Rayman Legends
Donkey Kong (Game Boy)
State of Decay
Got three down!
I'm in a second play through of State of Decay. I'm enjoying it again, after the last third of my 1st play through being a bit of a slog. SoD's first half, or 2/3rds, is significantly better than its later half. Probably because by then you've seen all it has to offer, and all that's left is waiting for story missions to pop up, because there's really nothing left to do. Your base is huge, impenetrable, and overstocked on everything. Side missions where you essentially do the same thing keep popping up, but they don't give the more motivating context of the story missions. The story missions themselves aren't anything special. The game felt like a prototype. With a bigger budget and more time, this game could be really special.
Not to say it's bad. I very much enjoyed it--the gamey elements really satisfy the collector/hoarder in you, it can be very tense, especially at first. Traversing through hostile territory to scrounge what little sustenance you can is compelling. And kicking zombie ass is great. It's just, eventually you realize how shallow the basic structure is. And the low difficulty diminishes the atmosphere. The only time I died was because I was sprinting very near to my base to quickly grab some supplies, and a Feral Zombie caught me with no stamina and low health. But in general, you have to be really brash to get close to dying. And if you have another NPC with you, you're nearly invincible if you let them "tank" for you. Have 2+ with you, and it's cake. The game just isn't scary or as tense as it could of been thanks to the difficulty. I was more genuinely afraid in ZombiU during the 10 minutes I played the demo, than I was the entirety of SoD. I wouldn't buy it if you're hungry for a horror experience.
Luckily the combat is pretty fun; the game uses modifier keys to further expand your arsenal of moves. The stealth is basic but adds to the game--until you realize what a powerhouse you are; big strong you with your crowbar and your 3 stack of snacks, basically a zombie slayer of the gods, you are. But yeah, this is still a zombie sandbox game that actually works well, and is worth playing. Although, if you've never liked GTA games or similar because "all you do is drive forever to go do something boring over and over" or whatever, you definitely should not get this, you will not like it.
I'd be very interested in State of Decay 2, and am eager to see the mod community support for this game. The game is very compelling, just limited.
