection
God of war
God of war 3
Elite dangerous
Burnout Paradise remaster
Fallout 4
Skyrim remaster
Dark souls remastered
Dark souls 3 dlc

Jeepers... Those are just off the tip of my head.

 

[Mexen]

70 to 22 would be a major reduction. Are you a collector?

The current Bandai Namco sale on PSN is really tempting me. Somebody say something bad about Takes of Berseria.

Not exactly.

I bought a PS4, 3DS and Switch in 2018. As a first time owner of all three systems, I wanted to own every game I considered a must-have title so I spent most of the year buying around 6 games a month.

I have bought most of the games on my list but excluding new releases, I still have a few more games to buy to complete my "collection".

The drop is because I plan on actually playing the games I bought. This year alone, I have beaten the following so far, at time of writing this post

Ys VIII
Super Mario Odyssey
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney
Super Smash Bros Ultimate
Resident Evil 7
Detroit Become Human

Last year, it would have taken me 4 months to beat the same number because I casually played and focused more on searching through Amazon for "new" copies of old games.

With my attention focused more on playing than buying this year though, I do not feel the same urge to buy, buy, buy. I want to play, play, play.

 

[Guileless]

If you're looking for new stuff to play this weekend without spending money, the DoA 6 demo is available and runs through the weekend.

Also two of the Halo Wars games are on weekend free play if you have Live Gold.

 

[zenspider]

I beat the main campaign of Monster Hunter Stories. 43 hours. I was pleased to discover there is a "High Rank" immediately following the completion of the story, so I will still mess around with this game. It is very faithful to the MH style of gameplay. As I raise more monsties and build more weapons/armor, the number of viable builds grows exponentially. I can pair my Ice-Damage weapon with the armor that boosts Ice Dmg, or I can pair up

The difficulty was fairly low, but maybe High Rank will change my mind on that one. The game allows you to exploit the same kind of weapon/armor/skill combinations like in the previous games. The main difference is that in the old games you still needed the baseline skill to pull off the maneuver (like sleep-bombing), whereas in Stories you just need the relevant gear. Puzzling out which combinations are the most broken and overpowered is definitely a fun part of any RPG.

The game has lot more content than I expected. I suppose -- just like a true Monster Hunter game -- that the game just never asks you to dig deeper or learn more about its mechanics. You have to figure that out yourself. It never demands that you do the sidequests. You never have to use Channeling, ever. You can ignore stat-boosting 'nutriments', or you can abuse them like a 1990s American baseball player.

You can track down all 108 (I think?) Monsties, each with their own unique mix of abilities and traits. Hunting down eggs is a little game unto itself. There are quite a few sidequests that unlock special abilities, some of which do elemental damage (separate from any inherent Elemental damage your weapon may do). All sorts of side-tasks and ways to improve your team are tucked into the game.

I really hope CAPCOM does a sequel on the Switch.

I did purchase three games, though only one of them is "off limits" due to the rules:
Guilty Gear Xrd Sign (PS4)
Katamari Reroll (Switch)
Pillars of Eternity Definitive (PS4)

I've wanted a physical copy of GG Sign because it's the only version in the franchise with English voice acting. I think it's endearing and quirky, and since it's the only GG title with English voiceovers I felt it was worth owning. Sean Connery Slayer is legit.



I got a good deal on Katamari Reroll and wanted to add it to my Switch collection. The kids will especially love it, but since I already own it on PS2 I'm in no hurry to play through this version.

Pillars is one more game checked off the list of "Western CRPGs on console that I want to buy". Pillars 2, Divinity 2, and the upcoming Infinity Engine console ports have yet to be purchased.

Next up for me to play is Downhill Domination on PS2. There's no reason to spend time unlocking things, so it's just for pure fun. It's a great kids' game. The cartoony violence and reckless speed are hilarious. Highly recommended to any fan of the SSX series or anyone who generally loves unique and fun sports-racing games.

Plus, it's one of those guilty-pleasure 6th-generation games boasting a licensed soundtrack packed with "gems" from that era.

Downhill Domination... Oh my god that takes me back! That was on the TV in our store for weeks. Not many people bit, but the whole staff dug it.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Downhill Domination... Oh my god that takes me back! That was on the TV in our store for weeks. Not many people bit, but the whole staff dug it.

