Finally finished this one after starting it months back. Did all substories except for the one tied to complete Dragon skill tree along with most Majima Everywhere content on top of the story.
The parts I enjoyed (the substories, dialogue, and characters) were on par with or close 0 but wow did the combat take a hit here. I wasn't a big fan of the combat in 0 to begin with but at least it was simple/fairly mindless and passed easily enough so I could get to the stuff I was here for. In Kiwami it felt like a chore. I'll acknowledge that I'm not necessarily good at video games all the time and maybe I just needed to improve but that doesn't change the fact that I didn't really enjoy myself. The amount of chances to get knocked down seems to have doubled (if not more) and some enemies or enemy combinations are just not a good time. By the end of the game I was dreading even the street encounters and I was just ready for the game to end. This was never the case with 0.
I have Kiwami 2 preordered and paid off in full but I really hope the combat is better than this because it was such a drag here.
Took me ages to get to this as a huge fan of adventure games but I'm glad I finally did. This was aesthetically and atmospherically one of the best games I've ever played. It was truly amazing. It worked out since difficulty wise this was definitely a step above most adventure games I play and it was very intimidating at times.
This playthrough I only got one set of pages before getting the best ending but next time around I'll get all pages for sure. Not exactly looking forward to having to repeat the rocket puzzle but I'll suffer through it this way at least once. Can't wait to get to Riven and hopefully the rest of the franchise in the future.
Game 36 – Thimbleweed Park (PS4) – 5 hours, 24 minutes – 3.5/5
Great little point and click adventure game. The backgrounds are amazing aesthetically and the atmosphere is truly something else. Also enjoyed the variety of playable characters and the dialogue/way they interacted with each other and the NPCs. The overall plot was different than I had expected it to be but it wasn't bad.
I played through on hard since I'm fairly experienced with adventure games but I'll definitely return to play on casual to see how it differs along with playing with some of the varied options in game.
I know this series is usually not the most engaging experience for me but at least the other games played well. This was just a mess on many levels and I'm glad it's over with. The stealth, combat, and traversal felt really rough here which was even worse because that's basically all there is. There was a severe lack in mission variety in the world and then near the end they just throw countless waves of enemies at you to fight. I can see why people like the other AC games but I'm genuinely surprised this game didn't kill the series before it started looking back.
Replayed this since it's on Game Pass and I wanted to hop into something on my new One S. Was feeling particularly bold as a RE fan and decided to replay this on Hard (I've done it once previously). This isn't the greatest game to begin with but playing on hard like this really makes it all the more apparent.
I'm a fan of this series, the remake of RE1 is probs my favorite game of all time but this truly feels like classic style RE stretched to its limits (CVX felt this way also at times). The backtracking, item/resource management, and whatnot that make up a lot of what makes the other games compelling go too far here resulting in a grating experience. I don't want to say having item boxes would've saved this but god it would've at least made it approach being more playable. That wouldn't even be getting into things like the enemy design (the leech zombies are so bad) and other bits of questionable gameplay decisions but I really do think the item system is the biggest issue to be found.
I used to think my least favorite RE game that wasn't a spin-off was CVX but this really takes the cake. It's too bad since this got a big upgrade in the remaster and looks great on nearly all levels, which sadly REmake does not. I'd much rather have had it the other way around.
#23 – HEX: Chronicles of Entrath – Chapter 1 (PC)
GODD – Despite it being a blatant Magic The Gathering ripoff it's a really well made CCG, especially if you are interested in single-player content. The campaign is a nice mix between CCG and CRPG light where you travel a worldmap, visit locations, talk to people and embark on quests. Single-player is perfectly playable without investing any money.
#24 – The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset (PS4)
GREAT – The MMORPG that keeps delivering for me. I normally quit these games after finishing the main-story. But TESO is so single-player-friendly and filled with entertaining content that I always return to it. I again had a good time collecting all the relics, doing all the world-bosses and dungeons and finishing the story. The story itself was your typical Elder Scrolls stuff but the presentation and some of the characters are nice enough. The new locations are stunning and a joy to explore. There is also, like always, a lot of lore and interesting background to almost everything.
#25 – Wolfenstein: The New Colossus (PS4)
MEDIOCRE – I really didn't like New Order and this is basically more of the same but with a better presentation. The presentation with all it's well made cutscenes is easily the highlight of the game. The problem is that this game is in a deep identity crisis. It's dead serious at times then it tries to be like Inglorious Basterds with over-the-top character-performances (but fails miserably IMO, Eva is especially annoying and that whole Hitler-scene is just grotesque) and then it delves into utter trash cinema territory. And then there is the "old-school"-gameplay. The difficulty is all over the place. "Normal" feels like hard-mode in other games. But that's not even the problem. My problem is that this game just plays not very well. I can't exactly put my finger on it but it just feels off. Like I can't really make out all the enemies. The weapons cover too much of my sight. The field of view feels just wrong. I normally don't have this problem with FPS, but here it is – just like in the prequel – very prevalent. But maybe it's just the drab color-palette with complex setting after complex setting. The level-design is so boring. The enemies are bullet-sponges. Some weapons like the Maschinenpistole feel totally useless while the (upgraded) Sturmgewehr was my weapon of choice in almost every situation. Well I just turned it down to very easy at some point early in the game and mowed through the nazi hordes which was kinda fun and enjoyed some of the cutscenes. But overall it's not a good game. But I never really liked the series to begin with. I didn't even like Return to Castle Wolfenstein (except the mutliplayer, that was ACE). The often hated PS3-era Wolfenstein from Raven stays my favorite game in the series.
#26 – Farpoint (PSVR)
GREAT – The game I bought my Aim Controller for and I didn't regret it. Despite some problems with controller shifting that got better with different light options in my room it was a fantastic experience. Great presentation and graphics, good story and fun firefights. We absolutely need more games like this in VR. I would be even happy with ports of older games like Resistance 3 and Killzone 3 which already supported the PS3 Sharpshooter. At least we get Firewall Zero at the end of this month.
#27 – Earth Defense Force 4.1: Shadow of Despair (PS4)
GREAT – I already beat this game on PS3 but my brother an I started it again with a friend on PS4. The biggest difference most certainly is the now rather stable framerate which is a huge improvement. Too bad our friend left halfway through, but my brother and I finished it anyways. We had to set the difficulty to easy this time in one of the last missions because we didn't want to grind any weapons but that was fine for us because we already beat it on normal on PS3. The weapon- and power-up system could use some overhaul. Would be great when all the dropped stuff is collected automatically at the end of each mission. Otherwise a great game as usual with lots of action and a huge trash factor.
#28 – Eternal: The Tale of Horus Traver (PC/Android)
GREAT – The second campaign of the game I bought with ingame-money. It was rather easy what gives me confidence in my decks and that they got better ;-) I still really like this game I think it's the best digital CCG out there. A perfect middle ground between Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering.
#29 – Persona 5 (PS4)
GREAT – The big negative first: This game is way too long. Seriously I already thought this about Persona 3 and 4 but this one adds another layer of tediousness and unnecessary chatter to the formular. I think this is the main reason why I liked Persona 3 and 4 more. Also they need to overwork the game mechanics. The time management feels archaic at times. Especially in situations when the game just completely blocks your actions. Stuff like just going down the stairs or go out and buy some new items. While I really liked Morgana in the end he was a serious pain in the ass in the first half of the game ("Let's not do this today!"). Romances are also handled poorly. There is no acknowlegment in the game world when you are together with another character. But still, the positives by far outweight the negatives what makes this great game overall. The story is good and it has a memorable cast of characters. It's also one of the most stylish games ever made and the soundtrack is nice. The basic gameplay formular still works. I am actually not a big fan of the new dungeons because I prefered "dumb" crawling like in Persona 3+4, but there is still Mementos.
#30 – Dark Chronicle (PS4)
GREAT – This game is known as Dark Cloud 2 in the US-market and it's a damn gem of a game. I still remember getting it for PS2 back then when it was new and I loved it. I played it a lot but for some reason I never finished it after getting to the last chapter. Years later I lost my savegame and restarted the game. Must have been around 2014 or 2015. Same story again, I played it until the last dungeon and just dropped it for no reason. This time though I kept my savegame and picked the game up again to finally finish it. Even in 2018 this is a great game. Sure, it's clunky but you get used to that type of gameplay. Building cities, crafting weapons, grind dungeons and kill monsters never gets old. It's too bad we never got a third game.
#31 – Detroit: Become Human (PS4)
GREAT - It's not as good as Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls IMO, but it's still a great game with lots of possibilities and outcomes. In that regard it's surely the best of Quantic Dream's games. But I liked the story, action and pacing of Beyond: Two Souls more and Heavy Rain felt more dramatic overall. The graphics are amazing as expected.
#32 – Call of Duty: World War 2 (PS4)
GOOD – It's a good game but the moment I arrived at D-Day my WW fatigue instantly kicked it. Boy this felt like a 1:1 remake of ALL the other World War 2 shooters of last-gen. I felt like I played all of this hundereds of times before. There was nothing unique or special about this game and then they even added shitty stealth segments on top of it. Still, the fantastic presentation and lots of action and some really well made battle situations gave me some fun. But I really hope the next CoD isn't World War 2 or at least a better setting than Europe all over again.
#33 – Quake Champions (PC)
GREAT – I don't know who thought that it would be a great idea to add fucking Overwatch-skills to QUAKE, but this is apparently the world we life in today. Besides from the hero-skill-bullshit this is pure Quake 3 with all the amazing gameplay and weapons intact and it still is - to this day - one of the best arena-shooters every made. It's pure, fast, skillbased, brutal fun and I highly enjoy playing it with friends or alone. Besides the hero-skills there are some unecessary things like the loooong wait-times between matches and the clumsy UI, but those are things that can be ironed out with further patches. It's still in early access after all.
#34 – Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call (PS2)
GREAT – I started this game when it came out in Europe in 2005. Over the last 13 years I played this game in longer sessions and I finally beat it in 2018. It's a great, but hard game. It's unforgiving and very grind at times. It has some truly exhausting dungeons and bossfights, but it's worth the effort. Story presentation is very minimal but the overall atmosphere is fantastic accomplished through the unique artstyle and great music. I accidently unlocked the true ending which requires the strongest boss fight in the game and was already ready to give up after the normal final boss because the description of the true final boss I read in the FAQ was very demotivating. Funny enough that I managed to beat the final boss with my not optimal group and some rather simple tactics. It was very, very close at times and I had to use some weak spare-demons, but I managed to kill him off. That feeling was great. I was kinda euphoric to be honest because if I could not beat the true final boss I would have given up. I wasn't ready for even more grind and overly complicatede demons fusing.
#35 – Eternal: Dead Reckoning (PC/Android)
GREAT – The third campaign I bought with ingame money. I already put over 100 hours into this CCG and still having fun.
63) Mega Man X3 - The least great game in the SNES X trilogy, but I grew to like it over the course of a frustrating 5-hour playthrough. Went for 100% completion (Gold Armor, but let Zero live) and found it to be extremely tedious to get all 8 hearts, 4 subtanks, 4 Ride Armors, all main Armor upgrades (but none of the special chips), the Gold Armor, and defeating Bit/Byte/Vile with all of their weaknesses. This isn't a bad game--the graphics are really nice, it's using a phenomenal engine, and some of the tunes are well composed. On the other hand, the stages feel way too large and sometimes empty. Tighter design and more restraint would have done wonders for X3. As it stands, it is in the bottom half of Mega Man X games.
41. Super Lucky's Tale - Xbox One
Completed 8/16/18
Score - 6/10
Extremely mediocre game from almost every standpoint. The camera was frustrating in that you never felt you could see all around you. The enemies were all fairly simple. The only pain was jumping and having no clue if you would actually hit an enemy. I was going to get the DLC level for this but after beating the final boss I think I am just done with it. For advertising as a 4k game for my Xbox One X...the graphics were pretty meh. Things were colorful but everything in the game was just cookie cutter. Lucky has barely any personality and cutscene that aren't fully animated scream 'launch game' to me. It definitely needed some polish. it kind of reminded me of those crappy Skunny games on PC I suffered through in the 90's.
Played the 64 version this time, and did a low-heart run where I only collected Heart Pieces from NPCs, and not from minigames or finding them in the world. Majora's Mask is pretty easy and I still never died, but it lead to some tense moments with a handful of bosses, which is probably the ideal way for me to play the game from now on. Though much to my consternation I learned that you can't fight the final boss the normal way if you have the final mask.
Good origin story for Lara. The game made me a nervous wreck with my anxiety so played whilst listening to podcasts. Enjoyed the game tbh, and I'll eventually play Rise and Shadow of (When it releases).
