I've recently spun up a 52 Games Discord, in-case folks wanted to chat between completions or seek suggestions for that next playthrough. Click below to hop on in, if that's something that sounds of interest!
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Game 81 – Alone With You (PS4) - ~20 hours – 3.5/5
Great for a first playthrough. The story is compelling enough with a great setting, atmosphere, and cast of characters. There's something really satisfying about exploring the desolate locations and piecing together what happened and the culmination of your work in the end of the game.
The problems start to show up in replays. Even though there's effectively five paths/endings to take the game stays mostly the same in terms of format. There's three weeks in the game with each day seeing you go to a certain area or do a specific task. Said tasks remain constant from run to run with the only potential difference being how in depth you choose to be when exploring. This doesn't add up to anything truly substantial content wise.
I recommend picking a favorite character to focus on and stick with them for your first run and go from there. If you want to come back for the rest they'll still be there in the future if you take some time away. Otherwise this can get pretty samey.
Game 82 – The Cat Lady (PC) – 7 hours, 48 minutes – 4/5
One of my favorite games of all time aesthetically. Some really nightmarish stuff was accomplished here with very little.
As far as gameplay this falls in line with some of my other favorites. Cozy feeling (not the content of the game itself of course) adventure gaming. Some of the typical trappings of messy adventure game puzzle design show up here but there's nothing too outlandish.
Not the most replayable game due to the subject matter being pretty heavy and at times hitting close to home but I'm glad I gave this another go and look forward to doing it again in a couple of years.
Game 83 – The Blackwell Legacy (PC) – 2 hours – 4/5
A cozy point and click adventure game classic. Love the setting and soundtrack. I've replayed this game three times now but I haven't revisited the sequels yet. Let this be the time I get to those.
Game 84 – The Silver Case (PS4) - ~15 hours – 3.5/5
One of those games where the hype you had for the game kinda overcomes what the game itself is. I'd known of this game for a pretty long time and was enamored with the art style/aesthetics and general story telling but there wasn't any official access for it in NA until fairly recently.
Having finally gotten around to it, it's a solid enough adventure title but isn't lacking in flaws. I think the biggest stopping point for some will be the controls. The examination, interaction, and just general movement in the game is a bit clunky and confusing. If you can stick with it and get past that there's a pretty compelling narrative to be found. I can't help but feel if this was more widely available at the time of original release that this would be as notorious as MGS2 in terms of plot.
Glad I finally gave this a go even if it didn't blow me away completely.
Game 85 – Dead Space 3 (360) - ~13 hours – 2/5
One of the most misguided games I've ever played. I'm not gonna complain about the shift to an action heavy focus because I think it had potential (even if it wasn't what the series was known for) but wow, was the execution botched.
With an increase in combat focus one would think the combat would be enhanced in a significant way. We end up with some baffling cuts/simplifications instead. For some reason ammo was turned into a generic consumable for each weapon in the game. The plasma cutter you start out with consumes the same exact clips as a rocket launcher you'd build later on. There's this new weapon crafting system that had potential but I'm not sure what incentive there is to experiment with things beyond building the strongest weapon you can and slapping on upgrades since it isn't like you'll have to worry about rare ammo drops.
Isaac (and Carver) have a smoother feeling set of movements but it's hard to take advantage of them due to the encounter design. The pacing of the game in terms of gameplay flow is wack. There's no sense of build-up when you move through environments because every time you encounter enemies it's a massive spawn of them. I'm not sure if it was in an attempt to balance for co-op or not but said enemies are also really tanky in regards to health values, even on the normal or easy difficulties. After awhile I felt like I was playing Doom 3 in regards to the constantly spawning enemies that come from nonsensical places. Unfortunately this game didn't have the atmosphere to make it more tolerable.
My review probably sounds a bit damning but I want to be clear that the very base of the game itself is solid enough. It plays like a slightly more refined version of the prior games, it's just that the surroundings are all rotten. It's probably a bit better with a friend.
Game 86 – Old Man's Journey (XB1) – 1 hour, 23 minutes – 2.5/5
A solid enough little adventure game. Something you can probably play through in a sitting if you commit to it.
I liked the environmental manipulation as a spin on things for point and click gameplay instead of inventory/item based puzzle solving. Said environmental manipulation unfortunately didn't play as well during the more gamey/interactive elements of the game such as making a path for a train to travel.
I'll be keeping an eye out for whatever comes next from the devs.
Game 87 – Minit (XB1) – 26 minutes – 3/5
The repeating 60 second format is a great concept. It's also one that could've easily overstayed its welcome so I'm glad this game was brisk and didn't go on forever.
There's a surprising amount of replay value to be found between the two extra modes (New Game+ and the Mary mode) in addition to just the speedrunning factor.
Will definitely be coming back to this one here and there in the future.
100. Kirby: Planet Robobot (5 hours)
More or less what you can expect to Kirby, but with a new mech mechanic that does a very, very good job at breaking up the series' traditional gameplay.
Full list to date
63: Pokémon Sword (Start: 11/15/2019. End: 11/23/2019)
I have some mixed feelings about this game. There's a lot I liked. And there are things I didn't. I honestly think this game could have used more time in development, but Pokémon being what it is made that impossible.
How so? Of all the franchises, I would have thought Pokemon could afford to take as much time and budget as it needs. Pokemon certainly doesn't need to chase AAA graphics and scope, but there's an ambition that I feel is somewhat lacking in Sw/Sh.
Game 88 – Quantum Break (XB1) – 13 hours, 30 minutes – 2/5
There's a pretty solid game hiding somewhere when the game isn't making you watch the story unfold (in game or in the TV episodes), sit through load screens, and repeat stretches of content due to poor checkpoint placements. It's too bad since the base gameplay itself feels pretty solid.
Things came to a head for me in the last boss fight which was not only one of the most poorly designed bosses I've encountered in any game but it also placed its checkpoint before a cutscene. I have no patience for this kind of thing in a game that released this recently. Keep it.
Game 89 – Blackwell Unbound (PC) – 1 hour, 54 minutes – 3/5
More solid point and clicking with the Blackwell series. Feels a bit shorter than the other games in the series but it isn't a big deal.
Lauren is a pretty different character compared to Rosa so that can be a positive or negative depending on you. I personally enjoyed the change. Even if it was just for this game.
Game 90 – Fallout 3 (360) – 35 hours~ - 3/5
This is a bit better than I had given credit for in the past. I'm not sure how since the combat, fetch quest mission design, aesthetics, and map design all leave a lot to be desired (that's pretty much a solid 80% of the game). Regardless there's a solid gameplay loop to be found in exploring the wasteland, doing quests, and becoming progressively more overpowered due to the perks, skills, and equipment you come across or receive. Miracles do happen, I guess.
I played this on game pass so I could snatch achievements for Microsoft Rewards so i didn't have access to any of the DLC. I'm looking forward to eventually giving this a third playthrough on PC with mods and all the DLC for the first time.[/spoiler]
Wozzer just to tell you that your threads have changed how I play games to the point I'm actually playing a few "long" games I know I wont finish before January just because "ive already done the challenge and then some so theres no point", I'm not sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing lol. I kinda understand achievement people now at least >_>