It's pushing me to get a few more PS2 controllers + a multitap, since it goes up to 4 player.

Endlessly playable.

 

[Golgo 13]

Two friends and I have already made a pact. But GAF is my friend, too. Do you want to try the challenge?

- Purchasing new games is acceptable. Testing them to make sure they're not lemons is acceptable.
- Otherwise, no playing games released in 2019
- No playing games purchased in 2019
- No "new to me" games, only games that you've already already purchased, already beaten, or at least started it up at some point in the past.
- Starting a new save file is acceptable, in cases where you've started the game but want to begin fresh.

Honor system, obviously. I will track my progress here. Feel free to participate and/or throw tomatoes.

---

Reward Tiers:
"Ultimate Star Platinum" Crusader Medal

You have persevered and played 0 new games in 2019. Your capabilities as a Stand are mostly close-range, but that hasn't stopped you from prevailing against every temptation. 2019? A whole year? Time means nothing to you. ZA WARUDO!

---

Triumphant "Dabbing Fortnite Golduck" Participation Medal

You have maintained a ratio of 10 backlog games to 1 new game. You have evolved from the TV show's joke character into a respectable Pokemon that boasts a smug attitude and respectable moveset.

---

Halfway Decent "Distracted Kanye Meme" Participation polycast acrylic "trophy"

You were able to manage 5 backlog games for every 1 new game. Eh, genius gets distracted sometimes, you know?

---

Yoshi has rightly pointed out there is no tier for people who've already kept their backlog small and tidy.

Therefore, for anyone who can finish their backlog entirely during the year of 2019, I offer:

The "Yagami Light already did all his homework" Certification of Backlog Grooming. If you have completed your whole backlog by the end of 2019, then you are already 10 steps ahead of the rest of us.

​

You’re a fucking wild man. I don’t think I could do this. It requires the utmost discipline and intestinal fortitude.

How can you resist playing games like DMC5 or TLOU2 when they’re released?!

Anyway, good luck, you’re a stronger man than I.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

You’re a fucking wild man. I don’t think I could do this. It requires the utmost discipline and intestinal fortitude.

How can you resist playing games like DMC5 or TLOU2 when they’re released?!

Anyway, good luck, you’re a stronger man than I.

I have a lot of Moby Dicks that I want to fillet, like a high-score clear of DDP: Daioujou, a completion of W101's 101% Mode, and Dragon Quest 7. The more games I purchase, the less likely these goals became, so the pragmatist in me had to draw a line somewhere.

 

[Yoshi]

I have just finished Pac-Man World 3. Way worse than 1 & 2. Extremely easy, terrible new combat system (basically you are swarmed with monster every once and a while and have to beat them with the boring B-B-B-B... attack sequence). Totally useless, I do not know why developers think such combat systems have any place in 3D platformers. The platforming sequences are fun at times, especially if some techniques like pole swinging and wall jumps are combined, so the game can be fun. But it is a shadow of the two good predecessors. Next is Ty 2, which seems to be significantly worse than Ty the Tasmanian Tiger.

Best one so far: Poi Explorer Edition
Worst one so far: American McGee's Alice

Finished:
Ratchet & Clank 2
Ratchet & Clank 3
Ratchet & Clank Size Matters
Pac-Man World
Spyro Enter the Dragonfly
Tak Guardians of Gross
Pac-Man World 2
Poi Explorer Edition
Jersey Devil
Sly Cooper (4) Thieves in Time
Toy Story 2
American McGee's Alice
Alice: Madness Returns
Spyro: A Hero's Tail
Sly Raccoon
Blinx The Time Sweeper
Pac-Man World 3

Currently playing:
Ty 2
Axiom Verge
Sly 2

 

[hariseldon]

Currently playing "why won't this fucking arsehole cuntbag shitcunt wankstain of an ubuntu install accept this perfectly cunting good mysql fucking install so I can build this fucking Angular/Spring application". It's a fun game. It wasn't on my backlog.

Once done that I plan to ignore the glorious sunshine outside and crack on with Kotor (on Manaan currently - can't say it's as interesting as some of the other locations).

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

I have just finished Pac-Man World 3. Way worse than 1 & 2. Extremely easy, terrible new combat system (basically you are swarmed with monster every once and a while and have to beat them with the boring B-B-B-B... attack sequence). Totally useless, I do not know why developers think such combat systems have any place in 3D platformers. The platforming sequences are fun at times, especially if some techniques like pole swinging and wall jumps are combined, so the game can be fun. But it is a shadow of the two good predecessors. Next is Ty 2, which seems to be significantly worse than Ty the Tasmanian Tiger.