#44: Dead Cells (8-17-2018) | 8/10 | Switch | ~ 25 Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 8 | A great game that I will be coming back to over and over again even after initial completion. Its fun and lets you play so many different styles. Gameplay - 8.8 | The loop is great, weapons + mutations lead to awesome combinations Sound -8 | Some decent tunes, but not many overall. The credit's song is legit. Story/Online - 7 | Not much of one, this game is all about the gameplay (which it does very well!) Asking Price- 9.33 | I struggle finding a rouge game to scratch the Isacc itch. This game not only does that, but is a different genre from Isaac which is incredible
#45: Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (8-21-208) | 9/10 | PS4 | ~ 7 Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 9 | A game that felt like Uncharted levels greatest hits with a entertaining story Gameplay - 8.6 | Uncharted 4's polish with ideas from all of the games collected into one Sound - 9 | Voice acting is phenomenal in this game. Sound effects are also superb. Story/Online - 9 | A Nathan less adventure with Chloe & Nadine worked very well. Main villain was complex Asking Price- 8.33 | Story is about 7 hours with some side content & full multiplayer.
#46: Game Dev Tycoon (8/28/2018) | 7/10 | Android | ~ 8 Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 7 | Great game to play on the go that kept me playing at home Gameplay - 8 | Ton of variations and things to unlock to make the next great game Sound - 7 | Pretty generic, just to keep the mood rolling Story/Online - 7 | Start small, become a AAA powerhouse. Nothing to wild Asking Price- 8.33 | Lot of content, in year 38 and still trying going!
#47: Into The Breach (9-3-2018) | 8/10 | Switch | ~ 8 Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 8 | I really like this game and is one I can see myself coming back to for a very long time Gameplay - 9.2 | Its thoughtful, frantic and very fun gameplay is incredible. Every aspect is well crafted Sound - 7 | Not a lot going on in this department, similar to story not why you pickup this game Story/Online - 7 | You don't play this game for a story, its a tactile puzzle! If you want story, look on Asking Price- 9.33 | The gameplay loop is addicting with multiple mechs to mix and match for runs
#48: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (9/13/2018) | 8/10 | Vita | ~ 40 Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 8 | An old RPG that has more QoL features than turn based games today Gameplay -8.4 | Turn based mechanics with many features that make fights about strategy versus stats Sound - 7 | Good tracks, but not very many, VA minimal. Story/Online - 8 | A simple, realistic RPG story that has a wild ending, made me jump into #2 right away Asking Price- 8.67 | Tons of content, tons of characters. Almost every NPC has dialogue. Great game
#49: Spider Man (9/16/2018) | 10/10 | PS4 | ~ 35Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 10 | Insomniacs greatest game to date as well as one of the best exclusives this generation Gameplay - 9.2 | One of the funnest games I have played this year. The game makes you feel free Sound - 10 | Fantastic voice acting, as well as soundtrack. City feels alive through sound Story/Online - 10 | A human story that got me engrossed into the SM universe afterwards Asking Price- 9.33 | Ton of content, some of the side content is great and some is generic
#50: Forza Horizon 3 (9/22/2018) | 10/10 | Xbox One | ~ 14Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 9 | Aggregate of 4 components below. Decimal rounded up or down by personal bias. Gameplay - 8.4 | Refined experience from FH2. Didn't enjoy shift in events from #2, but still great racer Sound - 9 | Cars sound good, soundtrack is an absolute banger. VA is way to cheesy Story/Online - NA | VROOOOOM ... Hey _____ a new race is available.....VROOOOOM Asking Price- 9 | Big world, lots of cars, lots of content.
#51: Earth Defense Force 2017 (10-1-2018) | 7/10 | Vita | ~ 9 Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 7 | Aggregate of 4 components below. Decimal rounded up or down by personal bias. Gameplay - 8 | Defending Earth from giant insects and robots never gets old Sound - 7 | Really funny commentary from AI. A majority of the other sounds are adequate Story/Online - 7 | To Save Our Mother Earth Asking Price- 8.33 | 60 missions, lots of weapons and the option to play as a Wing Diver
#52: Forza Horizon 4 (10-8-2018) | 9/10 | Xbox One | ~ 15 Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 9 | The best Forza game and one of the best racing games ever made Gameplay - 8.8 | The mechanics of the cars feel even better tuned with a fantastic world to explore Sound - 9 | Cars sound great, another fantastic soundtrack. Voiceover work is hilariously bad Story/Online - NA | VROOOOOM ... Hey _____ a new race is available.....VROOOOOM Asking Price- 10 | Tons of content in so many different ways that will make everyone happy for a long time
#53: Headmaster (10-11-2018) | 7/10 | PSVR | ~ 5 Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 7 | When the tracking is on point you can have some great silly fun Gameplay - 8 | Heading the ball to a variety of objects is more fun than it sounds. Sound - 7 | Commentary is funny but every other sound is very flat Story/Online - 7| Its a limited story but it can be quite charming and funny at times Asking Price- 7 | Good amount of content that raises the bar in challenge nicely throughout the game
#54: New Super Mario Bros (10-21-2018) | 7/10 | System | ~ 7 Hours | Recommend: M
# Overall - 7 | An enjoyable game that never really escalated to top tier of Mario games Gameplay - 7.8 | Tight controls, some interesting levels. Never felt it did anything unique Sound - 7 | Your typical Mario jingle. Jolly experience through the game Story/Online - NA | Not really a story, about gameplay. Asking Price- 7 | 8 worlds, levels are a decent length each.
#55: Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (10-23-2018) | 8/10 | GBA | ~ 7 Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 8 | Aggregate of 4 components below. Decimal rounded up or down by personal bias. Gameplay - 8 | Cool weapons, layout and enemies. Soul system was limited but interesting Sound - 8 | Some great tunes, especially considering it was on a GBA cartridge Story/Online - 7 | Game started with interesting story and characters that falls flat Asking Price- 7.33 | Good Castlevainia game, but don't feel the need to revisit like SOTN
#56: Pokemon Platinum (11/3/2018) | 8/10 | 3DS XL | ~ 18 Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 8 | Aggregate of 4 components below. Decimal rounded up or down by personal bias. Gameplay - 7.8 | Not much changed from previous titles but the game is well made. Sound - 8 | Those jolly Pokemon tunes will keep you going the entire game. Story/Online - 7 | A little wilder than previous games but not the main focus Asking Price- 8 | Flew through the game, good amount of content though and some nice extras after finishing the game.
#57: Astro Bot Rescue Mission (11/6/2018) | 9/10 | PSVR | ~ 7 Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 9 | If you have a PSVR you owe it to yourself to play this game. Gameplay - 9.2 | Game is a joy to play, I can see myself coming back to this often. Sound - 8 | Great tunes, but not a ton. Story/Online - NA | Not really a story to this game Asking Price- 10 | Easily the best VR game I have played and a variety of challenges to play after the initial story
#58: Ace Attorney (11/15/2018) | 8/10 | 3DS XL | ~ 17 Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 8 | Aggregate of 4 components below. Decimal rounded up or down by personal bias. Gameplay - 9 | Was bored initially but the game does a 180 quickly and turns into a tense back and forth. Sound - 7 | Limited tunes through the game. Everything there is okay. Story/Online - 8 | Story has a nice mix of silly/seriousness Asking Price- 8.33 | More content than I expected and gives an adequate challenge
#59: Fire Emblem Awakening (11/27/2018) | 9/10 | 3DS XL | ~ 31 Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 9 | First Fire Emblem game I have played, made me buy three others titles before finishing this one! Gameplay - 9.2 | Nice RPG strategy, its fun trying out and mixing characters and abilities. Sound - 8 | I really enjoyed what the game had but it reuses most of its songs through the game. Story/Online - 9 | As the game went on, the story picked up big time and I loved the character interactions. Asking Price- 9.67 | A lot of content (and good content) challenges mixes up maps to make you think
#60: Super Mario 3D Land (12/2/2018 ) | 8/10 | 3DS XL| ~ 4.5 Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 8 | One of the better Mario games I have played, enjoyable contained experience. Gameplay - 8.6 | Feels great to play and I had a smile across my face most levels Sound - 8 | Good sounds/song Story/Online - NA | Save the princess, duh Asking Price- 8.67 | The game is very short but has enough charm to replay levels and find remaining coins
#61: Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight (12/7/2018 ) | 8/10 | PS4 | ~ 10.5 Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 8 | Good mixes to songs. Enjoyed the game more than I thought I would! Gameplay - 8.2 | Variety of skill levels across a decent number of songs. Nice seeing characters in today's graphics. Sound - 9 | It takes the best tracks and it gives them a new life Story/Online - 7 | Pretty generic. Some social links are okay but overall don't buy for the story Asking Price- 7.33 | If you can find the collectors (all three) for a decent price I think its well worth it. Not worth $60 each
#62: Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight (12/8/2018 ) | 7/10 | PS4 | ~ 8 Hours | Recommend: M
# Overall - 7 | I enjoy P5 both game and songs more than P3 but found myself liking P3 Dancing more Gameplay - 8.2 | Same setup as P3, variety of skill levels across a decent number of tracks Sound - 9 | Takes P5 great music and mixes it up a bit Story/Online - 7 | Same story as P3 Dancing, some social links okay again. Asking Price- 7 | Not worth $60 but with collectors on a small sale not a bad pickup
#63: Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call (Date) | 8/10 | 3DS XL| ~ 11 Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 8 | A ton of songs, taking the best over its 30 year history to play and listen along too. Gameplay - 8.2| A few different gameplay styles mixed across a few modes. Sound - 9 | Dev's did a great job getting as many tracks as they did on one cartridge Story/Online - 7 | Barebones, you play for the songs Asking Price- 9.33 | Crazy amount of songs, game will keep you busy for a while. They do start to all blend together if you are playing in longer burst.
#64: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (12/31/2018 ) | 9/10 | Switch| ~ 30.5 Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 9 | Picked it up for an occasional fun party game, stayed for the giant single player Adventure mode. Gameplay - 9.4 | Smash looks better than ever with modes to please everyones interest. Sound - 10 | With the robust roster of characters the game brings the best tracks from those games with them. Story/Online - 7 | Not much of one but some cool CGI moments! Asking Price- 10| With 30.5 hours just in Adventure mode, Classic Mode, Smash and Online are still begging for attention
Best 2018 Title So Far: God of War
Best Non-2018 Title So Far: Hollow Knight
Review Breakdown
10: Perfect or Incredible experience
9: Near Perfect, definite recommendation to anybody.
8: Great, has a few, non-major flaws here and there
7: Fun, enjoyable experience
6 Alright , has a few minor flaws holding the game back.
5: Mediocre, as Ron Swanson would describe it: "It is a game." I like parts, I hate parts
4 or Lower: Bad, Needs major fixing, you should skip
#: Title (Date) | #/10 | System | ~ # Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - | Aggregate of 4 components below. Decimal rounded up or down by personal bias. Gameplay - | 5 categories Sound - | 1 category Story/Online - | 1/2 category Asking Price- | 3 categories
★★★
Overall, a MUCH better game than the first one. The combat is interesting, the enemies are varied, the world is bigger, it's just overall better. It kind of fell apart for me a bit after finding the boat though. Once that happened, I never felt like I had a clear direction on where to go and had to consult a walkthrough multiple times just to make progress. Still, it's a clear improvement and a sign of growth for the series overall. I'll have to get to the third one eventually!
38. Ninja Golf (Atari 7800)
★★★★
This game is dumb as hell but surprisingly fun. It's a quick playthrough but that's probably for the best. Nine holes of golf and after each swing, you need to fight your way to where the ball landed. Other ninjas and wildlife both try to stop you! If you make it to the green, you have to throw ninja stars at a dragon in a similar way to the Shinobi bonus rounds. It really doesn't make a lot of sense as a whole but I really enjoy it. It never does anything super well but it's charmingly stupid. Atari clearly didn't understand the market anymore at this point but I'm glad they put this out.
39. Knee Deep (PS4)
★★
I wanted to like this game a whole lot more than I did. The idea is great; taking a narrative game in the vein of Telltale's works and framing it like it's a stage play. The developers just couldn't quite pull it off though. The graphics are incredibly ugly, looking like Poser models, but I could live with that if the writing was good. The writing is not good. It takes forever for the plot to go anywhere and when it DOES go somewhere, it goes somewhere really stupid. Like one of the dumbest reveals I've ever seen seen for a plot point. The mechanic of writing reports with each character gets completely dropped halfway through and that was the most interesting thing in this game. To try and create the stage atmosphere, all of the audio has massive echo on it, making things harder to hear. It was just disappointing overall.
47. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island - 18/08/2018
Sat down for one long session of Yoshi's Island from beginning to end, the greatest platformer of all time and... I think I kind of hate it now. I don't know why. I was just starting to get frustrated in the last world.
62. Mass Effect - Xbox 1 - 8/18 - 36 hours: 1st time replaying it this generation and the game is still very good. Side quests can get very repetitive especially with the same 2 or 3 designs they have for dungeons/areas, but it's just a minor complaint compared to everything the game does right.
63. Mass Effect 2 - Xbox 1 - 8/24 - 50 hours: I love this game. I do wish it had the RPG elements on Mass Effect though. Few games do high stakes situations better then this game and the character interactions and world are top tier as well.
Despite having some very light puzzle elements, the game just felt like a drag to play, esp. at being 10 chapters long.
There are similarities to the Ace Attorney games though it meshes them together as you do both the investigation and interrogation of suspects almost back to back. The game is more of a 'howcatchem' than trying to figure out the culprit as Layton identifies the main criminal pretty early on during a case.
If anything I really liked the localization but the overall game left much to be desired, though it is serviceable IMO.
