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52 Games. 1 Year. 2020.

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12:34h. 100%.

Great fun, better than the first one, etc,. But...

FUCK SPEEDWAYS

That is all..

My Score: ★★★★☆

Original post
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
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Game 11 - Gato Roboto - Nintendo Switch - Completed Mar 1st, 2020
Another game from last year's Switch backlog! I picked this up last year because I heard it was quite good - and I wasn't let down. The game is a tightly focused monochromatic Metroidvania that gives out power-ups like they're candy. The whole game took me a little under 3 hours to complete which felt exactly right for the game's $8 price tag. The game had an interesting twist on the Metroid formula in that you could get out of your mech suit and walk around as a cat, an ability that you could use to fit into tighter spaces or to traverse water. This had some brutally difficult bosses that required me to actually think about their movement patterns and time my attacks accordingly. The game reminded me a lot of Metroid II for the Game Boy although it was shorter. Overall, a highly recommended experience.
 
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Faust

Perpetually Tired
Staff Member
1. Concrete Genie (PS4) | 2nd Jan - 8-ish hrs | 3/5
2. Final Fantasy IV (DS) | 24th Jan - 25-ish hrs | 3/5
3. Rayman 2 Revolution (PS2) | 25th Jan - 11.2 hrs | 3/5
4. Yakuza Kiwami (PS4) | 30th Jan - 40-ish hrs | 4/5
5. The Spongebob Squarepants Movie (PS2) | 1st Mar - 10-ish hours | 4/5

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Yakuza Kiwami is a remake of the first Yakuza game in the engine that Yakuza Zero used. This release also uses the same combat and many of the same minigames as in that title. The story is more simple this go around compared to Zero. You are Kiryu Kazuma. A member of the Yakuza who takes the heat for your fellow adopted brother who killed the patriarch. After spending 10 years in prison, you are released and now must piece together all that transpired since your incarceration.

The game is a fantastic time, but you can definitely feel the age and lack of diverse offerings that the previous game had. This is the first game after all, even if it does have a new coat of paint. Still, I really enjoyed my time and am still slowly working my way towards that Platinum Trophy.


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The game follows the plot of the movie where you play as either Spongebob or Patrick working their way to Shell City to get the crown of Neptune before he kills Mr. Krabs, all the while Plankton tries to take over Bikini Bottom. The gameplay is a platformer at its core with some light combat elements and numerous vehicle segments interspersed with the occasional boss battle. Nothing done here is revolutionary, but it is a fun time. This was a childhood favorite of mine and I still can enjoy it. Though I doubt I will ever try for 100% again. Just run through the basic levels.
 
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52 games in 2020 is on track. I'll come back and update this with some comments later, but here we go:

May:
OlliOlli (Switch) - 8/10
Ori and the Blind Forest (PC) - 6/10
Streets of Rage 4 (Switch) - 10/10

Apr:

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch) - 9/10 (does this really count? Rolled the credits, completed it mate)
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Switch) - 9/10

Mar:
Final Fight - Capcom Beat 'em up Bundle (Switch) - 8/10
Battle Circuit - Capcom Beat 'em up Bundle (Swicth) - 6/10
Mario Tennis Aces [story mode] (Switch) - 8/10

Feb:

Graceful Explosion Machine (Switch) - 8/10
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate [story mode] (Switch) - 10/10
Portal (PC) - 9/10
Super Mario Maker 2 [story mode] (Switch) - 8/10
The King of Dragons - Capcom Beat 'em up Bundle (Switch) - 5/10
Undertale (Switch) - 10/10

Jan:
Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope (Switch) - 9/10
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD (Switch) - 7/10
Golf Story (Switch) - 7/10
Super Mario Kart (SNES) - 7/10

--------------------------


So, I'll leave some thoughts on a few games here.

Streets of Rage 4.

What an absolute diamond this game is. By far the best beat ‘em up I have ever played, though for context, the Switch is the first place I’ve really dipped my toes deep into the genre. I do have some experience with SoR I and II thanks to the Wii VC, but don’t have the nostalgia that many here seem to have for the series. That doesn’t matter a jot though, this game is fantastic in its own right!

I absolutely LOVE the combo system in this game. There is nothing quite as satisfying as stringing together a 50 or 60+ hit combo and watching that score rack up as foes haplessly bounce of the wall and back into your attacks. I love the variety of moves on offer, so while it’s simple to play, it is tough to master and as I’ve progressed through the game, I really feel like I’m learning the mechanics and playing much better than I was at the beginning. I also like the fact the game dangles the carrot of extra lives at you for hitting higher scores, it allows both safe and riskier strategies to be implemented. The game of course is much easier if you play it safe and take your time, but you’ll only get a high ranking if you play on the attack. It’s a superb mechanic.

The gameplay is extremely tight, and you always feel like you’re fully in control of your character. Different enemies require different approaches, some flat out can’t be hit with certain moves, so often it’s a case of experimenting on a first run of a level and then remembering and adjusting your attacks on second or third attempts. This is amplified by the excellent bosses at the end of each stage, all of which require you to learn their attack patterns. I had a problem with about 3 or 4 of the stage bosses but managed to persevere in each instance without lowering the difficulty or using the assists offered after you die. The feeling of triumph at the end of stage 12 was immense.

Each new level introduces a new concept, whether it’s exploding barrels, a slippery floor or the classic “fight in this lift which goes up forever” which keeps each level unique and fresh as you progress. There is always something new to deal with. Essentially, that makes the game feel like there is absolutely no filler, and every moment keeps building to the superb final boss. This is of course backed up by a stupendously good soundtrack and visual style which keeps the spirit of the original but brings it right into the modern era. The option to switch to retro visuals and music is just the icing on the cake.

I’ve mostly been playing with Blaze and Adam and have adjusted to their playstyles quite well, the others have taken me a little longer to learn, but I do appreciate the fact they play very differently from each other. That makes multiple playthroughs on various difficulties completely valid and will undoubtedly extend the life of the game. I’ve had one attempt at arcade mode and fell at the end-boss of the 5th stage. Think that’ll take me a while to beat.

I was tempted to get this on PC as it was significantly cheaper on Steam but punted for the Switch version in the end with the help of a few gold coins. Definitely glad I opted for the Switch though as this looks fantastic on the big screen. The game runs almost flawlessly on the Switch, however there is some minor slowdown in the kitchen in the Chinatown level. That doesn’t distract from the overall experience though. This is an excellent feat from Dot Emu, there is almost nothing to distinguish this version from its more powerful brothers.

Easily my game of 2020 so far by quite a considerable margin.

EX1Q3TOUwAEXdFt


Ori and the Blind Forest

I hated the first few hours with this game. The platforming was awful and I was dying more than I did in Celeste. The save system is beyond dumb. However, I found as it went on the frustration levels dropped considerably and it became much more fun to play. I’m glad I invested my time in this game in the end and would consider playing the sequel on PC should I get access to it in the future. The art style is truly wonderful, but that is often at a detriment to the gameplay.

I still don’t really understand the almost universal praise this game has received. This is really the first time there has been such a big gulf between overall public sentiment and my personal opinion. Usually it’s the other way round where I like something that is critically panned. In my view, the game shines when you are filling in the map, I enjoyed traversing the world in my final hour getting the final few power-ups on my way to 100%. It was then when I truly realised how much of a diverse game world Moon have created. There is a lot of variety in this game, more so than even Hollow Knight, with each area having a unique style and look.