Best one so far: Poi Explorer Edition
Worst one so far: American McGee's Alice

Finished:
Ratchet & Clank 2
Ratchet & Clank 3
Ratchet & Clank Size Matters
Pac-Man World
Spyro Enter the Dragonfly
Tak Guardians of Gross
Pac-Man World 2
Poi Explorer Edition
Jersey Devil
Sly Cooper (4) Thieves in Time
Toy Story 2
American McGee's Alice
Alice: Madness Returns
Spyro: A Hero's Tail
Sly Raccoon
Blinx The Time Sweeper
Pac-Man World 3

Currently playing:
Ty 2
Axiom Verge
Sly 2

Are you on some kind of unholy mission of playing all the 3D platformers, whether good or bad?

Curious to hear your thoughts on Toy Story 3 (PS3/360) if that one is on your list of upcoming games.

Currently playing "why won't this fucking arsehole cuntbag shitcunt wankstain of an ubuntu install accept this perfectly cunting good mysql fucking install so I can build this fucking Angular/Spring application". It's a fun game. It wasn't on my backlog.

Once done that I plan to ignore the glorious sunshine outside and crack on with Kotor (on Manaan currently - can't say it's as interesting as some of the other locations).

Ubuntu is the Windows Vista of Linux distros. apt get and apt install are inferior to yum, in everything including name. I always had trouble with packages on Ubuntu, even when it was a clean install. I mean, at least it's not Mint.

 

[Yoshi]

Are you on some kind of unholy mission of playing all the 3D platformers, whether good or bad?

Curious to hear your thoughts on Toy Story 3 (PS3/360) if that one is on your list of upcoming games.

Is that a 3D platformer? I am writing an article series named "Yoshi's Top 100 3D Platformers" and my sample size should of course be as big as possible. Which is why I have bought Earthworm Jim 3D a couple days ago, as well. Obvious trash such as Bubsy 3D need not be, because I will probably find 100 games better than that anyway. I'm at 105 3D platformers now (in the collection, 10 of which still need to be played through).

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Is that a 3D platformer? I am writing an article series named "Yoshi's Top 100 3D Platformers" and my sample size should of course be as big as possible. Which is why I have bought Earthworm Jim 3D a couple days ago, as well. Obvious trash such as Bubsy 3D need not be, because I will probably find 100 games better than that anyway. I'm at 105 3D platformers now (in the collection, 10 of which still need to be played through).

Arguably, Toy Story 3 is more like Ratchet & Clank (semi-open levels with shooting and melee combat) but there's a lot of platforming throughout. Since you have Sly Cooper and R&C on your list already, I think it fits your scope.

 

[Guileless]

Yoshi, I am looking forward to reading your article when it's finished.

 

[BigBooper]

Just finished up my 105 hour Fallout New Vegas detour doing darn near everything a hero of the wasteland can. I'd never made it all the way through the DLC before. I'd finished Old World Blues before and got bored in Dead Money. Not this time, Level 48 with nearly every side quest and more perks than I cared to count. I started out as melee and unarmed, but you fairly quickly become a master of everything once you get to the really high levels.

If I think of it in the future, I think I'd like to see the Caesar's Legion campaign through on Hardcore mode. I'd thought I would go for all the achievements while I was at it, but some of those like Heal 10000 damage by eating food kind of achievements made me drop that idea.

Time to jump back into God of War now. I think I'm about 2/3rds of the way through that game. I have had some time to think about that game during my Vegas detour. I like the story and lore and environments a lot, I do not like the combat very much. the button combinations using the triggers do not feel good at all. It's a constant awkwardness and I'm not able to control it as smoothly as I think I should be. Were the old games like this? I'm thinking about forgetting about hunting down every side quest, and mainlining the story as much as I can.

 

[noonespecial]

And yet so few of them tempt me, due to the DLC, the microtransactions, the general shitty way publishers treat gamers, etc.

Being alienated from the modern AAA treadmill is a great way to save money.