87. GotG: The Telltale series
I have mxed feelings about this game. For one, I liked that it made Star Lord tolerable compared to his movie version. Rocket and Drax were annoying though, as their bad aspects were pretty cranked up in this game to the point that they can be pretty insufferable. For example, no matter how much you side with Rocket or focus on him, he'll bitch and complain and be an all around ass for the duration of the other half of the game.
It also felt like it resolves itself too quickly, as I felt an episode between 4 and 5 would've helped flesh things out better or offer better pacing.
If there is one positive to the game it would be that the textures are quite good although the usual Telltale jank is still there.
May has been a struggle. Spent most of the month packing and moving so gaming time was cut significantly.
14. Assassin's Creed: Freedom Cry (PC) - 4:54
I loved Black Flag when it originally came out and put well over 100 hours into it. It really nailed the aspects of being a pirate and sailing across the seas was just a joy throughout the whole adventure. Back then I also did not pay much attention to any form of DLC, and while I did get Freedom Cry eventually, it wasn't until now I finally gave it a try. Turns out, it might not have been the best idea to wait so long, since after playing newer Creed games, it's easy to notice the missing gameplay improvements. Controls took some getting used to, still had to deal with tailing missions that were way more annoying than they should've been, and the ending was not very fulfilling. I'm sure I would've enjoyed it more back then but it just did not age all that well.
Well I'm so far behind where I would need to get close to 52 this year but I'm still having fun and playing plenty of games. Not completing much mind you!
GAME #05: XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Firaxis Games - PC - ★★★☆☆
Completion State:
Saved the world (33 hours, 68% [combined with Enemy Within] Steam achievements)
Comments:
Classic strategy game I'm told but I have no real experience in this genre so it's all new to me. I only picked it up because I enjoyed the Exquisite Corps series from Giant Bomb!
After a little bit of fumbling at the start it turns out I love the idea and execution of the squad building and base progression. Everything is dished out at a nice pace so you always feel like you have a new toy to play with. The story felt a little like it over stayed it's welcome a little on the way to the end but that could have been my particular route through the research and building curves given it's probably the first time I've played a game of this type.
GAME #06: XCOM: Enemy Within
Firaxis Games - PC - ★★★★☆
Completion State:
Saved the world (41 hours, 68% [combined with Enemy Within] Steam achievements)
Comments:
I played through Enemy Unknown first not knowing that the Enemy Within campaign is interwoven into the main Enemy Unknown story line.
Enemy Within solved the issue of pacing towards the end of the game for me by adding a whole host of new options to increase the depth of variation in your soldiers as well as additional missions fighting the earth based threat of EXALT. The DLC also adds a number of quality of life improvements (such as "make available") which further increase the attractiveness of the DLC over the main game. Ultimately the whole thing goes through the same motions as Enemy Unknown but it just feels a whole lot more cohesive with all the elements of Enemy Within worked in.
Great game overall. I imagine I will replay it more than once. Who wouldn't like building an awesome squad of mechs and people from around the world and trying to stop yourself weeping as they die in numbers to the not at all friendly alien invaders! Amazing how attached you can get to not even directly controlled avatars.
Although I have a giant backlog that I am consciously trying to get through this year, there is no way that I will be able to finish 52 (even if I do tend to favor short games anyways). I will be perfectly happy if I manage more than half of that.
1: Digimon Rumble Arena 2 (Xbox) - completed the single player mode and unlocked everything - 2/5
Combat is clunky and sluggish, but evolving and devolving mechanic adds an interesting back and forth to the overall gameplay. I wish there were one or two more "normal" levels.
2: Gorogoa (Mobile) - completed the story mode twice - 3/5
Abstract story is shallow and a missed opportunity. Surrealist mechanics are very creative and work well even on a mobile device.
3: Limbo (Xbox360) - completed the story mode - 4/5
The gameplay-light but antagonistic opening is much stronger than the stylish and competent puzzle platformer that the game eventually becomes.
4: Super Mario 3D Land (3DS) - completed the campaign and all post game content - 3/5
Repeated content makes the overly structured level designs feel even more predictable and joyless.
5: Crush 3D (3DS) - completed the story mode - 2/5
Sprawling level design and collect-a-thon objectives would work in a pure platforming game but clash with the slow puzzle traversal mechanics.
6: Night in the Woods (PC) - finished second playthrough with the alternate story route after update - 4/5
Great characterizations and a great use of setting but falls apart when it has to do plot. World feels a bit overly sparse and empty. Great style and music.
7: Pac N Roll (DS) - completed the story mode. Almost entirely ignored the side missions. - 2/5
Trackball control scheme works well, but levels are rarely interesting in the main game proper.
8: Sonic and the Secret Rings (Wii) - completed the story mode - 0/5
I want to give some credit for the unique feel of the nonstandard control scheme, but this is so poorly designed that I can't.
9: Final Fantasy Dissidia: Theatrythm (3DS) - completed the campaign mode - 2/5
Video game music does not work when re-purposed for standard music game levels due to a lack of structure. RPG elements do not seem to very high impact.
10: Pilotwings Resort (3DS) - completed the campaign mode - 3/5
Missions are not particularly imaginative, and I think the decision to base the entire game on a single large map did not help matters. A good use of 3d effect.
11: Hylics (PC) - completed the story mode - 3/5
Amazing art style with surprisingly well balanced gameplay. A bit unpolished and under-designed.
12: Insecticide (DS) - completed the story mode - 1/5
Cool style and ambitious for its vintage and platform, but clunky and bad in every way.
13: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS) - completed the story mode - 3/5
The way items gate progress is unique but still too formalized and predictable. One consequence is that dungeons are overly focused on singular mechanics and themes, and they feel like abstract and disconnected from the game world.
14: Zubo (DS) - completed the story mode - 2/5
Interesting combat system, but does not expand on concepts to fill out entire game. Unpolished, and game feels sluggish due to slow canned animations.
15: Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer (3DS) - completed the main town objectives - 2/5
The game offers little meaningful feedback on your creation, and the game needs more systems on top of the central building and design mechanics to result in interesting choices during gameplay.
16: VVVVVV (PC) - completed the story mode - 3/5
Hub world takes inspiration from the exploration platformer genre but is empty and underdesigned. Controls seem a little loose for the twitch challenges. Cool style and creative mechanics.
17: The Desolate Hope (PC) - second playthrough of the game - 3/5
Worldbuilding is excellent, and some of the visual designs are interesting. Challenge is a bit on the high side, and this is not helped by the overabundance of oblique gameplay systems which muddle the gameplay.
18: 'Splosion Man (Xbox360) - completed the main game - 2/5
Simple controls feel good. Game is way too long given the low variety in level design and mechanics. Occasional extreme zoomed out and cinematic camera angles make it harder to grasp the level design.
19: Bit Trip Void (3DS) - completed all three levels - 3/5
Interesting concept and style, simple to play, some unfair challenges
20: Bit Trip Runner (3DS) - gave up after second to last challenge - 3/5
Interesting style. Visual cues are more obvious than others in series. Too demanding and precise. Slowdown on 3DS.
21: Darksiders (Xbox360) - completed story mode - 3/5
Lacks the creativity necessary for the spectacle fighter sections to work. Every game section is too long which causes pacing to feel off.
22: Hidden Folk (PC) - completed existing stages. Full completion on half of the stages - 2/5
Although the art style is creative, the level tableaux lack the creativity to make rifling through them fun. The game does not take advantage of the interactive medium, and I think you'd be better off going to the library and finding Waldo.
18. Kirby: Triple Deluxe (6 hours)
This is not my first Kirby game (hell, I've beaten Kirby's Adventure twice), but I think I have a better understanding now of how this series continues to be popular. There's more to do with each individual power than I initially thought, we're talking full movesets. Throw in some fun boss fights, and you got a nice platformer on your hands.
#45: Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (8-21-208) | 9/10 | PS4 | ~ 7 Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 9 | A game that felt like Uncharted levels greatest hits with a entertaining story Gameplay - 8.6 | Uncharted 4's polish with ideas from all of the games collected into one Sound - 9 | Voice acting is phenomenal in this game. Sound effects are also superb. Story/Online - 9 | A Nathan less adventure with Chloe & Nadine worked very well. Main villain was complex Asking Price- 8.33 | Story is about 7 hours with some side content & full multiplayer.
I have let this game sit for years when I always looked back fondly on it. I wanted to finally finish it. I replayed through the game since I didn't recall it to be long. At the beginning it was everything I loved. Fun controls, amazing graphics (still), still amazing music and sound effects. It's the complete Star Wars game for me...until you get to the final few levels. They were a complete pain in the ass. Half the time I didn't know what I was supposed to be fighting and saving. I was punished for using the targeting guide but it felt impossible to target anything and hit it without. The last level was complete frustration. I wanted to give up so many times...and maybe I should have. The mini scene at the end wasn't worth the misery. It's hard to completely fault the game but it just went too far in the final levels that I just can't completely love it. Should've been an easy 9 for me.
Any one else have issues with the final levels or am I just awful at this game? Color blindness didn't help matters either.
This was a nice puzzle game, though Touch controls on the iPad made it rather tricky to interact with some stuff. I don't own the rest of the series on PC, but will start Room 2 in the near future.
Otherwise, def. get it if you're looking for a decent puzzle game at least on mobile platforms.
This is a decent puzzle game though the fact that you HAVE to get stars starting from the 2nd/3rd world onward was irritating as you need to really plan your moves to get the stars needed to progress. A solid puzzle game otherwise IMO.
I'm not a big fan of the Telltale games, but loved the first season of Batman as I'm a Batman fanboy. This one I didn't enjoy as much. It was okay, but the story didn't grip me nearly as much as the first one.
44. Gran Turismo Sport (PS4)
Rating: 8/10
TIme: 12 hours
I'm still playing this game, but marking it as done as I saw the credits and got the trophy for the "Finale" It's a good circuit racer IMO. Since I also have Forza 7, I don't mind that there isn't a lot of SP content, but can see why a lot of people do. The online racing is the most fun I've had online. It really shines (and I say this as someone who is much more of a SP guy)
Loved this game. Glad I was finally able to beat it after taking a looong break from it. Look forward to moving onto the next game in the series.
46. Metro Last Light (XB1) Rating: 8/10
Time: 9 hours
Contiuation of Metro 2033. No big changes in gameplay, but a continuation of the great story. While the gameplay isn't my favorite, these two games have some of the best storytelling for FPS.
Played through the campaign and tried a couple of online matches. It's okay, but I never would have played this if it wasn't for EA Access.
49. Golf Story (Switch)
Rating: 8/10
TIme: 10 hours
Really enjoyed this golf RPG. It's very easy and simplistic, but still a ton of fun and it's nice that the gameplay is a mix between playing courses and the minigames/challenges. Some fairly amusing moments as well with the writing.
Down to my last three games:
Currently playing:
Persona 4 Golden (in December right now)
Halo Wars 2 (near the end of the original campaign, but I have all the DLC/expansions so have some more time to invest in this
Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories
GAME #07: Super Inefficient Golf
34BigThings - PC - ★★☆☆☆
Completion State:
Completed the single 18 hole course a couple of times (2.4 hours, 71% Steam achievements)
Comments:
A short but ultimately fun take on crazy golf.
It's just you and 18 holes for you to explode your ball around. There's a little bit of replay value in trying to find the shortest way to the hole but even here some of the later holes pretty much force you to take a fairly prescribed route. It's a bit of a shame there's not more to it as the concept is fundamentally sound. Flesh it out considerably with an overarching world, a compelling reason to compete, some interesting bot competitors and some local multiplayer and this could be a really good game.
Bought in a sale and that seems about right overall.
16. God of War (2018) -- PS4 -- 29th July -- 40h -- ★★★★☆
Visually impressive with brutally carthartic combat. The writing was a mixed bag though. GoW has tropey characters and dialogue that would have felt more at home in a cable medical drama than a mythological epic. The relationship between Kratos and Atreus was really interesting to watch develop, however, in my opinion.
I played on the "Give me a challenge" difficulty and it was certainly challenging. Perhaps unfairly so at the start where the options are limited and the combat too slow, particularly with groups of enemies. Generally, the flow of the combat is extremely enjoyable; chaining together axe throws and runic attacks feels great. For me, the valkyrie fights where were the combat really shined. These were tightly focused and challenging encounters that gave a lot of opportunities for creating openings. However, I think the cracks in the combat design start to show during Muspelheim's impossible trails and Niflheim where failure becomes a regular and unavoidable occurrence. To the point where I doubt a no-death run to ever going be possible. This probably seems like a weird complaint but my point is that a well designed action game should have the potential to be mastered. I found Dark Elf Commanders and Revenants straight-up un-fun to fight, to the point where I have to wonder why the developers left them in as-is.
I'm of two minds about the more open map structure, the rpg elements and the equipment system. From one perspective, I have to recognise that I've never played an action rpg with such refined combat. On the other hand, I found equipment looting, crafting and upgrading to be poorly handled and tedious outside of the visual customisation. I felt buried in trash items and punished every time I spent resources when equipment is so quickly replaced. Regarding the rpg elements, I wasn't a fan of the tedious fetch quests, but I never am. Regarding the open map design, I feel that the backtracking for upgrades thing was borrowed from metroidvanias without really understanding why. It kind of works in those games because they're labyrinthine or grindy. Whereas in GoW it just felt like pointless gating, only without the inherently enjoyable movement mechanics while backtracking or map design that naturally has you returning to previously explored areas.