Overall, it never really sat right with me and I was disappointed due to the extraordinary hype it had received.

EX2RM2pXQAM-iUc


Xenoblade 2

I was going to do a write up of this game, but I accidently deleted my show notes from the podcast. Instead of spending another hour writing them up again, I’ll advise you to just go and listen to that episode on YT.



In short:
- Best RPG I’ve ever played
- Best combat system ever devised.
- Best video game OST on the planet.
- Very good story and pacing.
- Bad framerate and poor visuals which a great art style doesn’t always mask.
 
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My reviews/thoughts:
1. Witcher 1: Enhanced Edition: (PC)
9/10
I really enjoyed this despite previously hating the combat. Something charming about it though. I would say the setting was just incredible. So gothic and dark. I aim to play the other Witchers as I'm a bit behind.

2. Zelda Link's Awakening: (Switch)
9/10
Such a charming beautiful remake. I remember playing the original but I never completed it. The sense of adventure and exploration of this game engrossed me that I literally couldn't stop playing. The bosses were easy except the last boss the shadowy thing. I had to backtrack to get the heart restoration otherwise I couldn't beat it. The one thing that stood out was the item quest. Really loved having to speak interact with the NPCs made it feel alive.

3. Quantum Break: (Xbox)
5/10
I really liked the game at first. I thought the use of episodes was a decent feature. However, the streams wouldn't work so I had to watch them on YouTube. The story was very fragmented. For the most part I didn't think the plot made much sense. The ending is what annoyed me the most. I won't spoil it but it angered me. So much I returned my Xbox One X lol.

4. Uncharted: Lost Legacy: (PS4)
10/10
This game was absolutely incredible. Chloe and Nadine had amazing chemistry. And although I hate SJW crap this never really rubbed it in my face. Some of the vistas were so incredible to look at. I had moments were the graphics looked so good it looked real. Really nice touch adding Sam into it. This time around Nadine wasn't a feminist wet dream beating two men up. It took both Nadine and Chloe to beat the bad guy. I remember just thinking Wow at every part of the game. The playtime was perfect too not drawn out. Short and sweet. Sometimes its just nice considering now games go on too long.

5. Vampyr (PS4)
7/10
What a game to play during the pandemic haha. I mean I tried my hardest not to kill people on the game draining the blood of only those who wronged people but in the end I decided to feast. It's a good game and I like the setting but I felt really bombed out about the ending. Just that ending really messed it for me and I didn't like Elizabeth. God she was annoying. Personally I felt the game could have been better but I think what made this game so memorable for me was the fact that it felt like I was living a repeat of it with the coronavirus pandemic (the spanish flu section not the vampire side). I really loved the boss fights though I think they were done so well.

6. Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Switch)
10/10
What can I say about this game. WOW. Just wow. I absolutely loved this game. Everything felt like a reward. I picked Black Eagles and I did feel slightly punished for choosing them after the plot twist. I really despised Edelgard and if I was to choose again I would have gone with Golden Deer. I did get a bit fed up towards the end with the explore sections so I generally rested or battled most of the time. I loved the combat and how incredible it was. I played this on classic so I did end up losing most of my characters on the final battle. The story sticks out for me the most and I'm so glad I went down the Church route rather than the empire route. 5 year time skip was probably the best thing I've seen in a story as it was done so well. Definitely going to play the other Fire Emblems in the future because this was incredible and now I'm hooked.
 
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jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
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Game 12 - Braveland: Wizard - Nintendo Switch - Completed Mar 8th, 2020
I played the first game in the Braveland trilogy and liked it well enough, but found certain aspects of the game pretty daunting. Braveland: Wizard fixed most of the issues I had with the first game and overall made it a much more enjoyable experience. While by no means perfect, this game retained a lot of the charm of the first title but gave some much-needed "quality of life" improvements such as repeating dungeons and a "spell book" mechanic that was an interesting twist. While the plot was still pretty basic, it was at least enough to keep me interested for the few hours it took me to finish the game.
 

Jooxed

Gold Member
Completion List


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Game 7 - Darksiders Warmsstered Edition - Nintendo Switch - Completed March 8th, 2020

Wrapped this one up today, I have to be honest I really enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I was expecting a Hack and Slash and that was about it and what I got was closer to Zelda than anything else in my opinion. I found myself looking forward to the boss and mini boss designs and it had an okay story, enough to keep me invested for about 22 hours? The puzzles were not challenging in the dungeons but some of them were super tedious especially the reflection dungeon (when I got there I found myself rushing the rest of the game). War is a bad-ass I look forward to diving into the next game on Switch and I hope they also Port over the third.. I have Genesis but I would like to play in release order. I will go back to Octopath and let the world of Darksiders simmer for a month before I start the second though. Great game..

No, Not Alone..
 
I never understand these lists when someone points out they played a couple minimum 50-100hr campaigns plus other titles in the month? Its almost as relevant as when someone brags about their achievements and notice they either waste time on easy achievement titles AND use guides when playing any game. I mean, why play? At that point you are not even, as i hate the term, gamer.
 
Bought the Resistance expansion for HOI IV (Hearts of Iron 4 for you non-grognard) and "won" with France. Got lucky and Germany got in a civil war right as they attacked Tchecquoslovakia. The "Petite Entente" rule the world now.


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IKSTUGA

Member
Last weekend I caught the corona virus or something (most likely seasonal flu), so I decided to play a ton. Like, what else am I supposed to do on sick leave, sleep?

I started my "marathon" by getting a bunch of fighting games. I did basically all the offline stuff they had to offer.

21. BlazBlue: Central Fiction, 8.5/10
I played BB: CT and CS back in the 360 days and wanted to see what had changed. Not much, as it turns out. The game still plays like the BB I remembered. It's funny, mechanically I've always liked BB over GG, but GG definitely beats BB in style (who doesn't love the rock/metal theme). Out of the new characters I tried, I only really liked the boxer dude with the rekkas. Solid stuff, too bad game's been dead for awhile.

22. Under Night In-Birth EXE:Late[st], 8.5/10
Never played this series (?) before, saw it in the EVO lineup, so decided to give it a go. It's good. I really like the simple button layout and the fact that the combat is a bit more grounded compared to some of the other weeb fighters. Graphically it isn't very impressive, but I found a bunch of fun characters to play, so doesn't really matter to me. What is up with the name?

23. BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, 8.5/10
This must be the simplest fighter I've ever played, still, it's so cool! It's nice to see Ragna, Hyde and those Persona characters duke it out. Ruby is my favorite character so far, don't know which game she's from.


After I got my fighters fix, I decided to finally tackle two games I've been dying to play for some time.

24. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, 8.5/10
Man, I have mixed feelings about this game. I would have loved to give it a 9, but I just can't. It started out super strong, but some of the later areas were kinda annoying. Final bosses have way too much hp and you have to rely on potions and food to survive, which doesn't feel like Castlevania to me. It's still good, but no way near the top, when it comes to Igavanias.

25. God of War (2018), 9.5/10
Holy crap this game was good. I always thought the OG God of Wars were super overrated, but this game is something else. It's gorgeous, it plays great and the story hits you right in the feels. Only reason why this one doesn't get a 10 is, because the game was kinda lacking in the boss department. I just wanted to fight big T and his dad...
I think I'm gonna simplify my scoring system from this point onward. Just straight eights and nines etc. 8 is a good one time deal, 9 is replayable and 10 is infinitely replayable.