Pretty much the way I feel. AAA gaming is mostly dead to me and although it feels bad to see games doing poorly that I otherwise would possibly have been interested (Fallout '76, Anthem, etc.) I can't help but laugh at all the negative publicity surrounding those shitstorms and I am very much against large corporations and find it incredibly amusing that those assholes think they can continue putting out "games" like that. Then I remember that people still continue to buy them sight-unseen and then feel bad again. (I.e. this is all OUR fault as "consumers" - we get what we deserve when it comes down to it).

Still haven't purchased a new video game yet this year (since some game on $8 I bought on PSN before this challenge started) and I don't think I've played a single video game in the last month anyway (except for humoring my son and playing a bit of Apex Legends with him which I have no interest in playing myself). I've been nostalgic about and heavily into old tabletop "paper and pencil" RPG's from the '70s ( refuse to call them "pen and paper" RPG's because nobody fucking played them with pens - everyone I know all used pencils - how the hell were you supposed to erase stuff?) and messing around with my collection of military simulation boardgames, as in actual physical hex and counter wargames with a map that you put under plexiglass.

There is so much stuff to do outside of video games. Not that I'm trying to to sound superior (I fucking *love* video games!) - I'm just finding other stuff to do than concentrating on researching new video games to buy on a sale, buying them, playing them for a bit and then going "meh" and doing something else. I also binge watched The Expanse season 3 on Amazon Prime recently too. And I've always read books.

This challenge to me has mainly been a good way of helping to reinforce doing other stuff besides just playing video games (again - not that I'm saying that is necessarily a bad thing).

Keep up the good work everyone and stay strong!

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Pretty much the way I feel. AAA gaming is mostly dead to me and although it feels bad to see games doing poorly that I otherwise would possibly have been interested (Fallout '76, Anthem, etc.) I can't help but laugh at all the negative publicity surrounding those shitstorms and I am very much against large corporations and find it incredibly amusing that those assholes think they can continue putting out "games" like that. Then I remember that people still continue to buy them sight-unseen and then feel bad again. (I.e. this is all OUR fault as "consumers" - we get what we deserve when it comes down to it).

Still haven't purchased a new video game yet this year (since some game on $8 I bought on PSN before this challenge started) and I don't think I've played a single video game in the last month anyway (except for humoring my son and playing a bit of Apex Legends with him which I have no interest in playing myself). I've been nostalgic about and heavily into old tabletop "paper and pencil" RPG's from the '70s ( refuse to call them "pen and paper" RPG's because nobody fucking played them with pens - everyone I know all used pencils - how the hell were you supposed to erase stuff?) and messing around with my collection of military simulation boardgames, as in actual physical hex and counter wargames with a map that you put under plexiglass.

There is so much stuff to do outside of video games. Not that I'm trying to to sound superior (I fucking *love* video games!) - I'm just finding other stuff to do than concentrating on researching new video games to buy on a sale, buying them, playing them for a bit and then going "meh" and doing something else. I also binge watched The Expanse season 3 on Amazon Prime recently too. And I've always read books.

This challenge to me has mainly been a good way of helping to reinforce doing other stuff besides just playing video games (again - not that I'm saying that is necessarily a bad thing).

Keep up the good work everyone and stay strong!

Yeah, I feel that when you achieve a proper balance between gaming and your other endeavors (and that "balance" will be different for everyone), it's much easier to enjoy games when you do spend time on them.

 

[mistuhcahlos]

Commendable. Hoping to finally finish a 3DS Fire Emblem, a Mother game and BOTW. All bets are off when Cyberpunk is released.

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Started far cry 5 bros only stsrted re2 and cd3 to see how the run im on pace to knock out 1 a month which is really good in my stand started ass creen orgins wasnt feeling it so i deleted it

 

[Yoshi]

I have now finished Ty 2 and it was pretty boring to be honest. Completely flat in difficulty and about half of my time with the game was spend with just walking / driving to the missions. Many missions also were absolutely worthless "fly around with a helicopter" or "beat all enemies" affairs that were not worth even going to the missions. Ty 2 is a much worse game than Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, which already was a relatively weak Banjo-sytle collectathon anyway.