Despite all the complaints, GoW still took me on a fantastical journey with some glorious eye-candy and gave me some chunky visceral bloodshed to indulge myself in and for that I'm grateful. I only wish the experience had been more focused and less eager to please. In my opinion, if it had cut the rpg fluff and had had the courage to fully embrace its setting and it could have been the 10/10 that people had been talking about.
17. Super Metroid -- SNES -- 17th Aug -- 12h -- ★★★★★
Revisiting after a good number of years and it's still a classic. It has some of the atmosphere of Ridley Scott's Alien, particularly at the start. I love the way critters scuttle away from your footsteps as you explore the hostile planet surface and the depths beneath. There are some imperfections, however. At times, the way to progress is frustratingly obtuse and the controls could have been tighter. Regardless, it was a nice return to a simpler time of game design.
18. Celeste -- Switch -- 29th Apr -- 30h -- ★★★★★
I somehow forgot to review this when I played it back in April. Celeste is an absolute triumph. It has perfect controls, great music (that's also adaptive), a relevant and affecting story, some excellent platformer bosses and a boat-load of diverse and well-designed content. It's like a puzzle platformer but unlike other precision platformers that I've played, it's an oddly zen experience.
I keep coming back to this game. Finished it 5 times now, on hard this time around. It's a really good example of the linear adventure, though there is a fair amount of exploration to go along with the bombast. TR 2013 still has some of my favorite traversal in a game. The way Lara flows through the scenery once you get into the groove is admirable. The shooting is very competent and even exciting at times on this harder difficulty. The setpieces vary in engagement and quality, and there sure are a lot of them. The story is lacking and the writing atrocious, while Lara's voice actress is just terrible all around. She does not sell Lara in any way.
But the main attraction, to me at least, is the island. It's just a big Metroidvania playground, full of interesting and charming locales. I love exploring these areas, though i know them by heart already.
64. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire - 58 hours
Deadfire is an outstanding sequel that fixed most of the weak parts of original PoE and currently one of the best games I've played this year. Developers resolved most of my personal complaints about the previous game, text and dialogues now feel more natural and much easier to read thanks to great voiceacting and hyperlinks under unknown words with short lore info. Fights are faster and less limiting in terms of tools and skills you can use to achieve victory. The new setting and world are amazing, instead of another boring "medieval" fantasy we got "colonial" RPG about pirates and exploring a new world. There is more freedom in your movement around the world map, it's not just the same narrowed path between different locations, you can actually move wherever you want and feel like a true explorer, it reminded me a lot about Fallout 1-2, too bad that not many isometric RPGs are using that system nowadays. Even achievements were fixed, so no more 10 different crazy difficulty achievements that require an insane amount of time and skill to get them.
It's a great game, but unfortunately, there are a few notable problems. Text ship combat is an interesting idea, but something went wrong and it's just extremely boring to play, so every naval battle I just skipped it and tried to board an enemy ship as fast as I can. Graphics are kinda mixed bag, most of the time it looks amazing, you would pick Xoti in your team only to see those amazing dynamic reflections and shadows it casts at the environment. But at the same time, backgrounds are unacceptably lowres for anything more than 1080p, loading times are way too long even on SSD, and summoning any creature makes a game to freeze for entire 5-10 seconds. My last gripe is about ending, it's not completely terrible, but honestly feels too abrupt and leave a nasty feeling that you couldn't change anything at the end.
Difference between factions ending is quite nice, but the last hour really feels like devs were planning something bigger and epic, but simply didn't have time to finish it. Yeah, the classy Obsidian game right here. At least there's no any critical bugs or balance issues this time, in current state game is playable from the start to finish. And even though this game is great as it is, I would still recommend to wait until Definitive Edition release with all DLCs before jumping on the ship, because all future expansions are not standalone and take place before ending of the main game. I would still play stem because I'm such a slow ass player that first DLC is already released, but if I would have finished it earlier, I doubt I bothered playing them, it's a great journey but I didn't feel like I want to jump back in right away.
June continued to be busy with house work and other priorities. It also consisted of a deeper dive into Fortnite, which took most of what minimal game time was there.
15. Kamiko (Switch) - 1:15
Probably one of the earliest indie success stories on the Switch, Kamiko is a very simple, short and cheap game. For a couple of bucks, you get a nice throwback to an old-school hack n' slash with a modernized pixel graphics. The puzzles are really simplistic, step on a switch here, carry this item there; none of them will leave you scratching your head but they do get annoying. When carrying items, you can't touch any of the constantly respawning enemies, which does get frustrating. Battle system isn't anything more than a button masher, but it is surprisingly satisfying. There are also multiple characters to use with different weapons and a couple secret items, but in the end you get what you paid for - a small but fun time waster.
I keep coming back to this game. Finished it 5 times now, on hard this time around. It's a really good example of the linear adventure, though there is a fair amount of exploration to go along with the bombast. TR 2013 still has some of my favorite traversal in a game. The way Lara flows through the scenery once you get into the groove is admirable. The shooting is very competent and even exciting at times on this harder difficulty. The setpieces vary in engagement and quality, and there sure are a lot of them. The story is lacking and the writing atrocious, while Lara's voice actress is just terrible all around. She does not sell Lara in any way.
This is my favorite too. Went through it 4 times in total on PS3&4. It's just big enough, not cramped with fillers like Rise.
Although I liked her voice acting a lot.
This is my favorite too. Went through it 4 times in total on PS3&4. It's just big enough, not cramped with fillers like Rise.
Although I liked her voice acting a lot.
i agree it's just the right amount, it always ends as i'm getting my fill.
Running the risk of opening Pandora's Box here, but i really wish that Naughty Dog or whoever's next tried this kind of approach to an Uncharted game, instead of the usual formula. Haven't played 4 or Lost Legacy but from what i understand the latter has a section more focused on exploration? Make an entire one like that.
i agree it's just the right amount, it always ends as i'm getting my fill.
Running the risk of opening Pandora's Box here, but i really wish that Naughty Dog or whoever's next tried this kind of approach to an Uncharted game, instead of the usual formula. Haven't played 4 or Lost Legacy but from what i understand the latter has a section more focused on exploration? Make an entire one like that.
65. The Void - 26 hours
The Void is really a hard nut to crack, but it's totally worth it. Gameplay is honestly the weakest point of this game, but from an art perspective, it's a pure perfection. Yes, it's REALLY hard to get into it and basically requires reading a 100-page manual in order to progress any further, but it's kinda on point because this is the game about hell, suffering and struggling to survive in the world where everything is trying to kill you except a bunch of naked ladies. This is one of the weirdest and unique experiences I've ever encountered in videogames, it can be depressing, it can be erotic, it can be frightening and can scare the shit out of you, but all this surrealism remains perfectly logical (in its own way) and didn't turn out to be a convoluted mess. Listening to characters monologues and exploring the weird world of this game is a pure joy once you figure out how to properly manage resources and survive. And even if you won't figure it out, then cheats always exist so you can skip hard parts and appreciate the art without all those annoying obstacles. I can't recommend this game highly enough.
#46: Game Dev Tycoon (8/28/2018) | 7/10 | Android | ~ 8 Hours | Recommend: Y
# Overall - 7 | Great game to play on the go that kept me playing at home Gameplay - 8 | Ton of variations and things to unlock to make the next great game Sound - 7 | Pretty generic, just to keep the mood rolling Story/Online - 7 | Start small, become a AAA powerhouse. Nothing to wild Asking Price- 8.33 | Lot of content, in year 38 and still trying going!
Such a cool little game, glad you liked it. I believe it was the creators very first as well which I find astonishing given some of the stuff out there!
It's basically the polar opposite of the last game I completed...
GAME #08: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands
Ubisoft - PC - ★★★☆☆
Completion State:
Finished off Santa Blanca and completed the standard and 100% ending (69 hours, some Uplay achievements)
Comments:
In a way there are hints of MGSV in the open approach to the map and missions but unfortunately there simply isn't the same amount of depth of options in both approach and execution of mission objectives. Instead this instead ends up feeling like a typical big budget AAA shooter.
It's got good enough shooting and general game play mechanics, it's set in a huge and detailed world, it's beautifully presented, it packs in a good 40+ hours of game and it even throws in pretty seamless four player co-op play. Alas though, all that is somewhat wasted by a slow and ultimately non-committal story presented to the player through all to similar missions time and time again.
The basic structure of the game is pretty simple, move through each of the regions on the map completing missions to draw out the boss of that area until you have destabilised the enemy cartel - Santa Blanca - enough for the next level of bosses to make themselves known. Once you have destabilised enough regions and taken down enough bosses, El Sueno, the cartel boss makes an appearance and you can complete the story. The limited enemy variety, in both type and behaviour, doesn't help in terms of making missions feel unique and despite each of the area bosses having a reasonable amount of back story and are graced with some [often twisted] personality they are all essentially escort or kill missions.
This could be mitigated a little if the open world encouraged silly fun and crazy hijinks but unlike in something like GTA you are encouraged to view the general population as a downtrodden people deserving of your respect so open world carnage just doesn't feel fun.
Overall, it's a good game it's just not the great game it could be.
43. New Super Mario Bros. 2 - 3DS
Completed 8/25/18
Score - 8/10
Heard many bad things about this game but I ended up enjoying it. Having completed most of the "New" Mario series I find that I really enjoy the platforming and game aspect but the visuals still bother me a bit. It all comes across as bland and safe. The game itself was a lot of fun if not kind of on the easy side. I completed all of the worlds including the two secret ones. I think I had over 130 lives remaining by the end of the game due to the absurd amount of coins you can get. I would love to see the gameplay of these games continue on but maybe with a new look. Maybe like Mario World or even how Warioland Shake It was presented.
Like most Call of Duty campaigns, it controlled very well and had crazy set pieces. It was nice to go back to WWII but most of the game felt like I had played it before. The story tried really hard to add some emotion and weight to it, and it kind of worked, but at the end of the day it was CoD. The health system took a bit to get used to but outside of that it was pretty standard. Worth a play but buy it cheap. I don't really play online so I can only comment on the campaign. I was really impressed with the cutscenes. At times they appeared almost lifelike. The game does look great on my PS4 Pro and it felt smooth. Wish they could use the talent and make a truly epic, game changing FPS campaign.... but I get the market really just wants multiplayer.
48. Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne (featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry series) - 29/08/2018
The crown jewel of Shin Megami Tensei. A macabre journey through a demonic hellscape with rock solid gameplay that constantly leaves you on the edge of your seat and never lets up. Granted there were a few moments that got a little silly in regards to the sheer amount of JRPG Wizardry bullshit when you have teleporting poison floor dungeons all over the place, and the game could use a handful of QoL improvements brought to the series in later installments, but I can come back to Nocturne over and over because of how perfect it is.
66. Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath - 8 hours
While EA with impressive dedication continues to parading around a corpse of C&C franchise, I've decided to finally play C&C3, the only game in series that I've somehow missed. And while I can't say much about original C&C3, because I dropped it somewhere after first few missions of GDI campaign, Kane's Wrath is definitely worth checking out. I'm not sure why, maybe because this expansion is fully about Brotherhood of NOD, or maybe because everyone in GDI leadership is lifeless boring dickheads, or maybe both, but I enjoyed Kane's Wrath campaign a lot more than in original game. They fixed balance and issues of C&C3, so it's actually a very decent RTS now, some additions like epic units or sub-factions are a welcome change. Live action cutscenes are great too, even though they are clearly low-budget, but Kane is just too damn good.
34. Hidden Agenda (PS4) - 4 hours. ★☆☆☆ It is not as good as Until Dawn: Too short and you can easily break the game by selecting the wrong choices. It's an okay experience with the right party, but that applies to every game.
35. Dishonored (PC) - 10 hours. ★★★☆ I finally finished the first Dishonored. While it is not as good as Dishonored 2, I appreciate how Arkane can use the experience from making it to develop a perfect game like D2. Silent Corvo got a bit silly story-wise, but you can role play his personality/morale through his actions.
35.2 Dishonored: Knife of Dunwall & Witches of Brigmore (PC) - 6 hours. ★★★☆ I'm a bit apprehensive about the first DLC because the level design was not as good as the main game. The second DLC was much much better with more open/interesting environments.
36. Forza Horizon 3 (XBO) - 40 hours. ★★★★ Sort of a RTTP. All festivals expanded, all races completed, 90% bucket list, some of them in coop. I can finally shelf it for good. The best open-world racer to date, until FH4 release anyway.
37. Mafia 3 (PS4) - 18 hours. ★★☆☆ The story, voice acting, facial animations, gameplay, cutscenes direction are some of the best out there. It's a shame about the repetitive mission types. It could have been so good.
39. Cities Skylines (XBO) - 9 hours. ★★★★ I will be returning to this from time to time. It is very addicting. I like the balance mix between being a simulation and a video game.