26. Gears 5, 8/10
Aaaand our Gears series playthrough finally comes to a close. Level design is definitely a step in the right direction with maps being more open etc. Gunplay hasn't evolved too much, it's still the same old duck and shoot type of deal. Jack's abilities were a nice addition to the player's toolkit. Definitely a solid entry overall.

27. Yakuza 0, 9/10
Wow what a game. I didn't expect much going into the series, but this one totally blew me away. Story is one of the greatest I've ever got to experience in a video game. At times it was funny, at times it was sad and at times it was just epic. Total roller coaster ride. It's amazing how they were able to craft one of the best game stories around one simple real estate deal. And the game wasn't short either. Combat was kinda wonky, but fun. Will definitely get Yakuza Kiwami at some point.
 
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Faust

Perpetually Tired
Staff Member
1. Concrete Genie (PS4) | 2nd Jan - 8-ish hrs | 3/5
2. Final Fantasy IV (DS) | 24th Jan - 25-ish hrs | 3/5
3. Rayman 2 Revolution (PS2) | 25th Jan - 11.2 hrs | 3/5
4. Yakuza Kiwami (PS4) | 30th Jan - 40-ish hrs | 4/5
5. The Spongebob Squarepants Movie (PS2) | 1st Mar - 10-ish hours | 4/5
6. Donkey Kong (GameBoy) | 3rd Mar - 5-ish hours | 3/5
7. Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PS4) | 11th Mar - 60-ish hours | 4/5

iu

A year after the events of the first game, Kiryu is thrust back into the seedy underbelly of Kamurocho and Sotenbori when the 5th head of the Tojo Clan is murdered by members of the Omi Alliance. In his dying moments, the head hands Kiryu a letter that must be delivered to enemy headquarters in Osaka to try and prevent an all out war.

An almost perfect game that is let down by one over the top moment that feels tonally inconsistent with the rest of the adventure and too little heat actions for use. Otherwise, everything feels tight. The world is far more detailed than the previous games with more alleyways, rooftops, and seamless transition in and out of shops and bulidings, making the experience much smoother overall. (Platinum Obtained!)


iu

What starts out as a Gameboy version of the arcade Donkey Kong turns into a globe trotting puzzle adventure as you try to chase after the big ape by unlocking doors in each level. A short, but surprising adventure that I wish I knew about as a kid.
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
header.jpg


Game 13 - Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem - PC Steam - Completed Mar 13th, 2020
This is the first new game of 2020 that I've played / beat. Overall I'd say I really enjoyed it - it had a decent enough story for a Diablo-like game, and the skill and passive system was really really really well done. I found a nice balance of loot on my adventure (though maybe not as many legendary or unique items as I would have hoped for) that kept my character kicking ass almost the entire way through the game. The bosses were tough-as-nails difficult but I liked that because it made me switch up my strategies quite a bit and think about what I was actually doing. I ended the game at level 45 so a bit over the recommended level which I believe was 42. I used the Bladestorm skill to absolutely wreck everything I touched. I'm looking forward to playing the end game / endless content mode this offers, it looks really well laid out. Game took just under 15 hours to complete for me.
 
What starts out as a Gameboy version of the arcade Donkey Kong turns into a globe trotting puzzle adventure as you try to chase after the big ape by unlocking doors in each level. A short, but surprising adventure that I wish I knew about as a kid.

I was lucky enough to have this as a kid. Superb adventure-puzzle game. Really tight and well-implemented mechanics. I guess you could say it's kind of a precursor to the Mario Vs. DK games, but they never really captured the greatness this one did. Glad you enjoyed it, one of the Gameboy's true unknown classics and one of the first OG GB games which had full colour support for the SNES Super Gameboy, which is where I played it.
 
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Mhmmm 2077

Member
Eh, why not. Lately I don't have much of free time... and when I do, I mostly watch TV series instead.

"Real" games are bolded. Shitty ones, hypercasual or just shorter than an hour are not.
  1. Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 (PC/Steam) | 8th Jan - 18h | 4.5/5
    (best boss fights in the series imo, worse village traversal than Storm 1 though)
  2. Temtem (PC/Steam) | 7th Feb - 39h | 4/5
    (it's pretty good, gonna continue playing when more story content drops)
  3. Assassin's Creed II (PC/Uplay) | 12th Feb - 16.5h | 5/5 compared to 2/5 AC1 I finished last year
    (amazing game, as a long time hater of AC series and Ubisoft in general, I really liked this game, though I believe modern Ubisoft wouldn't be able to make such a game anymore)
  4. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (PC/Uplay) | 4th Mar - 12.5h | 4.5/5
    (more of the same)
  5. Assassin's Creed: Revelations (PC/Uplay) | 22th Mar - 10.5h | 4.5/5
    (even more of the same, but with fresh stuff)
  6. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (PC/Uplay) 1st May - idk, 10h? no way to tell | 5/5
    (really liked it, it's impressive for a 2003 game, imo)
  7. Canabalt (PC/Steam) 4th May - 0.5h | 3.5/5
    (simple one button game, but good enough that I have beaten all the stages in singleplayer mode, might go for achievements, not sure though)
  8. Sky Force Anniversary (PC/Steam) 5th May - 22h so far, not stopping yet | 5/5
    (amazing shmup, only 9 levels, but a lot of replayability, going for 100% achievements with this one! co-op is great too, but makes the game a little easier)
  9. Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Strike (PC/Steam) 11th May - 33h so far, gonna continue playing | 4.5/5
    (I really didn't like how the game looks and plays when it was first revealed, but damn I was wrong, I love it! PVE is meh, with friends it's okay, PVP is more engaging and the customization is great)
  10. Delicious! Pretty Girls Mahjong Solitaire (PC/Steam) 12th May - 15.5h | 3/5
    (I was so pissed with the game, after beating ~50% of it, I found out that there is "easy mode", where you can shuffle instead of getting a game over when the RNG is simply bad... well, it's a mahjong solitaire with annoying anime waifus)
  11. The Room Three (PC/Steam) | 13th May - 6.5h | 5/5
    (another amazing mind bending puzzle game)
  12. 1 Screen Platformer (PC/Steam) | 14th May - 1.5h | 3/5
    (100%'ed, fun/frustrating little platformer)
  13. Pretty Girls Panic! (PC/Steam) 15th May - 1h | 2.5/5
    (eh, easy 100% i guess)
  14. Pixel Puzzles Junior (PC/Steam) 16th May - 0.5h | 2/5
    (another easy 100%, don't mind me...)
  15. Ghoulboy (PC/Steam) 7th June - 3.3h | 3/5
    (retro indie action platformer, not that bad, just... I wish I noticed the shop with upgrades before I 100%'d the game without ever seeing and using it...)
  16. Spooky Bonus (PC/Steam) 15th June - 13.1h | 4/5
    (really enjoyed this match-3 game, maybe because it's been a long time since I played such stuff - 100%'d)
  17. hack_me 2 (PC/Steam) 15th June - 1.2h | 2/5
    (cheap, mediocre, poor... easy 100% I guess)
  18. Yes, Master (PC/Steam) 15th June - 0.3h | 3/5
    (simple, short and free point and click *erotic* game, eh... I won't comment on that... 100%'d)
  19. Spitkiss (PC/Steam) 17th June - 1.4h | 4/5
    (I will just put here my steam review of this game: "Charming and adorable! From reading the game's title and saying "ew, gross" to being completely in love with the characters and story! Gameplay is solid (played it with mouse), art style is very cute too!", 100%'d)
  20. Temple of Xiala (PC/Steam) 17th June - 0.1h | 2/5
    (abandoned Early Access game, which is sad, because it looks nice and had potential to be a really challenging puzzle game, very short)
  21. The Lab (PC/Steam/VR) 25th July - 1.4h | 4/5
    (played all the minigames there, it's a really nice tech demo showcasing stuff you can do in VR)
  22. Batman: Arkham VR (PC/Steam/VR) 26th July - 4h | 4/5
    (quite short, but I liked it, sure it was only Rocksteady's tech demo in VR on Unreal Engine 4, but as a huge Batman fan, I really enjoyed it. Might go for 100% someday)
  23. Accounting (PC/Steam/VR) early August - 0.5h | 3/5
    (short and funny, there is not really much to say about it)
  24. Sky Force Anniversary (PC/Steam) 27th October - 24.1h | 5/5
    (I started playing this game in April, then got frustrated because it was difficult, but kept coming back... gameplay is really solid, the visuals are gorgeous, I recommend it for shmup & bullet hell fans, 100%ing wasn't easy for me, but I did it)
  25. Helltaker (PC/Steam) 28th October - 1h | 3/5
    (nice and free sokoban inspired game with some lighthearted story to it, 100%'d)
  26. Journey of a Roach (PC/Steam) 4th November - 2.7h | 4.5
    (cute, kinda point and click adventure, unconventional movement, overall interesting game, might go for 100% someday)
  27. Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia (PC/Steam) 8th November - 13h | 4/5
    (as a gamer, I hate this game, it's janky and overpriced - I really expected more from WayForward... though, as a Trollhunters fan... I love it. 100%'d. It's easy to pick up, so... maybe someone wants to do some speedruns?)
In progress:
  1. Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (PC/Uplay) *in progress* | ?/?
    (we will see, looks like an improvement, but also way more challenging)
  2. ZOMBI (PC/Steam)
    (I played a bit of this back then on Wii U, hopefully I like it more this time around)
  3. Tom Clancy's The Division
    (decided to start the game together with gf, after getting disappointed with current progression system of Destiny 2 or rather - the lack of it)
  4. The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition
    (you can switch between remastered and original version of the game with a single button press - amazing!)
  5. The Wonderful 101: Remastered
    (played only the demo on Wii U, now playing the broken (as usual with PlatinumGames on PC) port on PC. I wouldn't call it a remaster though: frame limiter is broken, game looks exactly the same as on Wii u, apart from main characters' textures, which are bumped from 512x512 to 1024x1024)
  6. Trover Saves the Universe
  7. AVICII Invector
  8. Assassin's Creed III
  9. Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Updated: 28.11.2020 08:53 UTC
 