Best one so far: Poi Explorer Edition
Worst one so far: American McGee's Alice

Finished:
Ratchet & Clank 2
Ratchet & Clank 3
Ratchet & Clank Size Matters
Pac-Man World
Spyro Enter the Dragonfly
Tak Guardians of Gross
Pac-Man World 2
Poi Explorer Edition
Jersey Devil
Sly Cooper (4) Thieves in Time
Toy Story 2
American McGee's Alice
Alice: Madness Returns
Spyro: A Hero's Tail
Sly Raccoon
Blinx The Time Sweeper
Pac-Man World 3
Ty 2

Currently playing:
Voodoo Vince
Axiom Verge
Sly 2

Yoshi, I am looking forward to reading your article when it's finished.

Sorry, it is for a German video game site. It is already a running series of 15 games. In case you are still interested to see the ranking at least (because names of games are mostly independent of language anyway), you can see it here:
https://www.gaming-universe.de/yoshis-top-100-3d-jump-runs/

@mods: Should it be disallowed to link to own work, please remove the link and sorry about it.

EDIT: First impression of Voodoo Vince is pretty amazing actually. It feels a lot like a Wario 3D game would with the various body state powers and the many little puzzles and small side paths available. If it can maintain that level of quality, it will end up my favourite Xbox 1 platformer.

 

[Guileless]

We've just about made it through another month. I have spent some gaming related money in Feb. My Plus runs out shortly, and I had budgeted the $60 to renew. Somebody posted a n EBay deal for a year at only $42. With the savings i got GTA V for the PS4 on sale for $15. I have a PS3 copy i was gifted that I have never used, but I know if I played it i would be wondering the whole time about the technical limitations on that platform. Plus the PS4 copy came with in-game currency that seems to be worth at least $15 anyway.

Here's my spending:

Jan. - 0

Feb. -

$2 EA Access 1 month (used a $3 MS store credit to defray $5 cost)
$2 Game Pass for two months promo
$42 renewal of PS Plus for a year (EBay deal)
$15 GTA V

TOTAL: $61

thanks for the l ink Yoshi. I had no idea you were not a native English speaker.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

So here's my dilemma, and I will defer to a sound argument for either yea or nay.

It release in 2018. I bought this in 2018. I played the demo in 2018. Is this game safe to play, according to the challenge? My physical copy arrived today (finally).

 

[hariseldon]

Bought in 2018, arrival date is irrelevant. Have some fun.

I'm still working through Kotor 1 and Technobabylon, still having a blast. I'm enjoying taking time to really enjoy each game. I reckon this approach may continue beyond this challenge. Truth is it's not a challenge, I have so many amazing games waiting for me. I'm excited to finally give them the attention they deserve.

 

[Yoshi]

So here's my dilemma, and I will defer to a sound argument for either yea or nay.

It release in 2018. I bought this in 2018. I played the demo in 2018. Is this game safe to play, according to the challenge? My physical copy arrived today (finally).

By the words in op it is allowed to play it, because it was bought before 2019. Just see it as part of your backlog that was temporarily inaccessible.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Alrighty, fair enough. I'll at least try it out since I've been waiting for this game for... well... years!

 

[Guileless]

Playing KOTOR and GTA V this weekend.

I have no desire to play more of Anthem after only four hours of the EA Access trial. No other EA games available on the service look promising to me either.

 

[hariseldon]

Playing KOTOR and GTA V this weekend.

I have no desire to play more of Anthem after only four hours of the EA Access trial. No other EA games available on the service look promising to me either.

You're gonna have a lot of fun with KOTOR.

 

[crowbrow]

Is that a 3D platformer? I am writing an article series named "Yoshi's Top 100 3D Platformers" and my sample size should of course be as big as possible. Which is why I have bought Earthworm Jim 3D a couple days ago, as well. Obvious trash such as Bubsy 3D need not be, because I will probably find 100 games better than that anyway. I'm at 105 3D platformers now (in the collection, 10 of which still need to be played through).

For a moment there I thought you wanted to make an article of the top 100 3D platformers where Yoshi appears. Lol I was thinking to myself, how many Yoshi platformers are!!!

 

[hariseldon]

Last night I got to the big plot twist in KOTOR (I assume there aren't any bigger ones coming).. didn't see that coming. This game is so damn good, I mean it's proper star wars.

Will definitely hit KOTOR 2 next and as I have Mass Effect 1 and 2 I might do those afterwards. If good I may have to break the rules and get Mass Effect 3. After that I think it'll be time for Baldurs Gate 1 & 2.

Technobabylon is going well, such a well written game with such excellent puzzles, wonderful graphics that really show how good pixel art can be and am amazing cyberpunk story.