40. Dragon Quest Builders (PS4) - 15 hours. ★★★☆ This is another cheat because technically I haven't finished it yet but I've seen enough to stop playing and later chapters are just the first chapter with different skins. I liked how it eased you into building things. Combat is merely okay, it would have been better if you can level up your char as well as town.
After Symphony of the Night I wondered if I had soured on Castevania, but thankfully Aria brought me right back. It's basically the best game of the GBA's library.
39) State of Mind (Xbox One) Day Finished: 8/6 Score: 8/10
A pretty neat adventure game that takes a bit to get going but, once it does, is really interesting.
40) AdVenture Capitalist (PlayStation 4) Day Finished: 8/8 Score: ?????
Guys I got 100% of the trophies in this dumb idle clicker game. I did it. I'm free. I'M FREE.
41)Gene Rain (PlayStation 4) Day Finished: 8/24 Score: 1/10
By far the worst game I've played this year. A really bad and generic Chinese third person shooter that is just... holy shit. It's worth playing just because how bad it is truly can't be expressed easily.
42) Donut County (PlayStation 4) Day Finished: 8/25 Score: 7.5/10
For all the things I loved about Donut County, in the back of my mind I wish it was a harder game that pushed puzzles and creative thinking a little more. Still really enjoyable tho.
43) Far Cry 5: Living Dead Zombies (PlayStation 4) Day Finished: 8/30 Score: 4/10
Special shout out to Ubisoft here. After Assassin's Creed Origins had some of the absolute best and most impressive DLC of the generation, Far Cry 5 had some of the worst.
44) Shadow of the Tomb Raider (PlayStation 4) Day Finished: 9/6 Score: 8/10
The weakest of the reboot trilogy, yet still a very fun game. Love Lara as a character.
45) Radiant One (PC) Day Finished: 9/16 Score: 6/10
A really short but neat little narrative game. Wish it went a little deeper into its message though.
46) Stone (PC) Day Finished: 9/18 Score: 5/10
I liked the idea of this super Australian hip-hop stoner noire, but it needed a lot more work.
47) Transference (PlayStation 4) Day Finished: 9/19 Score: 8.5/10
Has atmosphere to spare. I really loved a lot about this game. Would love to see more.
48) Creed: Rise to Glory (PlayStation VR) Day Finished: 9/24 Score: 8/10
I originally suspected a licensed VR boxing game would be bad. Turns out I was crazy wrong.
49) Call of Cthulhu (PlayStation 4) Day Finished: 10/23 Score: 6/10
It tries so hard, and the story is fantastic. But everything around it is super janky at best, and little else.
Joining late, but have been keeping track for a while. Hoping to clear 40 this year.
1. Panzer Dragoon (1995, Xbox) ★★★☆☆
It's on the disc of Panzer Dragoon Orta. Had never played it before. The graphics haven't aged too well, but the atmosphere they try to establish is still pretty cool. This version also runs rather smoothly; assuming the Saturn original did too, I can see how this must have been mind-blowing at the time. That said, for newcomers like me, Panzer Dragoon Orta is a lot more interesting.
2. Sin & Punishment: Successor of the Earth (2000, Wii U - N64 vc) ★★★☆☆
Hasn't aged very gracefully, but it is interesting. Getting the controls to cooperate took some extensive remapping. The story is absolutely bizarre, it feels even stranger than the sequel on Wii. It's also very difficult, especially the final battle. Overall, it's a very chaotic, nerve-racking experience. Not a must-play like its sequel, but a nice curiosity.
3. Lego City Undercover (2013, Wii U) ★★☆☆☆
Might just be my expectations, but after reading this one finally does things differently compared to other Lego games and being assured it was rather funny, I was a bit let down on both counts. The jokes are still steeped in pop culture references and predictable one-liners - just make Lego: The Matrix if you want to do so, guys. Structurally it still feels very much like a Lego game, and honestly I don't think the open world adds that much to the experience. The story finale is cool though, and there's heaps to do and collect still, but this isn't for me.
4. Ducktales Remastered (2013, Wii U) ★★★☆☆
Decent platformer, I liked the bossfights and music. The final level contains a short section which I somehow failed about a dozen times, not sure if it was an intended difficulty spike or a lack of skill on my part, but it soured me a little on the game right at the end.
5. Bomberman '94 a.k.a. Mega Bomberman (1993, Wii U - TG16 vc) ★★★☆☆
It's a classic Bomberman game! These have always been fun to me, because they didn't just focus on multiplayer, but actually designed a full-fledged story mode as well. It has a few frustrating stretches, and I'll totally admit I used the suspend-save feature to cheese a few of the bossfights. Good fun though, recommended.
6. XType+ (2014, Wii U) ★★★★☆
This is a very simple, but very addictive boss rush shoot-em-up game. The music, clean visuals, and pace at which you can progress through the levels ensure it can very quickly put me in a zen state of mind. It records your attempts too, fast-forwarding through some of the highest scoring people's runs is quite impressive, even if it does emphasize my own incompetence. There's a free browser version too, which only misses one game mode.
7. Ultratron (2015, Wii U) ★★★☆☆
The glitchy style they're going for here is distinct, but I'm not really in love with it. Sometimes I found it tough to keep track of everything, which feels a bit detrimental to the shoot-em-up experience. Another minor nit-pick: once you 'beat' the story mode after 40 waves of enemies, it seamlessly transitions into an endless mode. I prefer those to be separate; roll some credits for me so I can feel accomplished! Maybe I'm just getting old though, seamless experiences are the new hotness right?
8. Tachyon Project (2016, Wii U) ★★☆☆☆
Another wave-based shoot-em-up with twin stick controls. Ironically this one does address my complaint with Ultratron by delivering a story mode with a definitive ending, and even some stationary cut-scenes in between... And it turns out to be the weakest element here. The story is just pretty poorly written and in no way reflects what happens during the levels.
Gameplay wise it's fine mostly, reminds me a lot of Geometry Wars. Performance on Wii U isn't too great though, slowdown appears frequently. It's not unmanageable, but I know some people are really bothered by it, so just a heads up.
9. Thomas Was Alone (2014, Wii U) ★★★★☆
One of my highlights this year, sure you're just controlling coloured blocks, but through narration the game manages to instill an impressive sense of personality into several of them. My only complaint here is that the game sets you up rather well for an emotional gut punch, but never quite delivers on it.
10. Ghost Blade HD (2017, Wii U) ★★★☆☆
Originally developed as a homebrew title for the Dreamcast I believe. This is a pretty cool vertical shoot-em-up. No frills, just a regular cannon and a bomb. A fast ship, a medium one, and a slow but more powerful one. It's very colourful too, and the tiny hitbox of your ship makes you feel like you're getting away with impossibly close moves. That said, some enemy fire is harder to spot than others due to the colours used and general business on screen. The default picture on the side of the screen is also a generic sci-fi lady in metal bikini, which is a bit too 90s for my tastes.
11. Pokkén Tournament (2016, Wii U) ★★★☆☆
As someone who is pretty bad at one-on-one fighting games, something like this is really nice. All the moves look super flashy, the CPU opponents in the story mode never get very difficult, and the Pokémon license ensures you instantly know at least a few of the fighters and probably like them too.
I will say the game feels a bit slight in terms of content; they never made the arcade or Switch version characters available as DLC for example, so the roster isn't huge. There's a lot of arenas, but honestly they're all just circles and ovals, so it's just window-dressing. Ultimately you're stuck with a rather generic story mode to replay, or taking to the online mode to get annihilated by people who actually know what they're doing. I liked playing with Chandelure and Suicune the best and spamming ranged attacks.
12. The Bridge (2015, Wii U) ★☆☆☆☆
This puzzle game has two neat ideas: level rotation and a distinct, M.C. Escher inspired visual style. Unfortunately, that's about where it ends, really. The game is rather slow and more finnicky than you would like, and ironically its main selling point - the visual style - starts to wear out quicker than I expected. After finishing the 4 worlds the game presents you with 4 more mirrored ones; I promptly checked out right there.
13. FullBlast (2015, Wii U) ★☆☆☆☆
This cannot objectively be called a good shoot-em-up game. There are typos and instances of poor/rushed translation in the text, the final boss will occassionally just glitch out and repeat the same pattern over and over again, your screen-clearing bomb sometimes just won't work, volume levels are all over the place, stages are too long, and the resetting of upgrades after you die feels a bit too punishing for the overall difficulty.
And yet... I had some fun with it?
14. Mario Kart 8 + DLC (2014, Wii U) ★★★★★
There are minor nitpicks here, like the uninspired Battle Mode, the rather bland character roster, surprisingly few items, and personally I'm still not a fan of the constant assembling of karts, wheels, parachutes before getting started. But none of those flaws can distract from what is pretty clearly the best Mario Kart game ever made. As a fan of Double Dash!!, this one finally surpasses it in terms of speed and course design.
15. Retro City Rampage DX (2014, 3DS) ★☆☆☆☆
The first hour of this game was really good. The jokes come quick, the overhead GTA style is fun, and lots of funny visual options set you up for a good time. Unfortunately the game's missions quickly turned sour for me, with several infuriating difficulty spikes quickly devolving the experience into one of trial and error.
I have a lot of respect for the developers, who ported this to just about every system, including very late releases on PS3 and even WiiWare, but the predominant memory I have of this game is one of frustration, sadly.
16. Streetpass Mii Plaza: Puzzle Swap (2011, 3DS) ★★★☆☆
I'm counting this as a game. Sure it's a rather slight piece of software, but Streetpassing someone in 2018 is a rarity already, so finally completing all the puzzles felt like a minor achievement. I like the core idea here a lot, swapping puzzle pieces with people you don't even know but apparantly crossed somewhere on the street.
17. Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology (2018, 3DS) ★★★☆☆
Retiring the 3DS after one final big game. This game's Friendly Mode deserves major props for introducing many quality-of-life features. Auto-winning battles by hitting enemies before ever entering battle is perfect for a portable system. If you do choose to engage in battles though, you'll find a decent turn-based system centered around affecting the order of turns and the position of enemies on a grid.
Storywise this is decent, though I'll admit I liked it a lot more upon initial completion. Now, several months after the fact, I struggle to remember most of it; the story and characters didn't quite stay with me as they did with Chrono Trigger (a much older game), despite being likable overall.
18. Boom Blox Bash Party (2009, Wii) ★★☆☆☆
Catching up on Wii stuff, history definitely has not been kind to this one. The physics might have been somewhat impressive at the time, and I'm sure the online stage sharing also helped people appreciate it. Judged by modern standards however, it's a rather garish, ugly game. Forgettable music, lots of lackluster game modes, extremely simplistic slideshow pictures to fake a story mode; it's just rather mediocre in many regards. Good concept, but even in multiplayer we got bored pretty fast.
19. Speed Racer: The Videogame (2008, Wii) ★★★☆☆
This one ain't bad for a licensed property. Sure the menus are kinda ugly, the colour palette is a real eyesore, and during longer races they'll just flat-out forget to loop the music so you race in silence for a few minutes. But at the higher speeds it's a pretty challenging combat-racer that works well with the motion controls, and nails the sense of speed. It's clever how they probably just built 4 real tracks, but cut them up in so many ways to still wring 20+ races out of them.
20. Need for Speed: Pro Street (2008, Wii) ★☆☆☆☆
This one has a bit of an identity crisis going on. It wants to appeal to the same graffiti/sideways baseball caps/tuned cars/tribal tattoo aesthetics of the Underground games, but at the same it's now set on closed circuits (no traffic, no police). Damaging your car requires expensive repairs, but the driving handling is clearly going for an arcade experience. Awful drag racing events, a seemingly endless story mode, terrible sound mixing too; the worst game I've played this year, despite not being broken in meaningful ways.
21. Kororinpa (2006, Wii) ★★★☆☆
A very short marble-rolling game. Music is a bit too twee, but luckily Hudson put in a Star Soldier remix to jam to. Would have liked more variety in the worlds since they're a bit samey (forest, candy land, toy land, city at day, city at night), but changing your marble into an oinking pig, meowing cat or just the planet Saturn are amusing touches.
22. MadWorld (2009, Wii) ★★★☆☆
Predictable story, and the overall sense of glee wears off after a few hours. That said, the visuals have held up really well thanks to its Sin City-esque art style. Some decent boss fights to be found here as well. There's some cultural stereotyping going on here it seems, but the game is so deliberately trying to offend everyone it didn't really bother me. It's pretty self-aware about its juvenile sense of humour.
23. Super Mario Galaxy (2007, Wii) ★★★★☆
Yeah, had never played this one. It's not my favourite 3D Mario, but it's very good. Many mechanics and ideas are just used once and then immediately moved on from, which really came into fruition with Mario 3D World later on. The story segments seemed too overly dramatic for Mario, but Rosalina's storybook segments are kinda cute.
24. Rayman Origins (2011, Wii) ★★★★☆
As someone who really dislikes the original Rayman, this was quite an improvement. Music is great, the visual style really feels alive in this one, controls are precise and simple enough. Unfortunately, towards the end they make some really bewildering choices, like requiring a certain amount of unlocks before you can move into the final world. The last level is also absolute garbage too, insane difficulty spike. It's like they can't help themselves but get in the way of the player when you're on the cusp of having a good time.