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jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
iu


Game 14 - Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII - PlayStation Vita - Completed Mar 14th, 2020
I decided to start playing Crisis Core (which I have started before, but never finished) and run through it before the Final Fantasy 7 remake comes out, and I've accomplished that goal. The game was a lot better than I had originally gave it credit for, even though a lot of the game's systems were really weird. I loved Zack's story, his interactions with Aerith (though Cessnei best girl) and in general just seeing how most of the Zack back story played out overall. The DMW spin wheel was a pretty terrible idea and really broke up battles, and leveling up randomly was stupid, but other than that I really enjoyed it. Awesome seeing the opening sequence as done in the PSP style after the credits, since it's great to see how far graphics have come since then. Excellent, excellent game.
 
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16. Emily is Away (PC) - 8/10

Fun, short and inventive game. Felt like I was in a time machine back to High School and early College. It's simple but that is what it needed to be.

17. Half-Life 2 (PC) - 10/10

Still holds up incredibly well. Amazing world building and a really fun story. I still love taking down the combine after all these years.

18. Half-Life 2: Lost Coast (PC) - 8/10

Cut content from Half-Life 2. It was really interesting to play with the commentary on and see how Valve wanted to push HDR technology. The level would have fit fine into the game but I was fine with it being cut.

19. Half-Life 2: Episode One (PC) - 8/10

Episode One has always felt a tad lackluster to me. I enjoy it for continuing the story and allowing me to play in the world more but overall it's missing something. Still a solid game but it's over realllly quickly.

20. Injustice: Gods Among Us (PS4) - 7/10

This was a lot of fun to play through. The story is goofy but interesting enough to keep you pushing to the end.

21. Portal (PC) - 9/10

A pretty much perfect puzzle game. It's still really clever after all these years even though I blew through it really quickly.

22. Eagle Flight (PSVR) - 7/10

A VR game where you are an eagle flying over a post apocalyptic Paris. The controls are mainly with moving your head and it felt pretty natural. It was fun/short but the ending was pretty hard. I might check out multiplayer someday.

23. Half-Life 2: Episode Two (PC) - 9/10

A much more meaty experience after Episode One. It's a shame the story ended here for such a long time. Can't wait to get into Alyx in a couple weeks! I still find the ending extremely hard!

24. Crash Bandicoot (PS4) 7/10

Geez. This game was hard as hell. I had no idea the original Crash game was like this. I thought something was wrong with me until I started to google the game a bit. Glad I got through it. I hated it at times and other times had a fun enough time with it. Will need to see how 2/3 are after this one...
 

IKSTUGA

Member
I think I'm gonna simplify my scoring system from this point onward. Just straight eights and nines etc. 8 is a good one time deal, 9 is replayable and 10 is infinitely replayable.

26. Gears 5, 8/10
Aaaand our Gears series playthrough finally comes to a close. Level design is definitely a step in the right direction with maps being more open etc. Gunplay hasn't evolved too much, it's still the same old duck and shoot type of deal. Jack's abilities were a nice addition to the player's toolkit. Definitely a solid entry overall.

27. Yakuza 0, 9/10
Wow what a game. I didn't expect much going into the series, but this one totally blew me away. Story is one of the greatest I've ever got to experience in a video game. At times it was funny, at times it was sad and at times it was just epic. Total roller coaster ride. It's amazing how they were able to craft one of the best game stories around one simple real estate deal. And the game wasn't short either. Combat was kinda wonky, but fun. Will definitely get Yakuza Kiwami at some point.
28. Mass Effect 2, 11/10
This game is still one of the best ever. Started a new male infiltrator using Genesis and did basically all the major missions and dlc. Will do ME3 with this char at some point as well

29. Ori and the Will of the Wisps, 9/10
Great follow up to the first game. There are definitely some technical issues with the X version, but they don't hinder the overall experience too much. People who enjoyed number uno, get this!
 
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jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
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Game 15 - Braveland: Pirate - Nintendo Switch - Completed Mar 19th, 2020
The final game in the Braveland Trilogy, Braveland Pirate feels a lot more fleshed out than the other two. In fact, the other two games almost feel like tutorial levels to this game, as it was about twice as long as the other entries and didn't just end when it started getting good. The combat system was largely unchanged, but the units in this game had a bit better variety and more dynamic special abilities. The game got rid of it's linear map in favor of having different islands you can sail to, which really minimized the needless backtracking that was required in the other two games. My only complaint was that a fair number of the enemies in this game were just reused from the previous ones, but it's hard to take off too many points for that, considering on the Switch the games are sold as a set and I easily got my $8 worth from when I bought this on sale last year.
 
I never understand these lists when someone points out they played a couple minimum 50-100hr campaigns plus other titles in the month? Its almost as relevant as when someone brags about their achievements and notice they either waste time on easy achievement titles AND use guides when playing any game. I mean, why play? At that point you are not even, as i hate the term, gamer.