Will continue to go with a 2 game structure I think, more than that and I start forgetting mechanics. I'm not as good at this stuff as I used to be.

I'll probably lose a bit of time for my backlog this week as the new iRacing release comes out on probably Tuesday or Wednesday, then it's week 13 for testing the new stuff then week 1 of the new season.

 

[Shotpun]

Last night I got to the big plot twist in KOTOR (I assume there aren't any bigger ones coming).. didn't see that coming. This game is so damn good, I mean it's proper star wars.

Will definitely hit KOTOR 2 next and as I have Mass Effect 1 and 2 I might do those afterwards. If good I may have to break the rules and get Mass Effect 3. After that I think it'll be time for Baldurs Gate 1 & 2.

Wow, have you been boycotting Bioware all this time or just not been interested in RPG's in general? I wish I could play Mass Effect 2 and Baldur's Gate 2 for the first time again.

KotOR 2 has way better story from a more mature angle that I would love to see more in SW setting, but as a game I personally never liked it as much as the first one.
If you like Mass Effect 1&2 you shoudn't skip the third one, sure the ending is the biggest missed opportunity in gaming history in my books but as a game it's still alright. Worst of the three still though.
BG1 is very traditional game that you will either love or hate for its simplistic old schoolines. BG2 is way better game and a timeless classic that shouldn't be missed unless you are not into that type of RPG's.

 

[hariseldon]

Not a boycott, I own the games they just never clicked for whatever reason, in part I think the rush fit the latest shiny shiny didn't help. Honestly though I never really took the time to wrap my head around the systems and always thought the semi-turn-based combat a bit odd, I didn't really understand the rationale - I tried it when I was younger and just wanted to FPS my way through like an idiot. Now the systems make somewhat more sense.

I think I'm probably going to go with, for the forseeable, one bioware and one other as my route through this year's backlog. I'm tempted to run either:
- 1 bioware and 1 adventure
- 1 bioware and 1 japanese game (and sneak finally doing a proper run at KCD in there when nobody's looking - now all the DLC is present) - 2018 saw me really start to see the awesomeness out there coming from Japan. The real passion they have for making games shows through so much.

 

[BigBooper]

Finished up God of War and I ended up liking it a lot, despite some of my difficulty with the controls. Also finished Torin's Passage that I was playing with my niece. She loved it a lot. I'd never played it before, but have owned it on GOG for a while. It was very simple for an adventure game, which was just fine with me. The story was simple, but with enough funny parts that it had her and her two brothers laughing out loud at times.

I tried playing Outcast Second Contact, but there are some games that I can better appreciate from a distance. Outcast was impressive at the time in ways, but when you get to actually playing the game, it's rough. I think two hours is enough.

I'm also playing Injustice 2, but I just do a few fights here and there. Not making very quick progress.

I'm either starting a replay of Alan Wake or Yakuza Kiwami next. Haven't decided yet.

 

[hariseldon]

Finished Kotor - damn that was fun. I felt the fight with Malak was a bit cheap (a bit too standard boss-fight and I don't like the way he stuns you and gets multiple hits in to kill you without you being able to respond - I had to resort to a lot of running away) but otherwise it was a really amazing game. Spoilers...

Spoiler: Bastila

So Bastila turning to the dark side was a cool story beat - I was unable to turn her, I googled after and found that it's possible but presumably I fucked up. I'm ok with that, it brings weight to that final confrontation - the rage at a friend being turned and dying for all this shit - sets up an interesting internal struggle for the player character to stay light or go dark though I'm unsure mechanically how one would create that pressure. Certainly it made the ending bitter-sweet and that's kinda cool in itself.

So.. onward to Kotor 2. Reckon I'm not a million miles away from finishing Technobabylon either so I'll need to cue up the next game there too.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Played some Pixeljunk Monsters 2 (Switch) over the weekend and was getting my butt kicked on the initial levels. That's a good thing, though, since it implies the game will remain challenging for a long time. I'm still getting used to faster pace of missions compared to the first game. Graphics and sound effects are gorgeous.

My one complaint so far is the long load times. I hope a patch can solve this issue.

 

[zenspider]

Can we get a roll call of everyone still in? I love to tease and tempt y'all, but I know I couldn't do it - it's really an an accomplishment. 2 down, 10 to go!