25. Donkey Kong Country Returns (2010, Wii) ★★★★☆
After the frustrations of Rayman Origins, this might not have been the wisest decision. It's a very accomplished platformer though. Music is great, levels are varied, tons of items to collect too. That said it's a bit too difficult for its own good, and has that typical Retro Studios problem where bossfights are just way too long. Inclusion of the Super Guide mechanic is much appreciated, I definitely skipped a few levels that way when I died 20 times in a row.
26. Red Steel 2 (2010, Wii) ★★☆☆☆
The good: this is probably the best use of Wii Motion Plus. The sword fighting feels very responsive, and using the Wii pointer for gunplay is always a good fit. The cartoony art style also isn't bad, and the cut scenes look slick. Relatively high production values compared to other third party Wii efforts.
The bad: it's just really shallow. Move through environments, break open crates, hack some dudes, find keys, cowboys and ninjas.
The ugly: those loading times for every door you open are just atrocious. While it helps the world feel more interconnected, I'm not sure it was worth this price. I longed for Metroid Prime's doors.
27. The Last Story (2011, Wii) ★★★★★
Wow what a ride this was. Delivers an engaging story with really well-done characters, fun active combat system, and enough opportunities for dumb stuff if you're interested
(the game tracks how often you bang your head on signs, you can paint all your armour in hideous colours, the final boss is vulnerable to slipping on banana peels).
In many regards this feels like what I always wanted out of something like Final Fantasy VIII, but done in 1/4th of the time, with better music, and actually likable characters. Highly recommend, this is my favourite game of the year.
28. Pandora's Tower (2012, Wii) ★★★☆☆
This might be the most interesting game I've played this year. Very flawed in many regards (it's way too long, often feels like a chore, controls are rather stiff, music gets repetitive, many of its possible endings are very unsatisfactory), but it does absolutely succeed in making you care for the character you're protecting. If you've ever been in charge of caring for a very sick, frail person, this game might really strike a nerve with you. Just a shame they padded the game length by almost 50% in order to get there.
29. Burnout Legends (2005, PSP) ★★☆☆☆
Looks very good for a handheld game, and does at times hit the exact white-knuckle action notes you want out of a Burnout title. That said, the soundtrack has aged rather poorly, and if you've already played other entries in the series, this basically functions as a best-of release with the takedown mechanic from Burnout 3 integrated. Good thing you can ram A.I. opponents off the road too, because their rubber banding is kind of ridiculous.
30. LocoRoco (2006, PSP) ★★☆☆☆
Really liked the art style and music on this title, so it was a bit dissapointing to realise the experience never really evolves in many meaningful ways. The game winds up overstaying its welcome ever so slightly, and the slow pace doesn't help with this aspect.
31. Buzz!: Quiz World (2009, PSP) ★★☆☆☆
These games were kind of a big deal for a brief period of time. I never played one, so this was an overdue introduction. It's basically a trivia/quiz game with a couple thousand possible questions, so they don't repeat too often. Kind of a neat curiosity, even if it does feel like an ancient relic already.
32. Ridge Racer 2 (2006, PSP) ★★★☆☆
Never played a Ridge Racer title either, but I wound up liking this one! The minimal techno soundtrack is pretty catchy, and the drifting feels well done. There's loads of courses and cars to unlock here, too, although it does get very challenging towards the end.
33. beats (2007, PSP) ★★★☆☆
This is a PSN download title and basically functions as a rhythm game. It auto-generates button-press patterns if you load mp3 files onto your memory card, which seems to work pretty well. The pre-loaded stuff is mostly EyeToy music, but that's decent too.
34. flOw (2007, PSP) ★★☆☆☆
Another PSN download game. This one I was looking forward to, but it didn't really deliver. The promise of a relaxing, nigh-meditative experience just doesn't mesh very well with the inherent aggression in the gameplay - at least for me. Would genuinely be better if you could just swim around as a fish, set to ambient music, I think.
35. Gitaroo Man Lives! (2006, PSP) ★★★☆☆
Really stylish, very Japanese rhythm game. They find good use for the analog stick on the PSP too. That said, not all of the songs are winners, and the difficulty curve seems curiously wonky. There's a shark boss who's seemingly only there to stop any progression dead in its tracks. Liked it for the most part though.
36. Me & My Katamari (2006, PSP) ★★★☆☆
Another franchise I never got to try out before, and had high expectations of. This game feels very polished in some ways, presentation is excellent across all aspects. From how the credits are done, to the amusing loading screens, and even the menu interface with the islands and animals is done with care. There's a lot of outfits to collect and different songs too, the overall game is very colourful, bright and aims to delight.
The controls are pretty unintuitive though, you're really lacking a camera control here, and honestly it would play better if you controlled the Katamari directly, rather than push it with the Prince. There's also a real dearth of stages here, I swear there's less than 10, and that includes several re-used ones with different theming. Maybe my expectations were unreasonably high?
37. Sega Rally Revo (2007, PSP) ★★★☆☆
This one's enjoyable, there's no bothering with much realism/damage physics/repairs etc., which gives it a Sega arcade feel. No weather effects either, although the tracks do have varied surfaces which you gotta account for during tyre selection. Good for pick-up and play sessions, drifting around dirt tracks and crashing into opponents with no repercussions.
38. Every Extend / Every Extend Extra (2004/2006, PSP) No score - unfinished
Bounced really hard off of both these titles, unfortunately. It's easy to see the merit here; it's a novel variation on twin-stick shooters, where you have to position yourself carefully and set off chain-reactions from a single explosion instead of shoot at enemies. I'm not sure what was added in the 'Extra' edition, but it's cool both games are on a single UMD along with a demo for Lumines II. I can see the appeal here, but it's not for me, so I won't score this one.
39. PaRappa The Rapper (2007, PSP) ★☆☆☆☆ - unfinished
I had a very difficult time getting anywhere in this game, and stopped after level 3. At first I thought it was just my terrible sense of rhythm, but I'm secretly convinced the game is just kind of broken in a strange way. I'm not sure if input lag is even a thing on PSP, but sometimes you need to press commands just before the icon appears, other times at the same time... Maybe they're purposefully trying to throw you off, like Rhythm Heaven Fever does with its visual distractions, but then why use a note ribbon at all? I would recommend everyone to avoid this port, it unfortunately doesn't seem to live up to the series' pedigree.
40. Sonic Rivals (2006, PSP) ★☆☆☆☆ - unfinished
Tries to combine racing with 2D platforming, which isn't the worst idea. Unfortunately the game kind of alternates between playing on auto-pilot and demanding sudden reflexes. It's totally doable, but I found the game very exasperating within minutes. The utterly generic story is told through static images with dialogue balloons. Maybe it suddenly evolves into a great novel past the half-way point, but I was done with this game by world 3. When your options when bored on public transit are "stare into void" or "play Sonic Rivals", and the former is the more appealing option, that says it all, really.
41. Gran Turismo (2009, PSP) No score - unfinished
Bounced off this almost instantly. It looks fantastic on the PSP, and the selection of tracks and cars is impressive. There's even classic tracks like Monaco (albeit differently named) and the Nürburgring here, so I'm sure it's a treat for racing fans. I absolutely hated the handling, though. Back to arcade racing for me.
42. Motorstorm: Arctic Edge (2009, PSP) ★★★☆☆ - unfinished
This one's often recommended when looking through PSP lists, and I can see why. It sells for dirt cheap, yet is easily one of the more impressive racers on the platform. Huge levels, great selection of typical 2008-era electronic music, and theoretically lots of levels with varied challenges to play. There's also a great variety of vehicles, but ironically I found none of them to be 'just right'. Ultimately got bored with this before doing all the campaign challenges, but it's one of the better PSP games I've played.
43. Tetris (1989, GB) ★★★★★
Yup, original Game Boy Tetris, for some reason I'd never played this version. Phenomenal game that had me hooked immediately. Can absolutely see why this became such a cultural phenomenon, the appeal is so wide.
44. V-Rally 3 (2002, GBA) ★★★☆☆
Surprisingly impressive racer on the GBA. The damage effects are rather unnoticeable, nor did the handling feel very different from vehicle to vehicle, and I would argue it's selling point (versus rally) is simultaneously the worst mode. The sound is absolutely awful too. But despite all these complaints, it's impressive visually, establishes a sensation of speed, and is pretty fun to play.
45. Bangai-O Spirits (2008, DS) ★★★☆☆ - unfinished
Second Treasure-developed game I've played this year, and also the second to ever so slightly underwhelm. The original Bangai-O is somewhat frustratingly out of reach, requiring either a Japanese N64 or DreamCast. This game plays really well, there's a solid 250+ levels if you wanna go through everything, lots of little mechanics and options to mess with. Another thing I admire is their method of future-proofing the level sharing; by storing and sharing levels as soundfiles you could theoretically still download new levels to this day, despite DS Wi-Fi services being down for years now. That said, some of levels are infuriatingly difficult, and at some point I lost interest to finish another 80 more of them.
46. Image Fight (1990, Wii U - TG 16 vc) ★★★☆☆
Very tough space shooter, with rather annoying sounds. Plays mostly smooth though, and there's some strategy involved in picking the right speed, as well as which turrets and optional weapons you collect. A cool touch is, when you change ship speeds, you can incinerate foes behind you with the ship's exhaust. I'd recommend the sequel over this one though.
47. Image Fight II: Operation Deepstriker (1992, Wii U - TG 16 CD vc) ★★★★☆
Very impressive sequel, improving on the original in almost every way. More stages, more weapon variants, CD quality music greatly improves the annoying sound, cool dynamic backgrounds. It's still incredibly tough, mind, but if you're not opposed to save scumming your way through, this one comes recommended.
48. Mr. Heli/Mr. HELI no Daibōken/Battle Chopper (1989, Wii U - TG 16 vc) ★★☆☆☆
This one has several names in several regions it seems. Arcade classic in which you control a chopper, dropping bombs and shooting robots down. It's interesting to see it deviate from the strictly horizontal or vertical scrolling traditional shooter template, but ultimately you still don't have a lot of freedom of movement. It's exceedingly difficult in most parts, with some real garbage bossfights accompanied by even more annoying music. The only way through is constantly firing both weapons, and patient save scumming.
49. Star Wars Pinball (2015, Wii U) ★★★☆☆
The Star Wars tables were never added to Zen Pinball 2, but released in this separate game instead, so I'm counting it. All three tables are interesting in their own right. Initially the Boba Fett and Clone Wars themed ones put me off with their garish orange-heavy colour schemes, but they were fun to play once I gave them a fair shot. The game did crash on me once or twice, and ultimately I'm just not good enough at pinball to really enjoy the game long-term, but this is a good title for pick-up and play sessions.
50. Aperion Cyberstorm (2018, Wii U) ★★★☆☆
A well-polished top-down dual-stick shooter. Features a story mode that'll last a good 7-8 hours, 4 different worlds, 5-player local multiplayer even available during the story mode, endless mode, unlockable boss rush, various upgradable ships. This one's very solid, I'm almost inclined to go with a rating of four stars here. Music is good too, but there's very little of it there, so this became a mute & podcast game after a while for me. Each room has a different lay-out, forcing different playstyles. The boss fights are a little underwhelming perhaps, and the story is super predictable. If you find dual-stick shooters relaxing, there's a good time to be had here though!
Conclusions: Bit of a mixed year for me. I've managed to try many revered series for a first time (Ridge Racer, PaRappa, Katamari - to mixed results), experienced a good vertical slice of the Wii era (Mario Galaxy, and The Last Story stood out), and a few elusive classics (Panzer Dragoon, the first Sin & Punishment, Bangai-O). Had very few titles blow me away though (only The Last Story, and Mario Kart 8 really). Final numbers: 40 Games finished, 4 games had no real endings but I'm done with, 6 more I did not finish and won't return to.
Thanks for posting everyone, I enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts and learned about a lot of games I'd never heard of before.
67) The Evil Within - I had dreaded finally playing this game since starting a save file in 2014 and then not touching it for years. Restarted the game and made steady progress starting two weeks ago until finishing in late August. The game is just so scary and tense for me throughout (with chapters 2 and 3 surprisingly being the most nerve-racking). It is filled with baffling design decisions alongside some fantastic horror gameplay and ends up feeling like a wonderful mess. Don't think I'd like to play through it again anytime soon, if ever, but it did a good job overall and set up a phenomenal sequel.
68) Mega Man X5 - Another game with very strange design decisions like the timer and RNG deciding the ending along with the bizarre level system for bosses. Don't know exactly why they did that but I think it adds some replayability and diversity to the game where maybe X4 was lacking in that. With X I got all of the armors (gaea, falcon, fourth, and ultimate) and all hearts, subtanks, and 8 bonus pieces. I need to play through again sometime soon and putting more time into using Zero rather than X, but it's a pretty great game overall and would have been a fantastic conclusion to the X series if only it ended when it did.
67. Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters Daybreak: Special Gigs - 23 hours
This game is such a huge wasted potential it's just sad to see. The whole concept of VN/RPG hybrid about ghosthunting in modern Tokyo was very intriguing, but the execution is really flawed, specifically RPG part.