For some game I ended it in 2020 and played it all of 2019. And sometime you have 1000 games in your library and want to see some game really fast and you cheat. Sometime you are not a gamer just a compulsive buyer of game.
 

marcincz

Member
Update:

Game 6 - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PS4) - 39h 55m
Beat 24/02/2020 - my score: ★★★

Game 7 - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - DLC Dawnguard (PS4) - 10h 08m

Beat 03/03/2020 - my score: ★★★

Game 8 - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - DLC Hearthfire (PS4) - 00h 55m

Beat 05/03/2020 - my score:

Game 9 - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - DLC Dragonborn (PS4) - 06h 17m

Beat 09/03/2020 - my score: ★★★

Game 10 - Ori and the Will of the Wisps (XBO) - 21h 34m

Beat 19/03/2020 - my score: ★★★

Game 11 - Get Even (XBO) - 09h 31m

Beat 22/03/2020 - my score: ★★★
 
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8h-ish. Normal difficulty

After playing Halo Reach, Halo 1 came as a big disappointment. Yes, the shooting was tight and it seemed "just right", but the plot goes from extremely good setpieces (Like the beginning) to extremely boring situations (Before the control room). And unfortunately the boring seems to outweigh the fun.

If I wanted to spend hours lost in identical corridors with only small arrows in the floor to direct me to the exit, I'd go to Ikea.

I understand that maybe I'm judging a 2001 game by 2020's standards, and that if Halo became such a household name it probably did something right. So I'm not daring score it - for me, it feels like a 2/3 star game, but I might be missing the point.

My Score: N/S

Original post
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
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Game 17 - 198x - PC Steam - Completed Mar 29th, 2020
This game was such a mixed bag for me. On one hand, the pixel art was amazingly well done and the music was also incredible. The games themselves were fun and varied, and took me back to the days of playing my NES. The story though - holy cow was it bad. Maybe the ending of the game will lend itself to a sequel in which we will find out more about the main character, but as it was presented here it's just a total hot mess. Some of the games were really great but some had some pretty punishing difficulty (again, a product of it's time for a lot of these genre tributes) so that's something to keep in mind if you're averse to that sort of gameplay loop of dying / starting over. Seriously though, the story kinda ruined the game and the narrator was just so depressed and morose - so if that was your experience of the 1980s you'll probably like it more than I did. For me, the 80s were rad and and a lot of fun so I didn't quite click with this.
 

IKSTUGA

Member
28. Mass Effect 2, 11/10
This game is still one of the best ever. Started a new male infiltrator using Genesis and did basically all the major missions and dlc. Will do ME3 with this char at some point as well

29. Ori and the Will of the Wisps, 9/10
Great follow up to the first game. There are definitely some technical issues with the X version, but they don't hinder the overall experience too much. People who enjoyed number uno, get this!
30. Mass Effect 3, 10/10
I don't care what people say, this game is effing great. Extended cut + Leviathan made the ending way more logical from a lore point of view. Also, ME3 combat system is still one of the best ever created. I actually spent hundreds of hours playing the multiplayer back in the day.

After ME3, I decided to do a little Mario marathon. Skipped SMB2, because I hate that game. It's almost as bad as Sunshine :messenger_winking:

31. Super Mario Bros, 9/10
This game is still a classic. Tight controls and level design. Fun to speedrun!

32. Super Mario Bros. 3, 10/10
My fav NES game of all time. I think I've beaten SMB3 like a 100 times at this point, still it's so much fun.

33. Super Mario World, 10/10
Just like SMB3, it's absolutely amazing for its time.
 
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25. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Xbox 360) - 8/10

I sunk over 70 hours into this back in the day but never ended up finishing it. I decided it was time to load up my save from a decade ago and do it. Still a pretty special game but it definitely is showing its age. Felt great to finally complete the main quest after all this time.

26. The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine(Xbox 360) - 8/10

I really liked this DLC quest for Oblivion. It wasn't super long, maybe a few hours but it did have some challenging moments. I will probably hop into Shivering Isles sometime soon.

27. The Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns Again! (PS3) - 7/10

My 3 year old picked this up from the library before quarantine hit. I sat and played it with him and honestly...it wasn't bad at all. Some of the platforming and puzzle elements were quite fun. I know nothing about the series or movies since I never watched them but I had a decent enough time with it. I expected trash and left having had a pretty good time and my son loved it.

28. Shadow of the Beast (PS4) - 6/10

Pretty disappointed with this one. It was incredibly short and any new mechanic you receive in the game is gone almost the minute you have it. The graphics were great and some of the combat felt alright. The platforming was really hit or miss. Glad I got it on sale since it only lasted maybe 2 hours. I played on normal and didn't find it that hard.
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
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Game 18 - The Complex - Nintendo Switch - Completed Apr 2nd, 2020
What better way to stay in quarantine than to play The Complex? I heard pretty good buzz about this game and had a couple of hours to kill. While the movie portions were pretty cheesy (only slightly higher caliber than Asylum films) I really enjoy cheesy FMV games so I didn't mind that so much. This is the typical "your choices matter" / "choose your own adventure" type game, very similar to Late Shift. While I didn't feel the ending I got was particularly satisfying (there are 8 in total!), the game overall was an enjoyable experience with good character development. Worth picking up if you're in the mood for a way to turn your brain off for a while and have $13 to burn.
 

IKSTUGA

Member
30. Mass Effect 3, 10/10
I don't care what people say, this game is effing great. Extended cut + Leviathan made the ending way more logical from a lore point of view. Also, ME3 combat system is still one of the best ever created. I actually spent hundreds of hours playing the multiplayer back in the day.

After ME3, I decided to do a little Mario marathon. Skipped SMB2, because I hate that game. It's almost as bad as Sunshine :messenger_winking:

31. Super Mario Bros, 9/10
This game is still a classic. Tight controls and level design. Fun to speedrun!

32. Super Mario Bros. 3, 10/10
My fav NES game of all time. I think I've beaten SMB3 like a 100 times at this point, still it's so much fun.

33. Super Mario World, 10/10
Just like SMB3, it's absolutely amazing for its time.
34. Persona 5, 11/10
P5 is the best JRPG I've ever played, I realized it almost instantly after the credits started rolling. I just can't get over how much I love the style and music of this game. Shoji Meguro's work on the soundtrack is just phenomenal. I got huge goosebumps every time 'Life Will Change' started playing and 'Beneath the Mask' will be my go to chill song for years to come! There was also the story, which was good stuff, to put it mildly.
 
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20h-ish. Changing between Ultraviolence and Hurt Me Plenty difficulties. Got the Unmakyr, completed maybe about 80-90% of the game.

There's something extremely earnest about Doom Eternal. I wouldn't normally dare mention Doom Eternal and Duke Nukem Forever in the same sentence, but like DNF, Doom Eternal parts from an outrageous premise and tries to take itself somewhat seriously. Unlike DNF, though, Doom Eternal succeeds.

The game is, simply put, a blast from beggining to end. It might not be as "pure" as Doom 2016, since this time the semblance of a lore is more patent, but at its core, Doom Eternal is still Doom. You visit impressive looking locales to disembowel all the hellspawn you can find. It never gets old. Doom Eternal has great graphics and the best music and basically everything is polished to perfection - as it should be, because in this sort of game, polish is the difference between a forgettable game and a GOTY.

I also liked the focus on collectables - I normally don't like collect-a-thons too much, but Doom Eternal made them fun. The little toys got me wanting to collect them in real life, the music tracks are the best, and the cheats... well, I didn't try those but it's nice to have the option I think? Also, the more "standard" collectables, like the Slayer Gates, are so good that if you miss them you're missing a good 25% of the game's appeal.

If I were to find a blemish in Doom Eternal, it would be that the gameplay loop never changes and while it's never boring, it could use some out-of-genre forays from time to time - i'm not saying there should be a golf minigame or that you should talk with the demons and make friends with them, but maybe there could be something else apart from the ripandtearing and the acrobatics? Shmup sections or something... I dunno.

My Score: ★★★★

Original post
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
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Game 19 - Cadence of Hyrule: Octavo's Ode - Nintendo Switch - Completed Apr 5th, 2020
I loved Cadence of Hyrule and I saw they added a new mode to the game (Octavo's Ode) so I figured I would check it out. While initially it was much easier than playing as Link, by the end of the game it was significantly more difficult with the lack of power-up items / weapons. I died 35 times, and I figure about 30 of those times were in the final dungeon / final boss fight. So all in all, it was an interesting take on the game and it had a new story line that was interesting as well so I found this really worth revisiting. The remixed versions of the Zelda themes as well as the Link to the Past-like graphics are obviously the game's real draw, but regardless of that there are four classic Zelda-like dungeons to explore as well. Excellent game, will probably play again.

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Game 20 - ICEY - Nintendo Switch - Complete Apr 5th, 2020
WTF did I just play? While on the surface this game looks like the usual action / brawler / metroidvania, it's anything but. Without giving too many spoilers away, this game delves into some interesting concepts often not explored in the realm of video games. As you progress in the story, you start to question your character's motivations and decisions, and the world seemingly begins to unravel. I think Cthulhu is involved? Certainly, the Necronomicon. If you're looking for something to play that lasts a couple of hours that has an interesting storyline but not a lot of depth to it's gameplay be sure to pick this up.
 
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1. Donut County: About 2 hours to finish. The art design, tone, and characters are likable. The dialogue and texting at times feels very authentic and modern. However I would not say that those things alone make the game worth playing. On the gameplay side it is rather... dull. You have a hole, you swallow things to make the hole bigger to swallow yet bigger things. Sometimes there is a gameplay mechanic which is more interesting in theory than in actual execution. For example, there is one time you need to swallow ingredients to make a fire so you can induce lift off of a hot air balloon. Again, conceptually that sounds like an interesting mechanic but it's rather simple and not engaging. There are numerous moments like that. It isn't until the very end that game starts getting a little more interesting to play. And I mean the very very end. Maybe last 20 minutes or so. Overall I wouldn't recommend the game unless you are completely enamored with the look, tone, and concept of the game (which I know some people are). For me it's about a 6/10
2. Steamworld Quest: Hand of gilgamech:
This game feels a little tackier in tone than the previous games. I think that is because it is told as a fairy tale and when it's not Grimm it's tacky. The overall story does enough to keep you moving forward. I myself feel propelled to play games by reaching story beats and I was sufficiently propelled. The gameplay is a card-based fighting game system, which is the first time I have ever played such a game. It was simple enough for me not to be overwhelmed and gives you enough variation if you feel like experimenting with characters and cards. I stuck with the same 3 characters and overall the same build while making occasional change ups. For seasoned pros of this genre this game may be too simple. However for me it was fine. Overall I didn't like it as much as Heist or Dig 2 but I liked it just fine. 7/10
3. Lisa: The Painful:
I first tried this game out a couple years back and fell off of it. Even though I liked the humor the music and atmosphere was at times unsettling to me. For some reason now I am totally fine with it and in fact love it now. It actually reminds me of Yakuza games in that it can go from being completely absurd with its humor to gripping with its serious story telling. Characters you run into are either goofball funny, disturbing, horrific, murderous, sociopathic, rapey, or a combination. I would have liked the party members to have more of a personality outside the short introduction and level up quotes but I still felt an affinity for them none the less. The game is PAINFUL even in regular difficulty. I don't necessarily mean difficulty of enemies though those can be the case too. Just in the random cases when the game decides to make your life even more annoying by blowing **** up in your face that you couldn't possibly have been prepared for. For instance, when you sleep at a camp fire there is a high likelihood that something negative will happen. Maybe lose your stuff, poisoned, party member kidnapped, etc. Sooooo, I cheesed the game a bit (I fully admit) and would save every time I slept and if I got a back outcome I would reload. In fact I frequently back traveled (with my fast travel truck keys) to rest instead of using resources likes potions because everything feels so valuable in this game. The game is very dark, tonally, and I completely love it for it. The enemy designs are all unique and full of personality. Also some enemies are complete pushovers while others will literally kill your party members (not KO, KILL) if you don't get a little lucky and or kill them first. Overall I highly recommend this game. 9/10
4. Minit:
Minit has an interesting concept and I think it accomplishes that goal satisfactorily however I feel like the concept, for me, has a low ceiling. This is an adventure game about discovery with very little action until the very end. You discover items that you use to accomplish your goals and discover more. I think it took me an hour(ish) to beat. Its alright. 6/10
 

Jooxed

Gold Member
I am way behind because of Animal Crossing. Looking forward to getting back into it this weekend. You guys are crushing it. 4 more stories to go to wrap up Octopath plus the final end dungeon.
 

Faust

Perpetually Tired
Staff Member
1. Concrete Genie (PS4) | 2nd Jan - 8-ish hrs | 3/5
2. Final Fantasy IV (DS) | 24th Jan - 25-ish hrs | 3/5
3. Rayman 2 Revolution (PS2) | 25th Jan - 11.2 hrs | 3/5
4. Yakuza Kiwami (PS4) | 30th Jan - 40-ish hrs | 4/5
5. The Spongebob Squarepants Movie (PS2) | 1st Mar - 10-ish hours | 4/5
6. Donkey Kong (GameBoy) | 3rd Mar - 5-ish hours | 3/5
7. Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PS4) | 11th Mar - 60-ish hours | 4/5
8. DOOM Eternal (XBONE) | 27th Mar - 20-ish hrs | 5/5
9. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies | 6th Apr - 20-ish hrs | 4/5

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DOOM Eternal

Once again, you play as DOOM Slayer, some undetermined amount of time after the ending of DOOM (2016). Earth has been invaded by Hell and you have to stop it. There are some reveals, twists, and turns that happen and the title is definitely more story-heavy than the previous entry, but if that isn’t your thing you can just skip all the cutscenes and get straight to the action.

DOOM Eternal feels the most like an modern old school experience. From the bright and glowing armor, ammo, and health pickups, the various 1-Ups scattered around levels, the tongue-in-cheek collectibles, and rotating, large key cards – everything feels like it was lovingly crafted to create a fun and nostalgic experience.

From a Gameplay standpoint, DOOM Eternal is more of the same from the last game but dialed up to 11. You get health from Glory Kills, Ammo from Chainsaw Kills, and Armor for killing/shooting enemies you set aflame. You can combine these (among upgrades for other items such as the frozen grenade launcher to provide health on kill) to double up or even triple up on these much-needed resources without ever having felt like you never have enough, even on Nightmare difficulty. This is further emphasized by the various demons who were designed to urge players to utilize every mod on every weapon to dispatch them efficiently, with a flow of gunning down, glory killing, chainsawing, and setting ablaze enemies to maintain health, ammo, and armor. The combat demands more of the player without ever feeling unfair. There are always ever respawning “fodder” (as the codec calls them) to allow players to get the resources they need. Your shoulder-mounted flame thrower, grenade launcher, and chainsaw will refill over time, keeping this pace up.