First of all, the port quality is horrendous. I thought we are finally past the times when such lazy-ass PC ports were the thing, but I guess not yet. Keyboard controls are terrible and can't be rebind, the mouse is not supported at all, there are no graphical or controls settings either, button prompts are only for a gamepad, and you can exit the game only by pressing Ctrl+F4. The only way to know keyboard controls is by reading 1 page (!) manual, that highlights buttons that not used in the game and at the same time didn't mention half of the features that are in the game, like skipping cutscenes and battle animations by pressing Enter button.
Even if you play with a gamepad, that's only the beginning - this game has several weird systems, and it didn't bother to explain shit about them. For example, sometimes in dialogues you need to choose "senses" and "actions" to interact with people and objects, like combining Anger + Touch = punch, or Love + Mouth = kiss (or "you licked the wall lovingly", depends on situation). How does the game explain it? The answer is simple - it didn't. You just suddenly see 5 weird icons appear on the screen, then 5 other icons, and then you get the result that you've probably didn't intended to get. This game is just a confusing mess, I can see why most of the people would just drop it after the first try, I'm just too stubborn to give up that easily.
And honestly, at first getting through all this weirdness was worth it. VN is the best part of this game, story is great, characters are well animated, there's actual difference between choices (I can confirm that after several replays of the same story parts because of failed battles, but I'll talk about this crap in deep later) and even True End requirements are not that ridiculous and can be achieved without 100% perfect choices. You can interact with characters and even romance some of them, though it's kinda annoying that you can't clearly see how big their affection to you anywhere in the game. Storyline by its structure reminds your usual anime shows, every chapter has intro sequence, then investigation part, then battle happens and after that one of the characters says some deep thoughts and credits roll, onto the next chapter. It sounds good, but the battles part is where things get ugly.
Seriously, battles in this game are just utter disgrace. I'm not exactly sure how, but devs managed to create one of the most boring and repetitive tactical RPG I've ever experienced. The ghosthunthing part didn't bother me at first, it was weird and boring, but it didn't cause much trouble and could have been easily ignored during the first 7-8 chapters. But then ghosts become suddenly more powerful, and I had to learn the details that game didn't bother to tell me (again). And you know what? It's not just lack of proper explanation, combat in this game is simply uninspired trash. There are no depths, most of the time you trying to predict where the ghost will move next (and they usually moving completely random which makes them hard to catch, and with very strict turns limit the whole process become incredibly annoying very quick) and then "kill" them to gain loot and level up. You can set up traps, but in reality, 99% of traps in this game is pointless garbage that doesn't even work as it supposed to - charms didn't charm ghost, blocks didn't block shit. To make it even more frustrating, before every mission game set several traps on the map, but in most cases, this random layout is completely idiotic and you should replace all of them (don't forget terrible keyboard controls that makes the whole process even more "fun"). Moreover, the game is not allowing you to properly plan the battle, because it doesn't tell you which type of attack ghost have, and this can result in your whole team stuck under "Sleep" spell because you didn't equip items for "Sleep" immunity. And that also means that you need to reload the old save and redo story part before the combat from the scratch, it's not possible to change equipment or even quickly restart the battle during the combat.
The whole RPG part is fundamentally broken, whoever designed this shit should be banned from game development for the rest of his life. And did I mentioned that there can be unexpected series of battles in a row? Just imagine playing through 2 battles with several important dialogue choices, only to see in the third battle that boss is 30-40 levels stronger than you and have those "Sleep" attacks that you don't have immunity for? You can't save during the dialogues, so basically, an entire hour of your progress wasted by this FUCKING BASIC DESIGN MISTAKES STRAIGHT FROM THE 90s. Even though I liked the story and it had some really unexpected twists, I simply can't recommend this game to anyone who values his sanity and time, just thinking about how terrible and devastating combat was in this game makes me angry. Well done Arc Systems, you fucked it up!
Game #123: The Room Two Started 4 Aug. 2018 - Completed 6 Aug. 2018
Verdict: Basically just more of the same.
I wasn't a fan of the first game and this is basically just a bigger The Room One. I think that if you like the first game this might be exactly what you want, but for me it was just even more bland. Didn't really mind playing it, just poking at my phone whenever I didn't have anything else to do, but that's it.
Game #124: FAR: Lone Sails Started 7 Aug. 2018 - Beaten 7 Aug. 2018
Verdict: Hard to explain what does it, but it spoke to me.
I don't really know what to write about this game. I thought it was fantastic but can't really explain why. I only finished it once and plan to go back and finishing at least one more time, and until then I don't think I can say much.
Game #125: Her Majesty's SPIFFING Started 7 Aug. 2018 - Completed 7 Aug. 2018
Verdict: It's hilarious and I want more.
A super fun point and click that is annoyingly short. I usually really like short games but absolutely wanted more of this. I bet a lot of people find this type of humor and the many references insufferable but for me it's just perfect. I need more!
Game #126: XCOM: Enemy Within - Long War Started 22 Jul. 2018 - Completed 16 Jul. 2018
Verdict: Insanely hard and super addictive.
My SO is a huge XCOM fan and I have seen him play both this and XCOM 2 a lot. Bought the game myself quite some time ago too but started to feel like I was never gonna get to it, but I got this very sudden urge to play it out of nowhere! I went to check out the mods and when I saw Long War I knew I just had to try it. Based on what I have seen of the original Enemy Within and from what my SO commented on while I was playing, I did the right thing. This version is much more interesting to me! I get why my SO thinks it's too complicated and hard, but I think I would have found the original game too simple. The game underneath is nothing to scoff at of course, it's a superb base and surely a great game in itself too. Anyway, LW is hard as hell and I was sure I was gonna fail at least once per in-game week. But somehow we just managed to get through it, and get through it... and after 150 hours, my screen said Long War Victory. That relief and feeling of success was so good. Not the best game I played this year (both the original game and the mod had some annoying parts among the great stuff) but definitely the game that made me feel the most awesome. I immediately bought and started XCOM 2: WotC (unmodded) after finishing this. Loving that too!
[Continued From]
40. The Unfinished Swan | PS4 (7.0/10) -8.27.18
After having finished Shenmue early in the night and having Yakuza Kiwami 2 available the next day, I decided to try and bust out a short and sweet game sitting along my backlog. The Unfinished Swan seemed like the perfect choice, and I'm glad I got around to playing it. In some ways, I can't deny that it falls under the wide umbrella of 'pretentious indies', but I felt like its point was interesting and well-delivered. Gameplay was simple, but effective in getting the point across-- though I did feel like they couldn't quite capture the initial surprise of painting the world in black to find your way around. I appreciate that it didn't overstay its welcome, allowing me to tie a nice little bow around it and call it a night, satisfied that I chipped away at my backlog, if only just a little.
41. Yakuza Kiwami 2 | PS4 (8.0/10) -9.3.18
Though not the end-all be-all entry in the series that some claim it is, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is an incredibly fun game that occasionally gets lost in how much it relies on previous games. The two main side stories, each of which takes several hours at minimum, return from Yakuza 6 and Yakuza 0; while Cabaret Club Management is just as fun as its predecessor and has enough callbacks to warrant playing, Clan Creator is more time-consuming and tedious than before. Substories are also a little lackluster aside from a couple standouts like Be My Baby, while dating (which is tied to the Cabaret Club this time around) is a little slow and really should have allowed players to skip through dialogue. The main story, however, is fantastic. My biggest gripe with it is that the middle feels a little aimless and the end feels a little contrived, but both of these issues are minor, and Ryuji Goda's stature as the imposing villain of the game more than makes up for it.
My favorite part about the game, however, was Majima's painfully emotional side-story. Though it's a little on the short side, and Majima's combat is too simple to do much with, it ties into Yakuza 0 almost perfectly and helps pull his character together into a more cohesive package. I couldn't have asked for a better resolution.
42. Splatoon | Wii U (7.5/10) -9.5.18
I was given one of the bundles for the Wii U before the rumored Nintendo Switch had surfaced, and on it contained Super Smash Bros. and Splatoon. I played a little of both before my time was thoroughly consumed by Xenoblade Chronicles X (and, shortly after, Tokyo Mirage Sessions). So while I was dusting the system off to play Tropical Freeze, I decided to clear out one of the few unfinished titles for the system I had. Since I only have a few days for Spider-Man, I figured I'd play something on the shorter side, so I went through and finished the main campaign for Splatoon. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it played, though I did turn off motion controls, despite what many recommend. The level design was far better than I expected and the bosses rival those of 3D Mario games-- even better than those of Mario Odyssey. It's unfortunate that I'm not that interested in multiplayer matches because a more expansive single-player campaign probably would have pulled me in even harder. Overall a great game that's worth playing even now that online matches have all but winded down.
43. Spider-Man | PS4 (9.0/10) -9.10.18
Insomniac has always been one of my favorite developers, and it's made me incredibly happy to see the spotlight shining on them with the release of Spider-Man. Each of their games has had an incredible gamefeel, especially Ratchet & Clank, one of my personal favorite franchises despite some of its shortcomings. So I was delighted to see that Spider-Man was so carefully written and purposefully executed, a dream come true for a fan of the character. Their decision to move Peter Parker past his early days as a high school superhero was well thought-out; it might feel a little strange to introduce all his most prominent nemeses after eight whole years of his vigilante career, but I like that he's built an in-game reputation by defeating almost every one of his B-list villains. This also ties in well with the introduction of Miles Morales, the character who (for a time) outright replaces Peter Parker as Spider-Man in the comics. In a way, it's Miles' origin story, too.
Combat is snappy and carries a surprising amount of depth, and though it draws heavily from Arkham's style, the game manages to make it feel unique in its own right. Every fight takes the environment into account, and mastering combat requires turning obstacles into tools. Upgrades and gadgets add an extra layer of complexity, though there were many I didn't use simply because I was already entrenched in a style of playing by the time they unlocked (which is a problem I've always had with Arkham, too). Traversal is similarly complex, easy to pick-up but difficult to master, as timed challenges in the game prove. It's not merely a matter of speed, but direction and even verticality: completing certain tasks requires you to make sudden turns or maintain certain heights. It's consistently enjoyable throughout the thirty-odd hour experience, and makes fast travel nearly irrelevant, though I appreciate the option to use it nonetheless. My biggest complaint is in the side content, which is entertaining enough at first but slowly wears you down as you near total completion. These side tasks are important for experience and obtaining new and interesting suits, mods, and gadgets, so it would feel odd to skip them entirely. Yet the side missions are largely forgettable, aside from the three that deal with minor villains. I wish more led to fights with C-list or even D-list villains like The Swarm or The Wall. That might have made bases feel like less of a chore to complete, but even that might not have saved the tedium of stopping each and every crime in all the districts.
There is still plenty of room to grow for the inevitable sequel, but I was more than satisfied with their first outing. When Spider-Man 2 hits I'll undoubtedly get wrapped up in it all over again.
44. The Order: 1886 | PS4 (6.0/10) -9.11.18
If every first-party exclusive game on the PS4 played like The Order, people might actually be justified in suggesting that Sony's games are glorified walking simulators. The meat of the game takes place in shooting galleries sandwiched between long, often-cryptic cutscenes that sometimes like to throw quicktime-events in the players' direction. There's very little depth to the gameplay, and its most interesting weapons are locked behind very specific scenes and fights; most of the time, you'll be using a pistol or rifle to slowly pick off enemies that are hiding behind cover. It's not actively frustrating, but it's not exactly a riveting experience either. The story is decent, predictable but nested in a world I couldn't help but be curious about. Having the player control a death-defying knight of the round table using water from the holy grail to heal his wounds is a concept I can entirely get behind, but I couldn't help but feel the execution was lacking. The game also feels like the first part of a trilogy, leaving on a cliffhanger that made it feel like an incomplete experience rather than hyping me up for a potential sequel.
45. The Banner Saga 2 | PS4 (7.5/10) -9.15.18
The Banner Saga's sequel builds from the momentum of its predecessor, making only a few tweaks and additions to its core gameplay but making great strides in story. Though it can be hard to follow at times-- made even harder by the ebb and flow of characters joining or leaving the fray-- the core narrative is perfectly paced and expertly delivered. The writing is witty but tense, delivering on the game's premise. It may have ended on one hell of a cliffhanger, but the fact that they managed to complete the trilogy so quickly makes up for it.
While it's a small step up from the first game mechanically, it still suffers from the same issues. Namely, the fact that there is far too many stats and abilities that are poorly explained or overly complex when the most effective solution tends to be facerolling the enemy with as many varl as you can throw at them. I tried to use new units to change things up, but most of them were only kept on my team because they entered at a decent level... as opposed to the units I'd left gathering dust, who at that point became too weak to bring into battle unless things turned truly sour.
Which is to say, at nearly every turn.
46. The Banner Saga 3 | PS4 (7.5/10) -9.16.18
Things go from bad to worse to dire to apocalyptic: the game.
From a gameplay perspective, little fundamentally changed between the second and third games. You carry over the same units, with a few new additions sparcely added throughout the last stretch of the story, and a new class of enemies hardly changes the flow of battle. What is unique about this entry is that it adds up all of your choices from prior games and you begin to feel their full weight. In one instance, a character I had almost forgotten was even on my team up and left-- when asked why she wanted to leave, she mentioned that you had barely spoken in ages, something that hit me harder than expected. The nitty gritty details give life to a story that aspires to be lofty and fantastical, creating a story that manages to achieve both. The Banner Saga's finale is a fitting end to the story, and left me feeling satisfied with the pacing and build-up of the series as a whole.
47. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country | Switch (7.5/10) - 9.30.18
I waited until the expansion was out to play through the main game, but an interview I read with Takahashi suggested I play it between chapters seven and eight of Xenoblade Chronicles 2, so I gave that a shot. The gameplay is a little jarring, I'll admit, but from a narrative perspective I thought it was an almost natural flow. Torna ~ The Golden Country spoils little that Xenoblade 2 hadn't already by that point, but it helps the player understand the climax of a few character arcs that might have fallen a little flat otherwise. There's precious little time to fall in love with the new cast of characters, but the world allows several characters to have continuous journeys across five-hundred year timespans, so it helps to see familiar faces.
Torna suffers from many of the same problems I have with the base game's combat, namely how sluggish and level-dependent it can feel. However, chain attacks feel much more impactful because the player need only hit the enemy with a single elemental attack to place an elemental orb on the enemy rather than finish an entire combo. Switching characters in and out is also much more fluid and helps deliver more break-topple-launch-smash combos. Torna would be a complete upgrade from Xenoblade 2 in terms of gameplay if only they hadn't forced the player to take several-hour breaks from story to clean up often-tedious sidequests. Padding the expansion to nearly double its length heavily damages its pacing, especially since it gates you off twice near climactic story beats.
After a long and harrowing journey that saw me travel across several continents, fight nearly every wild animal within a five-mile radius, open a truckload of card packsCore Crystals, and climb the World Tree itself, I finally completed Xenoblade Chronicles 2. I could spend all day picking at its flaws; unnecessary gacha mechanics that reinforced awkward and frustrating field skills, uneven story pacing that failed to deliver on key character arcs, and a mind-numbingly slow battle system are just a few of my gripes with the game.
Yet in the face of its flaws it shows its true character. The very heart of the story is a compelling, sometimes goofy, always sappy romance that the main party helps protect against the cold and cruel world around them. They're not just along for the ride, but independent actors who are inspired by the childish, naive, and faltering hope that the protagonist carries. The ending-- as divisive as it may be, and for good reason-- is perfectly in line with that.
49. Mega Man 11 | PS4 (7.5/10) - 10.6.18
After completing the two prior collections, I was armed with strong opinions and an unwavering shield against the frustrations of the franchise. So when Mega Man 11 threw obstacle after obstacle at me, I overcame them and could even come to appreciate the feelings of success they brought. Bringing back currency from later Mega Man titles such as 7 and 8 helped fight those feelings of frustration by helping the player progress little by little even as they face failure after failure. While Mega Man 9 and 10 abandoned the traditions of nearly every game that wasn't title "Mega Man 2", Mega Man 11 uniquely recognizes the benefits of a more modern gameplay loop without abandoning the difficulty and gamefeel of classic titles.
The Double Gear System turned out to be an excellent way to spice up the formula. Certain challenges practically require mastery over Speed Gear and it rarely feels like a crutch for new or inexperienced players. It's also deftly woven into the aesthetics of the game and is even well-integrated into the (appropriately) barebones plot. The Double Gear System may end up being a one-off gimmick, but I thought it was a fantastic way to tie the game together.
50. Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise | PS4 (7.0/10) - 10.10.18
Though it doesn't quite compare to mainline titles in the Yakuza franchise, Lost Paradise is an enjoyable, explosive, and utterly Mad Max-ian romp. It's fun to see Kenshiro-- who through substories and quiet-but-fierce demeanor feels like a reskin of Kiryu rather than a character in his own right-- absolutely murder villainous goons left and right, a nice change of pace from the usual Yakuza protagonists who stop just shy of killing. Substories take advantage of the whacky world of an 80's manga series, dealing with beleaguered shoulder pad salesman, unruly dine-and-ditchers, and post-apocalyptic hostesses.
While the main story takes itself more seriously, the Ryu ga Gotoku team didn't try and force a Yakuza-esque plotline filled with deep character drama into a Fist of the North Star mold. It's an 80's anime adventure through and through, filled with burly men who battle to decide who's the strongest in the wasteland and waifish women who (more or less) exist to spur those burly men to action.
51. VA-11 Hall-A | Vita (7.5/10) - 10.13.18
A cyberpunk bartending experience is a niche experience if I ever heard one, but I'll be damned if it doesn't deliver. Though its main gameplay loop is simple, the story uses this to its advantage and cleverly plays with how you use it for particular bar patrons. The real pull of the game, however, is in its world and characters. There is no real 'overarching story' and unlike many stories involving a dystopian society, the player isn't meant to fix it nor are they meant to feel defeated by it. The cyberpunk dystopia is merely the world they live in and while it influences the struggles they face, it's often a footnote to the character stories that evolve throughout the game.
52. Splatoon 2 | Switch (7.5/10) - 10.15.18
A short-but-enjoyable platforming adventure, Splatoon 2 offered a more varied campaign experience than its predecessor. Instead of limiting your weapon usage, it actively encouraged (and often forced!) players to use different weapons. It better prepares you for multiplayer play, which is the ultimate goal of any good single-player content in a multiplayer-focused game. I was a little disappointed in the final boss, however, especially because I felt that the main campaign's difficulty was well-tuned in comparison to its predecessor.
17. Shenmue PS4 Pro | Time Played: 10 Hours | 9/10
I heard good things about the game, wanted to check it out myself before the third game releases. And boy, was it a journey as Shenmue's story delivers in every regard - from the wacky characters to the real-life simulation. SEGA pulled out all the stops with this system exclusive, back in the day this must have been a beauty. Despite, a few buggy cutscenes I had tons of fun with the title.
33. Wario World - [8.5/10] 10 hours, August 12th
Really fun platformer/beat-em-up with a ton of Wario charm. If the game were longer than it is, Wario's skillset would feel a bit limited, but the game is short enough that it doesn't really get tiresome or old by the time you've finished the game 100%. Lots of varied and fun levels with some interesting themes, and a bunch of interesting boss fights too. I'd love to see Nintendo revisit this game in some fashion, but unfortunately it seems like one of those weird titles that's just completely lost to time and generally forgotten by Nintendo.
34. Castlevania Rondo of Blood - [9/10] 6 hours, August 13th
Played this after Richter was announced for Smash because I remembered that the only experience with Richter I've ever had prior was his turn as a boss fight in Portrait of Ruin. Around October I'm gonna play Symphony of the Night as well, and maybe Dracula X even though I know it's just a poor man's version of Rondo. Rondo itself was an excellent classic-style Castlevania, I'm going to have to revisit it to find all the other secrets and alternate levels.
35. Mega Man X2 - [7.5/10] 6 hours, August 20th
Shockingly mediocre. That's a bit harsh of a critique I suppose, the game is fine and I did mostly enjoy it, but as a follow-up to X1, this was kinda disappointing. Soundtrack, level design, and weapons are all big steps down from its predecessor. It just feels like a very rushed and uninspired game, which I suppose makes sense considering it released so soon after X1, but I'm still surprised that it's such a step down from its phenomenal prequel.
36. Guacamelee 2 - [10/10] 12 hours, August 23rd
37. Guacamelee 2 - Hard Mode Run for Platinum Trophy, 6 hours
Probably my personal frontrunner for GOTY right now. This is kind of what I expected though - Drinkbox is one of my favorite developers and I adore Guacamelee 1, this game was always going to be something I'd rate really highly unless they somehow dropped the ball. It's kind of just more Guacamelee, but it never feels uninspired or redundant, and the changes they did make all add a lot to the core gameplay. Guacamelee 2 is consistently an enjoyable and funny game, it's the perfect kind of "here's more of the last game with a few tweaks" sequel.
38. Donut County - [10/10] 4 hours, August 29th
Insanely charming. The writing is great, I consistently anticipated Trashopedia entries after levels just because of how much I enjoyed reading them. Donut County's the kind of game that knows how to make the most of itself, so while it's a very brief game (I got the platinum trophy after 4 hours of playtime), there's never a dull moment. Another easy favorite game of mine for the whole year.
61. Wolfenstein: The New Order / 21h completed 27.08.18
A replay of my favorite 2014 game. It still holds up pretty well. The gameplay is great though never revelatory, the shooting feels good and there's almost old school exploration in there. Almost but not quite, as most levels are still mostly corridors with a few branching paths and dead ends. It felt quite like the breath of fresh air back in '14 anyway, and it's still welcome design today. But there's enough hidden stuff to make it worth exploring. The perk and commander systems are also fantastic ways to spice up the approaches to nazi killing.
But what makes this game so dear to my heart is the wrapping around the shooter. Everything on display, from the writing to the acting and direction, the soundtrack and art direction. Everything about the storytelling and the worldbuilding just feels right. As someone who has played the whole series throughout the years, i was definitely not expecting such maturity from Wolfenstein. Don't get me wrong, it's still pulp. But it's good pulp. Early Tarantino pulp almost. And it lets itself be subtly emotional like few games do.
All said, it didn't shook me like the first time around but that's understandable. Still one of the greats.
62. Quantum Break / 17h50 completed 30.08.18
If i were to think of this game only as an action experience, ignoring everything but gameplay, i would have found it mediocre and definitely Remedy's worst game. It feels undercooked in that regard. The powers are interesting and fun to use but the game rarely calls on you to use them beyond a couple of combos that are more than enough to take care of everything it throws at you. It's also a very fragmented game, in which the set pieces are few and far between. I would imagine there's about a couple of hours of shooting encounters in there. Most of the game is spent exploring and playing more narrative moments. Far from being a complaint on my part, this actually elevated the game for me, as i loved the story and most of the characters. I found myself rushing through yet another encounter arena in order to get to the next story beat. Aiden Gillen is the highlight here. After years of watching his villainous overacting in GoT, it's refreshing to see him portray an interesting and conflicted character, who is easy to sympathize with, seeing as you can fill his shoes at intervals and shape parts of the narrative. What surprised me the most were the live action segments though. To be clear, they're not very good and they're cheesy as hell. But they're not absolutely terrible like i thought they'd be. They give us some interesting character development. They are bad when action happens though. But i loved this world, and that's my through line with Remedy games. They always get me that way.
One thing that i want to add is that QB is one of the most beautiful gamed i've ever played. From the environments to the characters, from the absolutely insane visuals when time shit happens to the extremely slick UI. I loved everything about the visuals of this game and often found myself standing in awe at what was in front of me. Outstanding work.
I really love the concept of this game. I only beat it once and I beat the puzzle mode once. There's still more secrets to explore and unlock.
*38. Slay the Spire - 20 hrs
This is an absolutely amazing deckbuilder. I beat it with all three classes in around a week. I should probably return to it.
*39. Dead Cells - 30 hrs
This will also be on of my favorite games this year. Fantastic combat. Beat it once.
40. Framed - 1 hr
Twas okay timewaster.
41. Creepy Castle - 4 hrs
I wanted to like this more than I did. I beat two adventures. May return to it, may not. Its very repetitve with very little actual thought in the gameplay.
42. Enter the Gungeon - 50 hrs
I did not beat this at all, though I've reached the last boss(first of many). I intend to return to it. This is one of the few games I'll count without having beaten.
August
*43. Chasm - 11 hrs
Out of the five metroidvanias in August, I was most disappointed with this one. Still okay, but did not live up to the years of hype for me.
*44. Death's Gambit - 12 hrs
Also disappointing but more enjoyable. Too bad about the numerous crashes and bugs.
*45. Guacamelee 2 - 14 hrs
This is a fantastic improvement on a solid formula.
*46. Donut County - 2 hrs
Fun little trifle. Wish there was more.
September
*47. The Messenger - 15 hrs
Either this or GM 2 was the best of the August MV bunch for me. Fantastic game with fun writing and gameplay.
68. The Lost Crown - 14 hours
An interesting point'n'click adventure game about the ghosthunting. It's not a flawless experience, I believe there are not the old point'n'click games without "what the heck am I suppose to do next?" moments. This game is so inconsistent in this regard, it mostly streamlined and steadily opens new locations, sometimes even skipping unnecessary transitions between different parts of the map, but annoying pixel hunting and tedious backtracking, unfortunately, are still present here. But even though there are some disappointing gameplay parts, overall it's definitely worth playing it for unique dark atmosphere and story about towns lost in time and old curses. Yeah, voice acting is kinda cheap, but the story is full of memorable moments and, surprisingly for 15 hours adventure game, not overstaying its welcome and ends exactly when it supposed to. The game can be creepy, but honestly, it's more thriller than horror, there are few scary moments but mostly it's just intense (not that I complain about that though). So, yeah, if you missed this game and don't mind kinda slow pacing, then I recommend to try it out. Just don't mind using a walkthrough and remember that some of the achievements are bugged out.