Of course, there are issues with the game, but they ultimately didn’t trouble me too much in the long run. The lack of a dedicated death match mode was disappointing, but battlemode, its replacement, isn’t too shabby. It is a 1 v 2 battle with one player as DOOM Slayer with all his upgrades, weapons, and attachments against two player-controlled demons. The Slayer must kill both within a certain timeframe to win, otherwise the dead player will respawn. The demons can also “deny” health, ammo, and armor pickups from the Slayer to keep them from feeling too overpowered.



There is also the minor issue of the “super weapons” such as the BFG feeling too limited. Ammo will be listed on your map, however by the time you get these weapons, you don’t have much of the game left and each map/level only has 4-5 pickups (if that) each.
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I really enjoyed my time with the game and will slowly continue to try for an Ultra Nightmare run and to grab the last few remaining achievements for 100% completion. If you have a hankering for ripping and tearing, I really suggest you try it out at the very least.


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Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies

I was not a huge fan of the previous entry in the Ace Attorney franchise. The cases didn’t feel as well written, the massive changes to characters and their personalities didn’t mesh well with what we previously knew, and Apollo himself was just kind of… there. I was nervous about trying out Dual Destinies (and was hoping, beyond hope, for a physical release down the line), however I finally dived into it and was pleasantly surprised. The game is not as well written as the first three, but it was still a highly enjoyable experience.



The core of the game revolves around the introduction of a new young lawyer by the name of “Athena Cykes” who utilizes analytical psychology to help find the truth during cases. Alongside her are the returning members of the Wright Anything Agency. What I particularly liked about this was the number of different viewpoints on offer. You don’t just play as Apollo or Athena, but all three of the lawyers at the agency, making it also feel like a family through their interactions, jokes, and tribulations they go through as the story unfolds.

The story is not told chronologically but continues to go back and forth through time. Your tutorial begins after a bombing at Courtroom No. 4 that leaves Apollo injured. Following this you go back to the first case after Athena was hired alongside the lead defense, Apollo to figure out the truth behind the murder at a small tourist town focused around Yokai, Japanese monsters of myth. I won’t discuss the story any further than that to prevent spoilers, but there is just enough character growth and mysteries intertwined throughout the various cases to keep you engaged.

Each character also has their own gimmick that adds a few gameplay changes when in the courtroom, from Phoenix’s Magatama that allows him to see Psychlocks, Apollo’s ability to discern the truth via bodily ticks, and newcomer Athena’s ability to build and analyze a psychological profile to help calm witnesses. None of them are overly used and add just a bit more puzzle solving and personality to each of the characters.

Finally, there was also a DLC chapter entitled “Turnabout Reclaimed”. This is Phoenix’s first case after getting back his lawyer’s badge and involves trying to defend an Orca who was suspected of killing the aquarium’s owner. A surprisingly long and well written chapter, it is generally considered by fans as “If Turnabout Big Top was good”. However, given the nature of the chronology of the cases, it is suggested that you play this case in-between 5-2 and 5-3 (or even after 5-3, but before 5-4).
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Overall, I really enjoyed my time with the title and, while I still hope to see a remastered physical release for switch, I do suggest fans try out this game – especially if you weren’t a fan of the previous entry.
 

marcincz

Member
Next 3 titles:

Game 12 - Battlefield: Bad Company (360) - 07h 59m
Beat 26/03/2020 - my score: ★★★

Game 13 - Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (360) - 06h 42m

Beat 29/03/2020 - my score: ★★★

Game 14 - Jade Empire (Xbox) - 16h 35m

Beat 07/04/2020 - my score: ★★★☆
 

IKSTUGA

Member
34. Persona 5, 11/10
P5 is the best JRPG I've ever played, I realized it almost instantly after the credits started rolling. I just can't get over how much I love the style and music of this game. Shoji Meguro's work on the soundtrack is just phenomenal. I got huge goosebumps every time 'Life Will Change' started playing and 'Beneath the Mask' will be my go to chill song for years to come! There was also the story, which was good stuff, to put it mildly.
35. Resident Evil 3 Remake, 9/10
Yeah the game is short and linear, but who cares, it's a blast to play. Dodging feels just amazing once you get the timing down. I actually went for the platinum, because I liked replaying the game so much. Final boss on Inferno has some of the most intense attack patterns I've ever seen in a Resident Evil game.

36. Resident Evil 4, 9/10
Not gonna lie, took me almost an hour to get used to the controls again, but after that it was smooth sailing, mostly. Combat is still satisfying as ever. Still don't like Ashley though, game would have been better without her. Even with some shortcomings, memorable locations and enemies alone make RE4 a Classic/10.
 
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Jooxed

Gold Member
Completions



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Clocked in about 93 hours. I loved this game. When it first came it it really was not what I was expecting and I set it down and forgot about it almost writing it off. Everything is great about the game from the art to the music. I guess the weakest part for most people would be the stories if you are going into the game expecting a GRAND JRPG. I found myself by the end of the Chapter 2's enjoying everyone's story except Tressa , screw Tressa. The dungeons are a little too formulatic for my liking but for me they made up for it with gorgeous boss sprite-work and enemy design. Looking forward to the sequel.
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
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Game 21 - Mini Metro - Android - Completed Apr 12th, 2020
I've been playing this on and off for the past couple of weeks after picking it up for free on the Play Store when this whole pandemic things started. It's a fun game that's a good way to kill a solid 20 minutes, and also a game that looks pretty simple on the surface but is anything but once you get into the meat of the game and the higher difficulty levels. The goal is to connect all the stations together with train cars that carry passengers from one side of the map to another, but the game throws you a lot of twists along the way. The map is static but the stations and passenger requests are randomly generated, making some "runs" of the game better than others - so even when you have a solid strategy in place you can get fucked over by bad RNG which can occasionally be frustrating. Every level is a different city, and usually a slight variation of the game play (for example, in Cairo the train cars can only hold 4 people at a time instead of the normal 6) so that kept things fresh as well. The game ran amazingly well on my device (OnePlus 5T) and the Google Play achievements and integrations were well done.
 
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29. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (PS4) - 8/10

I enjoyed this much more than the original. I still found some of the levels to be pretty challenging and unfair...but there was more variety and fun to be had than the original. Might start up 3 soon to see how that goes.

30. Half-Life: Alyx (Oculus) - 10/10

I absolutely loved every second in this game. As painful as it was to wait and wait...and wait for a follow-up to my favorite series, I really think they knocked it out of the park. Every chapter had something entertaining, the story was fun and interesting. I am a little sad to be done with it and might fire it back up soon. I can't recommend it enough and I not hope they make more Half-Life in VR.

31. The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening (Switch) - 9/10

Just oozing personality and charm. I loved it on the GBC and I loved it just as much with the redesign. The Dampe dungeon building was alright but everything else was classic Zelda. Framerate issues aside, this was fantastic!

32. Spider-Man: The Movie (Gamecube) - 7/10

I have had this since senior year of high school and quit back then on some annoying timed level. Decided to restart it and cross it off the backlog. Playing now I was shocked at how easy and short the whole thing was. A few of the late levels are really annoying with stealth and rough controls. Overall, it's a pretty decent Spider game.
 

IKSTUGA

Member
35. Resident Evil 3 Remake, 9/10
Yeah the game is short and linear, but who cares, it's a blast to play. Dodging feels just amazing once you get the timing down. I actually went for the platinum, because I liked replaying the game so much. Final boss on Inferno has some of the most intense attack patterns I've ever seen in a Resident Evil game.

36. Resident Evil 4, 9/10
Not gonna lie, took me almost an hour to get used to the controls again, but after that it was smooth sailing, mostly. Combat is still satisfying as ever. Still don't like Ashley though, game would have been better without her. Even with some shortcomings, memorable locations and enemies alone make RE4 a Classic/10.
37. Final Fantasy 7 Remake, 10/10
Took me around 30 hours to finish the story and all of the side missions and man, did this game deliver. I just can't believe how much fan service they managed to put in here for the fans of the original. My favorite moment by far, was the cutscene that plays in the auditorium of the Shinra building, it was truly eye candy of the highest order. The final chapter was also just batshit crazy and I loved every second of it. My only gripe with the game is that we're gonna have to wait another 4 years for the sequel if they intend to keep up with the quality...
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
iu


Game 22 - Final Fantasy 7 Remake - PlayStation 4 - Completed Apr 17th, 2020
An absolutely amazing experience from start to finish, the team that made this game should be exceptionally proud of what they've accomplished. I felt like they captured the story of the original and made it into a modern game with modern aesthetics and just all around nailed the scenarios, cut scenes, characters, voice acting, and even combat. Was the game worth the five year wait? Hell yes, although I'll be a bit upset if the next game takes another five years to make. They seemed to incorporate elements of the expanded universe into this game as well, and as a fan of those entries I can say I'm happy with the result. The only few gripes I had with the game were that it wasn't possible to grind AP from enemies really during the main play through, and that sometimes the walk / run mechanics of the game would get a bit loopy. Both are minor complaints compared with the overall package. It'll take me a while to digest, but this might be my favorite entry in the Final Fantasy universe.

iu


Game 23 - Dragon Quest Walk - Android - Completed Apr 18th, 2020
I've been playing this for a couple of months now, and despite the game being entirely in Japanese and a lot of the features not working correctly in the US I've had a good time with the game. I've got my characters to max level and have finished all of the main story missions (even though this is a "live" game so more are added all the time). Before the pandemic, I really liked walking around and getting all the stuff this game has to offer, because it's similar to Pokemon: GO. Now though, I'll admit to blowing through most of the missions in the back half of the game because you can play this entirely stationary now. The game's gacha system was interesting, but I felt like it was fair as I was able to get a good amount of 5* equipment that had decent skills attached.
 
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IKSTUGA

Member
37. Final Fantasy 7 Remake, 10/10
Took me around 30 hours to finish the story and all of the side missions and man, did this game deliver. I just can't believe how much fan service they managed to put in here for the fans of the original. My favorite moment by far, was the cutscene that plays in the auditorium of the Shinra building, it was truly eye candy of the highest order. The final chapter was also just batshit crazy and I loved every second of it. My only gripe with the game is that we're gonna have to wait another 4 years for the sequel if they intend to keep up with the quality...
38. Final Fantasy 7 (1997), 10/10
I wanted more FF7 after beating the remake, so I decided to revisit the original once again. Gameplay has definitely aged pretty poorly at times (some of the minigames, blurry backgrounds -> not knowing where you should go), but the story and characters are just timeless. FF7 OST is one of the best things ever created as well. I can't wait to see how some of those later events will look like in the next installment(s) of the Remake.
 
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ROMhack

Member
I forgot to add Kentucky Route Zero Episode 5. It was... interesting. More of an epilogue but a cool use of space that differs to the more static use of backgrounds seen in earlier episodes. A little bittersweet but I suppose Conway's journey ended in Episode 4.

So yeah that's me. Two games beat all year and one of those is an hour long :messenger_grinning_sweat:

Still not as bad as Matt though.
 
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Main Post

33. Hidden Folks (iPad) - 8/10

Basically an animated Where's Waldo. I had a lot of fun with this one and it was perfect when I was up late with a teething kid. The extra DLC levels were a lot of fun but also easier than the main game. Some levels took me awhile.

34. My Mom Hid My Game! 2 (iPad) - 7/10

Pretty much the same game as 1. It felt a lot easier...maybe I just figured out how the puzzles work. This also is a great game to play when you are up with a baby.

35. King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder (PC) - 8/10

I thought I finished this as a kid but after just beating it, I don't remember anything outside of the beginning. Most of the game felt fair and solutions made sense for the most part. The ending was pretty difficult and I failed multiple times. Remember to always save your game if you play these. Maybe after every screen!

36. The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pegs (Oculus) - 7/10

This was such a charming chill game. I wasn't sure what to expect other than a puzzle game. I ended up playing and beating it in one night...since it is really short. I hope they expand on this idea and do more. The art direction is fantastic.

37. Magicat (Switch) - 8/10

Bought this on a whim a year or so ago on sale and I am really glad I did. This was a really fun side-scroller. Every level has a boss and a new challenge. The end of the game is pretty intense and hard. I figured it would be a short game but I easily sunk 10+ hours into it. I highly recommend getting this game on Switch. It's a lot of fun and it has tons of replay value.
 
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36:46h. Switched difficulties between Hard/Normal/Easy at times. All substories, EX Dungeon complete.

While TMS is not going to win any awards, it's worth a go if you are a Persona/SMT fan. Granted, it's Persona Light Caffeine-free, and Persona is already Diet SMT - but TMS is charming in his own right.

A dungeon crawler at its core, TMS removes a layer of complexity of all the mechanics we know and love - character relationships are reduced to fairly amusing side-stories, there are no time limits or multiple endings, dungeons are straightforward enough to be able to complete in a single go most of the time (not that you'd WANT to, as you have to leave to get new weapons and abilities, something that's worth doing as early as possible). While it's set in the normally pretty seedy world of japanese talents, the game is light and colorful and nothing unsavory ever happens, which is compounded by the frankly pretty unnecessary censorship.

All in all, pretty standard JRPG fare.

So yeah, TMS is a perfectly serviceable SMT spinoff. Not going to blow your mind, but can scratch the itch for a Persona in the Switch.

My Score: ★★★★☆

Original post
 
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IKSTUGA

Member
38. Final Fantasy 7 (1997), 10/10
I wanted more FF7 after beating the remake, so I decided to revisit the original once again. Gameplay has definitely aged pretty poorly at times (some of the minigames, blurry backgrounds -> not knowing where you should go), but the story and characters are just timeless. FF7 OST is one of the best things ever created as well. I can't wait to see how some of those later events will look like in the next installment(s) of the Remake.
The FF marathon continues.

39. Final Fantasy 8 Remastered, gunblade/10
What a weird and wonderful game. Love the story, ost and some of the characters (mainly Squall and Rinoa). Edgiest of the edge meets quirky girl next door, 10/10 cringe right there. My favorite track from the OST is the airship song, super uplifting stuff.
My biggest gripes are with the battle system. I didn't like junctioning at all. Luckily there are cheats to speed up drawing and stuff, but menuing can still be a major pain in the ass, especially with forced party switches etc. Also, level scaling is dumb in single player rpgs. To me the whole point is to start out weak, but end up overpowered. You can kinda do it here, but it involves grinding in triple triad. Didn't really feel like doing that, didn't play gwent in W3 either.
 
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